Filling With Diamine 30 Ml

[skrutt]

I got some samples from Diamine ink today! 7 bottles a 30 ml. Want to try them out as soon as possible!

 

But how do you fill your pen? I mean, the bottle is pretty small, and put down the pen nib inside will be a bit difficult without spilling. I mean, I can get the nib down there, but I do not always have steady hands, and I dont want to spill anything.

 

So, do you have any tip on how to do it?

At the moment Im using a Lamy Safari, but Im soon will be waiting for a Waterman Phileas and a Expert from same brand.

[Alice L]

I put the bottle in a glass that is not much deeper than the bottle is tall. The glass keeps the bottle from tipping over and catches any spills. So far, no spills. For the smaller vial samplers, I use a shot glass. Hope this helps you enjoy all that new ink!

[GreenVelvet]

I got some samples from Diamine ink today! 7 bottles a 30 ml. Want to try them out as soon as possible!

 

But how do you fill your pen? I mean, the bottle is pretty small, and put down the pen nib inside will be a bit difficult without spilling. I mean, I can get the nib down there, but I do not always have steady hands, and I dont want to spill anything.

 

So, do you have any tip on how to do it?

At the moment Im using a Lamy Safari, but Im soon will be waiting for a Waterman Phileas and a Expert from same brand.

 

I don't have super-steady hands, but I haven't had any problems. As with all my fills, though, I put the bottle on a plate in case it DOES spill, so that I don't stain the counter. I tend to have smaller, thinner pens; I can see how filling from one of these bottles would be really tough with a fat pen. I do find it easier to remove the converter and fill the converter, just because it's lighter, rather than through the nib of the pen. You should be able to do that with your Safari and the Watermans.

[ehebert]

I love that Diamine sells small samples of ink, but I hate those bottles! The only time I ever tipped over a whole bottle of ink was my sample of Steel Blue. I ended up pouring some of my samples into empty & more stable ink bottles. If your nib fits into the opening of the plastic sample bottle, but you're afraid of spilling it, try this technique: find a drinking glass or mug the is somewhat narrow, but very stable. Put the plastic bottle inside the glass and fill from there. If the mug/glass is narrow enough, the plastic bottle may tip up against the inside of the mug but not fall completely over.

[skrutt]

Thanks for your answers!

 

I will try later on today.

 

Oh, so you can fill the converter by itself? I wasnt sure... But if it is that easy, then it will be no problem!

[GreenVelvet]

Oh, so you can fill the converter by itself? I wasnt sure... But if it is that easy, then it will be no problem!

 

Yes - that's how I prefer to fill converter pens... seems less messy that way!

[Aunt Jill]

Perfect excuse to buy pretty little glasses in thrift shops, including shot glasses for ink vials. Must search for the exact right size at many shops. Both purchase and mileage are tax deductible as office supplies for self-employed moi.

 

—Jill

[anderl]

Oh, so you can fill the converter by itself? I wasnt sure... But if it is that easy, then it will be no problem!

 

Yes - that's how I prefer to fill converter pens... seems less messy that way!

Unless you let the converter slip .... last night, one of mine played U-boat in a nearly full bottle of Noodler's Red Black.

 

This and skrutt's post made me realise I'm walking a very thin line, filling as I have done so far on my couch table without safety net.

Am right now experimenting with polysterene left-overs (those they use to sell plants in); one can wedge the ink bottle into them, and they have a wider base than a glass, so should be harder to topple over. Not very elegant though.

[penspouse]

Baby food jars are the perfect size for holding the bottle steady.

[piembi]

Ever thought about getting a Snorkel?

 

My approach is: I am using a Parker 51 or a Snorkel for the first fillings. As soon as the ink level get's lower, the filling get's easier and I can fill one of the piston fillers, too. The last few fillings will be reserved for the P 51 and Snorkel, too

 

And I keep every Lamy, MB and Pelikan ink bottle to be refilled with my favourite inks like Visconti blue in the Van Gogh plastic refill bottle.

[adyf]

They're a pain for PFM's, the bottle neck is a little too narrow.

[orangos]

I put them in the little drawer of my wife's writing bureau, which I then close gently so the bottle is trapped front and back. It's easier to unscrew and reseal the lid without tipping the bottle, and I have both hands free, and elbows resting on the desk, for a nice steady fill. This way my 30ml bottles only dribble into the desk every now and then.

[amyx231]

can anyone give me a diameter of the opening though? and also, how good is the bottle, like no evaporation, cracking, etc?

[anderl]

can anyone give me a diameter of the opening though? and also, how good is the bottle, like no evaporation, cracking, etc?

The inner diameter of the neck is between 12 and 13 mm (ie half an inch) -- too narrow for oversize Sheaffer flat tops e.g., but fine for most normal size pens.

The plastic is sturdy but on the soft side, unlikely to crack, and the caps screw on very tightly.

[amyx231]

thanks for that info.

so, is the 30ml worth it, or should i get the 80ml for the glass bottle?

[amyx231]

im assuming you can fill with the bottle tipped a bit, but i did read the horror stories of ink spills....

[karinh]

I have a small heavy roll of fabric tape about an inch tall that the Diamine 30ml bottles fit perfectly in the hole in the middle of, so I stand the bottle in that while filling pens. So far so good. I actually don't have any piston pens that don't fit down the neck of the bottle while they are fairly full but it may be different when the bottles are emptier. I use a syringe to fill cartridges and converters - nice and clean. The weeny sample vials I stand in a smaller tape roll or just hold in one hand while operating the syringe with the other hand.

I always have a stack of rolls of various masking and other tape around for arty-crafty purposes so this was an easy solution for me. Not a very attractive one but it works.

 

Edited to add that I think the 30ml bottles are brilliant! Diamine have so many lovely colours and the 30ml bottles are fairly cheap and quite light to post airmail from the UK to other places. Plus, we (non-UK/EU?) don't have to pay the VAT. So you can try lots of colours if that's what you want.

Edited February 16, 2011 by karinh

[anderl]

thanks for that info.

so, is the 30ml worth it, or should i get the 80ml for the glass bottle?

Depends. If you spill a lot, the 30ml bottle might not last long ...

 

But seriously: spilling is a risk with many bottle designs, and one either has to brave it or find a clever fix like karinh's.

Personally, I like to switch between inks frequently and try out many different ones, and I'm not sure when I'll get through even a small Diamine bottle. In other words, they are the perfect size for me and excellent value for money.

[amyx231]

i meant, the bottle seems a bit flimsy, and the bottle opening is a mite small.

but i cant even conceive of using up the 80ml bottle.

so, is glass worth the less variety (1/2 as many colors)

[amyx231]

you know, i pm'd nordic pen imports here on FPN, no response yet. they're reliable, right? i wanna make sure my credit card is safe.