Fountain Pen Filling Mechanism

[orion313]

Hello,

 

I don't know whether this subject as already been discussed here, but given that the filling mechanism of a fountain pen lends itself to the unique nature of a pen, I thought it is only appropriate to list out all those exotic mechanisms.

 

So here goes,

1. Dip pens or Quills
2. Eyedroppers
3. Piston Fillers
4. Crescent Fillers
5. Twist Fillers
6. Lever Fillers
7. Button Fillers
8. Vacuum Fillers
9. Touch Downs & Snorkels
10. Vacumatics
11. Aerometric Fillers
12. C/C

It would be nice, if someone with a more thorough knowledge can put the above and anything I missed in chronological order.

 

History shows that, the established Brand Names in the Writing Instruments Industry such as Waterman, Parker and Sheaffer, etc., having continuously innovated and introduced a variety of filling mechanisms, have ceased to do so with the advent of the so called Cartridge/Converter.

 

Meanwhile, manufacturers from the UK, Germany, Italy, Japan and even India (to name a few, Conway Stewart, MB, Pelikan, Montegrappa, Omas, Auroa, Delta Visconti, Tibaldi, Pilot/Namiki, Danitrio) while manufacturing C/C pens still manage to offer integrated filling mechanisms from basic eyedroppers to exotic two stage piston and vacuum fillers.

 

One may argue that, there is no improvement on perfection but the Cartridges and Converters (with the exception of Pilot CON-70) holds a lesser volume of ink compared to a piston filler for example.

 

So what ails the big brands?

 

Open to your thoughts........

 

Rajaii.

[brahmam]

Hello,

 

I don't know whether this subject as already been discussed here, but given that the filling mechanism of a fountain pen lends itself to the unique nature of a pen, I thought it is only appropriate to list out all those exotic mechanisms.

 

So here goes,

1. Dip pens or Quills
2. Eyedroppers
3. Piston Fillers
4. Crescent Fillers
5. Twist Fillers
6. Lever Fillers
7. Button Fillers
8. Vacuum Fillers
9. Touch Downs & Snorkels
10. Vacumatics
11. Aerometric Fillers
12. C/C

It would be nice, if someone with a more thorough knowledge can put the above and anything I missed in chronological order.

 

History shows that, the established Brand Names in the Writing Instruments Industry such as Waterman, Parker and Sheaffer, etc., having continuously innovated and introduced a variety of filling mechanisms, have ceased to do so with the advent of the so called Cartridge/Converter.

 

Meanwhile, manufacturers from the UK, Germany, Italy, Japan and even India (to name a few, Conway Stewart, MB, Pelikan, Montegrappa, Omas, Auroa, Delta Visconti, Tibaldi, Pilot/Namiki, Danitrio) while manufacturing C/C pens still manage to offer integrated filling mechanisms from basic eyedroppers to exotic two stage piston and vacuum fillers.

 

One may argue that, there is no improvement on perfection but the Cartridges and Converters (with the exception of Pilot CON-70) holds a lesser volume of ink compared to a piston filler for example.

 

So what ails the big brands?

 

Open to your thoughts........

 

Rajaii.

 

Rajayee, may be, a smaller piston quantity might force inking more often, thereby keeping the feed clean.

 

Rajaji, one other reason could be that a converter might be a bit cheaper than several other mechanisms. In the end, Rajathi, it is just a question of price-performance I believe, apart from standardization.

 

Warm regards,

Brahmam

[rhr]

Try this timeline of filling mechanisms. Or try this alphabetical list of filling mechanisms.

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[fountainbel]

Hi all,

A brand new filling mechanism will revealed shortly, my "fountainbel bulk filler"

I'll keep you posted !

Francis

[stuartk]

 

Rajaji, one other reason could be that a converter might be a bit cheaper than several other mechanisms. In the end, Rajathi, it is just a question of price-performance I believe, apart from standardization.

 

Ease of repair may well be a factor too. A failed sac or piston mechanism can now be swapped out in seconds, even by the end-user.

