Refilling a Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge

[CorpusChristi83]

does refilling it yourself cause more spills or leaks than breaking the factory seal on a new one when it clicks in? I want to refill an empty cartridge but im afraid it'll just all spill back out, idk why

[BreastsIsBest]

lol, awesome!

[WhiteMann1101]

Hi, Thank you for this video. I have a question: i have a zebra r301 ballpoint liquid ink pen. I love the way it feels (the price) and the writing style. I would like to do the same thing. Will it work? and if so what kind of ink would you recommend. Would i be able to put a bigger cartridge in it (Not made by Zebra)? Thank you

[retroadmirer]

does this replace the need for a converter? My pen only takes disposable cartridges and they are expensive.

[AntiTPG]

Wait... you're supposed to shake the ink? Why wasn't I told?

[Ncharlestun]

It seems on the web that local office stores have cartridge refills but no bottled ink. Can cartridge refills be opened, the ink dumped out into a container, and then sucked in a fountain pen reservoir for pens that don't use cartridges? The video by kleewm on the feed sautration method may work. I have ordered pens and I am new to all of this.

[rweerakkody4565]

i wouldnt have learned this better...tanks sir for posting this!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BrownNinjaHero38]

Hi, I have a silly question but here goes nothing.... Can I use printer ink to refill my fountain pen? The pen itself was fairly cheap so, I don't care if it gets ruined but I want to avoid shipping time.

[magialogica]

Hi Udoober, I'd really would like to see how to disassemble a piston fountain pen to repair it. I got a Montblanc 146 . Thanks.

[magialogica]

Hi Udoober, I'd really would like to see how to disassemble a piston fountain pen to repair it. I got a Montblanc 146 and someone had twisted the back tip so hard that it came off and now it's impossible to fill it. Please help me, I don't have a lot of money to pay to get it right at Montblanc service. Thanks.

[magialogica]

Hi, I'd really would like to see how to disassemble a piston fountain pen to repair it. I got a Montblanc 146 and someone had twisted the back tip so hard that it came off and now it's impossible to fill it. Please help me, I don't have a lot of money to pay to get it right at Montblanc service. Thanks.

[TheBookfan]

Great voice

[Encriptixx]

@TheBookfan Very true lol... couldent have said it better!!! ^_^

[dmiraut]

Great hack !!

[gawei]

can a regular fountain pen be refill by any type of ink cartridge ?

[Siti307]

not to be rude, your voice sound like my doctor. :D

[lavasgal]

Hi, I don't own a fountain pen, but I own a calligraphy pen set with cartridges that can be refilled in the same way. I want to know if you have to buy a special type of ink to refill the cartridge with. If I just randomly buy a bottle of (normal... preferrably cheap) ink, will it hurt my calligraphy pens in any way?

[udoober]

@lavasgal Calligraphy pens of the type you are talking about are fountain pens so the same rules apply: Don't use India ink. India ink contains solids that are okay for dip pens and engineering pens but will quickly clog a fountain type pen. Any kind of fountain pen ink would be fine with your calligraphy pens.

[sgknexmaker]

Hello, I have some old fountain pens, how do I know what size cartridges i need or are they all the same? Thanks a lot.

[udoober]

@sgknexmaker Well, how old is old? Cartridges only came into existence in the 1950s. Prior to that most pens had rubber reservoirs and various methods for filling. Most have a lever on the side but there are many other non-obvious mechanisms. If you're sure they take cartridges, we could start with who is the manufacturer? Shaeffer? Parker? Mont Blanc? Lamy? Cross?

[udoober]

@sgknexmaker Well, how old is old? Cartridges only came into existence in the 1950s. Prior to that most pens had rubber reservoirs and various methods for filling. Most have a lever on the side but there are many other non-obvious mechanisms. If you're sure they take cartridges, we could start with who is the manufacturer? Shaeffer? Parker? Mont Blanc? Lamy? Cross?

[sgknexmaker]

@udoober Yeah I have two kinda old shaeffer pens, I can't figure out what type of catridge they would use though, and where I could even get them?

[udoober]

@sgknexmaker Here's a search on eBay for them. shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=shea­ffer+cartridges+&_fscr=1&_trks­id=p3286.c0.m19 The last time I bought some I got a bag of 100, which will last me the rest of my life because I refill them.

[sgknexmaker]

@udoober Aha, thanks a lot. Funny thing is, I looked in the box I found the pens in and found a box of 5 cartridges :D So they should last me a while till I can get some more.

[jobstran]

Thanks, this was helpful.

