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#1
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Inkflow from Convertors vs. Cartridges
Over the years, I've noticed that when I get a new pen with a convertor the inkflow is stingy. When I remove the convertor and replace it with a cartridge, the inkflow becomes normal. Then I continue to use the cartridge and refill it with the ink of my choice. I was reminded of this just yesterday when I bought a NOS Stylochap from a store and brought it home and had the problem yet again. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, and if so, is there a reasonable explanation for this? Nancy |
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#2
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Nancy Handy wrote:
Over the years, I've noticed that when I get a new pen with a convertor the inkflow is stingy. When I remove the convertor and replace it with a cartridge, the inkflow becomes normal. Then I continue to use the cartridge and refill it with the ink of my choice. I was reminded of this just yesterday when I bought a NOS Stylochap from a store and brought it home and had the problem yet again. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, and if so, is there a reasonable explanation for this? Lousy plastic that companies use for terribly designed converters and shows how little they care about what the sell. For the first 35 years of widely sold cartridge pens from the 50s thru late 70s this problem did not happen at all. Properly made converters are NEVER made of standard stryene plastic but ALWAYS made with a rubber sac, or a plyglass sac with interior flow ribs molded in the sac or from the same poly style plastic as cartridges. The old piston fill Sheaffer and Parker converters, for example from the 1960s both were made of poly material rather than styrene. Later on both switched to ink sac converters. No problems. Also both original has a weight in the cartridge to further aid flow, although thats soemthing some still have today such as in the cheap Parker slide style. Just another example of people running pen companies today not knowing or caring about what they make or sell. Its such a basic thing that there is NO excusss on earth for it. To sell such poorly desigend converetrs would have been impossible 35 years ago because dozens of people in every pen company on earth would have known better and spoken out before such a dumb thing could hit the market. Bottom line stryene plastic just does not allow proper ink flow without serious and exstensive treatment. Rubber sacs, and polyethylene offers nearly perfect flow with almost no pre treatment needed. A basic fact of pen design known for well over 50 years. Too bad people in pen companies today don't know the basics of pen design at all. Like they even care. As they used to say on the old SNL... ..and thats the truth. End of rant. Frank |
#3
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Hi everybody,
My name is Roberto Medri, I'm a 21-year-old student from Italy. This is the first time I write on this newsgroup (uh, actually first time I write in a whatsoever newsgroup). Unfortunately, there's no Italian newsgroup about pens at all . However, I'm a complete novice, so please be patient. First question: my Cross Metropol converter got lost. I also own a Cross Classic Century, but the Metropol does not accept the Century converter, which has to be screwed in, whereas the Metropol one just needs to be pushed in. A manufacturer that designs two different types of converters does not make much sense to me, but given this, I'm in desperate need to find the right converter. In Italy people don't care about pens at all, moreover when it comes to fountain pens. A few folks around here craft the best pens in the world, but the ordinary guy doesn't give much about this. It's the same old story here in Italy, not only about fountain pens. This was to say I have to cope qith a 50 km trip just to get some cross cartridges, but I could not find any suitable converter (I bought this pen in Glasgow). So, - does any of you have an idea of where I can buy an appropriate converter for my pen on the internet (I could not find any proper site :-( )? - in the meantime, do you know a workaround to fill empty cross cartridges with the ink of my choice, as I fancy I cannot write without Waterman bleu- noir ink anymore (even if it was just for its smell)? Thank you in advance, and apologies for my poor English Rob -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/ |
#4
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#5
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Juan wrote:
One more point to consider is where has the ink previously stored; in the case of cartridges, the answer is plastic, and considering the lack of consistence on the use of materials, that plastic could be any plastic. in the case of converters, the ink was contained in a GLASS bottle, and glass has been time tested to be perfect for that use. Ask yourself... would you buy a plastic bottle of single malt whisky? or a can of fine wine?. You can't improve what is already perfect :-) One more example relating that "special coating" inside some converters.... people who buy an anti fog pair of goggles still use some saliva. What's wrong with cheap tricks? Many pen companies have used plastic bottles over the years for a while only to learn the hard way and go back to glass. Basic simple rule--never buy any ink that comes in a plastic bottle unless it is fresh and you intend to use it soon. Their life is longer than cartridges due to the greater volumn of ink vs plastic but perhaps only 15 years or so maximum. Sometimes far less. Larger bottles like quart and pint plastic bottles from the 60s are kind of hard to find, thankfully, but still seem OK although most do exhibit some chemical sludge at the bottom that the same ink in glass never has so even those can be doubtful. As I say in Da Book glass is an excellent conatiner for ink. Plastic is not. To add to the problem is possible leeching of some of the plastic's petro chemicals into the ink itself over time. Which is why I strongly suggest throwing out cartridges over ten years old, or at very least puncture and rinse them with water and refill with ink. To merely refill a partially empty cartridge with water to salvage the thicker ink old inside can lead to occasional problems if that ink has been contaminated with leeched oily chemicals from the plastic. Frank |
#6
