Re-using Parker Cartridges?

[vieuxcarre]

A number of users have noted success with washing out and refilling ink cartridges with a syringe from a bottle. Parker cartridges are a little different with their "Reserve Tank" of ink at the bottom of the cartridge. Does this "Reserve Tank" make it a major hassle to adaquetly clean out and subsequently successfully refill a Parker cartridge?

[vlada]

I didn't have any problems with cleaning and refilling the cartridge. Just rinse in with tap water at high pressure and wait while all the ink has dissolved. You could also try cleaning it with a syringe filled with water. Swiftly empty the syringe in the cartridge once or twice (depending on the volume of the syringe) and you are set to refill it again after it dryes out.

[sph33r]

I just reused a Parker cart last month. If you use a syringe, it's not too hard to squirt water into the reservoir and get it cleaned out. It worked great for me.

[HelzBelz]

Yep, it's not a problem with a syringe.

[Randal6393]

Have filled and used Parker cartridges -- they don't do too badly. Personally, a good Parker converter outperforms cartridge refills and is more convenient. Whichever route you take, best of luck to you and an early entry into Pen Nirvana,

[Nikhil]

Or you could use an Aurora cartridge.

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Just out of morbid curiosity: what IS this "reserve tank," and how does it work?

 

I have only two Parker fountain pens, and the only one of them that can take cartridges is one I was given for Christmas many years ago, after very specifically asking NOT to be given that model (I find it surpassingly ugly); except for a very brief period when it was the only working fountain pen I had, it has gone unused, and I've never once used it with a cartridge.

[Zaarin]

As someone who used cheap Parkers with carts for most of my undergraduate years and beyond, I can tell you exactly how the "reserve tank" works: it usually doesn't.

 

In theory, there is a small semi-separated extra bit of ink at the back end of the cart (quite how it's sealed in I don't know). Parker's instructions said that tapping forcefully on the end of the cartridge when it is empty will release the reserve. I hardly ever got much, if any, of this extra ink out.

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Interesting. I have a few cartridges that came with the Parker pen, but never used any of them, and there weren't any instructions for the "reserve tank." I also was given about three boxes of Waterman cartridges a few years ago, for which I have no use at all, by somebody who evidently didn't quite get that they'd be useless to someone whose pens are designed to only use bulk ink.

 

But back to the topic of the post, I should think that if you're using the same ink that was originally in the cartridges, it wouldn't make a difference. It also seems like if you're using a syringe (presumably with a blunt "shop" needle), all you'd need would be to have a needle long enough to reach the "reserve tank." (Presumably not nearly as long as, say, an intracardiac or intraperitoneal medical needle!)

Edited January 8, 2010 by hbquikcomjamesl

[vlada]

The reserve tank hold aprox. 2-3 drops of ink, not much. And the whole cartridge (with the reserve) is filled with 1,4-1,5 ml of ink.

Edited January 8, 2010 by vlada

[streeton]

Well I'll be blowed - I'm looking at 2 of my Parker Vectors with full size Parker carts and all I see is the ink level in the cart - no seperate area where there is any reserve ink. You learn something new every day.

[Randal6393]

Looking at a Parker cartridge, the last centimeter or so of the cartridge is of smaller diameter than the rest of the cartridge. Due to surface tension, ink will stay in the back of the cartridge until moved out by shaking, tapping, etc. At least, this is the theory. So, when one writes their pen dry, flicking it should release the "emergency supply" enough to finish what is being written.

 

Personally, I think carrying an extra cartridge makes a lot more sense. :roflmho: Best of luck to you,

[streeton]

Thanks Randal.. - that explains a lot because I'm always in the habit of tapping my cartridges/ or pen body to ensure even ink flow and that is why there was no ink in the reserve area.

[welch]

The early Parker cartridges had "tap-a-tank" printed on them. Parker advertising suggested that you "tap" the end of the cartridge, by snapping it with a finger, for instance, to release an emergency supply of ink.

 

As mentioned above, Parker's idea was that the user would run dry, then tap the cart, and then get enough ink to carry on working until the cartridge could be replaced.