[juanestradadeoya]

I have a few fountain pens and I rarelly use one of them with cartdriges...in this case,I refill it just as you do in the video.It`s a good idea!

[stephenandtron]

Where did u buy your syringe? Also what kind?

[udoober]

@stephenandtron This question and was answered in earlier comments. "They should be commonly available and inexpensive on eBay. Search for inkjet cartridge refill kits and search for the syringes by themselves. Office supply stores also carry them for refilling inkjet printer cartridges. I'd aim for a cost of around $3 per syringe/needle" If you review the older comments there are more details.

[tmu123]

few questions.

1. Would this work with a Mont Blanc Boheme fountain pen?

2. If so, then would you recommend refilling ink cartridges your way or buying new cartridges?

[udoober]

@tmu123 Yes, the Boheme takes international cartridges, just like that shown in the video. By filling them yourself you can use any of the 500 inks available only in bottles from different makers and not be limited to the few that come in cartridges. As stated in earlier comments be sure to ONLY use ink intended for fountain pens and NEVER use India ink.

[aymanose707]

thanks mate, i spent first like 30 mins trying to figure it on my own

[Giblinono]

Yay for refilling cartridges. I just got a syringe to do that with and its much better than fussing with converters, I like that it holds more ink, costs less than buying a converter, and its less messy.

[tafur1104]

hey man I refilled my newly purchases fountain pen and it does not write =(

[tafur1104]

where do you buy your fountain pens at?

[udoober]

@tafur1104 There are lots of good pen dealers around. You can find them on the net. All of my pens have come from Fountain Pen Hospital in New York City, from eBay, and private deals with members of Fountain Pen Network.

[MrsMMM]

Very interesting. I have never managed to refill an ink cartridge - can't wait to try this method!. Thank you for posting it!

[auctioneer2007]

would this br a pump refil cartridge

[udoober]

@auctioneer2007 I don't understand your question.

[nizdolls]

OMG sooooo can't decide what colour ink to buy. Help please!!!!

[udoober]

Oh dear, there's no help for that problem. We did a poll on Fountain Pen Network a couple years ago and the average was 80 different inks in an average collection. I am very conservative and only have 18 different inks.

[nizdolls]

Thanks for the reply (though it wasn't me who posted this, even though I am signed in). I'll pass your message on. Wow that's a high average.

Niz xxx

[beswick1111]

hwere do u buy a syringe from?

[udoober]

@beswick1111 One way is an inkjet printer refill kit, which includes such a blunted syringe like the one in the video. There are sellers on eBay who sell just the syringe designed for refilling inkjet cartridges. Those are fine.

[randomrazr]

what do u think of parkers "quick" ink bottles , there the only ones available in my area at staples

[superstaticgirl]

That is such a simple clever genius idea! I wish I'd thought of it. I hope I've still got that syringe from my old ink refill kit somewhere. I might be able to get some new life out of my old pen I was given as a present for getting into Grammar school when I was a kiddy. Best pen I ever had.

[udoober]

Yes, I wish I had thought of it 35 years ago when I quit using FPs because I could not afford zillions of cartridges in college. Actually, back then, the ideal solution would have been eyedropper conversion but I didn't think of that either. I could kick myself for losing out on years of FP pleasure.

[udoober]

Nobody is forcing you to use a cartridge, use what you like. There are two reasons I prefer refilling carts. 1) A cart holds far more ink than a converter. I cannot get through a full day on a single converter. 2) Certain inks that I like cling strongly to the smooth acrylic or styrene plastic of a converter and the pen often "stalls". Carts made from polyethylene do not have this problem. This has been discussed in detail on Fountain Pen Network.

[lucio5445]

where did you buy your pen

[udoober]

The Phileas in the video was purchased mail-order from Fountain Pen Hospital in New York City.

[JacobSijsma]

Since i got one of those pens i use them for drawing.

Being able to refill them will probably allow me to customize the colors aswell, awesome thanks.

[udoober]

Yes indeed. Mixing inks gives you infinite possibilities not only for colors but other ink characteristics. It's generally wise to only mix inks from the same manufacturer although I've broken that rule myself. Rarely, two inks can react and create solids. And remember to NEVER, EVER put India ink in a fountain pen. India ink will ruin a fountain pen.

[JacobSijsma]

Yea I've read it on wikipedia, so if your saying not only for colors but also characteristics could it be possible to delute it, or add other types of ink... except for india ink ofcourse.

