# Ink Problems



## Gixxerjoe04 (Nov 14, 2014)

So I either have no idea how to write with pens, or most of the pen kits I buy, have really crappy ink cartridges. I figured i write like an idiot because I'm left handed and hold pens funny but my wife noticed how crappy a lot of the pens I've made write. Most of the time the pens skip, write good then fade out then come back, etc etc, is there anyway of fixing this problem? I just can't believe how many of the pen kits I've bought and made, then the dang pen won't write better than a 10 cent one from walmart. Are there any kits you all have bought where you haven't had any trouble with? Was also wondering what pen kits you've found are the best value, the kits i bought from penkits.biz are really good looking and have a great price but the ink for those were pretty crappy. I'm hoping I'm doing something wrong and can fix the ink problem I'm having and continue with the kits I've used. Well any help is appreciated, thanks.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## DKMD (Nov 14, 2014)

I buy the private reserve parker style gel refills for my pens... None of the kits I've made seem to come with high quality refills. I order them off of Amazon, but exoticblanks.com carries them also.

I usually throw the one in the kit away right from the start.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 2


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## Alan Sweet (Nov 14, 2014)

I usually throw the refills that come with the pen kits in a drawer and use a higher quality. The same as DKMD. You can get them various places on the net or office supply stores. Watch the prices they vary greatly.


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## duncsuss (Nov 14, 2014)

What Doc said ... and for Parker-style pens, I find the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 refills (also from Exotic Blanks) excellent.

Reactions: Agree 4


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## JR Custom Calls (Nov 14, 2014)

I'm pretty sure you just write like an idiot...

I can't get over how well my aristocrats write. Knock on wood


Bring one over this weekend and we can compare. I have a couple somewhere.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Johnturner (Nov 14, 2014)

Ditto what Doc, Alan and Duncan said. I like the Schmidts and the real cross refills for slim lines and such.


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Nov 18, 2014)

Got the refills ordered so don't have to worry about those pens now, any suggestions on the fountain pen having the same issue? Figure there might be a different solution for those since it uses the cartridge. I've got 3 of the fountain pens I have to make for people before Christmas and need to figure it out or find a new kit that looks similar and doesn't cost a ton.


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## duncsuss (Nov 18, 2014)

Gixxerjoe04 said:


> ... any suggestions on the fountain pen having the same issue?



The little plastic cartridges of ink that come with fountain pens have been variable, in my experience. One thing that affects them is the plastic allows water to evaporate -- very slowly, but eventually you'll see there's less and less ink inside them. Also, the ink is getting thicker and thicker, meaning that it can cause the pen to skip when writing because the ink is too viscous and doesn't flow as easy.

Generally speaking, I think fountain pen users like to refill their pens from a bottle, so they like to have one of the piston "cartridge converters". Not all kits come with those included these days -- best to check, they are around $2.50 apiece for the decent ones. I like to keep several in stock just in case.

_edit: for a decent pen at the lower end of the price range, I recommend the PennState Tycoon._

_edit again: and for a bit more money, the PennState Apollo Infinity_


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## JR Custom Calls (Nov 18, 2014)

duncsuss said:


> for a decent pen at the lower end of the price range, I recommend the PennState Tycoon.


Duncan... just curious, what makes it a 'higher end' kit than the aristocrat? I just checked them out, and it appears to be almost identical. The one issue I've had with two of the aristocrats is that I've broken the threaded tube that presses in to the cap section. It's plastic, and my bar clamp method doesn't exactly make for a perfect alignment every time. Does this kit utilize a different material for the threads? 

I'm genuinely curious and interested... in case it comes across a different way.


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## duncsuss (Nov 18, 2014)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Duncan... just curious, what makes it a 'higher end' kit than the aristocrat? I just checked them out, and it appears to be almost identical. The one issue I've had with two of the aristocrats is that I've broken the threaded tube that presses in to the cap section. It's plastic, and my bar clamp method doesn't exactly make for a perfect alignment every time. Does this kit utilize a different material for the threads?
> 
> I'm genuinely curious and interested... in case it comes across a different way.



It's quite possible the Tycoon and the Aristocrat are identical, simply named differently by the different vendors. (There's probably yet another name for the same thing out there someplace ... they just do it to make us )

I had nothing but problems when I used squeeze-grip bar clamps to press the components into pen barrels; using wooden hand screw clamps wasn't much better.

Nowadays I use one of two methods, depending on how cluttered the space in my work area is.

(1) If I can easily get to the drill press, I use that, with a stubby Philips screwdriver clamped in the chuck to act as a push-rod. It's got a plastic handle, so it doesn't damage the pen parts. I use a piece (or several pieces) of 3/4" plywood to shorten the amount I have to drive the quill.

