I want brown ink in my Parker

[fire]

I have this old, cheap Parker -- my only fountain pen (I'm a student) -- and I use permanent black cartridges because they're easy and they came with the pen. But... I've been longing for brown ink. The art store near my house sells Schaeffer brown cartridges, but they're a different shape. Is there something I can do to make them fit? Is there another brand of brown ink that fits Parker? Or is going converter + bottle the only way I can get brown ink in my pen?

 

Advice appreciated, as well as the cheapest short-term solution!

[OldGriz]

I have this old, cheap Parker -- my only fountain pen (I'm a student) -- and I use permanent black cartridges because they're easy and they came with the pen. But... I've been longing for brown ink. The art store near my house sells Schaeffer brown cartridges, but they're a different shape. Is there something I can do to make them fit? Is there another brand of brown ink that fits Parker? Or is going converter + bottle the only way I can get brown ink in my pen?

 

Advice appreciated, as well as the cheapest short-term solution!

 

Sorry, but Parker pens use Parker carts only...

You can purchase a Parker converter and use bottled ink if you want brown...

[Ernst Bitterman]

An insulin needle can be used to draw the ink from Sheaffers and express it into Parkers... but it also works in a bottle.

[SquelchB]

Yup. All you need is a syringe with a needle. Very cheap thing.

[ANM]

I picked up a syringe with a 16 gage needle at the pharmacy today. It cost 25¢

[fire]

You guys are great. Thanks so much.

[psfred]

I tried re-filling carts on and off over the years. I'd buy a converter, they are much cleaner.... Remember that the cartridge only hold a little over 1 mL of ink, don't try to push in more!

 

A syringe will work fine, but eventually the cartridge will start to leak where it fits on the nipple in the pen, they are really not intended for re-use.

 

Have fun!

 

Peter

[SquelchB]

Remember that the cartridge only hold a little over 1 mL of ink, don't try to push in more!

I'd say converters hold less ink as they have to carry those screws and thingies.

[fire]

Eventually, I'll get a converter... for now, it's just an experiment in a different ink. My local art supply store doesn't sell Noodler's; the only bottled inks are Lamy and Parker blue and black. Brown comes in Sheaffer carts. Paying $20 for an ink I may not like is just not an option -- turns out, being a student makes you poor. And I have all these expensive hobbies!

 

Gotta say, thought, that it was a big pain to get a syringe without a prescription. Maybe I was asking for the wrong thing, and I didn't really need a needle attached to mine? The pharmacist took a few minutes to look me over to determine I wasn't a junkie, and then gave me the syringe rather than selling it to me. Since then, I've been told possession of a syringe in California without a prescription is a crime. Holy moly!

[ANM]

You don't want to try to fill a cartridge without a needle. a blunt one would work. When you insert he needle, you fill the cartridge from the bottom and the air it displaces has room to get out. If you try to fill it without a needle, you are filling it from the top and it will be very messy as the ink will form in air bubbles and then burst and send little dots of ink everywhere. I speak from experience.

 

I am an old geezer so they don't suspect me of being a druggie but it helps if you explain what you want it for and ask for the biggest needle. I have also got them from a vet for free and I remember someone saying they got theirs from a farmers CO-OP or farm store.

Edited April 26, 2008 by ANM

[Robert Hughes]

Sorry, but Parker pens use Parker carts only...

And I thought you could use any ink you wanted ...

 

Perhaps this is the origin of that old saw. True, cartridges from different vendors are different sizes. But the ink in those cartridges can be interchanged with other inks. That is essentially what a converter does - it's a reusable cartridge that can accept FP ink from any bottle. But even the converters are different sizes from vendor to vendor, so don't try swapping a Sheaffer converter into your Parker pen - it just won't fit right.

Edited April 29, 2008 by Robert Hughes