15 Ways to fill Fountain Pens

[Halong]

I make this video to introduces 15 different charging methods of fountain pens.

I hope it's a good reference for you.

 

https://youtu.be/GsiCv88dObU

 

 

Time Code

 

00:21 버튼필러 / Button Filler / Parker Duofold (1st Gen)

01:21 레버필러 / Lever Filler / Sheaffer 7-30

02:14 스위치 레버필러 / Switch Lever Filler / Pilot

03:15 터치다운 필러 / Touchdown Filler / Sheaffer Touchdown

04:13 버큐메틱 필러 / Vacumatic Filler / Hero 601

05:09 피스톤 버큐메틱 필러 / Piston Vacumatic Filler / Hero 201

05:53 플런저 필러 / Plunger Filler / TWSBI Vac mini

06:46 A식 필러 / A-shiki Filler / Pilot

07:38 에어로메트릭 필러 / Aerometric Filler / Parker 51

08:34 스노클 필러 / Snorkle Filler / Sheaffer PFM

09:25 Con-70 / Pilot Custom74

10:18 Con-20 / Pilot Capless(VP)

11:12 피스톤 필러 / Piston Filler / Montblanc 149

12:13 캐필러리 필러 / Capillary Filler / Parker 61

13:16 카트리지 / Cartridge / Graf Von Faber-castell intuition platino wood

 

P.S. Please Tell me if there's a way to get you to watch YouTube videos right here.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Halong
add photo, and Pen list update

[vicpen123]

It strikes me that, with the exception only of the pre-filled cartridge, they all use the same principle of creating a pressure differential somewhere is the system that allows ink to flow into a converter or a pen.

 

Of course there is also a syringe filler to refill used cartridges but they also rely on the same principle to fill the syringe.

 

 

 

[ParramattaPaul]

3 minutes ago, vicpen123 said:

It strikes me that, with the exception only of the pre-filled cartridge, they all use the same principle of creating a pressure differential somewhere is the system that allows ink to flow into a converter or a pen.

 

Of course there is also a syringe filler to refill used cartridges but they also rely on the same principle to fill the syringe.

 

 

 

 

True. Realistically, there  is Pre-filled cartridge, vacuum/negative pressure (lever, converter, etc.), and insertion (syringe or eye-dropper).

[Paul-in-SF]

Nevertheless, the differences are interesting, and seeing them in action is useful. 

 

That said, it would be more interesting and useful to me if I knew which pens were being used for each example. Several of those fillers I have never seen before. Perhaps the OP could add that information to his pinned comment on the video. 

[SoulSamurai]

Hmmm.... what would you call the Pelikan Level's filling method?

[vicpen123]

1 hour ago, ParramattaPaul said:

 

True. Realistically, there  is Pre-filled cartridge, vacuum/negative pressure (lever, converter, etc.), and insertion (syringe or eye-dropper).

Even the syringe or eye dropper rely on a pressure differential to fill the syringe or eye dropper before insertion into the cartridge or pen. Only one point of separation.

[ParramattaPaul]

52 minutes ago, vicpen123 said:

Even the syringe or eye dropper rely on a pressure differential to fill the syringe or eye dropper before insertion into the cartridge or pen. Only one point of separation.

 

True. 

[ParramattaPaul]

1 hour ago, SoulSamurai said:

Hmmm.... what would you call the Pelikan Level's filling method?

As I understand it, the Level uses essentially an eyedropper filling system with the bottle functioning as an eyedropper. 

[Halong]

5 hours ago, vicpen123 said:

It strikes me that, with the exception only of the pre-filled cartridge, they all use the same principle of creating a pressure differential somewhere is the system that allows ink to flow into a converter or a pen.

 

Of course there is also a syringe filler to refill used cartridges but they also rely on the same principle to fill the syringe.

 

 

 

I agree with you.
In fact, all fountain pen fillers charge ink under pressure.
But besides the ones I introduced, so many fountain pen companies use their own methods.
I wanted to show how to use pressure from various companies.

[Halong]

5 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

Nevertheless, the differences are interesting, and seeing them in action is useful. 

 

That said, it would be more interesting and useful to me if I knew which pens were being used for each example. Several of those fillers I have never seen before. Perhaps the OP could add that information to his pinned comment on the video. 

