Sealing cartridges

[Judybug]

Suppose I want to change ink colors before the cartridge in my pen is empty . . . Any tips for storing the cartridge for future use? I'm sure the ink will evaporate if I don't seal the hole somehow.

 

Judybug

[Goodwhiskers]

That's difficult to accomplish. Plastic wrap and a rubber band or twist-ties would not work.

 

Hypothetical suggestion: Maybe you could use candle wax that is melted but cooled down a bit, applying it with a toothpick. When you re-use the cartridge, you'd have to scrape the wax off while making sure none falls into the cartridge (which might plug it later).

 

This would work easily enough on small-mouth and medium-mouth cartridges ("international," Sheaffer and Parker/Aurora), but maybe not so easily on wide-mouth cartridges (Lamy, Namiki/Pilot, Sailor).

[DrPJM1]

That's a question I have never heard. As a kid in school we just replaced the spent cartridge with a full one. You could seal it with play-doh, wax, or cork. You could remove the ink with a syringe and put it in an empty bottle for future use, or just toss it away.

[*david*]

I have tried this several ways and it simply does not work. Just rinse the cartridge out, and re-fill it with a syringe of your choice of ink if you want to use it again. If you plan to change colours very frequently, probably better to use a converter and only fill it halfway in the first place.

 

Possible plug materials are either too soft and ineffective, or else are too difficult to remove. The amount of ink in half a cartridge is just not worth the trouble. You will cover your desk with ink splatters trying. Don't ask how I know that.

[Judybug]

Thanks for all your input. I think I probably will start using the converter more. OR - another solution just occurred to me - buy more pens!

 

Judybug

[Anne-Sophie]

Try Glad Press and Seal wrap, in the kitchen parchment paper/ foil aisle in the supermarket.

 

There is another similar product called "Micropore" I think it is used to seal lab vials.

 

Or may be you can use plumber tape.

 

 

Edited to say that Parafilm was the name I could not recall thank you Dr Grace

Edited June 24, 2006 by Anne-Sophie

[krz]

I have one pen that I like allot that only does cartridges and I've been filling them with a syringe. I haven't tried it yet but thought about putting a dot of hot melt glue as a sealer. It shouldn't be so hot to melt the plastic, but probably strong enough to peel off when you need to.

 

I'll post how it comes out when I give it a try.

[Dr.Grace]

We use something in the lab called "Parafilm", which is a paraffin-based stretchy film. It's magic for sealing test tubes, beakers, etc. but I don't know if it would adhere well enough to a small ink cartridge. Worth a try, however.

[KCat]

We use something in the lab called "Parafilm", which is a paraffin-based stretchy film. It's magic for sealing test tubes, beakers, etc. but I don't know if it would adhere well enough to a small ink cartridge. Worth a try, however.

that's what I've suggested but no longer have access to any to test the theory. Don't really want to buy the whole box just to see if it would work.

 

So... Dr. Grace. How 'bout running a test for us?

 

puuuuulleeeeze. pretty pleeezze... With Noodler's on top?

[BillTheEditor]

I've never done this, so this is an unproven idea. It might not work.

 

Obtain a large plastic soda straw -- Big enough to slip your cartridge into. The big red ones that Sonic uses ought to work if you can't find any large enough at the grocery store.

 

Cut the straw into lengths about two inches longer than your cartridge. These will each be used only once.

 

Slip cartridge into straw and jiggle things so the cartridge is more or less in the middle of the straw.

 

Using a hot glue gun, put a small blob of hot glue into each end of the straw. Use a pair of pliers to flatten the straw into the glue before it cools.

 

Visually inspect the straw ends to make sure they are sealed airtight. Store the sealed straw horizontally. You might want to tag the container with the ink color and the date you sealed it.

 

As long as you don't bump the container much, the ink should stay inside the cartridge within the sealed straw.

 

When ready to use the stored cartridge, cut one end off the sealed soda straw and remove the cartridge.

 

If you have a problem with the cartridges drying out, try soaking a small wad of cotton in water and sealing it in the straw with the cartridge. This should keep the humidity inside the container high enough to prevent the ink evaporating. I would put the cotton in first, and the cartridge in with the opened end facing away from the cotton.

 

No guarantees, but I think this will work.

[*david*]

Bill - that is a brilliant idea!

But is it worth the effort for half a cartridge of ink?

