Converting A Jetstream Refill To Fit My Parker Jotter

[WillSW]

Someone was asking about this in another thread, and that made me want to try to do it. I always like attempting modifications. And this one worked!

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13807.jpg

 

Preferred materials needed: a blade, a retractable Jetstream refill, a plastic Parker-style refill, a spring that works (sorry for the vagueness on this one).

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13808.jpg

 

Important note before beginning: This did not work for my pre-1973 Jotter or my Parker Classic, but it works perfectly in the steel Jotter I purchased within the last year

 

 

Step 1: Cutting the thing off.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13811.jpg

 

Jetstream refills have a little plastic collar. This prevents the refill from entering the Jotter. Take your blade and carefully cut most of this off (there is no need to cut it cleanly or completely off, and leaving a little actually helps prevent the spring from going up too far). The Jetstream refill actually pulls apart at this point, so if your refill comes apart don't worry, just stick it back together. I've been thinking about sealing this gap, but maybe not.

 

 

Step 2: Buy these.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13823.jpg

 

These make everything easy enough to be worthwhile. You can get a pack of 12 for $2.99 shipped on ebay.

 

 

Step 3: Give the Jetstream refill a hat.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13813.jpg

 

Cut the top off the white plastic refill, making it about the length shown. Too big a piece will crack when you slide it on the Jetstream refill, and too small a piece, I'm guessing, will not be as stable (though some glue would probably fix that up). Lucky for us, the ink in the refill does not fill it up fully, so this cut will be clean. Stick it on the end of the uncut Jetstream refill and see how far it goes down. Do some math and some guessing and cut the Jetstream refill down (there will be ink where you cut this one, so have some paper towels to clean that gooey ballpoint junk up). ERR ON THE SIDE OF TOO LONG. It's easy to cut another mm off. The cut down Jetstream refill with its hat on should be the same length as a normal Parker refill. Very important.

 

 

Step 4: Find a spring!

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13815.jpg

 

The Parker spring doesn't fit, and the Jetstream spring is too big. It's possible that you could cut the Jetstream spring down, but I didn't try. I happened to have this pen hanging around:

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13818.jpg

 

and stole its spring, which worked perfectly. The key is to have a spring that isn't too long and is just wide enough to fit over the Jetstream. When the refills are in, they are seated at the same length within the barrel.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13817.jpg

 

 

Step 5: Write! Gloat over Uni-ball's unknowing participation in a Parker product, and then remember that they're both owned by NewellRubbermaid and stop that gloating.

 

 

Comparison of prototype to the new model:

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13819.jpg

 

 

The blood of battle:

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/SDC13821.jpg

[Jim Holzemer]

WillSW:

 

Superb job! I've adapted the venerable Jetstream to a variety of pens, often to my wife's lovely rolling eyes..

 

Ought to be interesting when the Parker Quink Flow refill makes it's debut. Wondering if it will contain Jetstream ink.. The Easy Flow 9000 has been a pretty neat improvement to date. Bring on the new challenger!

[alvarez57]

INOXCROM make cheap gel refills w/out cutting your fingers.

[ThirdeYe]

Neat. I've experimented with swapping pen refills a number of times. I've never physically modified them, but I have found some fun combinations. My favorite is replacing the rollerball refill in the Pentel Excalibur RX15 with a Pentel Energel 0.5mm Needle-Tip, I feel it writes much better and it fits without modification.

[WillSW]

INOXCROM make cheap gel refills w/out cutting your fingers.

 

Yes, and Visconti makes a lovely roller/gel refill as well. But none of the offered choices have as thin and consistent a line (though still regrettably ballpointish) as the Jetstream. Plus, it's fun!

[streeton]

You Handyman guys are just incredible. I can't even saw a straight line and using that x-acto knife would almost certainly add 'one more' mark on my already knife marked fingers. I love the UNI Jetstream but thats taking love just a little too far, in my case at least.

[rminj]

WillSW:

 

Ought to be interesting when the Parker Quink Flow refill makes it's debut. Wondering if it will contain Jetstream ink.. The Easy Flow 9000 has been a pretty neat improvement to date. Bring on the new challenger!

 

Oh oh, tell us about the "Parker Quink Flow refill" ?? Its this a new parker style refill form Parker? Will it

be a temporary product like the "golden touch" ones I've read about here.

 

//Rant

I tried 2 Eastflow 9000s and they were terrible..sometime they acted well but usually the line would thin

out like the refill was drying out. The point was very fine also. Any of my regular ballpoint wrote better.

 

 

I can fully appreciate hacking a refill together. Unlike fountain pens or inks , one seems completely at the whim/

thinking/budget/plans of the refill manufacture. Even Parker has changed their regular refill ink and tip many times.

[Alohamora]

INOXCROM make cheap gel refills w/out cutting your fingers.

 

Yes, and Visconti makes a lovely roller/gel refill as well. But none of the offered choices have as thin and consistent a line (though still regrettably ballpointish) as the Jetstream. Plus, it's fun!

 

I'll swap refills between pens, I've even cut the top off a MontBlanc rollerball refill to fit it into a G2 body. But I'll pass on cutting too close to the ink supply of a gel pen. I get enough ink on my fingers refilling FPs.

