Namiki Converter

[OldGriz]

As you know I just bought a Namiki VP... love the pen.... hate the converter...

It does not seem to fill properly... I have two converters and they are both the same...

I have tried flushing them out with a mild soapy solution and that did not work... I also tried Richard Binders ammonia/water solution... still no go...

I have taken to filling the converter with an small eyedropper... fortunately I am a pretty neat person and have managed to not get ink all over the place most of the time

 

Is there any other convertor that works better in the Namiki VP????

Edited November 17, 2005 by OldGriz

[Roger]

Common problem, Tom.

 

With the VP it is imperative to dip the nib to a depth in the ink that exceeds most other pens. I dip mine up to the place where the pocket clip meets the brightwork at the business end of the pen. That gives me a good fill. Not as messy as you might think. Just have a good rag close at hand to wipe the ink away.

 

I purchased one of the aerometric type converters (like those that used to be supplied with the older VPs), but haven't used it yet as the VP is not in my current rotation. Whenever I get around to it, I'll post on its efficacy vs. the twist converter. I really don't expect it to do better, however, as I think the issue is getting it into the ink deeply enough to seal all the air avenues around that nib, and the aerometric converter isn't going to change that dynamic.

[EdelmaK]

I am a big VP fan and have collected tham and used them as daily writers for many years. I only use carts (not converters) in these pens, but I do not really like Namiki ink. Thus I refill the carts with my prefered inks such as Waterman, Aurora and Noodlers.

 

The VP carts are great because they have a very wide opening. This large opening allows me to refill the carts with a coffee stirrer straw (dip in ink, hold finger over opposite end, place in opening of cart, release finger, repeat as necessary!). I can do this at work or at home and simply throw the stirrer away when completed. No mess, no bother and no equipment to clean. The carts wide opening also seems to allow the ink to flow better than in conventional carts!

 

I love these pens!!

[KCat]

i've actually switched to using the converter! But there are a couple of reasons I can do that. Almost all of my pen use is at home so when it runs out it's just a trip to the other room to resolve the issue.

 

the other reason - I'm just plain stubborn and will dip the darn nib as far as I can and work the piston up and down at least three times to fill it as much as possible. Of course, the problem with that is that eventually the bottle will not have a high enough ink level. I too end up transferring ink into the converter but usually do make a mess.

 

on the one hand, cartridges hold more and are somewhat less of a pain on this pen. But only somewhat. i don't just love refilling carts anymore so than filling the converter. The problem is the very wide bore of the converter. The carts fit very securely and are well-designed. But that means they had to make a rather crummy converter.

 

you can get an "aerometric" (sac) filler that fits the VP but I don't like it any more so. it's hard to know how full it is because the ones I've seen have opaque sacs.

 

probably, in most cases, refilling the cartridge is better than the other choices.

 

makes me wonder - does Namiki make a sac filler that is transparent? Can the sac on the standard Namiki sac filler be changed out?

[nmb]

I seem to remember someone saying that to fill the converter, one should take the nib unit out and dip only that into the ink bottle. Then, you can see the required depth more easily, as well as prevent ink from getting into the rather delicate shutter mechanism. I haven't heard any first-hand reports of this, but people (THEY!) have said that ink residue from dipping could lead to corrosion in the mechanism.

[KCat]

I seem to remember someone saying that to fill the converter, one should take the nib unit out and dip only that into the ink bottle. Then, you can see the required depth more easily, as well as prevent ink from getting into the rather delicate shutter mechanism. I haven't heard any first-hand reports of this, but people (THEY!) have said that ink residue from dipping could lead to corrosion in the mechanism.

uhmm... hmm... i've never tried to fill it with the nib still in the barrel. That seems awkward at best. I would definitely not want to gum up the shutter and such.

 

But removing the converter from the nib assembly itself doesn't work. At least, not for me. So yes, if you're going to use the converter, you need to remove the nib unit and fill through it, not with the nib still in the pen.

[TheNobleSavage]

I own 2 VP pens, well one now, since the wife took my blue VP. Anyways, I really hated the converter that it came with but there was no way I was going to use a cartridge. I recently ordred a new VP from Japan (mustard yellow color) and it came with the aerometric (squeez) converter. I have to say that it holds a little bit more ink than the converter does. Anyways, the wife WILL NOT get this pen from me!!!

 

TNS

[Roger]

makes me wonder - does Namiki make a sac filler that is transparent?  Can the sac on the standard Namiki sac filler be changed out?

The sac in the aerometric type converter (recently received) is still pretty opaque, but when washing it with soapy water, getting it ready for use, I found that squeezing the bar smartly will assure a good fill. This is confirmed by watching the water spew out in good volume. That hard squeeze might be more of a problem for you, KCat, with your hands, so I can see where the twisting action would be more comfortable. Don't know whether the sac can be removed in favor of a clear one.

 

If the pen is filled while in the barrel, the level to which the nib is dipped is a bit critical if you wish to avoid getting ink into the shutter works. The level I mentioned to Tom is right at that point, where if your hand is steady, it will fill well w/o getting ink into the shutter mechanism. An immediate wipe is necessary while the pen is still pointed to the floor for obvious reasons. I'll grant that removing the nib/feed/converter assembly is safer, but look at what I can do with those 3 seconds that I save with each fill!

[KCat]

necessary while the pen is still pointed to the floor for obvious reasons. I'll grant that removing the nib/feed/converter assembly is safer, but look at what I can do with those 3 seconds that I save with each fill!

okay, Roger. Guess I didn't notice your description on this.

 

3 seconds.... there's a tv advert right now that i can't recall what it's for (obviously not a well-thought-out advert) but something about saving a fraction of a second and how it adds up... well, it's only amusing if you see the commercial I suppose.

 

I found the following quite by accident. Went to PT and saw a post re: the new Namiki Peacock and stumbled on this link just for future info for everyone.

 

http://www.namiki.com/fillvp.htm