Visconti Ragtime First Impressions

[Driften]

I had thought I was done buying Visconti for a while since I have the models I want an am happy with then, but the PenChalet sends me an email over the weekend about some Ragtimes they were able to get ahold of. At $99 (paid $86 with coupon code) it was an impulse buy. It's not the same Ragtime from long again. The model has a steel nib and is a C/C model not a captured converter. I believe this was a 2016 model they the distributor must have found on the shelves. Back then I think it came in five or six colors. Only the green marble was available in the Fountain Pen version in this sale. I think they had more colors in stock on the rollerball model, but I didn't look.

 

I could tell this is a budget model, but it's actually quite nice. The section is a lot like a Pelikan m200/m400 in size and it has a 11mm barrel diameter, but the pen is longer then a m200 at 124mm barrel length including nib, 165mm posted. It's 139mm closed, but with the lowered clip design like a Pelikan m10x it fits even small t-shirt pockets. I think the pen is better for me unposted. The material is very nice and the pen does support the mypen system.

 

One thing I found really strange was the converter and cartridges don't fit very deep into the section. The stepped area of a cartridge or converter does not go into the section just outer most flange. The included converter is held tightly and I tested a long international cartridge which also seems to hold good enough but I would worry it could become dislodged. I have had converters drop off the section before and those fitted deeper. You can see what I am talking about in my second picture. The supplied converter (pictured) was one of the cheep ones no the deluxe ones Visconti supplies on their nicer pens. On first filling ink actually got between the two ribs on the plunger head making me worry it could get behind the plunger. I tried with rubber strips to unscrew the metal fitting on converter to take it apart for some silicon but was not able to budge it. I also tested a Schmitt international converter which was held on the section but not as tight as the supplied one. I was also not able to take that one apart, but I had no need to at this time. I know I have taken them apart before but those had gone with pens I had sold in the past. Maybe a quick hit from a heat gun would loses any thread locker that may be there. Currently it has a Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine long cartridge in the pen.

 

In any case the pen writes really nice and I am happy I bought it. It has a vintage like design in a modern pen.

 

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ViscontiRagtime-1.png

 

http://driften.dragonsightsoftware.com/images/ViscontiRagtime-2.png

[Doug C]

I got one of the bp's (since I like to covert them to pencils) and it is great. I initially ordered the FP, but I find that some of my steel nib pens sit in the cases, so I switched at the last moment.

 

The quality is top notch for Visconti.

[Driften]

I got one of the bp's (since I like to covert them to pencils) and it is great. I initially ordered the FP, but I find that some of my steel nib pens sit in the cases, so I switched at the last moment.

 

The quality is top notch for Visconti.

 

 

I am happy to hear the BP worked well for you. I know when I used to turn pens I sometimes turned ball points into pencils. In a conversion I didn't have an eraser but it was better then not being able to do it. Which material did you get in your ballpoint?

 

I was just thinking I could pick up the rollerball model in blue and swap the section with my green one... Maybe use a fineliner refill in that one.

[Doug C]

 

 

I am happy to hear the BP worked well for you. I know when I used to turn pens I sometimes turned ball points into pencils. In a conversion I didn't have an eraser but it was better then not being able to do it. Which material did you get in your ballpoint?

 

I was just thinking I could pick up the rollerball model in blue and swap the section with my green one... Maybe use a fineliner refill in that one.

I got the ivory color one. I'm not sure what it's called. I typically use fountain pens and then pencils so I have a number of bp's that are converted.

I have a Visconti Skeleton that is now a pencil.

[Cordovian]

I thought I was done with Visconti for a while too but recently found a 20th Anniversary Ragtime that I could not resist. This one's a piston filler and the nib is super smooth with no flow issues at all.

 

[Driften]

I thought I was done with Visconti for a while too but recently found a 20th Anniversary Ragtime that I could not resist. This one's a piston filler and the nib is super smooth with no flow issues at all.

 

 

 

That's a nice pen and I have thought about getting one. Its my understanding it's actually a captured converter. Someone on fpgeeks had one fail where ink gotten between the converter and the body of the pen and had pictures of it take apart. Visconti will repair the pen if something like that happens. It's not the only model where it's built that way.

[TheDutchGuy]

Nice find! Hope you'll enjoy the pen for a long time. I think it's quite hard for FP lovers to "be done with them" because their designs are just fabulous. I can keep looking at my van Gogh 'pollard willows' and I continue to see new details. That pen is built so well... And I can't stop looking at the lava Homo Sapiens - not that I have one, but I'd want one. However, with Visconti, if you buy a "cheap" model you're usually getting a high-quality pen that writes well. But if you buy a more expensive one then it becomes a gamble.

[Stylo_dOr]

@Driften: I found your Ragtime review. What a great looking pen in the green marble.. and at what a great price. That's a steal, IMO. Your Ragtime really does have that cool vintage look in a modern pen. Very nice! Were you able to resolve the converter issue -- meaning, were you able to find any better-quality converters that fit more securely into the nib unit?

[Driften]

@Driften: I found your Ragtime review. What a great looking pen in the green marble.. and at what a great price. That's a steal, IMO. Your Ragtime really does have that cool vintage look in a modern pen. Very nice! Were you able to resolve the converter issue -- meaning, were you able to find any better-quality converters that fit more securely into the nib unit?