 

When?

 

All back in the '60s. Pen users responded without much enthusiasm; while current Parker carts might have the "feature", the company does not advertise it.

 

(No, I never tried "tapping the tank". Liked bottle-filling better.)

[andyk]

Hi

 

I seem to recall that the reserve would provide about 2 sides of writing on foolscap paper, but guess that depends on nib size, writing size and how much of the ink you could get to come out.

 

Andy

[streeton]

Sorry for late post. My recent batch of Parker Black Washable carts (in sealed parker packs of 15)from a highly reputable ebay seller are completely devoid of any words at all - BLANK. Do Parker now take such little pride in their product?. Is it necessary to identify a Parker cart? - probably not because it is proprietary, but what about when you store your carts all together with other carts - I suppose you identify it by its lack of markings. What color is it? Don't know until you install it and then its too late if you guessed wrong - blue/blueblack/black carts look very similar. None of these problems are insurmountable but life was sure a lot easier when they were properly labeled.

Edited February 18, 2010 by streeton

[Crim]

for some reason I can't clean my carts very easily, even with a syringe. There's always a tiny bit left in that reserve.

[pinaki]

Well , I refill my parker cartridges here ( the parker made by Luxor in India ) for my vectors with a syringe , something I figured out myself

more than ten years back when they stopped making any blue-black ink . The reserve is definitely there at the tail end of the cart and it works

guys , pretty well I must say . A few drops of ink sticks at the tail-end ( top ) of the cart even when all the ink is flown down to the nib end while

writing with the pen . That bit of ink is released with a sharp tap .. I knock the vector on the table and it writes a couple of more pages , if I run out of ink .

There is no seperation as such insides the cart - this happens just by surface tension , works even with non-parker ink . A parker cartridge can be reused

about 25 fills after which the softer collar holding it to the section loosens up or hardens and starts to seep ink inside the pen a bit , so I get a new cart .

Pinaki .

 

@ Crim -- hold the cart by it's thinner tail end and jerk/swing it sharply ... it will empty , dry in air for a day .

Edited February 18, 2010 by pinaki

[Ink Stained Wretch]

A number of users have noted success with washing out and refilling ink cartridges with a syringe from a bottle. Parker cartridges are a little different with their "Reserve Tank" of ink at the bottom of the cartridge. Does this "Reserve Tank" make it a major hassle to adaquetly clean out and subsequently successfully refill a Parker cartridge?

I have not had a problem cleaning out and refilling Parker cartridges. In fact only today I've refilled a Parker cartridge with an ink mixture.

 

I find the Parker cartridges pretty easy to clean out. I use hot tap water to get the residual ink flushed out of them. They have an open mouth that is easier to get water into than with international cartridges. I don't even use syringes to flush them. Of course I do use syringes to refill them.

 

Just out of morbid curiosity: what IS this "reserve tank,"

As others have pointed out it's a more tapered part at the closed end of the cartridge. But I've just looked at one with a magnifying glass and I believe that the inside of the cartridge has a tiny, raised ring that defines the "reserve" part of the cartridge. The "reserve" part of the cartridge is also not as clear as the rest of the cartridge, which makes the ink in there harder to notice.

 

The interior of the Parker cartridge also has raised plastic ridges or vanes running the length of the cartridge. In order to get the ink from the "reserve" area to flow down to the feed I've found that it's best to line one of these ridges up so that the ink will run down it to the mouth of the cartridge. Otherwise it takes a lot more force to get the ink moving than I like to exert on a small piece of polyethylene.

 

Surface tension has to be taken into account when you're trying to get the last couple of drops out of that "reserve" area. So lining up the ridges and tapping a bit with my fingernal, laterally, on the cart while holding it at a 45° angle (π/4 for you scientists) works to get the little bit of ink down where I can use it.

 

and how does it work?

IMO, not all that well. You need to be careful about tapping on the cartridge too hard or from the bottom because the Parker cartridges are liable to split at the mouth of the cartridge. I've had one fail like that .