[udoober]

Absolutely. I dilute inks all the time with distilled water to create things I like. Many inks, especially Noodlers, have a such a heavy dye load that dilution gives an ink with nice shading where the original ink is a solid color. I like shading. Dilution does not impair the bulletproof characteristics of bulletproof inks either.

[dimputhegreat]

hi udoober,agree with you most india inks contain SHELLAC,but ebonite pens are exception, coz they can hold even nitric acid as well,but my question is are you allowed to carry ink bottles to india in a plane? if yes which ink is very harmless fir other fountain pens like parker and watermans?thanx.

[udoober]

Actually, the problem has nothing to do with whether the pen body is ebonite or not, nor are we talking about shellac. India ink contains solids and the feed of an FP cannot handle solids. You are thinking or corrosive inks which is another problem to be careful about.

[dimputhegreat]

solids,yeah i agree for that reason most indian pens like (camlin,airmail,chelpark)use ebonite feeds which can withstand the abuse of corrosive and solids but dunno about which feed are used by waterman,sheafers,bexleys etc,but a few parker pens i have noticed use plastic feeds,which of course cant withstand indian inks.refer to wikipedia shellacs are made into solids and added to inks which sucks,hey by the way you did'nt answer my other 2 questions,cheers.

[udoober]

It appears there is much that you are confused about. India ink has nothing to do with Indian made pens or what the feed is made out of. India ink is a type of ink. It also has nothing to do with being made in India. NO fountain pen, no matter who it's made by or out of what material can use India ink. India ink can be used in dip pens and engineering pens, never FPs. There are about 500 inks available for FPs. Try a search for Noodlers for a start.

[dimputhegreat]

BTW which ink do you suggest to me is really harmless, coz i'm having custom made expensive large pens,just dont want to take risk,and are ink bottles allowed inside plane?

[udoober]

There are hundreds of excellent inks that are made for fountain pens. Carrying ink on a plane is up to the airline. Well packed and sealed in your luggage it should be no problem. Remember that flying with FPs is risky. The pen should be emptied and cleaned for total safety. If not, the change in air pressure when the plane climbs can cause the pen to spill ink all over your clothes.

[dimputhegreat]

yeah thanx udoober for timely reply to avoid leakage of fountain pens in airplane i either empty my FOUNTAIN PEN or fully load it with ink to avoid any leakage from planes compressed pressure.

[dimputhegreat]

thanx a tonn for your friendly advice and concern,hay by the way i'm also a pen turner,do you have or can you get BRIARWOOD RODS/BLANKS.1 INCH DIAMETER AND 20 INCH LONG FOR ME?? OR CAN ANYONE GUIDE ME I'M READY TO PAY.

BRIARWOOD IS USED IN MAKING SMOKING PIPES AND VERY GOOD FIRE RESISTANT MATERIAL.I ALREADY HAVE EBONITE,SO I'M LOOKING FOR BRIARWOOD.

THANX AND HAVE A NICE DAY.

[JackGuan]

"I suppose you can't see the ink, but I can"

who the fuck cares about you can? the purpose of the video is to show OTHERS. lol

Peace.

[udoober]

Yeah, sorry about that. It was an impromptu video and only while actually doing it did I realize that the lighting would make it difficult for the camera to pick up the ink going into the cartridge. The comment that offends you is meant to point out that the person who is doing it can see the ink, which is the important thing, even though the camera could not. The point of the video is to show the procedure. Follow the procedure and you'll see your ink flowing into your cartridge.

[vuur150]

Don't apoligise.. that guy just thinks he has to see everything and he should watch his mouth!, is it hard to mix ink? and is ink pricy? i got an old fountain pen and i might want to try it out with colouring. Nice video!

[catprince1015]

I dont necessarily mean you, but others seem to use really boring ink.

[udoober]

Hmm, my experience is quite different from yours. Outside of certain professions where only black or blue are acceptable, every FP owner I know uses colors, often has lots in their closet. I only have 18 different colors. The average is around 80 different kinds of ink.  There are over 500 to choose from. You might check out this web site: fountainpennetwork [dot] com. Join in and ask 20,000 fountain pen users the same question. I hope to see you there.

[catprince1015]

I have a question, please note im not judging anybody and your vid is cool, but why do people always use black ink for writing instead of all the beutiful colors?

[udoober]

They don't. If you take a look at the video you'll see I am loading the pen with Glacier Blue, an extra fast drying bulletproof ink made by Noodlers, very good for southpaws. Right now I have no black loaded in any of my pens. The other two I am using right now contain Noodlers Fox Red and Noodlers Red/Black. Other colors I use are PR American Blue, a custom mix brown, and Apache Sunset.