 

That is what I intended.

 

[SoulSamurai]

3 hours ago, ParramattaPaul said:

As I understand it, the Level uses essentially an eyedropper filling system with the bottle functioning as an eyedropper. 

 

I guess that's a good way of putting it, although it seems a shame not to mention the valve system. "Valve-filled eyedropper"?

[catbert]

7 hours ago, Halong said:

P.S. Please Tell me if there's a way to get you to watch YouTube videos right here.

 

Interesting video — thanks.

 

When you paste in the url for a video it embeds automatically and there is an option to display it as a link only.

 

[VillersCotterets]

6 hours ago, vicpen123 said:

[...] they all use the same principle[...]

If you draw away your attention from what makes those filling methods unique, only to retain a highly abstract general principle that ignores all the singularities then ―of course― you will subsume them all under ... the same principle. You can do this to anything. Apples, oranges, tomatoes, etc. are all the same is you zoom out sufficiently, only to consider those very different items as fruits and only fruits. All low resolutions, any picture end up to look like a big blurry pixel of indefinite beige/grey colour. Even the most colourful rainbow fades to grey if you recursively average it.

 

[VillersCotterets]

8 hours ago, Halong said:

I make this video to introduces 15 different charging methods of fountain pens.

I hope it's a good reference for you.
 

 

Thank you, @Halong. This is great. Well done.

To embed the video, you need to copy and paste the full URL, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsiCv88dObU , not the shorten link, https://youtu.be/GsiCv88dObU

 

[HogwldFLTR]

Nice youtube video!!! I enjoyed it a lot.

 

-Lee

[ISW_Kaputnik]

That's very interesting, thanks for the video.  One thing that I've considered in accumulating my own pen...accumulation, is the number of filling systems that I have.

 

One you might add is syringe filler, as in a Morrison Patriot.  I have one, but it currently needs repair.

 

There are crescent fillers (which I have), and coin fillers (which I don't), but those are similar to lever fillers, just a different way of compressing the sac.

 

And there's the Conklin Nozac.  Anyone seen one of those?

 

Oh, and eyedropper fillers that are made specifically for that kind of filling, as distinguished from cartridge pens that can be "eyedroppered".  Example, Opus 88 Koloro.

Edited January 25, 2021 by ISW_Kaputnik
punctuation, addition.

[Argee]

53 minutes ago, ISW_Kaputnik said:

And there's the Conklin Nozac.  Anyone seen one of those?

 

 

isn't that just a twist piston filler? (both vintage and modern?)

[Halong]

23 hours ago, VillersCotterets said:

Thank you, @Halong. This is great. Well done.

To embed the video, you need to copy and paste the full URL, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsiCv88dObU , not the shorten link, https://youtu.be/GsiCv88dObU

 

Wow Thanks a lot!!

[Halong]

20 hours ago, ISW_Kaputnik said:

That's very interesting, thanks for the video.  One thing that I've considered in accumulating my own pen...accumulation, is the number of filling systems that I have.

I'm feeling the worth of making a video because you said you watched it interesting. I took this video with what I have now. I don't have a cornclin fountain pen like a crescent and a nojak. If I collect more fountain pens, I will add a video.

[Marcwithac]

On 1/25/2021 at 1:10 AM, Halong said:

I make this video to introduces 15 different charging methods of fountain pens.

I hope it's a good reference for you.

 

 

As a vintage pen collector who over the years has sought out examples of unique filling mechanisms, I appreciated this video.  While it is true that most filling mechanisms employ the same basic principles of physics, pen manufacturers have long tried to distinguish their products by their unique "self-filling" techniques.  For this reason, any attempt to capture all possible variations is likely to be incomplete.  But one needs to start somewhere and I thought the video was well-made.  In my collection, in addition to typical eyedropper, safety, button, lever, vacumatic and piston fillers, I have coin fillers (L.E. Waterman), blow fillers (Crocker), matchstick fillers (Weidlich), sleeve fillers (LeBoeuf), bulb fillers (Postal), hatchet fillers (John Holland), pneumatic fillers (Chilton), twist fillers (A.A. Waterman), plunger fillers (Ford's Patent) and crescent fillers (Conklin, of course).  Variety is the spice of life.