[Dr.Grace]

We use something in the lab called "Parafilm", which is a paraffin-based stretchy film. It's magic for sealing test tubes, beakers, etc. but I don't know if it would adhere well enough to a small ink cartridge. Worth a try, however.

that's what I've suggested but no longer have access to any to test the theory. Don't really want to buy the whole box just to see if it would work.

 

So... Dr. Grace. How 'bout running a test for us?

 

puuuuulleeeeze. pretty pleeezze... With Noodler's on top?

OK, since you're so persuasive, I'll try it and let you know.

 

Don

[kissing]

i have done this before. What i did was, i got some Blue-Tac (that Plasticine stuff you use to stick things on walls) and covered the hole. Then i candle waxed it over that.

 

Not sure how long it will keep the ink fresh though. I normally syringe the ink out for future use

Edited June 24, 2006 by kissing

[*david*]

I used the blue tac stuff, and my ink soaked through it after a short time.

 

Most ink in cartridges is not even that good. This is 20 dollars of work for 5 cents of ink.

[BillTheEditor]

is it worth the effort for half a cartridge of ink?

It would not be worth it to me -- I'd either use up the cartridge before changing inks or I'd just throw away the half-empty cartridge. But --- it seemed to be important to the original poster and nobody liked any of the suggestions that were made (all of which, like mine, involve more effort and expense than the ink in the cartridge would be worth), so I thought I'd offer the idea.

 

Changing colors in mid-cartridge is a time-consuming pain anyway.

[playpen]

How about scotch tape...or you could just hold the cartridge in your hand with your finger over the hole while you go about your daily life.....(hopefully you don't work in a bridal gown store......)

[Judybug]

I must say everyone has come up with some very creative ideas for preserving ink in a cartridge. I'm experimenting with some little vials that I have. As luck would have it, a short international cartridge fits perfectly inside one of these. The lid screws on, but also has a little stopper-like thing inside the lid which happens to fit right down on the opening in the cartridge. Time will tell whether or not this seals the opening enough to keep the ink from evaporating.

 

Of course, I could eliminate this problem altogether by sticking to one color until the cartridge is empty and - honestly - I had resolved to do that. BUT the J. Herbin "Vert Pre" cartridge I put in my pen today is almost like writing with invisible ink. It was driving me crazy so I popped it in a vial. [Why? I don't know. Will I ever want to write with this pale green ink? I doubt it. But it's a sin to waste. I was raised by parents who grew up in the Depression. ]

 

Now I'm using J. Herbin's "Bleu Myosotis." I think I'll be able to stick with it until the cartridge is empty. At least it's visible.

 

Judybug

[Dr.Grace]

We use something in the lab called "Parafilm", which is a paraffin-based stretchy film. It's magic for sealing test tubes, beakers, etc. but I don't know if it would adhere well enough to a small ink cartridge. Worth a try, however.

that's what I've suggested but no longer have access to any to test the theory. Don't really want to buy the whole box just to see if it would work.

 

So... Dr. Grace. How 'bout running a test for us?

 

puuuuulleeeeze. pretty pleeezze... With Noodler's on top?

OK, since you're so persuasive, I'll try it and let you know.

 

Don

Sorry I couldn't do this sooner. I was out of town and couldn't get into the lab until last week. I've tried the Parafilm idea and it seems to work. NB: I've only tested this for a few days and can't vouch for evaporation over the long term. A little goes a long way; I found that a 10-cm square is enough to seal a cartridge. I'm also using Parafilm for a little beaker I used as an inkwell for one of my mixing experiments.

 

Don

[Dr.Grace]

Did a search and found that this has been mentioned before in these forums, for example in this thread, where Roger posts a link to a place to buy Parafilm:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...245&hl=parafilm

 

Don

[KCat]

Don

Sorry I couldn't do this sooner. I was out of town and couldn't get into the lab until last week. I've tried the Parafilm idea and it seems to work. NB: I've only tested this for a few days and can't vouch for evaporation over the long term. A little goes a long way; I found that a 10-cm square is enough to seal a cartridge. I'm also using Parafilm for a little beaker I used as an inkwell for one of my mixing experiments.

 

Don

well, thanks so much for testing it. a 10cm square? seems a bit much but are you wrapping it around the entire cartridge? Does it seem to stick well to the sides?

 

I knew it had been discussed before but didn't know if anyone had actually tried it for more than a few days.

 

i suppose one of us could get a box of the stuff and parcel it out to folks... 'cause it seems like even if you did mean 10cm then a single roll will go a long way.