The plain - redleaf ball point pen with a preppy nib.

i got a ballpoint pen where its ink is used up and the body is basically useless, and i made it into a fountain pen which must be loaded from the back This is a real first and an engineering breakthrough at least for me. 

The pen fully loaded.

The tutorial to make this pen at your own home for gifts or self entertainment will be released in a short while.

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The Tutorial (updated : 24Sep2015)

First the parts:you need

1) redleaf ballpoint pen body,

 

 2) a Preppy nib taken out of a platinum preppy fountain pen

Time for the assembly:

 1) remove the front of the pen body as such: 

2) make the hole bigger by either using a file or a screw driver to bore it a little. The diameter will be slightly bigger than than of the biggest part of the preppy nib only. It can be a little smaller since the nib will be friction fit, but that might scratch the nib unit or deform it a little. The key is to file a little and test with the nib, and continue further. What you are looking for is a "just-right" diameter. A diameter where you can friction-fit in quite easily, not force in. A diameter where it is not so large that the nib is able to rotate easily.

3) grease this end nicely.

4) insert in the nib. Greasing isn't really required, but can be done if you want.

That's all!

Now, to load (and reload) the pen. 

1)first, you need this syringe. it has to be a long needle syringe as the pen inner body is thin and the ink can be stuck halfway. This syringe is easily available from daiso.

2) load the syringe with your ink.

3) now, you can do it either in this 2 ways: 

a) load from the rear of the pen like so. this method will work if the pen is dry (or totally dried of ink) and you need to load rather quickly. note that the ink will be stuck way before the feed; don't worry. just fill it up. there is a component that will solve the problem.

b) load from the front with the nib out. this requires extraction of the nib. just pull it out, insert the syringe and load in the ink.

4) now, the special component. you need this long strip of heavy material to break the surface tension inside the pen. some people don't like metallic; i don't really think it matters. this is a piece of steel cut to 9 cm in length.

5) insert into the body of the pen. the ink will move along this component when it is nib up or nib down. now, either insert the nib or close the back of the pen, whichever is the way you took.

 And now, you have a fully loaded ballpoint pen with a fountain pen nib!

Doesn't the body looks nice? haha

Important disclaimer:

1) Proceed with caution! Ink can spill if you are not careful!

2) The cap of this pen isn't fully protecting the nib. Do not drop the capped pen with the cap down.

3) This is not the engineering for the Simplist model. That pen is much more complicated. Simplist cannot use the special component used in this pen. This component will instead cause the Simplist model not to write properly.

A.G. Spalding & Bros BRFT220 Fountain Pen - Medium Nib - Maple Wood - Beige Body

Another pen which I have decided to retire. It is an interesting pen. Writes smooth and is a Japanese medium, but the grip is what I will say the pen dictates me. Without posting, my fingers grip the metal piece and cause fatigue. With posting, I will grip the wood piece for balance and that actually helps me to write longer.

Customized fountain pen converters

a list of self made converters for a couple of "unique" pens

CFPC1 - supposed to mimick standard cartridge converter when i could not get one.
description : combined with a cut standard cartridge and a plastic rubber material backend. As shown, it works as a converter with a huge tank.

 

  
field test on a franklin covey fountain pen

CFPC2 - supposed to mimick standard cartridge converter when i could not get one.
description : combined with a cut standard cartridge and a plastic rubber material backend. As shown, it works as a converter with a even bigger tank.

 field test on a franklin covey fountain pen

CFPC3
objective: sheaffear VFP3 uses a standard cartridge, and no more. not willing to buy a "Kaweco Squeeze Fountain Pen Converter for Sport Series", which may or not work, CFPC3 was drafted at the drawing board. it is supposed to work as a squeeze fountain pen but is supposed to be more durable.
description: the front of the converter. it does not come from a cut standard converter but is a plastic rubber material.

CFPC3 is born.