[stuartk]

A broad categorization of filling mechanisms:

 

 

You can open the ink reservoir and put ink in it using some external device.

 

You can reduce the volume of the reservoir to expel air and then increase the volume of the reservoir to create a vacuum to draw ink into the reservoir.

 

You can replace the reservoir with a new one containing ink.

 

You can draw ink into the reservoir via capillary action.

 

Does that cover everything?

[Inka]

Hi all,

A brand new filling mechanism will revealed shortly, my "fountainbel bulk filler"

I'll keep you posted !

Francis

Hello again, Sir "fountainbel!'!

A new filling system, you say, designed and built by you and a Bulk Filler?

Once again I am intrigued, as you've always amazed me with your talent for invention and your skills putting them together.

Looking forward to seeing what you'll come up with.

 

~Scott~

[fountainbel]

Hi all,

A brand new filling mechanism will revealed shortly, my "fountainbel bulk filler"

I'll keep you posted !

Francis

Hello again, Sir "fountainbel!'!

A new filling system, you say, designed and built by you and a Bulk Filler?

Once again I am intrigued, as you've always amazed me with your talent for invention and your skills putting them together.

Looking forward to seeing what you'll come up with.

 

~Scott~

 

Hi Scott, nice to have you on board again !

You can see several prototype versions of my new bulk filler in the following post :

http://www.fountainp...hr-bulk-filler/

The patent request are in the process now.

The pictures don't reveal the inyards of the pen and the filling mechanism yet, but I will show the full system within a month or so.

The filling system allows huge ink intakes at minimum length of the filling mechanism. ( 3 ml for a pen as long as a Pelikan 800 or MB146)

Knowing you're also a technical freak, I'm sure you will like it !

Francis

Edited April 14, 2011 by fountainbel

[Inka]

...Knowing you're also a technical freak, I'm sure you will like it !

Francis

Ah, you know me well!

It's that technical aspect I like the most, so much so that your first rendition still remains my favorite.

This pen, with the o-rings and machine knurling/ checkering, strikes me as an excellent technical achievement.

 

I've seen these pictures before, you had once told me to take a look.

I was wondering if this design lends itself to being serviced/ cleaned by the average person?

 

I like this pen as-is, having the looks of a pen that will not only function well as it should but one that appears to be more durable than many I've used...

 

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/fountainbel/Orangefountainbelfillercapoff1600x1200.jpg

 

While some of the design aspects of this orange HR pen and o-rings probably won't appeal to those that have several hundreds to spend on a pen, no precious resins and such, I like that it's not like all the other pens already out there now.

I like the extra machine work done, this has a more architectural quality about it, one exception being the clear ink-view window looking like a possible weak point along the barrel axis, it almost looks as if it could be dropped repeatedly [accidentally, of course] and just bounce back.

Like the CONID Pen "Making Of The Pen" video, where there's a clear demonstrator version being used to test/ demonstrate your Plunger-Fill system offered [@ 2:44 - 3:16 into the video], I'd wanted a basic clear version ever since first seeing that.

Hearing you'll be making clear demonstrators for the first-run sounds like a winning idea, since it will be showing off the inner workings of your new filler design [once patented] thus getting the word out better, and making the first run more affordable to more people.

[orion313]

Brahmam, maybe your point is right on the money and the big brand names are thinking only of the financial aspect. It is possible that other manufacturers who offer alternatives fillers, make both. C/C filler pens for profit and alternative filling mechanisms to improve their image in the industry.

 

Stuartk, I get the idea, C/C fillers are the industry standard.

 

George's list of filling mechanisms is quite exhaustive, I think we needn't look further for a reference on this matter. Thank you for your effort George. Shouldn't George's list be in a prominent place in the FPN?

 

Bravo Francis! I look forward to the "fountainbel bulk filler". Can't wait to see your new innovation, Won't you give us an hint as to what it would look like?

Rajaii.

[rhr]

Hi Francis,

 

I saw your bulk filler on PenCraftsmen first, and then here on FPN. It looks very nice in both the RHR and the clear demonstrator versions, although I don't like the external black o-rings on the filler knob of the RHR version. Are they really necessary? To balance the silver ring of the washer clip on the cap end, perhaps a single silver band on the filler knob would be more in order.

