Ink Flow - Converters Vs. Cartridges

[jaross]

Is there a difference in how wet or dry the ink flow is from a cartridge vs a converter? I noticed if my Lamy Safari (the only one I have with a converter at the moment) is running a little dry, I can turn look and see how big the air bubble is, then turn the pen upside down and move the plunger down accordingly and this helps the pen become wet again -pr is it just a placebo effect in my brain...

 

Whats the consensus here?

[dickydotcom]

Is there a difference in how wet or dry the ink flow is from a cartridge vs a converter? I noticed if my Lamy Safari (the only one I have with a converter at the moment) is running a little dry, I can turn look and see how big the air bubble is, then turn the pen upside down and move the plunger down accordingly and this helps the pen become wet again -pr is it just a placebo effect in my brain...

 

Whats the consensus here?

There shouldn't be a difference.

Having said that I did once have a problem with a brand new converter. A wash with detergent in the water and thorough rinsing sorted it. Something to do with surface tension I think.

Dick D

[JLukeW]

I find my Lamy Safari's are much wetter with a converter than they are with the cartridges. I think it depends a lot on the ink you're using -- I find most of my Noodler inks flows slower than J. Herbin, leaving them not too wet to use.

 

Anyone else?

[mr T.]

Is there a difference in how wet or dry the ink flow is from a cartridge vs a converter?

 

There is no difference. The adjustment of the feed and the nib are important. A fountain pen that is running dry may have become clogged with dry ink.

[corniche]

Greetings jaross,

 

So far, everyone is right. It could be the ink, the nib or a dirty pen. Are you using a different brand of ink? Have you given the pen a good flushing out lately? Personally, I do prefer converters because they can be burped if you get a trapped air bubble- cartridges cannot.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

Edited December 2, 2010 by S. P. Colfer

[fjf]

Both are problematic. Get a piston (or vacumatic) pen instead. I want no more converters.

[Hugh200au]

Having spent some time debating ink flow and various ink delivery systems elsewhere I can say with some degree of confidence that the delivery of ink from a cartridge and a fixed chamber converter ( ie a piston converter as opposed to a squeeze converter) will be the same, as will a piston filling pen and most vaccum filling pens. Ink flow and delivery is a fairly complicated process when you look at how different filling systems could affect flow as well as efficiency. The least efficient delivery appears to be cartridge, piston converters, piston and vaccum fillers ( ie fixed chamber pens) with pens such as the Parker 51 and Sheaffer snorkle being the most efficient (the P51 being a remarkable piece of engineering and likewise the snork ...the actual snorkle appears to negate the affects of a sac on flow ), saced pens in the middle. Still the major factors in usage are the size of the reservoir and the wetness of the flow. Out of interest it appears that the more consistent the flow of ink , the less is required to give the same visual result as a pen with a less consistent flow.

 

Regards

Hugh

[piembi]

Both are problematic. Get a piston (or vacumatic) pen instead. I want no more converters.

:clap1:

 

Have bad experience with some pen/converter/ink combinations. Worst are combinations with B-BB nibs, M nibs can be ok. It improves slightly with a cartridge.

 

I prefer piston filler or ink sacs (P51, Sheaffer Snorkel, Touchdown).

[nxn96]

I think constant cartridge use requires that you flush out the pen more often than you would with constant converter use. With a cartridge, the ink is always going in one direction, and I think, over time, is more prone to clogging. With a converter, the ink is going one way while getting filled and the other way whilst getting used; it's that back & forth that helps (I think) keep the system fluid.

[jaross]

Thanks very much for all the replies! You all have been very helpful

 

I clean my pens as per what the nice lady at the store told me when I bought my Lamy, once every 2 fillups with warm water until the water runs clear. That is however, with the converter she told me that...should I clean every time I change the cartridge?

Edited December 3, 2010 by jaross

[Hugh200au]

Thanks very much for all the replies! You all have been very helpful

 

I clean my pens as per what the nice lady at the store told me when I bought my Lamy, once every 2 fillups with warm water until the water runs clear. That is however, with the converter she told me that...should I clean every time I change the cartridge?

