Converter Or Re-Use Cartridge?

[davidtaylorjr]

On 5/14/2015 at 8:24 PM, wastelanded said:

I've also been using the same Pilot cartridge just as long. Those ones will last forever as long as you don't squeeze them (a bad idea for any type of cartridge, really: you're asking for it to split). Pilot carts can also be swabbed out with a wet q-tip, to get them nice and clean.

So what is the quickest way to start writing if you do not squeeze?

[SpecTP]

4 hours ago, davidtaylorjr said:

So what is the quickest way to start writing if you do not squeeze?

swirl the pen with nib downward facing.

[A Smug Dill]

10 hours ago, davidtaylorjr said:

So what is the quickest way to start writing if you do not squeeze?

 

1. Thoroughly wet the nib and feed.
2. If Step 1 above was done with water (and not ink), then remove excess moisture from nib and feed by centrifugal force.
3. If the nib and feed (with or without being held together in a housing/collar) have been removed from the pen itself, then reinstall them into the pen.
4. Stand the pen (or at least its gripping section) vertically, nib down, on a piece of paper towel or cloth to further drain the nib and feed of moisture by capillary action.
5. Plug the ink cartridge into the pen.
6. Stand the pen vertically, nib down, on that piece of paper towel or cloth again, until you see a deep enough colour of ink (i.e. not diluted by any remnants of water from cleaning earlier) coming out onto it.

[amberleadavis]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:01 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

1. Thoroughly wet the nib and feed.
2. If Step 1 above was done with water (and not ink), then remove excess moisture from nib and feed by centrifugal force.
3. If the nib and feed (with or without being held together in a housing/collar) have been removed from the pen itself, then reinstall them into the pen.
4. Stand the pen (or at least its gripping section) vertically, nib down, on a piece of paper towel or cloth to further drain the nib and feed of moisture by capillary action.
5. Plug the ink cartridge into the pen.
6. Stand the pen vertically, nib down, on that piece of paper towel or cloth again, until you see a deep enough colour of ink (i.e. not diluted by any remnants of water from cleaning earlier) coming out onto it.

 

 

I also do the secret dance and use the magic words 

 

You put your tongue out to the side (this helps you keep your balance).  You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about.  While you are doing this, you say !@#$%.

 

I don't think it helps the pen, but since everyone is now laughing at me, I feel better and I don't throw the pen.    I also check that the converter or cartridge is actually installed properly and I confirm that the glitter ink I love so much hasn't caused a clog, then I dip the nib in water again.

[Bo Bo Olson]

After needle filling the cartridge, fit it, and dip the nib and feed into the ink bottle before screwing it all together.

 

I'm lazy I use mostly piston pens. They are dipped to fill, so have a naturally wet feed.

I only have 5-6 or could be 7 CC pens. The other 80-90 are piston pens out side of 6-7 sac pens.........

 

I've been against expensive cartridges since the early '60's. They are still very expensive. So do favor needle filling.

 

My problem is using up some 10-12 cartridge packs that fell into my hands over the last decade. So I don't needle fill.

I have once or twice, but as of yet because I have so many piston pens....I don't need to use inks that my cartridges don't have.

 

Converters have a history of trouble from being too thin so have vapor lock. Cartridges don't have vapor lock, so if possible re-filling cartridges makes much sense.

 

[Arkanabar]

Most of my nibs are nails. and most of my pens are lightweight.  When a pen gets balky, and I know there's ink in it, I will drop it on its point, onto a tissue or the writing surface, from a height of 10-15mm, repeating until the ink flows.  Now, I wouldn't do this if for some reason I somehow got a wet noodle nib into a Jinhao 159 or one of the larger and heavier Italix pens by Mr. Pen, but a modern nail nib in most pens under 25 grams won't suffer from this treatment.  And this procedure will work when starting a c/c pen with a new cartridge.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Been training my self not to do that since 1958, in 4th grade, how to use a fountain pen.

That really was a big deal; a first step into the adult world.

 

That pen like all my fountain pens of grade, jr & sr High were stolen, but think it was a Shaffer School pen..........the rest that were stolen once a year along with my Jotter were ugly metal topped Esterbrooks**, Wearevers and please steal my Venus......it took them a long time but they finally did steal that Venus.

 

** Missed out on the pretty Esties, that I think were made into 1960.

Missed out on the good second tier Wearevers also. .....until 50 years later. I won this lot on English Ebay.

 

Still have 2 Esties, one of the blues and a Copper, and the '60's  turquoise Wearever  on the right my wife 'likes' and the FP&MP camouflage/marbled green Wearever above the light blue Estie.

 

[dipper]

@Bo Bo Olson thanks for the great photo of your eBay win. I have downloaded a copy that now makes a very pretty background wallpaper on my phone lock-screen.

Which pens were the sources of the transparent feeds included in the photograph?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Those were Wearever feeds....to let you know you were running out of ink in your sac.

 

I now really regret getting rid of most of those pens....stupidity and 'noobieism' are often inter-wound. There was no reason....some how thought I had to limit how many pens I had.

 

Part was being in Europe, and the extreme high US postal costs that would cost me the value of a vintage part in postal costs; if I could find it.

Good Wearever pens were hard to find in they were tossed as worthless; even if some were good solid second tier pens.

 

There was a early member...one of those who started this com, Dennis 'Guest' who got kicked off for getting ill, and misappropriating pens sent to him for repair.

 

Eventually he had to sell the worlds greatest collection of Wearever pens, for a nickle on the dollar, on account his Emphysema had him confined to a wheel chair with gas bottle attached.

 

(That would not have happened in 'socialist' Europe; no one losses his house, car, pen collection or anything because he becomes seriously ill. The health plans were set in place long before the pharmaceuticals became so powerful; like in the states.)

 

His great blog died for lack of money, Frank tried to keep it alive but had no help.

Esterbrook was known as a great second tier pen.

Wearever was the biggest pen maker in the world. Making good second tier, third tier and if someone wanted 4th tier pens with their name on them, Wearever made them also.

It was because of Dennis's blog I found out I had good second tier pre and post WW2 Wearever pens.....& parts of good second tier '50's pens.

 

 

[dipper]

On 2/20/2022 at 12:34 PM, davidtaylorjr said:

So what is the quickest way to start writing if you do not squeeze?

 

The question has been investigated by extensive laboratory testing of very many pens.

The tests were carried out on new never-inked pens. The results are partially relevant to a used cartridge pen with a fresh cartridge inserted......

 

Amadeus says:

The best result was a combination of 3% compression and 20 shakes and 2 minutes rest gained the best results. Most fountain pens wrote by then.

 

The full page (an entertaining read)... https://fountainpendesign.wordpress.com/fountain-pen-feed-function/fountain-pen-feed-design-test-criteria/fountain-pen-feed-initial-dry-start/

 

@Bo Bo Olson Thanks for the "Wearever" pen brand information. I see from Ebay that many still survive - and almost all of them live in USA.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I just wish Dennis 'Guest's Wearever blog still existed; it was obsessively good.

You'd know what was good to chase and what not.