[kanajlo]

@catprince1015

Two reasons:

a) My company says nothing but black ink is acceptable.

b) I like many things in basic black, including ink.

[udoober]

@kanajlo Black is traditional and always appropriate but there's no reason not to use colors in a fountain pen as long as the ink was designed for use in fountain pens. The only danger with colors is with certain old pens such as vulc. rubber pens and inks that contain red dye which can sometimes stain. Any pen made in the last 40 years will be fine.

[dadoody]

Awesome post man!

I want to use good ink that lasts long/washproof like Noodlers, but I'm afraid of the mess from converters (I think I have poor converters). Was sitting here @ working thinking "Why can't I just refill the plastic cartriages with that syringe I got for the ink jet refill?" And here you are. 1st link that comes up on google. Awesome info. Thanks.

[udoober]

I'm glad it was of assistance. And you already have the tools you need. All my converters are in the pen parts box. Another reason I use carts is they hold a lot more ink than a converter. On a busy day I can empty a converter in less than a day and I'm not going to run around with a bottle of ink.

[ratanx]

How exactly do you get empty cartridges? Just drain the one that comes with the pen?

I have a Phileas and use a converter (Noodlers black and Legal Lapis) and the ink stops flowing, and to get the pen going again I have to twist the converter down. Would using cartridges fix this problem?

I love Noodlers, but wish they'd sell their ink in cartridges as well.

[udoober]

Just use up some cartridges or pop them and suck out the ink with the syringe and discard it. Rinse it out well with water (using the syringe) and you're ready to go.

Your problem is precisely why I use refilled carts and not converters. Converters are small diameter and have a shiny inside surface. Noodlers inks are high adhesion which is great in the pen put it sticks to the sides of the converter. That's your problem. The plastic used for carts is different and the ink doesn't stick.

[ratanx]

Thanks for the tip. I found an 8 pack of Waterman carts on eBay for about 1/2 of what they cost in store around here. Also, found the syringes for cheap as well. I'll report back when they arrive.

[CanItAlready]

I had a salesman at a car dealership once ask me about fountain pen filling mechanisms after he noticed I was writing with a fountain pen. I gave him brief descriptions of a few, but I didn't get into refilling the cartridges of cartridge pens. He seemed surprised enough as it was that anyone was still making & using these things. :) Never occurred to me to tell him to search YouTube for "fountain pen".

[Northcoll123]

hii, where would i find a needle? lol

[udoober]

In the comments farther down you'll find details on where to get the syringes and needles for ink.

[diagram22]

i'm interested in buying a fountain pen. i've never actually had one, so what fountain pen would you suggest as a good first pen?

[udoober]

I would recommend joining the Fountain Pen Network forum. There you will find the answers to every question and the answers to questions you have not yet asked. Enjoy! Since we can't post links here on YouTube just Google for Fountain Pen Network.

[randomrazr]

,y waterman phileas pen came witha reusable carteridge that u twist it and it sucks ink up lol

[udoober]

Yes, you are describing what's called a converter. The Phileas usually comes with one. One problem with a converter is small capacity. I can empty one in one sitting. And there are other problems with the ink getting stuck inside the narrow tube of a converter due to capillary action and adhesion. I stopped using my converters and use refilled carts but use whatever works best for you.

[randomrazr]

does it make a real difference on what ink youuse for a fountain pen, watermna says "use only waterman inks"mlol

do you have any experience with the fountain pens that ahve flexiable nibs to make u write liek caligrapher lol

[udoober]

Manufacturers like to scare you about inks. You can use all modern inks without any worry. Just don't use iron gall inks with formulas from 100 years ago or more. Those will corrode parts of the pen. And never ever ever use India ink. India ink contains solids that will clog the pen badly.

[Xponoc]

good idea

[lolo2556]

i would like to buy a syringe to refill my ink cartridges and i was wondering were you got yours

[udoober]

They should be commonly available and inexpensive on eBay. Search for inkjet cartridge refill kits and search for the syringes by themselves. Office supply stores also carry them for refilling inkjet printer cartridges. I'd aim for a cost of around $3 per syringe/needle

[lolo2556]

thanks

[randomrazr]

waterman phileas fountain pen blue marble..

very nice i have the green one, red was ot bright, blue was tooo...something but green i was hapy wit ol

u liek usuing it?

[ti84731]

Thank you very much =D

[ti84731]

I have a question about changing colors on fountain pens.

