Right way to fill a converter?

[sgireland]

So from what I have been told the way to do it is to completely submerge the pen in ink, turn the knob slowly to fill up the converter then trun the know the other way to release a couple of drops then back the other way again to take some air in.

 

Is this correct? Should I reverse the plunger all the way back to the top after filling or does it matter?

 

And though I have not used enough ink to get to this point...what do you do when there isn't enough ink left in the bottle to completely submerge the nib while filling?

[someonesdad]

I always take the converter out of the pen and fill it in the bottle. Less messy. When a bottle gets low, use a syringe and blunt needle to get the rest and fill the converter.

 

On a just-cleaned pen, I screw the converter down a bit to fill the feed with ink (I wait until I just see a drop forming on the feed). Then top it off if desired.

[sgireland]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

[amh210]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

 

All the ones I have pull off like a cartridge.

 

Become adventurous! Dissect your pens (and put them back together).

 

Andy

[ccajackson]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

Most, if not all, converters will pull free, like a cartridge. If it is stuck tightly, you can provide a little clockwise rotation to the converter as you pull. By turning clockwise, you avoid potentially unscrewing the nipple in the section of the pen where the converter sits (if it is the type that is capable of unscrewing).

 

If you use the method of filling the converter directly, be sure to follow the advice listed above about "loading" the feed, otherwise it will seem like the ink isn't flowing or that there is a problem with the pen. By first-hand experience, I know this - and felt foolish when I figured it out!

 

Enjoy!

C-C

Edited May 13, 2009 by ccajackson

[dizzypen]

I don't really like filling from the bottle, though i did so today as a matter of fact. If the pen was previously empty you will get air in the converter the first time you fill it. To remedy this problem fill the pen then eject the ink and fill it again, it should fill completely the second time.

 

Honestly, I much prefer to use a syringe to fill the converter directly then untwist the piston until I can see a drop of ink forming on the nib.

[bardharlock]

I don't really like filling from the bottle, though i did so today as a matter of fact. If the pen was previously empty you will get air in the converter the first time you fill it. To remedy this problem fill the pen then eject the ink and fill it again, it should fill completely the second time.

 

Honestly, I much prefer to use a syringe to fill the converter directly then untwist the piston until I can see a drop of ink forming on the nib.

This is how I prefer to fill. Much cleaner for me.

[sgireland]

Thanks, everyone! I love this place!

[grumpygriz13]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

 

All the ones I have pull off like a cartridge.

 

Become adventurous! Dissect your pens (and put them back together).

 

Andy

My Lamy Accent uses a screw in converter, my Lamy AL-Star uses a snap in converter

[Monophoto]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

 

I've had my MB 145 rebuilt at the factory several times, and after one of the rebuilds it came back with a converter that screwed in. However, that's the only pen that I've seen that feature on.

[tnmike1]

the syringe technique is also great for mixing inks just for a converter full. Example: Idon't use my PR Burgundy Mist

"straight" but mix with Diamine's Magenta or other lighter color to make the Burgundy "pop" more. So I fill half the converter with Burgundy, then top it off with the Magenta or whatever other color I'm mixing. Fun to do, and every load is a slightly different color--unless I want to make an exact match every time and then I use the calibrations on the syringe to get exact quanitities.

[dfatouros]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

 

Most pull off like a cartridge. Cross ATX screws in, Cross Solo or Townsend is cartridge-like.

[Okami]

Do converters just pull off then like a cartridge or do they screw to the nib section? I haven't been adventurous enough to start taking my pens apart yet.

 

All the ones I have pull off like a cartridge.

 

Become adventurous! Dissect your pens (and put them back together).

 

Andy

 

 

Most do just pull off, but the converter on my Visconti Van Gogh screws on.

[Inka]

Most do simply press onto the feed, yet as mentioned there are makes/models that screw on.

 

As for refilling converters, I like others prefer using a syringe with a blunt needle to fill mine, no need for wiping or rinsing after a refill.

I have several syringes, in sizes from 3ml to a whopping 10ml, blunt needles from 1/2" all the way up to 3" in different gauges [diameters or thickness].

If you have a Tractor Supply store or similar, even some Equestrian stores, they usually carry syringes in a variety of sizes for vaccinating and treating animals.

The Veterinary-Use syringes are inexpensive, I got my 3ml size for only $.29 cents each but those stores don't carry blunt needles just the sharps.

If you have the tools [a Dremel or a Foredom works best, using a cut-off wheel] you can grind and smooth a sharp needle into a blunt.

Sometimes hardware, electronics or craft stores carry blunt needles, for applying adhesives and similar liquids.

[sgireland]

Most do simply press onto the feed, yet as mentioned there are makes/models that screw on.

 

As for refilling converters, I like others prefer using a syringe with a blunt needle to fill mine, no need for wiping or rinsing after a refill.

I have several syringes, in sizes from 3ml to a whopping 10ml, blunt needles from 1/2" all the way up to 3" in different gauges [diameters or thickness].

If you have a Tractor Supply store or similar, even some Equestrian stores, they usually carry syringes in a variety of sizes for vaccinating and treating animals.

The Veterinary-Use syringes are inexpensive, I got my 3ml size for only $.29 cents each but those stores don't carry blunt needles just the sharps.

If you have the tools [a Dremel or a Foredom works best, using a cut-off wheel] you can grind and smooth a sharp needle into a blunt.

Sometimes hardware, electronics or craft stores carry blunt needles, for applying adhesives and similar liquids.

 

Thanks, I will have to keep an eye open for syringes. I assume drugstores would carry them....maybe.

[Inka]

Drug stores normally carry insulin syringes and sometimes tuberculin-size for things like IM injections of B12.

I'm not sure but I think you may need prescriptions for them at a drug store, so they aren't selling them to addicts and junkies.

I've heard of some people using insulin syringes but they look like they'd have too short a needle and too thin for practical use with ink.

Worth a shot, no pun, to see what's available at whatever stores are closest to you.

[DarkfireSG]

Is there anything wrong with dipping the converter right into the bottle?

[Inka]

Is there anything wrong with dipping the converter right into the bottle?

 

Nope, I do that on occasion too, when I don't feel like messing with a syringe.

[swduncan]

I leave the converter in the pen, dip the pen just past the nib and fill. I do this to avoid removing the converter, which is just a press fit on my pens, because on one pen the fit is getting loose. The process also flushes a bit of ink through the feed which keeps things running smoothly. I don't flush a pen with water unless I'm changing colors. It's also fast and easy - a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth gets rid of any mess.

 

One more thing - when I'm refilling, I usually hold the pen with the nib upward, and extend the piston to get rid of any air in the system, and then invert and fill.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Yes, you do turn the know to move the piston back to the top after you drip a few drops out. When you do this, move the pen so that the nib points up, then turn the knob to get the piston to the end of the ink chamber.

 

I recommend against taking the converter out and filling because the connector can sometimes become stretched and start fitting loosely.

 

If you are unsure of whether your converter is press or screw, turn the converter COUNTER-clockwise. Converters are typically not made with screw on tips. Most if not all converters have a tip which is snap-fitted and then secured with a metal band.

 

Dillon

Edited May 14, 2009 by Dillo