How Big Is Your Cartridge?

[UK Mike]

In one of those idle moments I decided to compare the weights of full and empty cartridges to assess how much ink they really hold.

 

I came up with this. Note these are comparison weights taken on a digital scale, supposedly accurate to 0.1g.

 

 

 

Parker Empty 0.9g Full 2.1g Volume 1.2ml

 

Lamy Empty 1.0g Full 2.2g Volume 1.2ml

 

International Empty 0.4g Full 1.2g Volume 0.8ml

(Generic)

 

Schmidt Empty 1.9g Full 2.7g Volume 0.8ml

Intl converter

 

Diamine Int. Empty 0.4g Full 1.4g Volume 1.0ml

 

In the conversion I have had to assume the mass of ink to be the same as water and the figures should be taken as a comparison rather than absolute. (Maybe someone with laoratory scales would like to continue the "research"

 

What I find interesting is that Parker and Lamy cartridges are perhaps not as big as you thought they were, that the standard converter only holds the same as a standard International cartridge and the "Golden Spot" if you need ink is to carry two Diamine cartridges with a total of 2mls of ink - eyedropper territory without any mess!

 

[MC_in_Houston]

The Sheaffer holds 1.5, Platinum 1.1 Your Parker and Intl volumes are correct +-.05ml

[Bo Bo Olson]

Two piggy back short internationals hold @ 1.74.

 

I couldn't find my list.

 

But a Pelikan 200/400 holds @ 127, 600-800 137 and a 1000 holds 147.

A MB 149 holds 1.60....only..and a large Sheaffer cartridge holds about that at .160.

 

A vintage regular girth medium-large Pelikan 400NN holds 1.97.

 

There are a few 'normal' pens that hold more.

Visconti and a few more.

[Renfield]

Great Post.

 

And very useful info.

 

Cartridges are great for refilling, but I find the Lamy and Parker carts are a little drab, so carrying a couple of carts is great, I just wish you got some more interesting colours for those pens.

 

A lot of companies have international standard short cartridges, so the choice is there. I just don't have that many pens that use these (That I like to use)

[fabrimedeiros]

Great post! Very nice info!

[Bigeddie]

By the same measure (0.1g sensitive postal scale):

 

Pilot Empty 0.7g Full 1.7g Volume 1.0ml

 

Sailor* Empty 0.6g Full 1.6g Volume 1.0ml

 

*Sailor figures are for the Kiwa Guro cartridges, therefore only accurate if the 1g=1ml rule holds true.

 

Something of a surprise given the Pilot converter is much longer.

 

An interesting thread, thanks

[UK Mike]

Thank you for the extra contributions!

 

Re my measurements of the Diamine International cartridges - I have now checked a complete box of cartridges and they do seem to contain fractionally more ink (or heavier ink) than the norm.

 

Per 10x Diamine Blue-Black International cartridges

 

Empty 4.2g Full 13.4g Volume 9.2g

 

Therefore 0.92 ml per cartridge - good ink capacity for an International cartridge.

Edited July 15, 2013 by UK Mike

[Bigeddie]

Montblanc seem to be similar:

 

Empty 0.5g Full 1.4g Volume 0.9ml

 

Where possible I have been weighing multiples and dividing.

[hari317]

Nice thread. it only proves that exotic filling systems always do not equal an increase in ink capacity. several piston pens have just 1.0ml to 1.5ml ink capacity. It is high time this fact is realised.

 

Has anyone measured the capacity of Waterman's long carts and pelikan GTP5?

Edited July 15, 2013 by hari317

[GordonH]

When I was sitting exams at university in the 90's I would attend with three or four Parker Vector pens with converters fitted and fully filled. That set of pens saw me through many years of lectures and exams or the need to be changing cartridges. I would get spare caps and barrels by buying vector rollerball pens from the 99p shops (usually ones that were imprinted with some promotional message for a company but were now redundant stock).

 

This was life as a poor student back then!

[UK Mike]

I don't have any Pelikan cartridges but on a limited sample size my measurements for the Waterman Long International Cartridge are:

 

 

Empty 0.9g Full 2.3g Volume 1.4ml

[Opooh]

Great Post.

 

And very useful info.

 

Cartridges are great for refilling, but I find the Lamy and Parker carts are a little drab, so carrying a couple of carts is great, I just wish you got some more interesting colours for those pens.

 

A lot of companies have international standard short cartridges, so the choice is there. I just don't have that many pens that use these (That I like to use)

Why refilling cartridges and not using a converter?

when you really need huge ink capcity, you're better of with a Visconti or Onoto plunger filler or a Conid bulkfiller.

[Bigeddie]

Why refilling cartridges and not using a converter?

when you really need huge ink capcity, you're better of with a Visconti or Onoto plunger filler or a Conid bulkfiller.

 

I take cartridges when traveling anywhere I plan to do a lot of writing and don't want to take an ink bottle, at least one cartridge pen as a backup, usually a Sailor 1911.

[BillZ]

Anyone have any data on the Private Reserve Maxi International? I use them sometimes, especially in my Starwalker. It may be a case of the volume being twice a short in which case you don't gain anything having one in the pen that can accommodate two I.S.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Using a syringe, I've measured the Waterman long at 1.4ml. Also-- Waterman C/F 1.2ml, Waterman "23" 1.4ml, Cross 0.6ml, Wearever 0.9ml, Platignum (1970s) 1.2ml,

 

I don't know if it's enough of a difference to be significant, but there's the non-water components in ink, and having watched drops of ink sink in still water, I'm convinced that ink's density is >1.

[Paddler]

I measured all the different types of cartridge used in my pens by filling empties with a syringe full of water, leaving a bubble just big enough to accomodate the pen's feed fang. My figures are very similar to those already reported. Additions include:

 

Sheaffer old style: 1.47 ml

Sheaffer new style: 1.22 ml

Wearever: 1.0 ml

Parker: 1.4 ml, including the 0.15 ml emergency tank

[rhodialover]

I have two Schmidt international cartridge converters, one I bought to go into a Montblanc 144 and the other is identical to the one that came with my Edison Collier. Both hold around .75ml of ink. I know because I have some higher-end laboratory equipment to measure things. ( My other hobby is chemistry) I also have many beakers and flasks made of borosilicate glass that are wonderful for filling and cleaning pens. I know with a good deal of confidence how much water I've flushed through my pens and such.

 

Sorry about the quality. Cellphone's these days.