(2) If I can't get to the drill press, I use the lathe. I've turned a couple of pieces of delrin (could just as easily have been wood) so there's a flat face with a center dimple, and a tenon just small enough to slip into the morse taper. One of these in the headstock, one in the tailstock. The dimple helps ensure the parts are centered or near to it. Slide the tailstock close, clamp it to the ways, then hold the parts with one hand and crank the quill with the other.

The great thing about the lathe method is you can let go the crank and use both hands to re-align parts and barrels without it releasing the pressure.

Both of these tools have zero twist, and neither of them rushes past where you want to press to. (No need to ask me how I know that squeeze-grip clamps can do that.)


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## rdabpenman (Nov 19, 2014)

Never had a problem or complaint about the Cross or Parker style refills that come with the component sets.

Les

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kevin (Nov 19, 2014)

Gixxerjoe04 said:


> So I either have no idea how to write with pens, or most of the pen kits I buy, have really crappy ink cartridges. I figured i write like an idiot because I'm left handed and hold pens funny but my wife noticed how crappy a lot of the pens I've made write. Most of the time the pens skip, write good then fade out then come back, etc etc, is there anyway of fixing this problem? I just can't believe how many of the pen kits I've bought and made, then the dang pen won't write better than a 10 cent one from walmart. Are there any kits you all have bought where you haven't had any trouble with? Was also wondering what pen kits you've found are the best value, the kits i bought from penkits.biz are really good looking and have a great price but the ink for those were pretty crappy. I'm hoping I'm doing something wrong and can fix the ink problem I'm having and continue with the kits I've used. Well any help is appreciated, thanks.



Joe I have had and continue to have the same exact experiences as you. Many if not most of the pens I receive in trade already have the brands mentioned but half or better simply don't write. I posted a thread not long ago some of the same questions you have. I don't know what the solution is. Maybe we should not write standing on our heads anymore.


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## duncsuss (Nov 19, 2014)

Kevin said:


> Maybe we should not write standing on our heads anymore.



Reminds me of the millions of dollars spent on creating a ballpoint pen that would write upside down and in zero gravity. All NASA astronauts were equipped with these for the space missions.

The Soviets gave their cosmonauts a pencil ...

Reactions: Funny 4


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## JR Custom Calls (Nov 19, 2014)

It must be a luck thing... because I have never written with a pen that wrote any better than the ones I've made recently. 

Now the fountain pen, that's a different story...but I haven't put any effort in doing any of the stuff suggested to me when I ran in to issues... yet.


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## Kevin (Nov 19, 2014)

duncsuss said:


> Reminds me of the millions of dollars spent on creating a ballpoint pen that would write upside down and in zero gravity. All NASA astronauts were equipped with these for the space missions.
> 
> The Soviets gave their cosmonauts a pencil ...



I saw one of those how it's made or how'd they do that shows on how those pens are made. Pretty cool.


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## ironman123 (Nov 19, 2014)

All said on replacing the ballpoint refills is good. I like the Schmidt Easyflow 9000 in mine. A problem with fountain pens have to do with not knowing how to tune the tip or nib. I read that on IAP.


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## ChrisK (Nov 20, 2014)

I never replaced the BP refills, either the Cross or the Parker style ones.
Meanwhile, the extra refills I sell are original either Cross or Parker ones.

As for the fountain pens, I substitute the ink cartridges offered with the FP kits with Pelikan or Waterman cartridges.
As for the converters, I had some issues with the ones offered with CSUSA (Dayacom) JrGentII, Jr Statesman... Some time ago, I tried to dissuade customers and promoted the qualities of ink cartridges (sometimes in vain). The problem was solved with a most sophisticated converter. Same manufacturer (Schmidt) but twice as expensive. Namely, the K5 converter here: http://www.richardlgreenwald.com/pen-parts-c-2/fountain-pen-parts-c-2_8/converter-k5-p-113.html
It's a shame that the cheapo converters are offered with some high end FPs like the Emperor, Imperial... by Dayacom.

Anyway, as far as fountain pens are concerned, one can find a lot of precious info through the IAP forum. The nib is a topic in itself as well as the feeder, the perfect matching of both parts... Some colleagues like to tune these pieces before selling their fountain pens. Some others replace the nibs with the brand names on the market, that is the Jowo, Bock ones, etc. Some time ago, I did exactly the same but finally I found out that the standard nibs are not so bad after all. A bit of patience and breaking in (like a new car), generally one month, and the nib writes just fine. This is the way I advise my customers after they try their new fountain pen that I thoroughly check for any defect.
Now sometimes a lot of tuning can be made effortlessly i.e. I found out that a dry nib can often be improved in advancing the feeder (after dismantling these parts) towards the tip of the nib before reassembling them, etc. 

Sorry for the babbling...

Reactions: Useful 1


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