So, how about a cartridge/converter managing tool? This doesn't look too bad isn't it? Haha

unnamed stabilo fountain pen

Final design of the new lego pen. I decided to do away with the preppy nib because well, there are too many instances where i used the preppy nib successfully. not challenging. and actually it doesn't really look that good. the pen ended abruptly with the nib. I decided to use a parker 45 nib instead as the cylindrical shape ends more naturally. and also included the initial internal structure to hold the nib unit. This pen will most probably be a ED as it is translucent. But i can still change my mind later to let it be a CC type. technically, it isn't hard.  

let's see how this goes. It might be the last pen i make as life catches up with me. It shouldn't be hard to make it successful, as always. And oh, no name to this pen yet.

Fountain pen basics 101

26 Oct 2016 : I decided to start a page documenting some fountain pen engineering stuff which I found or is interesting. It is a growing entry, and it starts today.
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26 Oct 2016 :The best way to insert a standard international/china standard cartridge.

I made an observation when getting the pelikan 4001 ink to work with my j herbin clear/demonstrator pen. The pen is completely dried. After insertion, there was no ink flow. not even when
1) i place it nib down for a while
2) i squeeze the cartridge a little.

getting frustrated, i observed the drain from the cartridge to the nib. Firstly, when i place it nib down, there is still no ink flow.no ink movement from the cartridge to the feed. and being a demonstrator, i can see the drain very very clearly. dry. no ink flow. secondly, when i squeeze the cartridge, yes, there is a surge of ink from the cartridge to the feed and reaches the nib, but when i release, the ink get sucks back. even if i have remove the cartridge and reinsert the cartridge, same thing happens.

conclusion: both methods do not really work just like that.

solution: the way to actually insert a cartridge is actually a science. You insert a cartridge with the nib facing down. reason ? it allows the ink to sudden shoot out of the cartridge due to the sudden build up in pressure in the cartridge, which will land in the drain of the feed. inserting the cartridge upside down is safer at first glance, but doesn't help much for the ink to flow to the nib faster. This principle applies to even cartridges which have being punctured. So, if you have a pen with cartridge and had left it alone for quite some time, this method will help you to get the ink to the nib faster.

So, coming back. I removed the cartridge, turned its hole down. It will not leak since the hole is small. Then reinsert the cartridge into the pen with the nib down. The first time i tried this method, ink flowed into the drain immediately, but it still did not reach the nib. I repeated this process another time and the nib received the ink. So, squeezing isn't needed at all.

And the pen itself....:

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14 Nov 2015 : The importance of the feed

A little tutorial on the importance of a feed to the performance of the pen. These 2 online Germany nib looks similar in nib and feed shape, but on closer examination it isn't. Look at the extra slits given for the 0.8 nib and the sublte difference in the feed structure. While I will not go into the details itself, do note that the feed and nib are one. A nib will not write well without a good feed. So if you pen doesn't write well, work on the feed for ink flow too, and touch the nib only if the ink is really flowing to it. A scratchy nib can be due to bad ink flow that the nib being a problem.

 

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24 Nov 2015 : The Fins on the feed

Again, a little illustration on the importance of the fins on the feed, and how it isn't the end of the world if some are lost. This feed on a hero pen was damaged for, well, some purposes. Yet, with this amount of damage, this pen still writes well (even better to be exact) and doesn't leak. The threshold isn't reached yet for it to leak.

So folks, do not be too alarmed if some fins have turned left or right or has decided to leave. The pen can handle these problems. That's the magic of a fountain pen. :)

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2Apr 2016: External fins on the feed, is it important?

The nib and feed on the top belongs to diplomat, european made.
The nib and feed at the bottom belongs to pilot, japan made.

Do they both have external fins? No. This should be an open and shut case as to the need of the external fins in modern pens.

External fins were crucial in the times of eyedroppers, and is still important in eyedroppers/pistons/vacumatic to further prevent leakages, if it is well calculated and well made. Else, it is there for aesthetic purposes for the general public and used by experienced feed makers as identifiers for the feed. Those details, are for another day. :p

Pilot Cartridge resealing

For those who have kakunos or any pilot pens that use pilot cartridge, this is a simple knowledge.



 








For starters, i do not know if this is said before. I just found out by asking a lot of what-ifs and one question came with a beautiful answer.

For all cartridges, the common question is, "can i refill a cartridge AND seal it so that i can carry it around like new? "

For most cartridges, the answer is simply "yes, but you need modifications, and there is no guarantee it will not leak." this is especially true with standard cartridges. or the answer is, "hot glue the tip etc etc".

for pilot cartridges, the answer is quite simply "Yes". u need just the right tool. for me, a jinhao converter
works fine. any other rods with the right diameter should work.

Just follow the pictures....

So, fill it up with your favourite stormy grey and go crazy with a lot of cartridges on the go! :)


 
 

   








using the back of the jinhao converter or a wooded disposable chopstick, or whatever that round, even the back of another pilot cartridge or converter, slowly push the converter in. don't push into the end !

and no silicon grease...

Final result. In comparison with a factory fresh cartridge.

glass body fountain pen - version 2.0

First time it is meeting the public....

Version 2.0 - preppy nib!

and when i am bored.....

 

 Version 2.0.2 - parker 45 nib!

One glass body pen is enough to make heads turn or shake. Why stop at one? How about another one that takes one of the best nib, the Parker 45? Why not? Its working, that's all that matters. 

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my glass body version 2.0 pen, with a preppy nib, has gained unforeseen popularity, but in all honesty, its complexity in making it has caused failures in some fundamental situations which is entirely unnecessary. To fully address the issues, i have swap the operation to version 2.01, the version with a parker 45 nib. Which, by nature of being a parker 45, works beautifully. writes smoothly, no skipping, no burping, and was scoring full marks in the field. Not surprising, knowing that parker 45 is one of the best engineered pen. from nib to body.

anyway back to the preppy version. well, it was too complex. So with my right hand i grabbed tony stark (or iron man), and my left hand i gotten Hank Pym (or ant man) to chip in (you gotten to believe me!). Tony removed all the unnecessary items and tweaked that feed, wanted to throw in the smallest arc reactor he ever built until i said no. Hank though the agitator was too big and the music it made can be improved and shrunk the ball while maintaining its mass. and there we have it, version 2.0.1. a sleaker, more beautiful, and more efficient. They chipped in further by deciding on a good carrier case, because they are dangerous. So dangerous that phil and fury may feel uncomfortable too.

glass body fountain pen

Just some glass bodied fountain pens which i made back then.

 

This is a plastic one though....