Cross Solo -- What Converter Do I Need?

[MTHALL720]

I just recently purchased a Cross Solo from an elderly gentleman who included some carts but I am not sure if they are the right ones. The pen looks like it was never used, but even after rinsing, flushing, and soaking the nib no ink flows at all from the cartridges. I am hoping an ink converter will solve the issue.

 

Thank you.

[JulioPB]

Hi.

Cross Solos use normal Cross converters,

[inkstainedruth]

By "normal" JuiioPB presumably means the push-in type converters. I have a couple of Cross Solos -- I hesitated on getting the first one even though it was from the estate of a good friend because I knew nothing about the brand, until I did some research (that one is red with black trim and is marked "Made in Japan" (I think someone told me that it was made for Cross by Pilot). I liked it so well that last year at the Ohio Pen Show I bought a second one (this second one is bright blue and has a B nib; don't recall whether that was also a Japanese-made one).

The nibs are nails, but they're very smooth writers. Hmmm. I should put one or the other one back into rotation.

My Cross Verve, OTOH, has a screw-in converter. I don't really like the pen -- I have to learn to hold it fairly high up because the 2 piece nib means inky fingers otherwise -- but I only paid a buck for it (and someone gave me the right converter), so what the heck. One of these days I'll pull that pen out and give it another try (I saw one just like mine except for the nib width on eBay that the seller had listed at $185 US; seriously? It is so NOT worth that.... Don't care HOW rare it is... OTOH I have an extremely low opinion of that particular seller so I wouldn't have paid 50¢ -- with free shipping -- for theirs).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[pajaro]

Solos use the green, friction fit (push-in) converters. Some other Cross pens use an orange, screw-in converter. Don't buy the orange converter, get the green one.

 

The Solo is made by Pilot, and the Solo is an excellent pen. I have three, and they seem to always write immediately and are easy starters. For me they are easy starters, anyway. YMMV.

Edited September 5, 2019 by pajaro

[inkstainedruth]

The Solo is made by Pilot, and the Solo is an excellent pen. I have three, and they seem to always write immediately and are easy starters. For me they are easy starters, anyway. YMMV.

 

Agreed. I really like the two I have and would not think twice about buying a third one if I could decide on a color and get one with a different nib from the other two, and the price was right. They're a nice size for my hand, light weight, and come in fun colors. And they're inexpensive enough that I would not completely hyperventilate if I lost one. Okay, well, I might over the red one, since it was bought from my friend's estate and so is special for sentimental reasons.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[MTHALL720]

Thanks very much everyone. I really appreciate it. I got mine from an elderly man who didn't recall when he got it. He gave me some carts for it but even after soaking and cleaning the pen it won't start for me. I think maybe the ink in the cartridges may not be okay? Hopefully some bottled ink will work. Love the looks of the pen which looks he rarely used it.

[ac12]

Thanks very much everyone. I really appreciate it. I got mine from an elderly man who didn't recall when he got it. He gave me some carts for it but even after soaking and cleaning the pen it won't start for me. I think maybe the ink in the cartridges may not be okay? Hopefully some bottled ink will work. Love the looks of the pen which looks he rarely used it.

 

Old cartridge may be dried up and the ink thick.

Flush the cartridge and refill with Waterman ink.

 

Clean and flush the feed, to clear out any old ink

[MTHALL720]

Thanks. Great idea.

[Jerome Tarshis]

 

 

Flush the cartridge and refill with Waterman ink.

 

Clean and flush the feed, to clear out any old ink

 

+1. Especially about the Waterman ink. My acquaintance with Cross cartridges dates back to the first decade of this century, and their ink may have changed. But at that time my experience, and that of others who posted to FPN, was that Cross ink in cartridges (different from Cross ink in bottles) tended to flow very badly.

 

The road to happiness lay in using practically any other ink. So people said. They were right.

[Raymond3]

The Cross solo is outstanding for the price point. Especially since it is easily converted to a roller ball.

 

 

But you have to be careful. Once you buy one or two push in cartridge converters, you might want to try a Cross Signature or Townsend that use the same push in converters. It is a slippery slope.

[speculator]

Count me as another Cross Solo fan!

Never a problem- and as some of you have also suggested, try some smoother-flowing inks in the pen.

If you can find Diamine Ink, it plays very well with the Solo!

Edited September 25, 2019 by speculator

[pajaro]

Nice blue Solo. I found an NOS green Solo in a desk drawer yesterday while packing it up to sell the house. I guess it'll stay packed for a while.