 

 

None of them will go in deeper since the issue is the section is not as deep and supportive as on other pens, but I have not had the long cartridge or the converter fall off yet. I guess on the cartridge if I was worried I could always drop a spring into the barrel to keep pressure on the cartridge to the section. Actually since there is no metal in the section or barrel of the pen maybe it could be eyedropper filled. That would give it a high capacity and no worries about something coming off the section.

[Stylo_dOr]

That's a heck of an idea. I've never tried that with any of my pens. Do you think the barrel might leak ink around the threads where it attaches to the nib unit? The threaded connection there ought to be metal-to-metal with hopefully a tight enough clearance to avoid leakage without an o-ring or other seal.

[Driften]

On this pen the connection is plastic to acrylic. Some silicon on the threads should do the trick but it might be safer to add an o-ring. On the Franklin-Christoph pens I have made into eyedropper filled pens it just needed to add silicon to the threads of the section and around the threads of the nib unit.

[Stylo_dOr]

Some silicon on the threads should do the trick but it might be safer to add an o-ring. On the Franklin-Christoph pens I have made into eyedropper filled pens it just needed to add silicon to the threads of the section and around the threads of the nib unit.

 

Or maybe just a single wrap of thin Teflon tape around the threads?

[Stylo_dOr]

Some silicon on the threads should do the trick but it might be safer to add an o-ring. On the Franklin-Christoph pens I have made into eyedropper filled pens it just needed to add silicon to the threads of the section and around the threads of the nib unit.

 

What kind of silicon do you use on the threads? It's gotta be plastic safe, I presume.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Stylo_dOr

[Driften]

 

Or maybe just a single wrap of thin Teflon tape around the threads?

 

 

I expect that would work, but I have been happy with the silicon scuba grease I have used in the past. It's basically the same as what you can buy from Goulet or other pen shops for doing eyedropper conversions. Of the four Visconti pens I have, that use converters, the Ragtime is the only one without metal parts in the section and pen barrel. Other others would not be safe from the metal being in contact with the ink.

 

I'm not going to be testing it soon. I want to use up the international long cartridge I have in the pen first.

[Stylo_dOr]

 

 

I expect that would work, but I have been happy with the silicon scuba grease I have used in the past. It's basically the same as what you can buy from Goulet or other pen shops for doing eyedropper conversions. Of the four Visconti pens I have, that use converters, the Ragtime is the only one without metal parts in the section and pen barrel. Other others would not be safe from the metal being in contact with the ink.

 

I'm not going to be testing it soon. I want to use up the international long cartridge I have in the pen first.

 

Hey, that's a pretty good idea. I was a scuba dive master for many years, so I know the silicone grease you're referring to -- you're talking about the spreadable silicone grease for lubricating the regulator valve o-ring seals. What would happen to the metal on your other 3 Visconti pens if you left them in contact with whatever ink you use? Aren't the threaded connections made of stainless steel?

[Driften]

 

Hey, that's a pretty good idea. I was a scuba dive master for many years, so I know the silicone grease you're referring to -- you're talking about the spreadable silicone grease for lubricating the regulator valve o-ring seals. What would happen to the metal on your other 3 Visconti pens if you left them in contact with whatever ink you use? Aren't the threaded connections made of stainless steel?

 

 

Yes that is the same type of silicone grease people use. If you did this on pens with metal on the section or in the body the metal would corrode over time. Maybe you have seen this on pens that have metal trip on the section near the nib and just from years of dipping the pen in ink the trim corrodes. Being in constant contact with the ink would make it happen much faster. There are metals that are safe from ink like the plunger rod in a vac filler. I think those are normally titanium or some special stainless alloy.

 

The fittings on the other Visconti pens is similar to other brands of pens that people say keeps them from being used for eyedropper filling. Also the other pens have metal rings and end caps and may not be water tight. I have not tried to see. The Ragtime barrel is a solid piece of acrylic with no seams to leak.

[Stylo_dOr]

No, I don't blame you. I wouldn't trust the end cap or rings either to find out the hard way that they're not ink tight. I'd probably water test the pen barrel/rings/finial first if I was really determined to create an eyedropper pen in that manner. But even then, ink will find a way out if there is a way out. It's simply not worth the risk unless one takes masochistic delight from an ink leak.

And no, fortunately, I haven't experienced metal corrosion from ink contact, but then again, I haven't left any metal trim in long-term contact with any ink. As you pointed out, the only safe and sane way to do an eyedropper pen is with an acrylic pen like your Ragtime, which avoids ink-to-metal contact. Thank you for pointing that out.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Stylo_dOr

[truphae_inc]

Love that green marble! Especially for the price!!

[Driften]

 

What kind of silicon do you use on the threads? It's gotta be plastic safe, I presume.

 

 

I decided to eyedropper my Ragtime yesterday and it's working great after two days. It holds almost 4ml of ink. I just used silicone on the section threads and the threads on the nib housing. No leaks so far. The ink flows better than with the Pelican Edelstein Aventurine cartridge I had been using, but I think that was more the ink/cartridge then the pen. The ink hangs up in those cartridges when not connected to a pen.

[Stylo_dOr]

 

 

I decided to eyedropper my Ragtime yesterday and it's working great after two days. It holds almost 4ml of ink. I just used silicone on the section threads and the threads on the nib housing. No leaks so far. The ink flows better than with the Pelican Edelstein Aventurine cartridge I had been using, but I think that was more the ink/cartridge then the pen. The ink hangs up in those cartridges when not connected to a pen.

 

That's so cool. I've been looking through my pens to see if any can be used as an eyedropper like yours.