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I prefer convertors over piston fillers!


inkyfingr

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Converters are very functional but they are boring and lack the purity and soul Self Filling pens (especialy pistons) has.

 

But most converters function exactly the same as piston fillers!

Well you could say the same thing about nibs.

Nibs that are Italic,F,M,B,Stub...etc all do the same thing but we still have our favorite because we enjoy using a specific one.

Converters are functional,they make sense but FP's are not to make sense,they are to evoke enotions in us and make my fun gland jump for joy.C/C fillers dont do that as much as piston does.

 

Respect to all

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But, I think piston fillers and c/c fillers are both boring systems. I'd take a snork, touchdown, vac, or vacumatic filler any day.

When it comes to filling systems, there's much to be said for boring. The less excitement to be found in a filling system, the better, in my view. Robert Hughes' levitated core hydrodynamic lensing implosive filler is an interesting application of the technology, and it must be admitted that it can (briefly) get an impressive amount of ink into a pen. However, some aspects of the design are considered dual-use and are subject to various antiproliferation treaties, and the potential for an accident to contaminate wide areas of the country with iron gall 90 makes it a risky proposition at best.

 

I'd much rather keep the excitement for other aspects of a pen's design.

OMG I didnt even fully understoon what you said there but if I understood corectly I could reply to this in one manner-To each his one.

If C/C makes you happy then by all means thats the right filling mechanism for you and thats what you should use.

It all comes down to personal preferance.I guess most people here like piston fillers but it doesnt mean Pistons should be used in all pens.Actualy when I am thinking about it if all pens used pistons it would be rather boring.

Today most of my pens are either piston fillers or Snorkel fillers and I am happy with that.

I have few C/C and thats fine too.

Respect to all

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The best filler system is probably no filler system at all: eyedropper. But back to the actual topic: converters are more practical. They allow you to check the fuel level (even if in most cases you then find that topping up is required) whereas only a few piston fillers have ink windows. If anything goes wrong with them you simply buy another. And very important: there is no risk of people discovering that "this part at the back can be turned, why?".

What I don't understand, however, is why several manufacturers use so-called built-in converters. Less capacity than a piston filler, and if anything goes wrong you can't get at it, at least not without major surgery.

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I prefer the aero filler, then a c/c. I like the piston least because, from an engineering point of view it's less reliable and requires better tolerances to get it to work. The problems with sacs come about because they are made of latex & eventually rupture. Silicone & 'Pliglas' don't age so badly & remain in use for much longer without problems.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

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The flipside to that argument, Richard, is that it is less likely for a piston filler to crack under strain or when dropped, because of the high standards of materials needed. Not a big deal if you're sticking to cheaper pens, but if I were to spend over $100 on a C/C filler, it had better be made of some quality material, certainly quality enough to withstand a few drops.

 

I still wonder why someone doesn't make custom converters for their pens. Same international cart connector, but a larger reserve that fits the pen.

 

 

WTB: Lamy 27 w/ OB/OBB nibs; Pelikan 100 B nib

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When it comes to filling systems, there's much to be said for boring. The less excitement to be found in a filling system, the better, in my view. Robert Hughes' levitated core hydrodynamic lensing implosive filler is an interesting application of the technology, and it must be admitted that it can (briefly) get an impressive amount of ink into a pen. However, some aspects of the design are considered dual-use and are subject to various antiproliferation treaties, and the potential for an accident to contaminate wide areas of the country with iron gall 90 makes it a risky proposition at best.

 

I'd much rather keep the excitement for other aspects of a pen's design.

We weren't originally planning for ink storage when we came across this effect; it was merely a happy accident. Turns out we were storing droplets in the space between moments of time. It has been a real puzzle figuring out how to get the droplets to come back out, though - without having them all realign at once. Have you ever seen that Coke and Mentos video on YouTube? Imagine that with 5000 gallons of thrice-blessed ® ink and a customized Parker Sonnet, and you can see the potential hazard. We're still bailing out the tubs here...

