The Erka Inkwell And Ink Miser Inkwell

[Randal6393]

 

 

Have been following the Ink Miser Inkwell thread. Got one from Goulet Pens and tried it out. Also tried out the Erka Inkwell insert for comparison.

Set Up:

Had around four ounces of Noodler's Walnut in a large, 4.5 oz bottle that I divided into two 3 oz Noodler's bottles that I had laying around. Put the Ink Miser into one bottle and an Erka Inkwell insert into the second bottle. Using two Konrad pens, both with Goulet 1.1 mm nibs, filled with Walnut ink.

Results with Ink Miser Inkwell:

Good points:
* Fits Noodler bottles well, as well as many other ink bottles commonly sold.
* Works pretty much as advertised.
* Cost is around $5.00 each.

Bad points:
* Black plastic means it is difficult to see the ink level in the well, white would work out better.

Results with Erka Ink Miser Inkwell:

Good points:
* Exactly fits R & K ink bottles, very stable with no unexpected splash due to loose fit and coming out of bottle unexpectedly.
* White plastic, easy to see ink levels

Bad points:
* Loose in a larger, think Noodler's, bottle with a wider mouth. So unexpected lifting and splashes may occur.
* Cost is ~ $15.00 for three inserts. Need at least three R & K bottles to make full use of inkwells.

Conclusions: The inserts make economical use of 3-oz bottles, enabling fills do a much lower level of ink than before. Both inserts allow good filling of a Konrad with a large, No. 6 nib. This is a task that can be tricky at times. The Ink Miser has a higher volume than the Ink Miser, making larger pens easier to fill. The Erka works better with smaller bottles, such as the R & K bottles. Both are useful additions to the fountain pen user's equipment list.

[rafapa]

Thanks for the comparison. Could you comment on their behaviour if there is very little ink (3-4 mL) left in the bottle?

 

I presume the costs will make the Miser an american item and the erka an european one. I got the erkas for 7€ (less than 8$) the pack of three.

Also the erka can be used in Omas, Waterman, Pelikan 4001, Delta bottles.

[Randal6393]

I have not used the inkwells with only 3 to 4 mL left in the bottle. So will have to speculate a bit. And I guess the question boils down to when does the system stop working. With so little ink that it is difficult to fill the inkwell, I would use a syringe to fill an inkwell insert in a clean bottle and fill my pen from that. Or use a syringe to pick up a fill of ink, then inject ink directly into a cartridge or converter. If I wanted to put the ink into a piston-fill pen, would either unscrew the nib assemble and fill directly into the pen or open a new bottle. After all, we routinely waste more ink than goes into our pens, just wiping nibs, spilling drops, and rinsing out pen and bottle.

 

Yep, I think price and availability will have a lot to do with which of the inkwells looks better to you. Also what inks one favors, since the Ink Miser fits wider-mouthed bottles better than the Erka. There is definitely a place for each. The Ink Miser is a better fit to the Noodler's, Aurora, etc., bottles while the R & K bottles definitely are better fits for the Erka.

 

Enjoy,

[Goodwhiskers]

Thanks for this comparison test report! I just saw the Ink Miser inkwells at Jetpens.com (no relationship to me except that I am a satisfied, occasional customer). Does the intra-bottle inkwell have any sealing material on the underside of its flange, or is the filling process so quick that there is no realistic opportunity for leakage? Thanks.

[LanceSaintPaul]

I got an Ink Miser in white/translucent to address the visibility issue. I'd heard (read somewhere in these forums if memory serves?) that these will fit in current production Waterman ink bottles. I can confirm it fits into the opening, but does not allow the cap to be resealed with the Miser in place - cap does not screw down tightly, so it really can't be left in the bottle. The plastic flange on the Miser is just too thick (not too wide - it does fit inside the cap). Cap screws down part way, but is crooked on the bottle. Inconvenient at best for those bottles.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the comparison. I had considered getting an Ink Miser, and then it fell off the radar. And while I'd run across mention of the Erkas, I didn't know enough about them (hmmm, I might just *have* three R&K bottles -- Scabiosa, Salix, and Documentus Hellblau....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[essayfaire]

Old thread, I'm reviving - I think I will try to design some custom inkwells to insert in bottles of different manufacturers, and just 3-D print them at home.  Has anyone already done this?

[rafapa]

I have printed

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2770172

 

There are others:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2385723

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4604922

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4797151

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2569990

[essayfaire]

10 hours ago, rafapa said:

I have printed

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2770172

 

There are others:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2385723

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4604922

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4797151

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2569990

Thanks.   I have printed an ink shot very close to the one you have.  I may tweak the one for Noodler's, as I am looking for an internal well.  The one made for Pelikan seems very close to what one would do with the Pineider snorkel, which it seems others have had much more luck with than I.