# Ink Converter?



## Sprung (May 6, 2014)

Since getting my fountain pen from Michael/Bean_Counter, I've been using it enough that I can use up a cartridge fairly quickly. I like how it writes and I find myself writing with it more than I thought I would. (I currently have 4 turned pens made by people here at WB, and they all have a spot on my desk or in my shirt pocket and all see heavy use!)

Looking at the economics of the whole thing, I'm thinking that I might be better off switching to a converter and using bottled ink. I'll be seeing if my wife would be interested in putting a converter in her pen too.

The question I have, however, is which converter? I figured some of our pen makers here could point me in a good direction. Looking to order two converters. Pens are from Jr. Gent II kits. I do need to order some stuff through Amazon.com in the next couple days, so I was thinking I could order them with that order, unless there's a better place to get them for less money.

And, even though I've posted them before, since no one here likes pics:
Mine is HRB, my wife's is Curly Satinwood. (And, yes, I realize that I didn't have the grain lined up on my wife's in the pic... The other half is just as insanely curly as the cap portion, but doesn't show up in the pic.)


----------



## Bean_counter (May 6, 2014)

Matt I may have a converter pump for those, I'll look.... BTW, those are junior gent 1 but I don't think 
it matters...

How does your wife's Write?


----------



## Sprung (May 6, 2014)

Michael, thanks for the kit correction - I couldn't remember exactly, so I took a shot in the dark, lol!

Yeah... That's why the question - I'm ordering ink. I discovered last night that not only had I used up the couple cartridges I picked up elsewhere, but I somehow used the last cartridge I was saving for her pen! Uh oh! She was excited for her pen, only to find out that I took the last cartridge! I did, however, redeem myself by the fact that I kept the house clean and got the laundry caught up in the few days she was gone over the weekend. Though maybe I should have folded the laundry too... (At least we have Amazon Prime, so if I order through them, I should be able to get whatever we order in a short amount of time. Which is good, because I'm also behind on ordering a Mother's Day gift for her...)


----------



## rdabpenman (May 6, 2014)

Don't know much a bout converter's, but those are a couple of great looking writing instruments.
Nicely done.

Les

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## duncsuss (May 7, 2014)

Matt -- THIS is the type that I use and supply with the fountain pens I make. I think they are usually called "universal cartridge converters".

If you can't find them on Amazon and don't want to place an order with Exotic Blanks or one of the other suppliers, let me know - we can work something out.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## PhoenixWoodDesigns (May 7, 2014)

I always upgrade any kit supplied ink converters with a Schmidt Ink Converter. I get them from ExoticBlanks.com. They are push-in, piston style converters that can even be bought with gold and / or silver plating. As with most Schmidt products, it offers good quality at a bargain price.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Bean_counter (May 7, 2014)

Matt i do have the converters and can send them to you if you would like. Let me know if you want to go that route or if you want to get a schmidt.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Schroedc (May 7, 2014)

Also- When it comes to bottled ink to use with these, I've been running Parker Quink in all my personal fountain pens, about 12-14.00 for a big bottle and available in a number of colors on amazon. writes well, dries reasonably fast and cleans up nice when I do maintenance on my pens.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## duncsuss (May 7, 2014)

Schroedc said:


> Also- When it comes to bottled ink to use with these, I've been running Parker Quink in all my personal fountain pens, about 12-14.00 for a big bottle and available in a number of colors on amazon. writes well, dries reasonably fast and cleans up nice when I do maintenance on my pens.


I've been having lots of fun experimenting with different inks. Some write "wetter" than others -- good for those nibs that have a tendency to go dry mid-stroke -- and having several pens means I can keep them loaded with different colors.

My bottle of Parker Quink is decades old and still writes well (black). I have Sheaffer "Peacock Blue" and "Emerald Green" (also decades old.)

Recent purchases include Noodler's "Heart of Darkness", "Polar Blue", and "Red Fox".

Currently have pens loaded with Chesterfield inks -- "Sodalite" and "Antique Crimson" -- which I bought from xFountainPens.com. I think Sodalite is my favorite (a sort of slate gray, and it shows some shading.)

Sorry, this was probably way off-topic ...

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------



## PhoenixWoodDesigns (May 7, 2014)

@duncsuss I've been using Noodler's Polar Bulletproof, Eel Fountain Pen Ink - Black. I really like having a bullet proof ink, so it's more resistant to check washing, etc... But at the same time, I've heard that Noodler's ink is very bad for the fountain pen components. I'm searching for a new ink, but it needs to be bullet proof!

Reactions: Informative 1


----------



## duncsuss (May 7, 2014)

PhoenixWoodDesigns said:


> @duncsuss I've been using Noodler's Polar Bulletproof, Eel Fountain Pen Ink - Black. I really like having a bullet proof ink, so it's more resistant to check washing, etc... But at the same time, I've heard that Noodler's ink is very bad for the fountain pen components. I'm searching for a new ink, but it needs to be bullet proof!



I hadn't heard that about Noodler's. It kind of surprises me, I shall have to do some research. I'll check out the Fountain Pen Network (which is where I first heard of it.)


----------



## duncsuss (May 7, 2014)

Seems one source of the "Noodler's is bad for your pen" message is Richard Binder, whom I greatly respect for his pen knowledge.