 

Every few cartridges (3-5) would be a good idea.

 

Regards

Hugh

[Parse Error]

Converters are always wetter since you could force ink into the feed, saturating it and thus having it become wetter.

I keep my Lamy over saturated, and it not only reduces skipping by a long shot, but also extends the capacity of the pen to adding maybe 1/3 more to the converter itself.

 

So even if the converter is small, the feed itself holds a huge amount of ink, especially between the fins.

[tanalasta]

Parse: Why is your Lamy skipping? A pen should not require oversaturating the feed to get it to write without skipping. If the pen skips, it indicates a problem with the nib, feed, ink or combination thereof.

 

You can squeeze a cartridge to force ink into the feed. Although feeds do hold a fair amount of ink, I find it rarely is enough to write more than half to a whole page depending on the pen.

 

In my cartridge pens (Sailor, Waterman, ST Dupont, Pilot VP) none skip and I note no difference between convertor and cartridge other than choice of ink.

[Aunt Jill]

Seriously... Doesn't anybody just give a pen a good shake before you start writing with it?

 

—Jill

[tanalasta]

Seriously... Doesn't anybody just give a pen a good shake before you start writing with it?

 

—Jill

 

Well, to be honest most of my pens will start on their own just from being held nib down for somewhere between10-30 seconds if filled by cartridge or convertor without dipping the nib. A gentle flick rather than a good shake would probably be safer ... from experience ... unless one doesn't care about ink splashes!

 

The only pen that is a hard starter after a new cartridge is the Pilot VP. Once the ink travels down the long feed the pen works fine.

[fjf]

If you need to shake it, then it is a bad pen. Converters are usually like that. A good pen writes from start to end, no skipping, no shaking needed. Get a piston!.

[ajcoleman]

I would second the initial recommendation to clean the converter with a bit of soapy water and rinse thoroughly. The air shouldn't get trapped and block the ink from flowing down. Cleaning the converter can improve this. The wider the converter, the less a problem this will be. That is why piston pens don't have that problem. If it is still an issue, one may need to try a different ink or perhaps even diluting the ink your using with a bit of water. Not much -- perhaps just leave a bit in the converter after flushing before refilling.

[KCat]

there are some converters I've had over the years that were awful and tended to allow ink to stay at the "back" of the converter instead of getting down to the nib. I prefer carts but mostly because they usually hold more than the converters.

 

But otherwise, nah - no difference really in flow.

 

I agree with fjf - if you have to shake the pen, it either needs cleaning or has some other design flaw. Or you've let it sit way too long without using it. Even a new pen should take only a few minutes to pull ink into the feed from a new cart or converter.

 

Pistons, etc. are nice. But why limit yourself to one type of filler when there are so many beautiful pens out there with all kinds of filling systems. Have a blast, enjoy your carts/converters/pistons/bulbs/syringes/EDs...

[jaross]

I would second the initial recommendation to clean the converter with a bit of soapy water and rinse thoroughly. The air shouldn't get trapped and block the ink from flowing down. Cleaning the converter can improve this. The wider the converter, the less a problem this will be. That is why piston pens don't have that problem. If it is still an issue, one may need to try a different ink or perhaps even diluting the ink your using with a bit of water. Not much -- perhaps just leave a bit in the converter after flushing before refilling.

 

I wasnt having a problem with ink that was too thick. I was simply thinking logically if you have liquid wanting to use gravity, the only thing keeping it up is air suction...

[nxn96]

Seriously... Doesn't anybody just give a pen a good shake before you start writing with it?

 

—Jill

I hadn't thought about it until you posed the question, but when I was mostly using c/c pens, not a shake, but holding the nib to a piece of scratch paper to start the flow. However, using mostly vintage Parker "51"s, no- uncap, post and write. No "pump priming" seems needed.