 

And please don't get the UN inspectors involved in this again.

 

His Exaltency,

etc, etc...

Edited by Robert Hughes

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.

 

~ Bernard Shaw.

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We weren't originally planning for ink storage when we came across this effect; it was merely a happy accident. Turns out we were storing droplets in the space between moments of time. It has been a real puzzle figuring out how to get the droplets to come back out, though - without having them all realign at once. Have you ever seen that Coke and Mentos video on YouTube? Imagine that with 5000 gallons of thrice-blessed ® ink and a customized Parker Sonnet, and you can see the potential hazard. We're still bailing out the tubs here...

 

And please don't get the UN inspectors involved in this again.

 

His Exaltency,

etc, etc...

I still say that a filling system that has to be operated remotely from a bunker 20km away lacks a certain practicality. Have you tried electrostriction to control the alignment? Cleveland Crystals sell some good deuterated KDP that would make for a nice demonstrator.

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OK, you're crazy...

worse, you're rational, and there's nothing really rational in using a FP (personal pleasure apart).

 

My list, in order of decreasing preference (or increasing functionality/boredom):

  1. ED
  2. piston
  3. plunger
  4. other sac-based (don't trust rubber/silicone too much, in the long term)
  5. converters
  6. cartridge
  7. BP/RB...

 

Getting a taste for EDs, may be because of the ritual involved (I was a pipe smoker).

Only real defect, they hold too much ink...

 

I'm interested also in mr. Hughes' technology, but I'll wait fot the tecnology to mature a bit...

Edited by enricof

Ciao - Enrico

Diplomat #1961

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo288/enricofacchin/poker-3.jpg

Daddy, please no more pens - we need food, clothes, books, DENTISTRY...

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From this thread, it seems that the majority of FPNers do not favor the piston fill mechanism. Perhaps those that do are just more vocal about it? :hmm1:

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I still say that a filling system that has to be operated remotely from a bunker 20km away lacks a certain practicality. Have you tried electrostriction to control the alignment? Cleveland Crystals sell some good deuterated KDP that would make for a nice demonstrator.

We tried liposuction, but ink tended to leak out between the seals. And we almost neutered some Green Bay Packers who were in town for next weekend's game, when their bus passed too close to the hyperbaric chambers.

 

So, a few more kinks to work out. But I'm fully confident we'll still make this holiday's shipments.

Edited by Robert Hughes

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.

 

~ Bernard Shaw.

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But, I think piston fillers and c/c fillers are both boring systems. I'd take a snork, touchdown, vac, or vacumatic filler any day.

When it comes to filling systems, there's much to be said for boring. The less excitement to be found in a filling system, the better, in my view. Robert Hughes' levitated core hydrodynamic lensing implosive filler is an interesting application of the technology, and it must be admitted that it can (briefly) get an impressive amount of ink into a pen. However, some aspects of the design are considered dual-use and are subject to various antiproliferation treaties, and the potential for an accident to contaminate wide areas of the country with iron gall 90 makes it a risky proposition at best.

 

I'd much rather keep the excitement for other aspects of a pen's design.

OMG I didnt even fully understoon what you said there but if I understood corectly I could reply to this in one manner-To each his one.

If C/C makes you happy then by all means thats the right filling mechanism for you and thats what you should use.

It all comes down to personal preferance.I guess most people here like piston fillers but it doesnt mean Pistons should be used in all pens.Actualy when I am thinking about it if all pens used pistons it would be rather boring.

Today most of my pens are either piston fillers or Snorkel fillers and I am happy with that.

I have few C/C and thats fine too.

 

We weren't originally planning for ink storage when we came across this effect; it was merely a happy accident. Turns out we were storing droplets in the space between moments of time. It has been a real puzzle figuring out how to get the droplets to come back out, though - without having them all realign at once. Have you ever seen that Coke and Mentos video on YouTube? Imagine that with 5000 gallons of thrice-blessed ® ink and a customized Parker Sonnet, and you can see the potential hazard. We're still bailing out the tubs here...

