How To Fit A Cartridge Converter Onto A Pentel Pocket Brush

[Avarias]

I'm sorry if this is old hat for most, but I just spent the past day looking for some more concrete information on this and came up short. So, I'm posting this in the hope that it'll help others who search online for the same info.

 

 

 

I love the Pentel Pocket Brush, but sadly they don't sell them in local shops in my area. Which means they don't sell the cartridges, either. When the brush hairs start to get iffy, I can wait the 2-3 days to get another one in the mail, but I don't want to wait around every time I run out of ink. ...Which is often, because of course brush pens just spit ink onto the page. On a good run I can empty a cartridge in 3-4 days.

 

So, what to do? Yes, you could refill the cartridges with an ink syringe, and that works fine, but I like converters because if you have flow issues, you can use the piston to your advantage. If you use this brush pen regularly and you want to use a converter with it, the following steps should get you all set up. DISCLAIMER: You're going to marry your cartridge converter to working with Pentel Pocket Brushes only. I can't stress that enough. This is now going to be your Pentel Pocket Brush converter, and while it should work mighty fine, it likely won't work with your Platinums after you do this. I can't take responsibility for what you do with this information. Anyway, onward.

 

1) Pop off the metal ring. This should be fairly straightforward. I tried twisting the thing off using pliers (and some leather lace to cushion the ring), but after that didn't work I just used the pliers to push the metal off the plastic barrel. Worked fine.

 

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q213/aletifer/IMG_3046.jpg

 

2) If you try to slip on the converter at this point, it's probably going to work, but just barely. I wanted a better fit, so I took out some 600 grit sandpaper—I got mine at an auto parts store—and slid the converter's plastic step across it a few times to shrink it down some. It didn't take long; just a few passes.

 

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q213/aletifer/IMG_3047.jpg

 

3) If you're lazy like me and just use your hands for sanding, the end of the converter might not be perfectly round. That's fine, but just make sure it fits snugly into the back of the pen. For an added precaution, and to get a better fit, I added a thin layer of silicone grease onto the converter before placing it onto the pen.

 

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q213/aletifer/IMG_3048.jpg

 

There you have it; you're good to go now.

 

Can I draw ink up from the bottle just like I would a fountain pen?

 

Yep, sure can. No reason you can't. ...Just be sure that brush tip is clean, though, or you might contaminate your colored ink.

 

What kind of ink can I use?

 

I use Noodler's Black, which is a pretty near identical in terms of ink properties. In my experience, Noodler's Black is slightly darker, and the drying time is a little longer, but that's it. It doesn't feather nearly as much as I thought it would with a brush pen, and I've had no issues with leaking or my brushes going stiff. (I DID have a problem with India Ink, however. It gummed up my bristles something awful, so if it were me, I'd steer clear of that stuff when using this pen.)

 

Follow these steps and you'll be drawing silly trees in no time. Drawn with a Pentel Pocket Brush, Noodler's Black and cheap copy paper from the office:

 

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q213/aletifer/IMG_3050.jpg

[Algester]

when I look at the Pentel Cartridge it reminds me of Sailor converters... not sure why

but this isnt the first time either

J.Herbin brush pen uses Platinum Cartridge and thats saying something...

Edited December 12, 2015 by Algester

[Aramchek]

Cool project! I'm not sure if I'll do it on mine though - I have both the Pentel and one from Pilot and I prefer the way the Pilot puts ink on paper better (just a matter of taste). I'm thinking about getting a Kuretake which I believe uses (unmodified) Platinum converters.

[Cyber6]

I'm sorry if this is old hat for most, but I just spent the past day looking for some more concrete information on this and came up short. So, I'm posting this in the hope that it'll help others who search online for the same info.

 

 

Thanks so much Avarias.. My artist-in-residence (my 16 years old daughter) is starting to use these brush pens for drawing and while she enjoys the pleasure of using them.. I started thinking of what kind of converter I need...

 

Thank you so much... the google search lead me to this post and my solution.

 

 

 

C.

[amberleadavis]

Which converter did you use? And thank you so much!

[HollyGolightly]

Which converter did you use? And thank you so much!

I believe it's a Platinum converter. He mentions not ever using it on one of your platinum pens after the modification.

 

I'm definitely interested in giving this a try!