When Do You Refill Your Pens?

[Scriptorium Pens]

Well, I'm not nearly as disciplined as others are with their refilling. I change colors all the time, simply depending on my mood or purpose of the pen during the day. I do have a few inks that I will try to use up a full fill before refilling or changing colors, especially if it's an eyedropper pen, but usually I just dump out whatever's left and flush and fill with a new color. I usually have 12 or more pens inked at a time, so running dry is never a problem. Sometimes I just get tired of a color and want something different. I do like the idea of a graveyard bottle for combining leftovers. I'll definitely start doing that.

 

I have tried to be frugal on occasion, forcing myself to run a pen dry before refilling, but it never works completely. The lure of all those fun colors to play with is just too enticing to hold back.

[Joshua J.]

I always write a pen dry. If I'm being impatient about changing colours I will use one pen exclusively for a week just to get the ink out of it.

[Val]

I used to be really sad when I decided to change colors midway and tossed some ink down the drain. Then one time I put what was left in the pen into a vial instead to avoid contamination while not wasting the ink. The amount of ink was so laughable that I no longer sweat it.

[Alohamora]

It really depends on the ink and the pen.

 

If it's a cartridge that's half full and I want to save it, I will seal it with a dab of hot glue.

 

I usually try to write out the pen 'til nearly empty if it's a converter or piston filler and an ink I like. I don't like wasting ink, but I will just flush out ink if it's not performing well.

[psfred]

My work pens get filled roughly once a month, depending on usage (or if they show signs of going dry). One is a Parker "51" Vac, the other a Burgundy Sheaffer Snorkel Statesman (PdAg nib, accountant size). The "51" gets used much more, but also holds more ink (Polar blue these days), the Snork gets Noodler's Black.

 

The pens I use at home for letters, journals, notes. etc get filled when they run dry. I flush them if I'm changing inks, or putting them away for a while, otherwise they just get a refill of whatever they had in them.

 

Occasionally I will discard an ink because I'm tired of it or it's drying out in the pen from lack of use -- I tend to have way too many pens filled!

 

I try not to run out of ink at work, it's annoying.

 

Peter

[leod]

i just drain the old ink in the sink once it almost done or when im tired of the color

[SnowLeopard]

I dump every pen inked during the week on Sunday... no matter what's left in them.......flush well with cool H2O...and dry them overnite ...nib down... in a cup with soft paper toweling to absorb the water in the pens's feed(s)....refill on Monday morn just to get a fresh perspective on the week. I do whatever pleases me...pen - ink combinations are endless. If something looks great from the previous week..I might refill...but this rarely occurs. I never return ink to the well/bottle...so contamination has never been an issue. My webnotebook has the poop on all the combinations...as examples. There is so much to explore....so just let go and enjoy the journey.

Edited September 19, 2011 by SnowLeopard

[bernardo]

I often want to try out a new ink (I'm a new collector so do not have many pens) however my pen will still have half a cartridge/converter full of ink.

 

I extract the ink from half full cartridges with a syringe and save it in small bottles of ink of the same color.

[Chevalier]

One question though: what happens when you fill a pen like an aerometric Parker? If you follow instructions, you press and release the bar a few times. Doesn't this mean contamination is still possible?

 

 

Sure, that's why I started to use filling containers, even the contact with a dry nib and feed might be enough to kill the ink. I think it's safe most of the time though ... but that simply isn't enough for me.

Contamination might cause a lot of damage because I own that many inks, I think I'd care a lot less if I only owned 5 or maybe even 10 inks and only a few pens. Pens are another factor, because cleaning them after a spread contamination is a tough job.

 

Humans are a dirty lifeform, everybody who ever grew mushrooms knows that. Even if the pen is safe, we might be a carrier of spores and other nasty stuff as well. We touch the pen, the pen touches the ink ... voilá. Sure, most inks should be protected well enough, but time is a factor here and developing a safe filling habit won't do any harm.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Chevalier

[Belles-lettres]

In the wee hours of the night when no one can witness my inky depravity... after the pen has been written dry, of course...

[liapuyat]

I flush and refill after I've written my pens dry. For those pens with a big capacity (eg. piston-fillers) or piston-fill converters, I just fill halfway. I write often but since I bring more than one pen with me, I've never run out of ink in the midst of duty

[Mr.Wote]

I make a point to top up my 51 about once a week. To avoid contamination on a large scale, I move some of the ink (#41 Brown always for this pen, it just fits) to a sample vial.

 

For other pens, I have taken to only filling halfway at the most, and often I'll lose interest in the ink before I run out.

[sidheblessed]

I refill my pens when they're empty. About every third refill or so I flush them and change inks because I like variety.

[Messmer]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I searched and could not fine anything. When do you refill your pens? When you feel like doing so or do you refill once your pen has run out of ink? I often want to try out a new ink (I'm a new collector so do not have many pens) however my pen will still have half a cartridge/converter full of ink.

 

For those who refill when you feel like doing so, what do you do with the ink that you have not used up? Do you simply flush it away?

 

Thanks in advance

I refill when I'm half full or when I know I'm not home for a day or two. I always keep at less two fp inked at all time with me. My primary weapon is my Twsbi Diamond 530 EF with Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher, and my side arms is most of the time a Hero 616 inked with Noodler's bulletproof black. Capacity of the diamond is sufficient for me, but I prefer to have a secondary fp for when they ask for black...

[WOBentley]

I refill when the pen is empty...but first it gets flushed...stored...and has to wait it's turn again...

[ashbridg]

For those who refill when you feel like doing so, what do you do with the ink that you have not used up? Do you simply flush it away?

If it's been sitting in the pen a while I usually flush it away. The problem with emptying ink back into the bottle is I get the colors confused and dump the ink into the wrong bottle. It's annoying when ink is no longer the color it's supposed to be.

[DET]

I refill when the pen is empty...but first it gets flushed...stored...and has to wait it's turn again...

 

This is my routine too.

[jk0592]

Always late at night, when everything is quiet.

[sessyargc]

Was about to ask the same question as the OP, vistafan.

Everyone's opinion is very much appreciated.

 

When I change mood I want to change the colors I use. I have several FPs with me with different inks all the time.

When it's time to rotate the pens, specially if it still has ink in it, I also return my unused ink directly to the bottle.

Ink might be cheap, but the colored ones from Herbin (30ml), Iroshizuku (50ml) and De Atramentis (35ml) cost twice or more than a standard (62.5ml/2 fl.oz) bottle of Pelikan 4001 here in Japan.

I guess gotta dump them from now on. And fill only half the converter. Even if get an empty FP, I don't mind a change in ink color in my writings since I don't write for a living.

 

The main/formal pens still get a complete fill :-)

[ExcaliburZ]

I tend to fill my pens when I fell like it. Always when I am out of ink but with my back up pens, sometimes I will do it after a week so I can use a different color.