Refilling Cartridges

[inkstainedruth]

I have some newbie questions that didn't seem to be answered in any of the topics in this forum (although admittedly I've only skimmed through about 1/5 of the pages....)

I saw a reference in one of the posts about refilling Parker cartridges (as opposed to using a converter) and I was wondering how this might best be accomplished. I can see instances where I might want to continue to keep spare cartridges on hand, even when I eventually switch over to mostly bottled ink (when travelling, for example), and the cartridges are getting increasingly hard to find locally in anything except black. I could order refills online of course, but that's not necessarily the most cost effective way to go, especially when bottled ink is cheaper in the long run.

Is there a way to do this effectively (like with an eyedropper) that won't cause a total mess when I try to reinsert the cartridge into the pen? Does anyone have any good tips for me? Also, do the cartridges need to be flushed in any way (and is this even possible) and, if so, is it possible to refill them with another brand/color of ink? I know that I can't necessarily use other brands of cartridges, except, IIRC, Aurora, but it would be nice to be able to use other colors besides the relatively limited ranges that Parker seems to have, without having to drag a bottle and a converter around all the time (for example, I go camping for two weeks every August, and while it's not exactly backpacking it would be nice not to run the risk of a bottle breaking or spilling).

I have a brand new (as in about 1-1/2 week of ownership) Parker Urban, so it's not exactly a high end pen -- but it's also the only one I have (and could afford) at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Scrawler]

Use a syringe with a needle not an eyedropper. Just fill the syringe, insert the needle into the hole in the cartridge and gently push the plunger in. Practice with water till you get it right. If you cannot get a blunt needle, use the one from the pharmacist, but file the point off.

[jaqcp]

Use a syringe with a needle not an eyedropper. Just fill the syringe, insert the needle into the hole in the cartridge and gently push the plunger in. Practice with water till you get it right. If you cannot get a blunt needle, use the one from the pharmacist, but file the point off.

 

Yep. A 3 ml syringe is less than a buck at any pharmacy. BTW, the carts will last for years used this way. The syringe also works well for rinsing them out with water for changing colors.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks so much for the quick responses!

I have a few other quick questions. First of all, would it be better to use the empty washable blue cartridges, as they would be (presumably) easier to clean out than the permanent black? Secondly, is the hold poked originally in the end of the cartridge small enough that I don't have to worry too much about leakage as I'm reinstalling the cartridge? I'm guessing that it would be better to have the nib facing upwards when I do, since I occasionally have trouble getting the cartridge to snap into place, and pushing down (cap on to protect the nib) with the back of the cartridge against a tabletop.

Finally, will any ink flow back into the reserve section at the back of the cartridge? I've been trying to keep the pen upright when I'm not using it, but can't tell whether ink was flowing back into the back section after the cartridge was running low and it got tapped.

[dfollett_98]

Ruth:

 

Although I am an old new guy, I have used this method several times as it is much more cost effective than cartridge replacement. Just draw the ink out of the bottle with a syringe and gently expell it into the cartridge. I have not cleaned my cartridges, I just use them as is. Don't fill them too full or you will make a mess (don't ask me how I know :embarrassed_smile:)

 

Also, one of our members puts a small drop of, I believe they said, candle wax on the open portion of the cartridge to keep it from spilling until it will be used. Then they simply scrape the wax off and insert the cartridge into the pen. This method works well until the hole in the cartridge gets too lose to work correctly. Good luck and enjoy!

 

Don

[radellaf]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/203262-refilling-cartridges-basic-questions/

[Mike 59]

Hi, As others (above) have said, it's perfectly fine to refill cartridges. I use a syringe and squared off needle that was part of a kit to refill inkjet printer cartridges for PC's. In fact the syringe gets used for pen servicing too, forcing water and washing up liquid/ ammonia through new pens, so much better than dripping water through.

If you are not changing ink colour then no need to clean the cartridge, but if going from black to blue, I would flush the cartridge and shake out as much water as possible, leave it overnight to dry.

