Rollerballs that run on Fountain Pen ink

[Shannon]

I just couldn't resist a new toy. I've just ordered one of the J. Herbin pens from Pendemonium. I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[domino]

ha ha ha a cat with a mouse hat. priceless....

[RLTodd]

Isn't there a Kaweco Sport that's an ink roller? It's a tiny fraction of the price of the Mega Ball but the technology is said to be almost identical. I think it's available as an ED fill at Pendemounium.

 

I think the Kaweco ink roller modified to an ED is a Tardfiff mod sold by Swisher.

 

I have one of the regular cartridge fill Kaweco ink rollers and I like it. I don't care for the YAFA ink roller I also have as it tends to dry up and be a general pain to get started again. YMMV

[Tricia]

I think the Kaweco ink roller modified to an ED is a Tardfiff mod sold by Swisher.

 

I have one of these and, so far at least (two years?), it's been very reliable. Holds a ton of ink and doesn't skip. It does, however, squeak as I write with it, almost the sound a steel nib makes but not quite.

 

I also have the Monteverde (in burgundy) and so far it's been as others have said, less than wonderful. <_< I'm going to try other inks in it and see if that can fix the problem.

 

 

[jsonewald]

I just spotted a Yafa roller ball that takes international size cartridges at Office Depot. It was $9.99, and came with an assortment of color cartridges.

[RLTodd]

I just spotted a Yafa roller ball that takes international size cartridges at Office Depot. It was $9.99, and came with an assortment of color cartridges.

 

Yes, that is where I got mine. I am not impressed with the ink cartridges either. YMMV

 

[inkysmudges]

... It does, however, squeak as I write with it ....

 

Has it always done that? I ask because I've heard that that's the classic indicator of a worn out rollerball.

 

[Tricia]

... It does, however, squeak as I write with it ....

 

Has it always done that? I ask because I've heard that that's the classic indicator of a worn out rollerball.

 

Yes, it's squeaked from the moment I received it and put ink in it. (It isn't obnoxiously loud or anything. Like I said, it's close to what a steel nib sounds like (at least ime.) It still writes like a dream, though, so I'll keep using it.

 

I just remembered that I also have a rollerball that uses fountain pen ink from Levengers. It's from several years ago. Haven't used it in quite a while, but that's because others bumped it out of use, not because of anything intrinsically wrong with it. It, like the Monteverde, came with extra points, but I never had trouble with the first one so I didn't switch it out. It only took carts, but it might take one of the generic converters I have around here. Maybe I'll break it out and see.

 

 

[Tricia]

I wanted to add a question:

 

Has anyone tried using Noodler's Eel ink in a rollerball? I'm wondering if the Monteverde would improve with that.

 

 

[inkysmudges]

Has anyone tried using Noodler's Eel ink in a rollerball? I'm wondering if the Monteverde would improve with that.

 

It's my understanding that one of the senior people here -- sorry, can't remember who just now -- has recommended exactly that for DIY rollerball fills in general.

 

[Tricia]

Has anyone tried using Noodler's Eel ink in a rollerball? I'm wondering if the Monteverde would improve with that.

 

It's my understanding that one of the senior people here -- sorry, can't remember who just now -- has recommended exactly that for DIY rollerball fills in general.

 

Excellent, Inky! Merci. My Noodler's eel (black) is already on its way to me. First up: that pesky skipping Monteverde.

[gregoron]

I have the Kaweco Eyedropper Rollerball modified by Nathan Tardif from swisherpens.com. I use Noodler's Legal Lapis Bullet-proof ink in it. It holds a lot of ink, doesn't leak, and writes like a fountain pen.

 

There's a trick to this pen. You write it angled between 15 to 45% just like a fountain pen to avoid the squeaking sound some users have experienced. It also writes smoother without putting too much downward pressure on it. Basically, think of it as a fountain pen rather than a rollerball with the exception of NOT having to recap it all the time when not in use. The best of both worlds!

Edited September 4, 2007 by gregoron

[Anne-Sophie]

I have 2 Herbin Inkrollers and 3 Daniel Hechter Rollink as well. I use both type of instruments with scratch paper and as backup in case my main fountain pen run out of erasable blue ink when i have lots of notes to write.

 

I use the inkrollers because I do not like the disposability of the rollerballs refills, they don't last very long and... I can load my Herbins and Hechters with erasable ink.

