Store Converter Inked?

[Dagini]

I am new to the fountain pen world and was wondering if its safe (wont leak) to fill and store a converter for future use. I will not be soring the converter any longer than 3 days thus the ink will not dry. As I am new I have limited resources and do not have many cartridges nor own a travel safe ink holder/bottle.

Any suggestions are welcome and thanked!

[BookCat]

I'm fairly certain that the converter would be open at one end, meaning that the ink would spill out, leaving you with a horrid mess and no ink in the converter.

 

Probably better to store spare ink in a small vial, but those aren't always waterproof, so keep it upright.

[jar]

Asking for a mess.

[AG_ORD]

Definitely do not store ink in an unused convertor. The convertor is designed to take in ink and conversely, releasing ink to the feed. Try these vials from Goulet Pens: http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_Empty_Ink_Sample_Vials_p/gpc-inkvials.htm. They are inexpensive and you get enough of them in case you have a variety of inks.

 

I use them for travelling ink pots as well as decanting ink from larger bottles, (keeps impurities from migrating to the larger bottle of ink). I also keep a vial filled with pen cleaning flush so I don't have to tote around the larger bottle of cleaner.

 

Best of luck Dagini and enjoy the ride of exploring and discovering all things pen related!

[KBeezie]

Sample vials work best for storing small amounts of ink for future use or future filling. In fact I only fill from sample vials (or secondary ink wells) so that I never actually dip the pen or converter into the original ink bottle to avoid contamination. Usually with a new bottle, I take a syringe and fill up 1 or 2 sample vials, and then put the bottle away in it's original box in a cool dry place. That way ink only comes out, nothing goes back into the bottle.

 

In terms of 'storage' in general, like if for example you plan on storing the pen and don't plan to use it for months at a time, it's generally best to de-ink and give it a good cleaning before storing for that period of time. Nothing like stagnation to promote growth of mold and fungus y'know? (along with light, warmth and humidity)

[BookCat]

Forgot to say:

[ac12]

WHY would you load a converter then not use it for a few days?

Why not, load the converter when you need it. Then you are not storing a converter full of ink.

 

So there is something else that you need to tell us.

[KBeezie]

WHY would you load a converter then not use it for a few days?

Why not, load the converter when you need it. Then you are not storing a converter full of ink.

 

So there is something else that you need to tell us.

Probably doesn't want to have to refill in the middle of class or something. But if he wanted to attempt something like that, I would be filling a large international cartridge, and then glue-gunning the opening until needed (then just pop that off and insert). Since trying to pre-fill converters is just a waste of time if you're not going to use them in the proper way.

[lisadan]

Welcome to FPN.

As already said, converters are not designed to store ink outside a pen. If you're trying to save money, buy only a few cartridges for travel and backup, in case you run out of ink and don't have a bottle/ink well available. For everyday use, you can refill the pen from a bottle (or vial) using the converter. Alternatively, you may refill empty cartridges with a syringe, using the ink of your choice, instead of the limited ink options provided by the cartridges manufacturers. Filling from a bottle is much more economical than using cartridges on a regular basis.