 

 the rubber area

 

lab test for leakages

sheaffear VFP3 original cartridge

sheaffear VFP3 with CFPC3. it fits into the body as well!

CFPC4

 

 con20 pilot and adding a platinum cartridge front plug turned backwards, and lastly a standard converter itself, the combination is of the right diameter and shorter.

the cross century II slim. doesn't come with a converter. Make one.

Using a pilot cartridge (or converter) in a platinum.

 

So, you have a preppy. Nice. But that converter is halfway across the hall and you are too lazy to pick it up, and the cartridge is kidnapped by the aliens who couldn't find it on their planet either. Besides, zombies are walking outside. what's next?

It's not the end of the world. uhm, maybe, but who cares? your pen needs ink, case close.

 so, what you need is, a pilot cartridge(or converter) and a self-retractable ballpoint pen.  Do note that the converter is only used as a cartridge in this hack.

You don't need the pen, you need that springe !

put in the cartridge,with the springe behind. the pilot cartridge will not fit if it is just used as such, but that springe will force it in place and prevent leakages.

steps: 1) drop spring in, 2) put filled cartridge into the body, 3) slowly screw the pen body with the nib in with the cartridge positioned properly.

Parker Jotter and Parker Vector

Ok, a 2 minute for your information stuff. What is the difference between a parker vector and a parker jotter? other than the pen body and shape difference, nothing!

The breakdown and the layout....

The same nib....


and the same feed....

a standard ink cartridge - a new twist

there is an age old question, how can i refill my standard ink cartridge and reseal it back just it like came out of the factory?

over the years, a couple of solutions appeared, from super glue, to hot glue, blue tack, plasticine, scotch tape or plainly, forget it.

in comes the most unforseenable hero, one which i had by purely only grace and mercy from the LORD that i could have observed, the daiso ink cartridge.

granted, the daiso pen is famous enough. it cheap, it is smooth, it is good and it looks like and is a fountain pen. but every one though very lightly of the cartridge. even me.

however, this cartridge could be one of the few rare cartridges that can be totally dismantled and assembled back again. this means, you can take the ball out, seal it from the inside, add ink and seal the back again. all without any external aids to keep them in place.

this is getting naggy, so just according to the number for the instructions to do so. and enjoy! :)

 1) ah, the famous daiso pen...



2) but did you realise that the cartridge is even more fascinating? on your left is the standard boring cartridge, on your right, the daiso cartridge. notice anything different?
 

3) now do you observe something? no?
 

4) how about this....
 

5) this cannot be any more clearer....
 

6) now, to fully dismantle the cartridge, this tool is very important. just insert and push.
 

7) or, a pen knife will also do the trick by inserting it in from the rear break lines and push. but i don't really like this method.
 

8) to assemble, put the ball in again, and push it in until you feel a click. that click is important, it means it is seal. pour your ink into the rear, then cap it back. 1 new cartridge reporting for duty. with your choice of ink. how about putting stormy grey into it? 
 
9) now, the special tool in question, it comes from a standard staple. see the part that supports the string ? the metal rod came from there.

So, what can you do with this? How about filling it with your favourite jherbin ink, carry it on airplane and fly around the world without a care for bottles or leakages or even losing the cartridge?

 Or keep your ink samples as such? :)


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(update : 29/Jul/17)

daiso has changed their fountain pen and their ink cartridge, and it is with a heavy heart that i announce that the sealing is no longer possible. it can still be disassemble, but the ball can no longer keep the ink behind when you seal it from the back. in theory, you can still seal it from the front, but that leakage also means that any shaking can force the ink out from the front again.

to differentiate, look at the length of the neck. the longer one is the new version which cannot seal.

       

pilot petit1 - RM (Real Mode) Version 1.0

Converted the SD (super deformed) version of petit1 to a full fountain pen. able to take a converter and is a full demostrator(or clear version). Of course she comes with a character and is represented in pink. ;)