 

What about Parker's own Gel ink refills? They seem pretty good to me.

 

Jetstreams are OK, but I actually like that "spring donor" pen better, the Pilot Precise V5 RT.

[rminj]

Oh oh, tell us about the "Parker Quink Flow refill" ?? Its this a new parker style refill form Parker? Will it

be a temporary product like the "golden touch" ones I've read about here.

 

//Rant

I tried 2 Eastflow 9000s and they were terrible..sometime they acted well but usually the line would thin

out like the refill was drying out. The point was very fine also. Any of my regular ballpoint wrote better.

 

 

Oh I do see they are coming out but quite in stocks yet...can't wait to try one.

http://www.passion4pens.com/site/735447/product/30-134065802

 

Lately I'm finding where a Fisher refill seems smoother on some paper than the regular Parker ballpoints. I hope they're better than the easyflows.

[WillSW]

INOXCROM make cheap gel refills w/out cutting your fingers.

 

Yes, and Visconti makes a lovely roller/gel refill as well. But none of the offered choices have as thin and consistent a line (though still regrettably ballpointish) as the Jetstream. Plus, it's fun!

 

I'll swap refills between pens, I've even cut the top off a MontBlanc rollerball refill to fit it into a G2 body. But I'll pass on cutting too close to the ink supply of a gel pen. I get enough ink on my fingers refilling FPs.

 

What about Parker's own Gel ink refills? They seem pretty good to me.

 

Jetstreams are OK, but I actually like that "spring donor" pen better, the Pilot Precise V5 RT.

 

 

I'm going to see if that V5 RT refill fits soon. Another slideshow!

[WillSW]

Update: The V5 RT refill does not fit. With much scraping and sanding I was able to make it functional-ish, but further work ended up cutting into the ink supply. Oh well!

 

I can't wait to hear what people have to say about the Quinkflow.

[lovemy51]

INOXCROM make cheap gel refills w/out cutting your fingers.

where can one find these?

[rminj]

 

I can't wait to hear what people have to say about the Quinkflow.

Kind person at passion4pens said no stock until year on the quink flow refills.

 

No reply from my email to Parker about when they would be available in the states.

[Frank_ie]

I am new to this forum but has been a pen addicts since my school boy day 5 decades ago. I had lived through the fountain pen era but now firmly in the ball point age...I am a DIY addict and would not hesitate in such projects at all.

 

The OP basically confirms that the Jetstream refill tip will fit through the Parker size hole, but the collar in the middle is too big and the refill length too long. [Parker metal barrel tapered refill measures 5.75mm dia. x 98mm long; tip dia. <2.5mm]

 

For Parker twist action mechanisms [most of my pens], all one needs is a refill of smaller diameter and matching length. Plastic ends for the Jotter-type click mechanism [if needed] is available free packaged with a Fisher Space Pen refill...or twist one off a cheap/old refill [i have stock].

 

I have a small lathe, turning down the collar is simple...chucking the refill tip end while turning the collar down from back to front will prevent the refill separating. While I am at it, I could also cut the Jetstream refill down to exact length. Conversely, one could also chuck the refill from tip end in a power drill and use a diamond finger nail file to slim the collar down; [or simply file down the collar just enough using a coarse metal file].

 

Thanks to WillSW's report, I would now buy a Jetstream pen to try it out, if the ink flow/characteristic is good as reviewed, I could modify the refill [and make a batch] to fit my many pens using Parker-style refill.

 

I will also keep an eye on Parker's Quinkflow

Edited March 30, 2015 by Frank_ie

[Frank_ie]

where can one find these?

 

See...: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/360779995868?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=630177586324&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

They are out of stock in black or blue, perhaps restock soon.

[Frank_ie]

A year ago I purchased a Tombow carbon fiber ball pen and it came equipped with a Parker Quinkflow 1.0M black refill...marked ISO 12757-2 Made in France.

 

The line thickness looks thinner than 1.0 [mm?], more like a "medium" of old. It writes far smoother than any old Parker refills I know and does not skip and blob much. I like it far better than Parker Gel.

 

All in all, quite satisfactory in daily use.

[Frank_ie]

The same Jetstream refill fits most rollerball pens...

 

The black insert in the end could be easily pulled off or cut down to match the length of refill needed.

[Frank_ie]

Jetstream also makes a short refill for multi-pens [sXR-80]

 

So I bored out a used-up generic plastic Parker refill, cut that Jetstream multi-pen refill shorter by ~1/8" and inserted it into the empty Parker refill casing...works for every pen I have that accepts Parker-style refill whether twist- or click-action type, no mess and no fuss.

[JB213]

Jetstream also makes a short refill for multi-pens [sXR-80]

 

So I bored out a used-up generic plastic Parker refill, cut that Jetstream multi-pen refill shorter by ~1/8" and inserted it into the empty Parker refill casing...works for every pen I have that accepts Parker-style refill whether twist- or click-action type, no mess and no fuss.

 

Frank_ie -- I would love to try this! Did you leave the majority of the length of the generic plastic Parker refill but just cut off the tip? (Approx how much would you say you cut off?) I'm going to give this a shot...

[Frank_ie]

I'd cut off the entire thinner portion of the plastic Parker refill...leaving only the fatter ink reservoir.