Refill Parker Roller Ball Cartridge With Your Favourite Ink!

[leewm]

Hi,

 

Finally figured out how to refill an empty parker roller ball cartridge with fountain pen ink and have made a short 3 min video describing the process. It's a variation of the syringe vacuum method used to refill a pilot varsity pen.

https://youtu.be/uMtBMEE7tas

 

Let's see how many times the roller ball cartridge can be refilled and report back what caused it to finally fail. eg: ball dropped out.

 

Enjoy!

weemeng

[m53al]

Hi there,

Now THAT is interesting!

Have you tried different inks in this process? I am thinking some inks might work poorly, and some might have a tendency to leak. ??

 

Thanks!

VBM

[leewm]

Hi VBM,

 

Thus far I only have pelikan and Quink inks. I haven't got a chance to try out other inks. Based on experience opening up a montblanc cartridge refill, I think the internal construction of the Parker cartridge is similar. Ink is soaked up via a fiber rod in the main body, a thin fiber rod leads the ink to the roller ball tip. One day when the refill stops working, I'll open it up thoroughly and hv a look. At the moment, it's my only one, and it's still working.

 

Unlike the varsity where one can drain ink out, the fiber rod in the Parker refill holds on to the ink. So the ink can't drain out and can't leak. The only way it's going to leak if one flicks the refill downwards repeatedly and the centrifugal force overcomes the fiber holding capacity. Another way I can think off is overfilling.

 

If u happen to try some other inks, pls let us know :-)

 

Rgds

Weemeng

[zwingster]

did you try standing the writing tip in a bottle of quink ink overnight and let capillary action draw the ink in through the roller ball and into the fiber reservoir? would be less messy/risky.

[leewm]

No I have not tried sticking the cartridge into a bottle of ink over night. But I think capiliary action will take a really long time because the surface area of the roller ball around the edges is really tiny.

 

I just read in another web site that some one put the empty cartridge into boiling water to cause the air to expand, then stick it into ink. As the air cools and contracts, ink flows in. That method would work well too. I don't know how much ink will be sucked in by the cooled air.

[radellaf]

With the dried out rollerballs that I've stuck in a mL or so of water, they soak up about all they're going to soak in about two days, give it 3 to be sure. On a refill without dried up ink "clogging" the works, I'd think it could absorb ink faster than that. On a really dry refill you might add a day or two for the tip to un-crust itself. Or you may be out of luck if it's dried out enough.

 

The slow part, which takes 4-7 days more with the adding-water procedure is waiting for the dye to diffuse throughout the sponge so that it's writing a dark line again. Not an issue if you're refilling with ink.

 

I have a lot more rollerballs dry out in storage than I've ever used up by writing with them.

 

Tombow has a free-ink and feed system more like a V5 or Pilot Varsity. They can be refilled by pulling the point and feed assembly out and then refilling with ink. I find their "fine" points to spill so much ink as to be useless, but the x-fine tombows are a real pleasure and you can check the ink level.

Well, if you have a 0.01g scale, you can check the ink level of any rollerball if you make some notes as to full and empty weight.

[leewm]

Leaving the cartridge to soak for a few days is not too bad! Thx for letting us know.

 

I am curious to know how many times it can be refilled before it quits writing. Hv u encountered a failure from a refilled cartridge yet?

 

If u hv time, are u able to take apart a cartridge and show us what is inside it?

Edited November 13, 2015 by leewm

[amberleadavis]

If I use heat, I can get operation faster and refill a rollerball in about 15 minutes.

[IvoryParker]

I am amazed! Never thought it could be done those cartridges are too expensive i will surely try this method. Thank you!

[IvoryParker]

I am amazed! Never thought it could be done those cartridges are too expensive i will surely try this method. Thank you!

[leewm]

Hello

 

another method using easy to find flexible tube and a syringe:

https://youtu.be/AZK9fBGZ8QU

according to Parker’s patent, the cartridge was designed to use fountain pen inks!

 

u can even “suck” the ink out with the setup inverted and do flushing with water to change colour of ink.

 

enjoy!

kenneth