Converter Not Filling - Ink Flows Back Out

[spaceink]

I know that the easiest thing would be to get a new converter, but am curious about what exactly is wrong with it and if there's an easy fix, as I'm a tinkerer.

 

The symptoms: A international piston converter with no apparent cracks fills up when attached to a pen section nipple but quickly loses ink, which flows back out through the nib. If the converter is not attached to the nipple and on its own outside the pen, this doesn't happen and the ink stays inside. Tried with several pens and the symptoms stay constant, so it's not a pen-specific issue.

 

What's the probable diagnosis?

Edited February 27, 2016 by spaceink

[jar]

air leak. No reasonable repair. Throw away and replace.

[Ron Z]

Replace the converter. It is possible that there is a small crack that you can not see, that opens up when the converter is pressed onto the piercing tube. I'm a tinkerer too (how do you think I got into this silly business???) but have found that it is rarely worth investing the time in trying to repair a converter.

[spaceink]

Just as Ron had diagnosed, there's definitely some kind of hairline crack near the lip of the converter. I know this because I just went over the converter opening lip with a coat of epoxy paint and now the converter is able to keep the water inside after it''s attached to a pen. Going to give it a few more coats of epoxy sealant and hopefully that will hold for some time.

 

Thanks!

Edited February 27, 2016 by spaceink