How And How Often Do You Refill ?

[Hans-Gabriel]

Here we go with another poll.

 

We all have to refill at some point! Do you have any preferences? Is refilling a pleasure or a messy moment you have to go through to enjoy your writing instrument?

 

Edit : Obviously, you will refill "when needed". But in average, how often is this? I haven't put this choice on purpose.

 

Have fun !

 

H-G

Edited September 15, 2015 by Hans-Gabriel

[jar]

When it is needed.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Refilling is an opportunity to decide whether to switch to another pen, reduce my current number of inked pens, switch to another ink, or decide to keep on with the same one. I like refiling.

 

Can't really answer the poll as asked. I have a preferred filling system (piston) but that's secondary to the overall experience of writing with the pen. Right now I have three piston fillers filled, one pen with a Pilot cartridge, and one capillary filler. I not infrequently use other types of cartridges or converters, vintage lever fillers, and others.

 

There are too many variables to say how long a typical fill lasts, although if I'm away from home I generally have at least two fountain pens with me. Number of pages written in between refills might be a better indicator than time for those who do keep track.

[haruka337]

I syringe fill 6 fountain pens every two weeks.

 

I love the process of perusing my inventory, making the picks, flushing the pens and filling it with the chosen inks.

[Hans-Gabriel]

Refilling is an opportunity to decide whether to switch to another pen, reduce my current number of inked pens, switch to another ink, or decide to keep on with the same one. I like refiling.

 

Can't really answer the poll as asked. I have a preferred filling system (piston) but that's secondary to the overall experience of writing with the pen. Right now I have three piston fillers filled, one pen with a Pilot cartridge, and one capillary filler. I not infrequently use other types of cartridges or converters, vintage lever fillers, and others.

 

There are too many variables to say how long a typical fill lasts, although if I'm away from home I generally have at least two fountain pens with me. Number of pages written in between refills might be a better indicator than time for those who do keep track.

 

 

When it is needed.

 

I was expecting answers in these two opposite directions !

 

Kaputnik, Good point, isn't this why we use F-Ps in the first place?

[langere]

I agree with the other posters. Although I probably refill about every 2 weeks, I usually have 3 fountain pens going. They can be lever fillers, converter pens, and piston fillers. I do have some eyedroppers, but I do not use them much because of the "burping" problem when the ink is almost gone.

 

Having an ink run out is an opportunity to think about what new pen I will take out of my collection and try. It also gives me pleasure to select an ink that goes with the pen. I try to have different ink colors going in each pen - I categorize them this way:

 

Green/brown

Red

Blue/black

 

I always try to have one ink color in each of those categories in one of my inked pens.

 

So much fun!

 

Erick

[gordonhooker]

The 2nd selection did not include "When the pen runs out of ink." which is what I would expect most people do.

[gordonhooker]

I syringe fill 6 fountain pens every two weeks.

 

I love the process of perusing my inventory, making the picks, flushing the pens and filling it with the chosen inks.

 

I do love the look of your sandwich cat....

[Kiaxa]

I try to use converters as much as I can because cleaning and refilling cartridges is messy and time consuming for me. Only pens I have to fill with cartridges is Sheaffer VFM (can't do a converter), my Platinum Plaisir and my Sailor Highace Neo

[hbquikcomjamesl]

What "Jar" said. I keep a full set of the inks I use both at work and at home (although I'm out of red at home), and I keep blue in both my car and my luggage.

[ac12]

The how is, whatever mechanism is in the pen; piston, lever, converter, cartridge, aerometric, vacumatic, etc. I use all of them.

 

The when is, whenever the pen runs dry, or I decide that I want to top off the pen.

Edited September 15, 2015 by ac12

[NinthSphere]

What ac12 said. Your poll options are rather limited.

[martinbir]

I never use cartridges so it is a converter for me unless the pen has some other mechanism - piston, aerometric etc.

 

I love filling my pens and seldom put much ink in at a time, even if it is going to get refilled with the same. My Lamy 2000 is used every day, more than all the others put together, and may use the same ink for months on end; but it is never more than half filled.

 

I used to get into trouble at school for fiddling with my pen and would get in trouble just the same now if I had a boss.

[Hans-Gabriel]

The 2nd selection did not include "When the pen runs out of ink." which is what I would expect most people do.

 

That was made on purpose, I wanted to have an estimate on how long it takes for your pens to run out of ink. Of course, it depends on many factors.

[melodiousb]

I keep about three pens inked at a time, and fill a new one when one of the ones I'm currently using runs out of ink. Rotating three or four pens, a fill in each one lasts between one and two weeks. I use piston fillers, converters, and lever fillers (not in your poll), and a cartridge maybe once every few months.

[Paddler]

Couldn't vote. My most used pens are lever fillers, Snorkels, or Touchdown fillers. The filling methods featured in the poll rarely make it to the active rotation here.

 

[Dhruv_Sood]

I only have 3 pens. I got 2 nice pens with noodlers ink today so that makes it 5.

Out of the three,

 

Nakaya is filled every week.

Pilot custom 823 every 2-3 weeks

Third one is an indian pen which I don't use much now, so every month.

[ethernautrix]

Eight pens - six c/c, two piston-filler.

 

I'd say between about once a week and slightly more, cos I'll usually want to try another color in one of the pens, and the pens that are filled with the same ink (more than one with Noodler's Black) will all get topped off when one of them runs out of ink.

 

Being finicky or changeable about ink colors that are not Noodler's Black was a surprise to me, but I have learned to embrace it. I get to play with more colors this way.

[inkstainedruth]

 

That was made on purpose, I wanted to have an estimate on how long it takes for your pens to run out of ink. Of course, it depends on many factors.

Some people don't use cartridges at all (I almost never do anymore). The problem with your poll is that the second question assumes people do, and there is no option for "I don't use cartridges".

Back when I did use cartridges exclusively, it depended. My first pens were cheapie Parker cartridge pens (Reflex? the ones with the rubberized grip). When I upgraded to a Parker Vector, it had a fine nib, and so was stingier -- cartridges lasted a lot longer. But flushing and refilling cartridges was a major hassle -- especially the flushing part; so I ended up getting converters for all the pens that were c/c models.

Although I did have a good laugh about your last options on the poll: "throw away your MB when it's empty and buy a new one...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Hans-Gabriel]

Some people don't use cartridges at all (I almost never do anymore). The problem with your poll is that the second question assumes people do, and there is no option for "I don't use cartridges".

Back when I did use cartridges exclusively, it depended. My first pens were cheapie Parker cartridge pens (Reflex? the ones with the rubberized grip). When I upgraded to a Parker Vector, it had a fine nib, and so was stingier -- cartridges lasted a lot longer. But flushing and refilling cartridges was a major hassle -- especially the flushing part; so I ended up getting converters for all the pens that were c/c models.

Although I did have a good laugh about your last options on the poll: "throw away your MB when it's empty and buy a new one...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Well, when I put up the poll, I was under the impression that cartriges were a lot more popular than they seem to be. You are right, the second question should have been only "How often do you refill?".

 

Thank you for the comment!