An alternative is to buy a Parker cartridge converter, which has 2 advantages.

1) You can use any colour bottled ink that you fancy,

2) You can use the converter to flush water up and down through the nib section.

The different types are shown on this page;

http://www.penbox.co.uk/parker.ink.htm

(Scroll down a page under the ink bottle and cartridges.)

I have a few of the cheapest "slider" type, they are ok, but the threaded type are much better.

Hope that makes sense.

[dickydotcom]

Use a syringe with a needle not an eyedropper. Just fill the syringe, insert the needle into the hole in the cartridge and gently push the plunger in. Practice with water till you get it right. If you cannot get a blunt needle, use the one from the pharmacist, but file the point off.

+1

the most important word there is gently. I have several staines on my desk from over enthusiastic refilling carts. Worst thing is when you think you have put the exact amount in the syringe but it hasn't quite filled the cart. You pull back a little air in the hope it will push out the last bit of ink. It doesn't, it sends it every where.

 

Dick D

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for all the advice and tips.

Another question (or six);

Would it be better for me to get one of the refill kits (I see that Goulet pens has one from Private Reserve for about $5) or a syringe from the pharmacy and then try to figure out how to blunt/square it off (and what sort of effort is that going to take, and what should the finished tip look like -- assuming, of course that I can get one without a prescription....)?

Also, on some hobby shop website I saw a similar thing the the Private Reserve kit for doing gluing on small parts (don't remember the price offhand, but there's an AB Charles store a few miles from me). Would that work?

Would a needle-nose oil bottle work? (I also do hand spinning, and have one to lubricate the moving parts on my spinning wheel -- the very long needle helps me get to the axle for the drive wheel easily (someplace in my house I know I have an empty one that I bought a few years ago when I lost the cap on the original bottle, but ended up buying a bottle of Schacht Oil from a place about 1-1/2 to 2 hours from me instead -- made for a nice drive in the country and I could also look at yarn, fiber and books while I was there, so generally a win-win situation!).

BTW -- yinz guys all rock! (It's been a while since I was in a hobby where I fell into the category of "clueless newbie"....) So, thanks all around.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[someonesdad]

In the state I live in, I can just walk into an agricultural store and buy syringes and needles. I used to have to give our horse injections, so I wound up with a number of syringes and needles. I was in another state visiting my brother-in-law and we were also able to walk in a store and buy stuff over the counter. You can also get your doctor to write you a prescription for syringes and needles. Or, visit a vet and tell them what you want to do and they might give you a used syringe. I once had to take our horse to a vet and he let me take all the used needles I wanted from his truck -- he had a big bucketful. Of course, that's something you DON'T just reach in and grab a handful.

 

For messing around with inks and flushing pens, I like a 10 cc syringe. For cartridges, a 1 cc tuberculin syringe or a 3 cc syringe would work. I strongly recommend dulling the needles. I just bump them against a grinding wheel (takes about 1 second). Or, just dull it on a sharpening stone. (There are also places on the web that sell blunted needles.) I like 14 gauge needles for big tasks and I use 21 gauge needles for flushing cartridges/converters (I have a bunch of those from when I had to give myself injections).

[Mike 59]

Hi, Guess it doesn't really matter what you use for filling cartridges, but it needs to obviously have a filler tip of say 1/16 inch (2mm) or less. But it will have to be very clean indeed to not add anything to the ink.

These syringes are not anything special, millions must be made in every country, as they are disposable.

The needle could be squared off with a Dremel grinding wheel, or a fine flat file, maybe a nail file, or 300 grade emery paper, (might take some time with emery paper.)

But I would think there must dozens of hobby suppliers who would sell something suitable if a syringe cannot be found.

The photo I have attached has a 'slider' type Parker cartridge converter (C/C) at the top, and my syringe below.

Note the syringe is set at 1ml, which is the amount of ink in an average cartridge.

[inkstainedruth]

Okay, another question about syringes.