 

 

I got extra roller sections for the Hechters, those pen are discontinued and can only be found in some Canadian online stores.

 

 

I have always wanted both Borghini Ink O Spheres and Pelikan rollers, if I am not mistaken Borghini sells extra sections but I am not sure.

 

Herbin, Pelikan and Borghini rollers are plastic and Borghini has one higher end Ink O Sphere model that is metal.

http://www.tryphon.it/pens/borghini/catalogo.htm

 

Hechter rollers are beautifully painted metal pens.

One of them, in teal was a mainstay in my purse for many many years and it stayed in the pen slot next to a pencil without even a scratch.

It took a former landlord landing a glass lamp on top of it to make deep gash on the metal, I get really agitated every time I see that pen which is not good for my blood pressure.

 

So now my beautiful deep blue rollink is in permanent rotation at home.

 

 

A tough plastic Herbin roller with dark blue transparent cap head is being transported along a Lamy Vista and a Pelikan ink eradicator in my purse's pen slot.

 

 

On an amusing note, I held the big mega ink ball once and it was so heavy it almost fell off my fingers luckily, the dealer held his hand under mine. I jokingly asked if it wasn't a device to give strength to our finger's muscles as it is so heavy.

[gregoron]

By the way, as of today, I've compiled a list of rollerball pens using fountain pen ink cartridges or bottled ink including those already mentioned in this thread:

 

1. Kaweco Ice Roller from Pendemonium.com, or Kaweco Eyedropper Rollerball (Ice Roller modified by Nathan Tardif) from Swisherpens.com

2. Kaweco Rollerball that takes cartridges or converters from Pendemonium or Swisherpens

3. Monteverde (Yafa) Mega Ink Ball from various websites.

4. Borghini Ink-O-Sphere models (in limited supply at Parkvillepen.com)

5. Daniel Hechter Rollink now only available online from Australia at Justwrite.com.au

6. Yafa Cartridge Rollerball similar to Borghini from various stores and websites.

7. Pelikan Roller from Pendemonium

8. J. Herbin Stylo-Roller from Pendemonium

9. Lyra Calypso Rollerballs (2 models) from Pensations.com

10. Schneider Cartridge Rollerballs (2 models) from Passion4pens.com

 

Please feel free to add more to the list or give a review of these pens.

 

Also, check out this comparison of some of these pens at: http://listarchive.consultech.net/ZossPens/index.cgi?0::9318

Edited September 5, 2007 by gregoron

[funzoneplanet]

Rollerballs that use fountain pen ink. I'm not quite sure if I like the cross breeding.

[Possum Hill]

By the way, as of today, I've compiled a list of rollerball pens using fountain pen ink cartridges or bottled ink including those already mentioned in this thread:

 

1. Kaweco Ice Roller from Pendemonium.com, or Kaweco Eyedropper Rollerball (Ice Roller modified by Nathan Tardif) from Swisherpens.com

2. Kaweco Rollerball that takes cartridges or converters from Pendemonium or Swisherpens

3. Monteverde (Yafa) Mega Ink Ball from various websites.

4. Borghini Ink-O-Sphere models (in limited supply at Parkvillepen.com)

5. Daniel Hechter Rollink now only available online from Australia at Justwrite.com.au

6. Yafa Cartridge Rollerball similar to Borghini from various stores and websites.

7. Pelikan Roller from Pendemonium

8. J. Herbin Stylo-Roller from Pendemonium

9. Lyra Calypso Rollerballs (2 models) from Pensations.com

10. Schneider Cartridge Rollerballs (2 models) from Passion4pens.com

 

Please feel free to add more to the list or give a review of these pens.

 

Also, check out this comparison of some of these pens at: http://listarchive.consultech.net/ZossPens/index.cgi?0::9318

 

The Pilot V-Ball disposable rollerball can be refilled like the Pilot Varsity FP; see here.

 

I slip a very short piece of fuel hose over the conical point and grab it with a slip-joint pliers to pull the feed out. The barrel unscrews from the section-ink chamber; it should be removed before pulling the feed or you may pull the barrel straight off the section threads.

 

The pens with bold points lay down a lot of ink; the extra fine points are dryer but still write nicely.

 

The normal ink charge for these pens appears to be about the amount you'd find in two short international cartridges.