 

But to get back to the main topic of this thread, you seem to be implying that your "bulk filler" is such a "brand new filling mechanism" that it doesn't fit in to any existing list of filling mechanisms. I understand your choice of the word "bulk" because of its greater capacity, but is it really such a revolutionary, new mechanism that it deserves a totally new name? I understand the need for secrecy while you wait for the approval of your patent, but is there some word that you could you use in the meantime to describe the essential function of your unique filling mechanism, without giving away its specific construction details?

 

After all, the exploded views showing all the parts of the demo pen already exist elsewhere on this message board, in another message in another forum.

 

Sincerely,

 

George Kovalenko.

 

Edited April 15, 2011 by rhr

[fountainbel]

Hi Francis,

 

I saw your bulk filler on PenCraftsmen first, and then here on FPN. It looks very nice in both the RHR and the clear demonstrator versions, although I don't like the external black o-rings on the filler knob of the RHR version. Are they really necessary? To balance the silver ring of the washer clip on the cap end, perhaps a single silver band on the filler knob would be more in order.

 

But to get back to the main topic of this thread, you seem to be implying that your "bulk filler" is such a "brand new filling mechanism" that it doesn't fit in to any existing list of filling mechanisms. I understand your choice of the word "bulk" because of its greater capacity, but is it really such a revolutionary, new mechanism that it deserves a totally new name? I understand the need for secrecy while you wait for the approval of your patent, but is there some word that you could you use in the meantime to describe the essential function of your unique filling mechanism, without giving away its specific construction details?

 

After all, the exploded views showing all the parts of the demo pen already exist elsewhere on this message board, in another message in another forum.

 

Sincerely,

 

George Kovalenko.

 

 

Hi George,

The initial pictures of the demonstrator on Pencraftsmen were removed after 2 days, when I've decided to patent the system.

One could not see how the system works on these pictures , and in the meantime the system considerably evolved .

I will reveal the details off the filling system within a month or perhaps two months.

The black Orings on the RHR pen are in the meantime replaced by orange silicone Orings , which looks much better.

The Orings are installed to provide a soft posting pre-tension, deep in the cap ,behind the cap threads.

Note there are no Orings on the non posting version of the pens.

As for the name, I'll probably go for the "Fountainbel filler"

regards, Francis

Edited April 15, 2011 by fountainbel

[orion313]

George, Thank you for posting the link to Francis's Demo pen. The review was quite revealing.

 

Rajaii.

 

Hi Francis,

 

I saw your bulk filler on PenCraftsmen first, and then here on FPN. It looks very nice in both the RHR and the clear demonstrator versions, although I don't like the external black o-rings on the filler knob of the RHR version. Are they really necessary? To balance the silver ring of the washer clip on the cap end, perhaps a single silver band on the filler knob would be more in order.

 

But to get back to the main topic of this thread, you seem to be implying that your "bulk filler" is such a "brand new filling mechanism" that it doesn't fit in to any existing list of filling mechanisms. I understand your choice of the word "bulk" because of its greater capacity, but is it really such a revolutionary, new mechanism that it deserves a totally new name? I understand the need for secrecy while you wait for the approval of your patent, but is there some word that you could you use in the meantime to describe the essential function of your unique filling mechanism, without giving away its specific construction details?

 

After all, the exploded views showing all the parts of the demo pen already exist elsewhere on this message board, in another message in another forum.

 

Sincerely,

 

George Kovalenko.

 

[orion313]

Francis,

 

Having read Darren's review of the Initial demonstrator you fabricated, I have one question. With all those components, how much does the pen weigh?

 

Rajaii.

Hi Francis,

 

I saw your bulk filler on PenCraftsmen first, and then here on FPN. It looks very nice in both the RHR and the clear demonstrator versions, although I don't like the external black o-rings on the filler knob of the RHR version. Are they really necessary? To balance the silver ring of the washer clip on the cap end, perhaps a single silver band on the filler knob would be more in order.

