4 ms·

idk op's specifics, but some pens use ink cartridges; by sealing the body of the pen, you can fill it with ink, have way more capacity and you can refill it.

ubermonkey 4y ago
Why tho? Sure, there are some converters that are notably, notoriously small (Namiki Vanishing Point converters are infamous for this), but in those cases it's simple to use carts instead. (In the Namiki case, the carts last weeks and weeks.)
- soogwoog 4y ago
  So you can use different inks other than compatible carts?
  - dwringer 4y ago
    A lot of people just reuse empty cartridges a few times by refilling them with a blunt tip syringe (sold by most online pen/ink shops), using whatever ink they want.
  - dumpsterlid 4y ago
    It is far easier to get a blunt nosed syringe for $0.10 (not sharpened for medical use) and use it to quickly and cleanly refill cartridges with whatever ink you want.
    - foldedcornice 4y ago
      For a video visualization of how this works, Brian Goulet (who runs a popular fountain pen YouTube channel) published a tutorial on cartridge cleaning and refills: https://youtu.be/QloRQWHe5Gk?t=301 https://youtu.be/QloRQWHe5Gk?t=301
    - ubermonkey 4y ago
      Isn't it even EASIER to get a converter?
  - dakr 4y ago
    I use a syringe to refill cartridges from whatever bottle of ink I want to use. The cartridges can be reused many many times. edit: lol, if I had reloaded the page before commenting, I would have seen all of these people saying the same thing!
    - dwringer 4y ago
      > edit: [...] Every time fountain pens come up on HN I'm amazed how active the discussion gets.
      - dumpsterlid 4y ago
        I mean, how important is the pen as a tool to human history? The pen is one of the most important human inventions and the fountain pen is by far the coolest version of it :P
      - ubermonkey 4y ago
        I am similarly surprised at the number of technical people who prefer one or more of the following: * Fountain pens * Mechanical watches * Cars with clutches
  - ubermonkey 4y ago
    Most pens either ship with or will work with a piston converter. You don't need to mod a pen just to use inks other than those available in compatible cartridges. E.g., https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fountain+pen+piston+converter&iax=images&ia=images https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fountain+pen+piston+convert...
- BeetleB 4y ago
  > Why tho? Just to expand on the time before refills. Most converters are under 1 ml. Having, say, 3-4 ml in your pen means you fill it a lot less frequently. The thing keeping me away from eyedropping my pen is the inevitable burps.
  - ubermonkey 4y ago
    As I said, the only converter of mine that seems to have a capacity problem is the Namiki, but for practical reasons I also almost always run carts in that pen anyway. I don't need a project, and I'm not super interested in locking a pen into a single mode of operation. The beauty of most pens is that you can go with carts OR with a converter, depending on mood. (Obviously some, like Pelikans and TWSBI, are bottle-fill only, but you know that going in.)
    - BeetleB 4y ago
      Yeah, I don't do cartridges for the same reason as others: I change the ink often, and the selection with cartridges is almost non-existent (and much more expensive per ml). For a lot of pens, there is no "locking". You just remove the cartridge/converter, and add silicone, and you're good to go. You can always revert back.
      - ubermonkey 4y ago
        Fair. I ran carts only in my Vanishing Point(s) for years, but largely because it was easier for travel and I found the ink color and consistency very pleasant. Once I stopped traveling so much I started using more bottled ink, which is fun, but then you get to a point where you have a mental matrix about which inks work best with which paper in which nibs…
ljvmiranda 4y ago
My daily driver (Lamy 2000) has a piston converter and I find its capacity quite large, i.e., I need to refill it every week or so. Cartridges are great too, but I seem stuck with a few options. Lany cartridges are great but it's the only decent one I can find here.
- bch 4y ago
  > has a piston converter The 2000 is natively a piston filler as far as I know. When you say “converter”, are you saying you’ve modified your 2000?
  - ljvmiranda 4y ago
    Yes :) The Lamy 2000's been with me after grad. Even had a pen craftsman resharpen my nib!