I was at my local Sam's Club today and asked at the pharmacy about syringes. I can get a box of 100 for less than $13 (don't need a prescription). But the counterperson asked what size/type and I didn't know what answer to give. Also, 100 is a LOT....

A friend of mine suggested that I try to find someone who is type 1 diabetic and try to get a few from that person. I do know someone I could maybe ask, and since she sometimes does scribal stuff in the Society for Creative Anachronism she might not think I was a total nutjob for asking. What do people here think?

Additionally I have a couple of newbie questions about converters. I have the slide fill type that came with the pen, and my local pen shop had some Parker twist converters in stock (yay!) so I just picked one of those up as well (however, I noticed that they both seem to have about half the capacity of the cartridges....). My first question is this: how often should I refill using the converter -- let it run out and then refill, or (assuming that I'm not switching inks) refill whenever convenient (even if there's still ink in the reserve)? The second: assuming I *do* decide to switch inks mid-refill (don't like the color, ink behaves badly in the pen, or just change my mind about what color I want to use at the moment) is there any way to salvage the remainder? Obviously I wouldn't be putting it back into the original bottle, but if I were to, say stick it into a small vial, could I reuse it later (or would there be a possibility of some sort of contamination)?

Again, thanks in advance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Scrawler]

Ruth, I find 3ml syringes best. Cartridges hold about 1-2ml. The 1cc diabetic ones are a little small. The 10cc hold too much ink and can expel a lot if your injecting hand is not smoothly controlled. If you have a choice of needles get them in over 1.5 inches in length so they will easily reach the bottom of a bottle or cartridge. The commonly available subcutaneous 5/8 inch needle will do, if it is all you can get, but you will find longer more satisfactory.

What the 1cc diabetic syringes are good for is sharing ink samples. At our pen posse meetings we have a number of these in circulation. The needles can be capped and made safe for ink transportation.

[jkingrph]

Okay, another question about syringes.

I was at my local Sam's Club today and asked at the pharmacy about syringes. I can get a box of 100 for less than $13 (don't need a prescription). But the counterperson asked what size/type and I didn't know what answer to give. Also, 100 is a LOT....

A friend of mine suggested that I try to find someone who is type 1 diabetic and try to get a few from that person. I do know someone I could maybe ask, and since she sometimes does scribal stuff in the Society for Creative Anachronism she might not think I was a total nutjob for asking. What do people here think?

Additionally I have a couple of newbie questions about converters. I have the slide fill type that came with the pen, and my local pen shop had some Parker twist converters in stock (yay!) so I just picked one of those up as well (however, I noticed that they both seem to have about half the capacity of the cartridges....). My first question is this: how often should I refill using the converter -- let it run out and then refill, or (assuming that I'm not switching inks) refill whenever convenient (even if there's still ink in the reserve)? The second: assuming I *do* decide to switch inks mid-refill (don't like the color, ink behaves badly in the pen, or just change my mind about what color I want to use at the moment) is there any way to salvage the remainder? Obviously I wouldn't be putting it back into the original bottle, but if I were to, say stick it into a small vial, could I reuse it later (or would there be a possibility of some sort of contamination)?

Again, thanks in advance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

Insulin syringes are not what you need. There are several problems. First the syringe does not have enough capacity, usually 1/2 to 1 ml (cc), plus the needles are so tiny you may have problems filling/emptying the syringe. Some of those small needles are down to 29-32 gauge now, and are designed for minimal pain on injection of a very small volume, they also bend very easily.

 

Ideally you would use a 22 gauge on the small size to a 16 on the large end, to get a stiffer/ sturdier much longer lasting needel and a much quicker fluid flow.

[Mike 59]

Hi, If you want to change colours, but still have some left in the converter, it's ok to put it back in the bottle, as long as the colour is not mixed up with another. It doesn't 'spoil' by using it in a converter, I do that sort of thing often, but careful to remember what colour you have in the pen, I keep only Sheaffer Skrip black and Waterman Florida blue, and I haven't got it wrong yet. (plenty of time though!)