 

But to get back to the main topic of this thread, you seem to be implying that your "bulk filler" is such a "brand new filling mechanism" that it doesn't fit in to any existing list of filling mechanisms. I understand your choice of the word "bulk" because of its greater capacity, but is it really such a revolutionary, new mechanism that it deserves a totally new name? I understand the need for secrecy while you wait for the approval of your patent, but is there some word that you could you use in the meantime to describe the essential function of your unique filling mechanism, without giving away its specific construction details?

 

After all, the exploded views showing all the parts of the demo pen already exist elsewhere on this message board, in another message in another forum.

 

Sincerely,

 

George Kovalenko.

 

 

Hi George,

The initial pictures of the demonstrator on Pencraftsmen were removed after 2 days, when I've decided to patent the system.

One could not see how the system works on these pictures , and in the meantime the system considerably evolved .

I will reveal the details off the filling system within a month or perhaps two months.

The black Orings on the RHR pen are in the meantime replaced by orange silicone Orings , which looks much better.

The Orings are installed to provide a soft posting pre-tension, deep in the cap ,behind the cap threads.

Note there are no Orings on the non posting version of the pens.

As for the name, I'll probably go for the "Fountainbel filler"

regards, Francis

[fountainbel]

Francis,

 

Having read Darren's review of the Initial demonstrator you fabricated, I have one question. With all those components, how much does the pen weigh?

 

Rajaii.

 

Hi Rajaii.

Weight of a 2.5ml fountainbel filler , completely filled and posted is 30 gramms, unposted 20 gramms

The HR and celluloid versions will weigh 5 gramms more

Francis

[sirksael]

Having seen Fountainbel's filling system in real life, I can confirm that the system is new and different, imho certainly deserving of a new category.

[tonybelding]

1. Dip pens or Quills
   
2. Eyedroppers
   
3. Piston Fillers
   
4. Crescent Fillers
   
5. Twist Fillers
   
6. Lever Fillers
   
7. Button Fillers
   
8. Vacuum Fillers
   
9. Touch Downs & Snorkels
   
10. Vacumatics
    
11. Aerometric Fillers
    
12. C/C

 

I don't know enough details to put everything in chronological order, but I'm sure you'd want to add:

 

• Plunger Filler (unless that's what you meant by Vacuum Filler??)
  
• Syringe Filler
  
• Bulb Filler
  
• Blow Filler
  
• Coin or Matchstick Filler
  
• Capillary Filler (i.e. Parker 61)
  
• Pelikan Level System
  

 

And probably at least a dozen others that I don't know about or can't think of right now.

[tonybelding]

I'll admit to intense curiosity about how the bulk filler works. I thought just about everything under the sun had already been tried sometime, somewhere, by somebody.

 

Weight of a 2.5ml fountainbel filler , completely filled and posted is 30 gramms, unposted 20 gramms

The HR and celluloid versions will weigh 5 gramms more

 

As a point of comparison. . . My Edison Glenmont bulb-filler holds 2.5 ml and weighs 23.3 g completely filled and posted, or 14.25 g unposted. It's a large-but-lightweight pen, which I rather like. (I did go through a phase of preferring heavy pens, though.)

[fountainbel]

I'll admit to intense curiosity about how the bulk filler works. I thought just about everything under the sun had already been tried sometime, somewhere, by somebody.

 

Weight of a 2.5ml fountainbel filler , completely filled and posted is 30 gramms, unposted 20 gramms

The HR and celluloid versions will weigh 5 gramms more

 

As a point of comparison. . . My Edison Glenmont bulb-filler holds 2.5 ml and weighs 23.3 g completely filled and posted, or 14.25 g unposted. It's a large-but-lightweight pen, which I rather like. (I did go through a phase of preferring heavy pens, though.)

 

Contrary to a bulb filler (were one only has a rubber pinching bulb and a breather tube) the filling mechanism adds weight.

The 5.75 g difference on the unposted pens being the result of the complete filling mechanism

Francis