From reading the page I linked to and several threads on FPN, I think this is more of a concern if you use a vintage pen with a sac (as opposed to cartridge/converter). The modern plastics used in feeds and sections of the pens that we're making might not be afflicted the same way -- but if you want to avoid Noodler's then I'm surely not going to try persuading you to keep using them.

Thanks for that heads-up, I shall definitely keep it in mind.


----------



## Sprung (May 7, 2014)

Thanks, everyone, for the input!

And, Duncan, definitely not off topic on the inks - I've been doing some research on that too in preparation for ordering today. My wife wants a black ink for hers, and I'm torn between staying with black or switching to something blue. Knowing what's good and what's bad is helpful.

After the responses here, I've done a little reading/research and I think I'd like to go with Schmidt converters. I might order from Exotic Blanks, but if not, I'll be in contact with you later, Duncan. (I'm planning to try my hand at turning pens once I get my lathe back from my dad, set up, and get the stuff I need. I'm kinda afraid of "I want" syndrome and "accidentally" placing a larger than anticipated order from EB if I order from them, lol!)


----------



## PhoenixWoodDesigns (May 7, 2014)

@Sprung for the best writing experience with a fountain pen, there are a number of factors.

1) A good nib -- goes without saying, but the nib is the heart and soul of your fountain pen. Most of the kit nibs are garbage, and tuning (see point 2) will probably not give you a writing experience as good as a finely tuned quality nib. There are two main categories of Nibs. Steel or Gold. Modern steel nibs are excellent, and only a fraction of the cost of a gold one. The main difference between steel and gold nibs are going to be the "flex" in the nib. Gold is a softer material, and will therefore flex more under writing pressure (causing the tines to spread further) and will give you more variation in your line. Steel nibs can have some flex as well, or they can be "nails" which have virtually no flex at all. The presence of flex or not does not indicate a better nib, and is entirely up to your preference as a writer. (I realize this is all oversimplified, but we don't want a mile long post!) Heritance (obtainable from Exoticblanks,) Jowo (obtainable from Meisternibs and other stores online,) and Bock (obtainable from many online stores,) all create quality steel nibs and are around $20 or less. I reccomend these to start.

2) A finely tuned nib is paramount. Many nibs do not write well out of the box, and need to be tuned. You can do a google search on how to tune a fountain pen nib, and will find a slew of information. Youtube is also an excellent source of information. You will need a jewelers loupe for this (which you can obtain for about $5 shipped on ebay.) It will basically involve aligning the tines, the breathing hole on the nib, the feed to the nib, etc. More advanced tuning may involve hand polishing the nib with super fine grain micromesh and basically "smoothing" it out.

3) The feed is an often overlooked part of the fountain pen, but it's also very important! You may fine that even after finely tuning your nib, your pen still doesn't write with that smooth fluidity you would expect. Upon inspecting the feed, you may find bits of plastic blocking some of the channels (due to bad casting) so that the ink doesn't flow smoothly through it. You can look at trying to upgrade the feed, or using your trusty loupe, an exacto knife and some sandpaper, try to touch up the channels on your exisiting one. If you order a nib through Meisternibs, I believe it does come with a higher quality feed.

4) A good ink converter plays a lesser role than the 3 things above, I feel. It is however, important.

5) Finally, the ink you put into the thing will contribute to how it writes. Beware of pigmented inks, like Calligraphy inks. Pigmented inks have, well, pigments in it -- which is to say undisolved bits of stuff floating in your ink to give it it's color! Even though these pigments are very small, they can easily cause clogging in your feed and / or nib. Make sure your ink is dye based. Also, certain types of ink are alkaline and can, over time, cause component damage.

Anyway, just a couple of tips -- hope they help! Fountain pens can produce the best writing experience possible, but it just takes a little know-how, a little maintenance, and little patience to get the best out of them!

(PS, this may also be off topic, sorry! Just tyring to help!)

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


----------



## Sprung (May 7, 2014)

PhoenixWoodDesigns said:


> @Sprung for the best writing experience with a fountain pen, there are a number of factors.
> ...
> Anyway, just a couple of tips -- hope they help! Fountain pens can produce the best writing experience possible, but it just takes a little know-how, a little maintenance, and little patience to get the best out of them!
> 
> (PS, this may also be off topic, sorry! Just tyring to help!)



That's some very good information! Thank you! Off topic? It's still on the topic of fountain pens. Besides, nobody here ever goes off topic, right?!? This is my first fountain pen, so I'm new to owning and using one and so far I like it. I write a lot throughout the course of a day and since I spend so much time with a pen in my hand, I'm starting to like nicer pens with a good feel to them. Larger pens even better!

Right now both my wife's and my pens have the nib from the kit. Michael (Bean_counter) was going to put Bocks on (and I have a Bock nib here attached to the whole assembly), but then the cap wouldn't go onto the pen - sticks out too far. Jr. Gent 1 kit. Unless there's a way to change that, I'll just have to do an upgraded nib on the next fountain pen I get (whenever that might be).

I did do the paper bag thing before inking it for the first time, so it does write smoothly. However, I might also be interested in other aspects of tuning, if you've got a link.


----------



## Sprung (May 16, 2014)

@duncsuss 
Got the converters today in the mail! Thank you very much!


----------



## duncsuss (May 16, 2014)

Sprung said:


> @duncsuss
> Got the converters today in the mail! Thank you very much!



You're welcome! Have fun experimenting with different inks

Reactions: Like 1


----------