I did buy Waterman blue/black, but it writes blue then turns green on paper after 20 mins, so not sure what that's about.

Regarding the needles, the one in my photo is 1.5" long and it's just right. The small 1ml / 2ml syringes have short needles about 1/2" long and very fine too, really not suitable for ink bottle use.

But it's true that the converters hold less than cartridges, about half I would guess, say 0.5ml.

Most cartridges hold about 1ml. I find a converter lasts me about a week, then refill.

But better to not let the ink level run right down. I tend to refill when down to about 1/3 rd.

So for the most writing between refills, the choice would be the Parker Quink refills, filled using syringe, with bottled ink of your choice.

It's really worth flushing the nib unit through with dish-washing up liquid in water, followed by plain water, with a new pen, and before ink refills too.

Shake off water, then press nib on a paper towel for 10 mins.

* This website sells the same sort of syringe and blunt needle as I use,

http://www.misterinkjet.com/misc_parts.htm

(The 5cc version & blunt needle would be ideal for pen use.)

Edited February 14, 2012 by Mike 59

[inkstainedruth]

Well, I tried a RiteAid a couple of miles from my house, and was able to get a couple of syringes for under $4.50 total (i.e., more than some of the places I saw online, but less when you add in shipping charges) . Now, all I need is for my husband to remember where his sharpening stone is.... :roflmho:

Thanks for everyone's advice. I'm going to keep checking this thread occasionally, and have also been taking notes on the suggestions so far.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[radellaf]

A Dremel is absolutely ideal for making sharps into blunt. I used to do that daily when working at an inkjet refill store.

'Course what you _really_ want for pens (not inkjets) is the kind of plastic points

used for solder paste or flux dispensers. That way you can't scratch a feed while feed-saturation filling. For cartridge filling tho, really you're trying to protect your fingers more than the cartridge itself.

[inkstainedruth]

Another set of questions (sorry if I'm getting annoying). :embarrassed_smile:

Someone earlier in this thread said that one way to seal the refilled cartridges is with candle wax. Do you mean paraffin or beeswax? Because I've been reading about how petroleum based products are bad for pens (apparently really, really, really bad...). And I'm also finding that paraffin is hard to find now that canning season is over, but we have plenty of beeswax in the house for other purposes. Somewhere....

Another forum had a thread about refilling cartridges and someone said that they had used silicone grease. Does it have to be 100% silicone grease? I found some in the plumbing section of a local hardware store that was labeled as being 90% silicone (but didn't say what the other 10% was) and Home Depot carried some stuff that said "silicone" on the package but didn't say anything else useful (it was a brand called Danco and I now have a query into their website on the topic, but don't expect an answer till at least Friday given the current time (after 5 pm EST). Various places I went also suggested that I try either auto parts places or sporting goods stores.

Thanks a lot for all your help so far. The friend I have in the area that is into pens told me that he doesn't do refills, so he couldn't help with suggestions (other than it should be 100% silicone).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Alohamora]

I'm a bit late to the thread I'm afraid, but I do have an ad here on the FPN classifieds myself with blunt needle syringes for sale. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/classifieds/item/2942-blunt-needle-w-syringe-3ml-for-filling-ink-cartridges/

 

For sealing cartridges, I use a dab of hot glue. But mostly I just refill one at a time as needed.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Alohamora

[Mike 59]

Hi, If you are planning on having several ink colours on "standby", then you might try this way, I just tried it, works well.

* Making a cap to keep air out of a "standby cartridge"

All you need is some spare Parker Quink cartridges you don't mind cutting up, the spares soon pile up, I find.

Take an empty cartridge, mark 2" from the top end, cut clean across with a sharp knife, and you will find that that makes a perfect cap for another cartridge. It might also be an idea to drill some 1/4" holes in a block of wood, to keep the half full cartridges vertical, to help prevent leaks at the joint of cartridge and cap.

(It's not very often I have a good idea, but this might be one!)

Edited February 17, 2012 by Mike 59