ubermonkey 4y ago

Why tho? Sure, there are some converters that are notably, notoriously small (Namiki Vanishing Point converters are infamous for this), but in those cases it's simple to use carts instead. (In the Namiki case, the carts last weeks and weeks.)

soogwoog 4y ago
So you can use different inks other than compatible carts?
- dwringer 4y ago
  A lot of people just reuse empty cartridges a few times by refilling them with a blunt tip syringe (sold by most online pen/ink shops), using whatever ink they want.
- dumpsterlid 4y ago
  It is far easier to get a blunt nosed syringe for $0.10 (not sharpened for medical use) and use it to quickly and cleanly refill cartridges with whatever ink you want.
  - foldedcornice 4y ago
    For a video visualization of how this works, Brian Goulet (who runs a popular fountain pen YouTube channel) published a tutorial on cartridge cleaning and refills: https://youtu.be/QloRQWHe5Gk?t=301 https://youtu.be/QloRQWHe5Gk?t=301
  - ubermonkey 4y ago
    Isn't it even EASIER to get a converter?
- dakr 4y ago
  I use a syringe to refill cartridges from whatever bottle of ink I want to use. The cartridges can be reused many many times. edit: lol, if I had reloaded the page before commenting, I would have seen all of these people saying the same thing!
  - dwringer 4y ago
    > edit: [...] Every time fountain pens come up on HN I'm amazed how active the discussion gets.
    - dumpsterlid 4y ago
      I mean, how important is the pen as a tool to human history? The pen is one of the most important human inventions and the fountain pen is by far the coolest version of it :P
    - ubermonkey 4y ago
      I am similarly surprised at the number of technical people who prefer one or more of the following: * Fountain pens * Mechanical watches * Cars with clutches
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  Most pens either ship with or will work with a piston converter. You don't need to mod a pen just to use inks other than those available in compatible cartridges. E.g., https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fountain+pen+piston+converter&iax=images&ia=images https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fountain+pen+piston+convert...
BeetleB 4y ago
> Why tho? Just to expand on the time before refills. Most converters are under 1 ml. Having, say, 3-4 ml in your pen means you fill it a lot less frequently. The thing keeping me away from eyedropping my pen is the inevitable burps.
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  As I said, the only converter of mine that seems to have a capacity problem is the Namiki, but for practical reasons I also almost always run carts in that pen anyway. I don't need a project, and I'm not super interested in locking a pen into a single mode of operation. The beauty of most pens is that you can go with carts OR with a converter, depending on mood. (Obviously some, like Pelikans and TWSBI, are bottle-fill only, but you know that going in.)
  - BeetleB 4y ago
    Yeah, I don't do cartridges for the same reason as others: I change the ink often, and the selection with cartridges is almost non-existent (and much more expensive per ml). For a lot of pens, there is no "locking". You just remove the cartridge/converter, and add silicone, and you're good to go. You can always revert back.
    - ubermonkey 4y ago
      Fair. I ran carts only in my Vanishing Point(s) for years, but largely because it was easier for travel and I found the ink color and consistency very pleasant. Once I stopped traveling so much I started using more bottled ink, which is fun, but then you get to a point where you have a mental matrix about which inks work best with which paper in which nibs…

ljvmiranda 4y ago

My daily driver (Lamy 2000) has a piston converter and I find its capacity quite large, i.e., I need to refill it every week or so. Cartridges are great too, but I seem stuck with a few options. Lany cartridges are great but it's the only decent one I can find here.

bch 4y ago
> has a piston converter The 2000 is natively a piston filler as far as I know. When you say “converter”, are you saying you’ve modified your 2000?
- ljvmiranda 4y ago
  Yes :) The Lamy 2000's been with me after grad. Even had a pen craftsman resharpen my nib!