Filling ink with a syringe

[Limerick]

I've noticed that it could be very difficult to fill the cartridge via the syringe because of the many air bubbles. Not to say it's impossible without a lot of tissue paper around and latex gloves.

 

Now I've discovered that some inks form bubbles in the cartridge while others do not. Especially watery inks have no bubbles, but highly saturated inks, especially those with high viscosity tend to form bubbles.

 

Is there a method how to avoid them? It makes filling inks really a mess

[leprechaun]

A longer needle or a gentle flick at the bottom of the cartridge should take care of the bubbles. Careful with the flick though, as anything other than gentle will send ink flying in all directions.

[JJBlanche]

I don't know if this will work, as my experience with syringes is limited, but perhaps you could expel the ink very slowly, drop per drop?

[Shangas]

I fill cartridges like how some people fill a glass of champagne.

 

Put syringe into empty cartridge. Fill about 1/4-1/3 full.

 

Immerse syringe-tip into the ink now in the cartridge.

 

Continue filling the cartridge.

 

Remove syringe when cartridge is full.

 

You should now have a nice, bubbly-less cartridge of ink!!

[jmkeuning]

I put the cartridge on my desk, then I stand about four or five feet away, then I squirt the syringe at the cartridge, aiming the stream right into the hole.

 

Oh wait, that's how I trashed my office.

 

Never mind, I guess I do not have a good answer.

[Melnicki]

what i believe limerick is talking about is that a bubble will form blocking the opening of the cartridge. bubbles in the syringe also will sometimes lead to forming these bubbles before all the ink is dispensed. it is indeed an annoyance.

 

in these cases, I try to pierce the bubble with the tip of the syringe (i do not use a blunt syringe, I use a sharp insulin syringe). this doesn't always work. in that case i use the corner of a paper towel, rolled into a thin point, and soak up the ink that is causing the bubble.

 

bubbles in the syringe is indeed a problem. they don't usually form, though, if you draw the ink up in one complete movement, without sucking air up (once there's already ink in the syringe. in this case, I sometimes wait a little. or if you have a long enough needle, you can put the syringe further into the cart so that the bubbles won't block the opening.

 

(for those that don't understand -- a bubble blocking the opening will get pushed out (and splatter) if you push the syringe past the bubble, and fill towards the bottom of the cartridge)

[wvbeetlebug]

Go slow. I squirt the ink down the inside of the cartridge. Sort of like filling a glass of your favorite soda or brew from the tap.

[superbleu]

If you are getting bubbles in the syringe when loading it, two thinks will help. Draw up the liquid slower and, use a larger diameter needle you want a bigger number like an 18 or 20 gauge needle. I tried using a 33 gauge needle (usually what diabetic people use to inject insulin) and it is too fine so takes forever to draw up ink. But, even if you do get bubbles in the syringe, tap the syringe and hold for a few seconds and most if not all the bubbles will float to the top of the syringe where the plunger is, and all the ink will be in the bottom of the syringe where the needle is. Then expel the ink slowly, touching the side of the cart if possible.

If you are talking about the occasional air bubble that forms at the top of the cart when you first pull it off to refill, I do as others have said and use the corner of a paper towel, or kleenex and gently touch the bubble to break the surface tension by and remove the air bubble.

Poking with a needle works too, but can get messy, the kleenex method keeps the splatter down.

 

It's much less complicated than I made it sound.

Hope that helps

[Atlas]

Speaking of syringes, where do you get them? They aren't over-the-counter items as far as I know, or are they?

 

I just ordered a VP, and I've read that the converter holds very little ink. I've also read that a good work-around is refilling the cartridge, which holds significantly more ink. Alas, I don't have the means to do so unless I can find one of these syringes you speak of.

[Possum Hill]

Speaking of syringes, where do you get them? They aren't over-the-counter items as far as I know, or are they?

 

I just ordered a VP, and I've read that the converter holds very little ink. I've also read that a good work-around is refilling the cartridge, which holds significantly more ink. Alas, I don't have the means to do so unless I can find one of these syringes you speak of.

You could get a Write Fill kit that has a syringe and a couple of long blunt needles from Pear Tree Pens .

 

Whether you can buy a syringe over the counter in a pharmacy depends on locale. You might check the veterinary supply section of a farm supply store.

 

Blunt needles are often called "dispensing" needles. Both syringes and dispensing needles can be ordered from McMaster-Carr Supply Co., but they may sell the syringes only in full box quantities.

[wvbeetlebug]

I have purchased mine at CVS and Walmart. They're very inexpensive. Just ask for an insulin syringe. You can buy them one at a time or by the bag.

[superbleu]

you can get them from animal feed supply stores, or maybe a vet clinic, just tell them what you are using it for.

 

Needles they use for animal have much larger diameters and are better suited for refilling carts.

[Maja]

Go slow. I squirt the ink down the inside of the cartridge. Sort of like filling a glass of your favorite soda or brew from the tap.

