Which Conway Stewart Are You Using Today?

[Ghost Plane]

Churchill Black Whirl lever fill. IB nib loaded with Taki-sumo.

 

Slow down on tinkering with that nib. With CS it tends to be other issues, so check alignment & feed before you touch the tipping.

[cybaea]

Slow down on tinkering with that nib. With CS it tends to be other issues, so check alignment & feed before you touch the tipping.

 

Hmm, I checked the obvious things, washed it, and have run a CC full of ink through it now. Still skips fairly badly on startup. Any pointers to how to fix it - I am obviously new to CS.

[warblerick]

I know exactly what you are going through cybaea. I have had at least 2 of my CS pens (modern ones) do this. I have found the simplest and cheapest fix is to find yourself a new converter. I went on Amazon and bought a Faber-Castell Ambition 148785 converter. Cost is somewhere around $5-6 USD.

 

This cured both of my hard-starting Conways so now they start first time every time and no more problems. For some reason the CS converters are made of a clear hard type plastic and the FC ones are more opaque and softer plastic, allowing the ink to flow better. Don't exactly know why or how this works but it does.

Edited January 24, 2014 by warblerick

[Ghost Plane]

+1

[cybaea]

This is crazy, but it really works:

 

I know exactly what you are going through cybaea. I have had at least 2 of my CS pens (modern ones) do this. I have found the simplest and cheapest fix is to find yourself a new converter. I went on Amazon and bought a Faber-Castell Ambition 148785 converter. Cost is somewhere around $5-6 USD.

 

This cured both of my hard-starting Conways so now they start first time every time and no more problems. For some reason the CS converters are made of a clear hard type plastic and the FC ones are more opaque and softer plastic, allowing the ink to flow better. Don't exactly know why or how this works but it does.

 

I tried the Monteverde screw-in converter and it made no difference. Then I tried the Pelikan converter without the screws (my normal favourite converter) and *bam!*: big difference! Much better. I wouldn't say it is perfect, but it is much, much improved.

 

So the screw-in converters require a different plastic (which makes sense) and that makes a different to the flow (which does not make any sense).

 

Thanks, warblerick and Ghost Plane! Happy days. Some tuning is still needed, but at least I can leave the coarse sandpaper and nail cutters in the box

 

PS: Anyone know what is that ink they ship? There does not seem to be a CS branded green-black available anywhere.

[warblerick]

Hi again cybaea,

Like you said, crazy, but it does the trick.Hope you really enjoy your pen!

[raging.dragon]

[...]

 

So the screw-in converters require a different plastic (which makes sense) and that makes a different to the flow (which does not make any sense).

 

[...]

 

It's not screw-in vs. push fit converters, rather different manufacturers use different plastics. Some plastics are easy for ink (water) to spread across (or wet), others repel water which (combined with the surface tension of the ink) can lead to the ink getting stuck in the top of the converter - as you use the ink at the bottom of the converter, ink at the top doesn't flow down to replace it. Just as some plastics are more susceptible to this than others, so are some inks are more susceptible than others.

Edited January 25, 2014 by raging.dragon

[View from the Loft]

CS200 with Diamine Onyx today.

[cybaea]

Hi again cybaea,

Like you said, crazy, but it does the trick.Hope you really enjoy your pen!

 

Thanks. I suspect the nib and I will never be best friends and I have temporarily popped in a Goulet #6 steel nib while I figure out what to do. But that is probably for another thread.

 

The body is gorgeous, really gorgeous. None of the pictures does it justice. The pools of silver deep below the black are just stunning. Probably needs a video to even begin to show the beauty of the Excalibur.

Edited January 25, 2014 by cybaea

[ArchiMark]

Just received my first ever Conway-Stewart in the post this morning! It is gorgeous - none of the pictures does it justice.

 

Does anybody know: what is the ink that comes with the pen? A dark green that reminds me of Diamine Evergreen.

 

 

Thanks to CS for the quick turnaround.

Handsome Churchill....

 

You should have CS fix nib if it needs adjusting....

 

As for your ink question, my understanding is that CS is getting inks from Diamine....

[WilsonCQB1911]

Handsome Churchill....

 

You should have CS fix nib if it needs adjusting....

 

As for your ink question, my understanding is that CS is getting inks from Diamine....

 

That same color came with my Churchill! And I have no idea what it is. I'm dying to know as well. Please let me know if you find out.

[cybaea]

If you squint, you can just about make out the silver 'lakes' beneath the black surface (presumably reflections of the sword in the deep dark lake). This is an amazing pen.

 

 

(PS: And the CS nib and I are friends again.)

[warblerick]

If you squint, you can just about make out the silver 'lakes' beneath the black surface (presumably reflections of the sword in the deep dark lake). This is an amazing pen.

 

 

(PS: And the CS nib and I are friends again.)

Glad you are friends again !

[Rufus]

A modern green (can't remember the name of the colour) 58 lever-filler. It's very true to the original 58 other than the the end of the lever-filler is larger, the nib is larger and the cap bands are raised. But overall a good facsimile of an iconic fountain pen. It's too bad that the successor company doesn't offer more facsimiles of the original CS models.

[dms525]

Medical Sciences LE (Based on the Belliver) with Aurora Black and Belliver Coral Green with OMAS Green ink. Both pens have custom-ground italic nibs.

 

I assume the Churchill Excalibur LE uses the same resin that was used in the Wellington Excalibur LE which I have. It is beautiful with that shimmering in the depth. If you like that effect, look at the Belliver Red, White and Blue - another gorgeous pen.

 

David

[adyf]

Then I tried the Pelikan converter without the screws (my normal favourite converter) and *bam!*: big difference! Much better. I wouldn't say it is perfect, but it is much, much improved.

 

Are you talking about a Churchill? I'm having same problem so I tried the Pelikan converter I have in my CS 100 but it doesn't fit securely. Not only does the Churchill converter have more girth, it's a screw type as well. It's not looking good unless CS can address this by making the proprietary converter out of different plastic.

[warblerick]

 

Are you talking about a Churchill? I'm having same problem so I tried the Pelikan converter I have in my CS 100 but it doesn't fit securely. Not only does the Churchill converter have more girth, it's a screw type as well. It's not looking good unless CS can address this by making the proprietary converter out of different plastic.

Yes this would certainly be the solution (if CS made converters out of a different material). But until then we make do with what works. A push-in style converter should work in your Churchill even though it came with a screw-in type. I have Faber-Castell push-in type converters in two of my Conways to make their flow better with no problems. And my NOS CS Windsor came with a screw-in Conway Stewart converter but won't accept anything but a push-in style. Go figure!

 

But if you are having issues with flow and are using a Conway Stewart converter, do try switching it to a more opaque plastic type, like the Faber-Castell. It should help a lot.

[o1984]

#120 "Le Tigre" with "home-made" ink from Callifolio inks…

 

[o1984]

Wellington / Classic brown and Wordsworth / Burgundy with Callifolio inks

 

 

[warblerick]

Shuffling back and forth between my CS Windsor (which is really a desk pen and not meant for travel) and my CS Belliver Poinsettia lately, since sending off the cap to my new Belliver Borealis. It had a sprung clip. Well, after more than 5 weeks away, it came back today! I really didn't think it would arrive, even though it was supposed to be here today by FedEx. It was snowing yet again, and I just knew he wouldn't be able to make it up the driveway. Luckily, he was a kind soul and walked up our long, long hill, carrying a sign-for parcel that couldn't have weighed but a gram or two!

 

So now all is right in the universe