Ink cartridges, ink convertors and ink refilling systems for fountain pens

Today, I want to share with you all that I've learned about ink convertors.

It's always better to use ink convertors than disposable cartridges because it's more economical. Being able to refill the ink yourself saves you money. You don't have to keep buying disposable cartridges. And you don't have to be limited to the colours available in those cartridges.

There are many types of ink convertors. The most common type is probably the piston or plunger type.

Shown above are two such ink convertor. The one at the top is a twist-type piston convertor. You turn the back clockwise and anti-clockwise to move the piston up and down. The one at the bottom uses a push pull mechanism to move the piston. I prefer the second one because it's much faster to move the piston. And being fast means you can clean the fountain pen fast too.

Some ink convertors have a moveable part inside. Some may look like a spring, sometimes it's a ball bearing and other times is something cyclindrical. That thing is to move the ink and air bubble around, so that the feed can have access to ink at all times. If the air bubble is stuck at the entrance of the feed section, ink flow will be affected. That's why for some pens that use convertor without the moveable part, you may have to shake the fountain pen to force the air bubble up and get the ink to flow down.

Sac ink convertors are quite rare nowadays. It's not easy to fill this type of ink convertor fully. Hence, they run out of ink faster and you have to refill more often.

Sometimes the pen you use may not have an ink convertor, or it's very difficult to find the right ink convertor for it. For example, there's no ink convertor for the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. In order to refill that, I have to use a blunt needle and syringe. Refilling really saves a lot of money.

Fountain pens may look similar, but the ink convertors they use are usually not interchangeable.

Brands usually have their own ink convertors. For example, ink convertors for Sailor fountain pens can be used in various Sailor fountain pens.

Some fountain pens may not even use cartridge or ink convertors. Some fountain pens have the refilling mechanism built into the pen.

Shown above is a Noodler's Ahab which has the piston refilling mechanism built into the pen. Other fountain pens that I have that have built in piston refill systems are Noodler's Konrad, Pelikan M200 and Twsbi Diamond 530.

There's another ink refill system that involves using vacuum suction. Shown above are the Twsbi Vac 700 and Pillot Custom 823. When you pull and push the piston, it creates a vacuum. When you push it all the way back in, the vacuum breaks and the ink and air comes rushing into the pen. It's fun to see the ink rush in, but after a while, the excitement sort of fades away. Because these pens have such huge ink capacity, you don't need to refill them that often.

That's all I have to share about ink convertors and refills.

One last thing, don't assume that the fountain pen you buy will come with an ink convertor. Always ask the seller first.