Yep, this is what I do! (filling a cartridge and a beer glass )

Edited June 21, 2008 by Maja

[Possum Hill]

Another option for filling cartridges is a small dispensing bottle, a plastic bottle with a long tube like a blunt needle on the cap. They're often sold as pinpoint oilers or glue dispensers in hardware stores. The neck tends be small, so you'd need a small funnel to fill the bottle with ink.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I've noticed that it could be very difficult to fill the cartridge via the syringe because of the many air bubbles. Not to say it's impossible without a lot of tissue paper around and latex gloves.

 

Now I've discovered that some inks form bubbles in the cartridge while others do not. Especially watery inks have no bubbles, but highly saturated inks, especially those with high viscosity tend to form bubbles.

 

Is there a method how to avoid them? It makes filling inks really a mess

Bubbles are the bane of cartridge refilling, IMO.

 

I don't usually get them in the syringe itself, but I do get them forming around the mouth of the cartridge. This happens when I try to refill a cartridge that's got a bit of ink in it still, a small amount that form a tiny collar of ink around the mouth. Surface tension keeps it there.

 

In that case, if a bubble is there before I start refilling, I hold the cartridge by the open end and swing it. This can often get the tiny amount of ink around the mouth of the cartridge down to the bottom of the cartridge. And I blow on bubbles sometimes to make them go away. Sometimes I just suck the air out of the bubble with the syringe.

 

If you're not a stingy old miser like me you might find the absorbent paper method better for you.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I fill cartridges like how some people fill a glass of champagne.

 

Put syringe into empty cartridge. Fill about 1/4-1/3 full.

 

Immerse syringe-tip into the ink now in the cartridge.

 

Continue filling the cartridge.

 

Remove syringe when cartridge is full.

 

You should now have a nice, bubbly-less cartridge of ink!!

That'll work if you remember to have more ink in the syringe than you plan to put into the cartridge! And when mixing ink right in the cartridge you probably don't want to do it that way.

 

Go slow. I squirt the ink down the inside of the cartridge. Sort of like filling a glass of your favorite soda or brew from the tap.

That's how I tend to do it. I let the ink adhere to the side of the cartridge and run down to the bottom, or into the rest of the ink as the level rises. It usually works very well in a clean cartridge. Unfortunately, most of the time I'm refilling a cartridge with a little bit of ink up around the mouth of the cartridge. It gets trickier then.

 

Speaking of syringes, where do you get them? They aren't over-the-counter items as far as I know, or are they?

 

I just ordered a VP, and I've read that the converter holds very little ink. I've also read that a good work-around is refilling the cartridge, which holds significantly more ink. Alas, I don't have the means to do so unless I can find one of these syringes you speak of.

This joint has pretty good needles and syringes for most purposes.

 

And if you need to be more precise in your measurements in the syringe this place is good.

 

I have purchased mine at CVS and Walmart. They're very inexpensive. Just ask for an insulin syringe. You can buy them one at a time or by the bag.

In a lot of places you can't legally buy hypodermic syringes without a prescription.

[Atlas]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm set.

[Limerick]

First of all, thank you all for the replies.

 

what i believe limerick is talking about is that a bubble will form blocking the opening of the cartridge. bubbles in the syringe also will sometimes lead to forming these bubbles before all the ink is dispensed. it is indeed an annoyance.

Yes, actually this is my problem. A lot of bubbles are blocking the opening of the cartridge, resulting in forming big bubbles at the opening whenever you fill it. And even if you do it very slowly - drop by drop - this problem comes. I could take care whatever I do - I don't get away the air bubbles.

 

I've noticed that a long syringe with a large diameter could probably cure the problem - but however I'm using a syringe that has the largest diameter available around at the chemist's that I can buy here without any problems. Maybe I could get some syringes with bigger needles on the internet - but I've tried it yet. At the chemist's there is no bigger one.

 

But I have noticed that not all ink forms bubbles. Navajo Turquoise and Tanzanite are very watery inks - meaning they seem not very "dense" and "syrupy" to me in their consistence - whereas Private Reserve Ultra Black and Noodler's eternals and Baystate colours can be very nasty. I have to wrap a paper towel around the opening of the cartridge when filling in order to catch the bubbles. But I've never had the problem with Tanzanite. So actually it has something to do with the ink, doesn't it?

[Taki]

If the needles you use has beveled end, try placing it bevel down (opening against the wall) the inside wall of the cartridge do that ink will flow on the wall.

Edited June 21, 2008 by Taki

[Melnicki]

But I have noticed that not all ink forms bubbles. Navajo Turquoise and Tanzanite are very watery inks - meaning they seem not very "dense" and "syrupy" to me in their consistence - whereas Private Reserve Ultra Black and Noodler's eternals and Baystate colours can be very nasty. I have to wrap a paper towel around the opening of the cartridge when filling in order to catch the bubbles. But I've never had the problem with Tanzanite. So actually it has something to do with the ink, doesn't it?

 

I would say yes, it does depend on the ink. i never get bubbles with tiananmen or habanero, but i always get bubbles with lex grey and FPN galileo.

 

I think the paper towel barrier is a fine solution. I just dab the bubble when it starts to form and won't pop, to minimize the mess. the bubbles formed by some inks are easier to pop than others.