[gregoron]

By the way, as of today, I've compiled a list of rollerball pens using fountain pen ink cartridges or bottled ink including those already mentioned in this thread:

 

1. Kaweco Ice Roller from Pendemonium.com, or Kaweco Eyedropper Rollerball (Ice Roller modified by Nathan Tardif) from Swisherpens.com

2. Kaweco Rollerball that takes cartridges or converters from Pendemonium or Swisherpens

3. Monteverde (Yafa) Mega Ink Ball from various websites.

4. Borghini Ink-O-Sphere models (in limited supply at Parkvillepen.com)

5. Daniel Hechter Rollink now only available online from Australia at Justwrite.com.au

6. Yafa Cartridge Rollerball similar to Borghini from various stores and websites.

7. Pelikan Roller from Pendemonium

8. J. Herbin Stylo-Roller from Pendemonium

9. Lyra Calypso Rollerballs (2 models) from Pensations.com

10. Schneider Cartridge Rollerballs (2 models) from Passion4pens.com

 

Please feel free to add more to the list or give a review of these pens.

 

Also, check out this comparison of some of these pens at: http://listarchive.consultech.net/ZossPens/index.cgi?0::9318

 

The Pilot V-Ball disposable rollerball can be refilled like the Pilot Varsity FP; see here.

 

I slip a very short piece of fuel hose over the conical point and grab it with a slip-joint pliers to pull the feed out. The barrel unscrews from the section-ink chamber; it should be removed before pulling the feed or you may pull the barrel straight off the section threads.

 

The pens with bold points lay down a lot of ink; the extra fine points are dryer but still write nicely.

 

The normal ink charge for these pens appears to be about the amount you'd find in two short international cartridges.

 

Thanks for this info. After learning from another FPN member, most rollerball refills that have caps at the end can be refilled with fountain pen ink. I've filled Lamy and Retro51 refills with Noodler's and Cross/Pelikan inks. Both these refills have some sort of sponge inside that soaks up the ink. I just leave them there. They tend to be one step broader than they were before. They also write better at an angle similar to fountain pens. Another nice thing is that you could mix ink with these refills using eyedroppers.

 

[Tricia]

Gregoron,

 

Nice list! Are you only listing currently-available rollerball/fpn ink pens? If you're also listing ones no longer available new, then I'd add in the Levenger pen. I think it was called a Versicolor Roll(er) Ball (that's what's on the extra box of tips that I have).

 

I've never tried refilling an actual roller ball refill. Intriguing idea.

[fonion]

I saw this thread and decided to give a go at putting fountain pen ink into a rollerball cartridge.

 

Mission Accomplished!

 

If anybody out there is using the wonderful LAMY SWIFT rollerball or any other LAMY pen that uses the M66 cartridge, be informed that you can save a boatload of money by refilling the M66 with Noodler's American Eel ink. The M66 always starts out amazing but degrades really quickly. With a constant source of ink, it always writes like its brand new. Awesome!

 

1) Remove cartridge from pen

2) Pull black cap off of the end of the cartridge with pliers or teeth (watch out for ink on lips!)

3) Use a syringe and small needle to transfer ink from the bottle to the cartridge sponge.

 

I don't know what the capacity of the M66 cartridge is, so I have been conservative about how much ink to put in. Once the writing becomes scratchy and I have to increase pressure to get a clean start on my S's, I put in about 0.3ml of ink. This amount lasts for a few days (I'm a medical student who writes quite a bit).

 

Things to keep in mind:

1) I've only tried Noodler's Eel Black. I don't know how the other colors will work but I'm planning on trying it out.

2) I figure that, sooner or later, all this writing will simply wear out the rollerball mechanism itself. I don't know when this will happen but I'm keeping my eye out for it.

3) No problems w/ drying time. Eel doesn't dry instantaneously like the LAMY ink but it's almost as fast.

4) I think the line is a very small bit thicker with the Eel ink than with the LAMY ink. Still, I write small and I'm completely happy.

 

Finally: WHY? Because I'm too young and broke to be rocking out a fountain pen. Anyway, I like rollerballs.

 

Good luck!

[juhtolv]

Was doing a little research into this topic and found a few more brands that might be of interest:

(Clip)

Anyone know of others?

 

Herlitz Tornado.