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Thanks to Frank, Kcat, Norman, and everyone who answered. I guess like you all said, it's either the lousy cheap plastic, the thin layer of ick on it, or the converter itself. I will have to try getting an Aurora converter for all of my pens that take them. Every modern pen I've had that I thought had flow problems always worked fine as soon as I switched to the cartridges, but I will first try washing my converters with detergent like Kcat mentioned and then switch to a new converter if I can find a source for the Aurora ones, that Norman likes, assuming it is compatible with the pen. Nancy |
#7
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"Norman M. Schwartz" wrote in message news
I've had lots of problems with the converter in a Parker FP, ink flow and difficulty in moving its slider. Lo and behold I recently discovered that an Aurora converter fits the Parker and both problems are resolved. Is there "a reasonable explanation for this" (omitting the slider problem since Aurora uses a differing and highly superior control) ? I'm aware of TWO converters which Parker makes (distributes?). The aforementioned converter with the slider mechanism can be somewhat problematic. It appears to be made from a cheaper grade of plastic. There's a little loose metal spring inside which, I believe, is there to break up the surface tension of the ink on the inside wall of the converter. The biggest drawback is that it just doesn't hold much ink. Parker makes another converter which utilizes a twist mechanism. It's very similar to the one sold by Aurora. It costs about twice as much as the slider converter, but can usually be found for less than the Aurora. I have both the Aurora and the Parker twist converters and can recommend both equally. A good source for these is www.Pendemonium.com. Look on the left for the button called "Fountain Pen Ink". Click on it and it will take you to a menu for the various inks they carry. The converters are found at the bottom of the pages for Aurora and Parker inks. They have pictures posted, so you'll be able to see how similar they are. David Who likes the convenience of cartridges when he's away from the office. |
#8
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"David Heverly" wrote in message om... "Norman M. Schwartz" wrote in message news I've had lots of problems with the converter in a Parker FP, ink flow and difficulty in moving its slider. Lo and behold I recently discovered that an Aurora converter fits the Parker and both problems are resolved. Is there "a reasonable explanation for this" (omitting the slider problem since Aurora uses a differing and highly superior control) ? I'm aware of TWO converters which Parker makes (distributes?). The aforementioned converter with the slider mechanism can be somewhat problematic. It appears to be made from a cheaper grade of plastic. There's a little loose metal spring inside which, I believe, is there to break up the surface tension of the ink on the inside wall of the converter. The biggest drawback is that it just doesn't hold much ink. I should have known this before ordering a batch of Aurora converters from Swisher. A representative for Parker, actually now Sanford (?), didn't mention having any twist converters available. |
#9
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"Norman M. Schwartz" wrote in message ...
I should have known this before ordering a batch of Aurora converters from Swisher. A representative for Parker, actually now Sanford (?), didn't mention having any twist converters available. Yowww!!! Hw many is in a batch? I just checked the Swisher site. They have pictures of both the Aurora and Parker twist conerters (see accessories, convertors on the site). They're very similar. The biggest difference seems to be the price. The Aurora costs $11.00 versus $5.50 for the Parker. One could literally buy two Parkers for each Aurora. I notice they don't even sell the cheaper Parker slide converter. Shame on the Sanford Rep. for not knowing his product line better. I wonder if Parker actually makes the converter versus buying it from another manufacturer and distributing it as their own. Most of these twist coverters seem pretty similar. The big difference is the size of the opening which attaches to the feed of the fountain pen. The rest of the converter is the same irrespective of whether it's a Parker or International style converter. On the other hand, the slide converter seems to be proprietary to Parker. I haven't seem them for any other pen. David Who feels your pain. |
#10
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"David Heverly" wrote in message om... "Norman M. Schwartz" wrote in message ... I should have known this before ordering a batch of Aurora converters from Swisher. A representative for Parker, actually now Sanford (?), didn't mention having any twist converters available. Yowww!!! Hw many is in a batch? I just checked the Swisher site. They have pictures of both the Aurora and Parker twist conerters (see accessories, convertors on the site). They're very similar. The biggest difference seems to be the price. The Aurora costs $11.00 versus $5.50 for the Parker. One could literally buy two Parkers for each Aurora. I notice they don't even sell the cheaper Parker slide converter. Shame on the Sanford Rep. for not knowing his product line better. I wonder if Parker actually makes the converter versus buying it from another manufacturer and distributing it as their own. Most of these twist coverters seem pretty similar. The big difference is the size of the opening which attaches to the feed of the fountain pen. The rest of the converter is the same irrespective of whether it's a Parker or International style converter. On the other hand, the slide converter seems to be proprietary to Parker. I haven't seem them for any other pen. David Who feels your pain. I ordered 4 from Swisher, partly to justify the shipping costs and in addition because I have 2 Auroras (Ipsilons, which may need converters down the line) a couple of cheepie Parkers (having those crappy, always getting stuck slide converters), 1 expensive good Parker and another good Parker (Duofold) arriving soon. However, one thing about the Aurora converters which may make them different, and therefore either better or worse than those sold by Sanford is that the boxes that contain the Auroras indicate "Made in Italy". I highly doubt that the Sanford branded converter has an Italian Passport. Attempting to move a jammed Parker slide converter with the working end of a pen immersed in a bottle of ink is a very risky affair, which I carry out in a (stainless steel) kitchen sink! Norman |
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