 

And please don't get the UN inspectors involved in this again.

 

His Exaltency,

etc, etc...

I still say that a filling system that has to be operated remotely from a bunker 20km away lacks a certain practicality. Have you tried electrostriction to control the alignment? Cleveland Crystals sell some good deuterated KDP that would make for a nice demonstrator.

 

We tried liposuction, but ink tended to leak out between the seals. And we almost neutered some Green Bay Packers who were in town for next weekend's game, when their bus passed too close to the hyperbaric chambers.

 

So, a few more kinks to work out. But I'm fully confident we'll still make this holiday's shipments.

 

 

I just need all of this in the same box so I can print it on tiny origami paper and fold it into a tiny crane that I can carry around and always have near me. (Photos to come.)

 

Edited by ethernautrix

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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Is converter all the way for me , too. Convenient, reliable, easy -and affordable- to maintain and replace..and like it or not, basically an internal piston. What's wrong with being rational?

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It seems like the majority of FPNers strongly prefer the piston fill mechanism over convertors.

 

I actually like the convertors better. Sure it doesn't hold as much ink, but it's easier to switch ink colors and there is no risk of staining the barrel of the pen.

 

Am I nuts?! :unsure:

 

No. You are sane----like me.

 

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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Of course, eyedroppers are the best of all. Fill once a month, and no clunky mechanism to go bad and take up space.

Who needs color changes, anyway, when we have Aurora black!

I'll take an Aurora, please. Aurora black.

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Per Goodguy's earlier post, I think c/c's appeal to those of us who change inks fairly frequently. With only blue and black to worry about, this is less important.

 

I understand in principle why some people fill cartridges back up, but this is way too much work for me. Ditto eyedroppers. I like ritual but...there are limits.

 

I love the convenience of the Parker aerometric filler and vac fillers but these are even tougher than pistons to get "purged" before putting a new ink in...it takes a lot of pumping and tissuing...so more and more, the ink that's in there is what it gets refilled with...

 

The c/c has the advantage that if the mechanism goes south, all you need is a new converter. With a piston, if it shoots craps, say goodbye to the pen for awhile as it goes off for repair...often a fairly expensive repair, too.

 

Well, they're all good and I like the variety.

 

Robert, your system sounds 'somewhat' less convenient than eyedroppers, so I may have to take a pass.

 

p.s. And then there's the Pelikan Level. "One lifetime...one ink supply." Absolute simplicity.

Edited by J English Smith

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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Many many moons ago someone said

"Here is another benefit of converters: Since converters don't hold as much ink you'll get to refill with another color sooner."

A far better way is to buy more piston fillers and fill each with a different colour!

 

I am a piston fan but only because I have experience with pistons, converters, sacs and carts. I have no idea about eye droppers, snorks and vacs. Can anyone tell me what i'm missing, please!!!!

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Convertors are fine, but in grand, expensive pens, they look like an incongruously lower grade component to me.

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Robert, your system sounds 'somewhat' less convenient than eyedroppers, so I may have to take a pass.

 

p.s. And then there's the Pelikan Level. "One lifetime...one ink supply." Absolute simplicity.

 

There's a certain brilliance to Robert's device, so I do hope he manages to get all the bugs out. The ability to store 5000 gallons of ink in a quantum foam the size of a Parker Vector will leave the Pel's few millilitres looking distinctly miserly. Mind you, there's always an edge of danger to his inventions. I still bear the scars of his scanning atomic force nanotube tintenkuli.

Edited by troglokev
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Convertors or even cartridges for me as well....pistons are crucial in internal combustion engines (ok not in wankel engines) but otherwise what is all the fuss about ?

A wise man once said    " the best revenge is wealth "   but a wiser man answered back    " the best revenge is happiness "

 

The true definition of madness - Doing the same thing everyday and expecting different results......

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Of course, eyedroppers are the best of all. Fill once a month, and no clunky mechanism to go bad and take up space.

Who needs color changes, anyway, when we have Aurora black!

 

 

I do! :roflmho:

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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