I use a Pilot Prera (Japanese pen, fine nib), and want to use different colors besides black. It uses cartridges, and I just throw those away when empty.

So my question is this: When you're going to change colors, do you just put in the new cartridge, or do you wash out the pen before you do so?

And if you need to wash the pen, how would you go about doing that?

Thanks, in advance!

[DLee594]

wash. Take out the nib, and run water through it until it runs clear, and put a peice of paper towel in the nib, and wrap the rest of the nib tightly with paper towel. Wait a few hours, then take it out and let it air dry for 30 minutes, put in your new color. A lot of work, but you don't want water ink do you? haha.

[ti84731]

When you say "take out the nib", do you mean to unscrew the writing section from the barrel?

[udoober]

Unscrew the section with attached nib from the barrel, just like for changing cartridges, and stop. Don't pull the nib out of the section! And rinse the section and nib together at once.

[udoober]

Yes, I do what DLee does, more or less. Rinse the nib, sometimes use a rubber bulb to force water through the section, then wrap in several layers of paper towel and shake like a fever thermometer. This step always produces color. Then I rinse again and shake again until there is almost no color from the nib.

Some people just switch and let the inks mix in crazy colors but I don't care for that and you risk having two kinds of ink reacting with each other to make sediments.

[01Elvis01]

Now i have a reason for keeping the loads of empty cartridges...good idea

[boredtaco]

where could i buy a fountain pen? (besides ebay, of course.)

it seems like a stupid question but these pens are not exactly sold at wal-mart! what about a place like hobby lobby?

[udoober]

Oh, there are lots of places that carry them. Office supply stores, for one. The are plenty of B&M stores that specialize such as Fountain Pen Hospital, Pendemonium, Pen Lovers Paradise. BUT before you buy anything I would join the forum at Fountain Pen Network, look around, read, and ask questions. Fountain pens are wonderful writing instruments that give great pleasure. Just Google for the places I named above.

[DLee594]

Pen lovers paradise. I actually go to thier shop, and the owner is awesome. She is amazing, and knows hey stuff, it you have a defect, or a question, just go right to her, and she won't hesitate to help. She will do every thing except give you a 1.5 thousand dollar dupont (spelling) pen for free!

[altosax1st]

Very cool idea. I have never thought of using a needle to refill an ink cartridge. I always use another ink pen with one of those squeese tube things and a thin nibe to refill the cartridge. Anyhow, it is better than buying another pack of cartridges. Thanks for posting.

[udoober]

Another alto player. Cool. ;) Yes, I wish I had known of or thought of refilling carts 35 years ago when I was a poor college kid. It's very easy, clean, and quick. I have not yet had a cartridge wear out. Plus, this method lets you easily get the last drop of ink from the bottle. Thanks for the comment!

[kittycatgirl200]

I just got a new fountain pen and I have tons of ink bottles. Very good instructions, I'll try the method out. Thank you.

[udoober]

Cool. Thank you. If you are new to fountain pens, I'd recommend checking out The Fountain Pen Network, fountainpennetwork[dot]com. If you have any questions whatsoever, you'll find the answers there.

[BirdValiant]

Yay a fountain pen video! :)

[udoober]

Haha. I'm glad you like it, and thanks for the rating!

[informant007]

Nicely done, clear and basic. Where did you get the blunt tip? I have a standard medical syringe with a sharp tip and it always bothers me a bit using it. I imagine I could just hack the end off and then file it down. Is that what you did or did you find a source for a blunt tube?

[udoober]

Thanks! Needles are hard stainless steel so scoring it with a triangular jeweler's file and breaking it off would probably be the best way to convert it. Or grind it down. Mine is a standard needle that comes with many ink jet cartridge refill kits. You can also find these on eBay. Sometimes they appear for sale on Fountain Pen Network. I've been using the same one for years and have three brand new spares that I bought on FPN.

[udoober]

You're welcome. I hoped it would be of help to those curious about how it's done.

[sharonspens]

This video was exactly what I needed to see on this topic! I have lots of cartridges and lots of ink colors, but they don't always correspond. Now I can stretch my horizons and create the cartridge colors I want!

[udoober]

Oh yeah, you can have lots of fun. Refilling cartridges is THE way to go in my opinion. I also found that with Noodlers inks the flow is much better with a cartridge than with the Waterman converter.

[sharonspens]

Now, that is quite helpful. I just ordered my first two bottles of Noodlers Inks, so I am looking forward to testing them out!

[emiriefan]

Very helpful.  Thank you.