Surface Tension Problem

[Cassotto]

I'll try to remember that "AW SH-T" I hope I'll never have to use it to describe anything related with my pens, though!

 

I have nothing to tell you about the results of flushing my pen, not yet. I'm averse to throwing things away when they can be used, so I want to use all the ink which is in the converter at present before attempting anything, and I've got so much work to do now, even at home, that I'm not writing anything at all. I don't really know whether it's a good idea to drop it again in the ink bottle (although I try to clean pen and converter very well when I change inks, I wonder whether some particles may remain there).

Edited April 19, 2016 by Cassotto

[John UK]

Did you solve this?

I have a Kaweco sport (brass) with a medium nib that suffers similarly with a converter - but is fine with cartridges. I'm using Parker Royal blue washable.

 

Squeeze the converter to re-prime - and its good for another half page or so. Better when less than half full, but since it's only a small converter - half filling is not a very practical solution.

 

I did give it a quick flush, but wonder if I was not thorough enough? I love the pen otherwise.

 

Royal blue washable works well in other pens.

[Cassotto]

I haven't, yet. I finished all the ink in the converter only last Wednesday, and then I found I had no ammonia at home (only a 2% scented version of it). I've gone shopping this morning, so now it's only a matter of sloth if I don't come back here soon with results (good or bad). I'll let you know what happens.

[Cassotto]

20 minutes later:

 

I've already flushed the pen (the Waterman and also a Jinhao 500 I received the other day, which has the same problem). I've filled a small contained with nine parts of water and one of ammonia, I've added a drop of liquid detergent, and I've flushed the converter, nib and feeder of each pen several times, filling and emptying them several times, then I've filled them again and left the solution inside for a couple of minutes, and then I've filled-emptied them a few more times. After that, I've rinsed them thoroughly with clean water, and now the pens are drying. Tomorrow I'll see whether they've improved.

[Cassotto]

No good results, I'm afraid. The ink is still stuck in one end of the converter (usually the wrong one). It hasn't worked in any of the two pens. What can I do now? Should I add -as someone suggested here- dishwashing liquid to my ink? I don't like this solution, since that would change all the ink in the bottle. Besides, I've read that the inks I use with these two pens (Waterman Absolute Brown and Montblanc Oyster Grey) aren't specially thick. So that shouldn't be the problem.

 

Should I look for a stainless steel ball? Or buy replacement converters? I do like the idea of screw converters like these two, but they don't seem to work for me, owing to this issue. The three Parker Vector converters I have work very well, but these two don't (and those are all the converters I've got, so two out of three models are malfunctioning. Not a good rate).

[jar]

Using your converter filled through the nib.

 

Fill eight ounces of water in a glass.

 

Add one drop of dishwashing detergent.

 

Fill converter from glass.

 

Rotate the pen and converter up and down until the air bubble moves freely. Do NOT shake the pen, simply gently rotate.

 

Empty the converter.

 

Fill with ink.

 

Enjoy.

[Cassotto]

 

Rotate the pen and converter up and down until the air bubble moves freely. Do NOT shake the pen, simply gently rotate.

 

 

I skipped this step. I'll try again and let you know what happens. Thanks!

[Cassotto]

Empty the converter.

 

Fill with ink.

 

 

One immediately after the other, or should I wait for it to dry before filling it?

[jar]

 

One immediately after the other, or should I wait for it to dry before filling it?

One right after the other.

 

You will be able to test it as soon as you fill it the same way, simply rotate the pen and watch the bubble travel.

 

The key is to avoid suds so literally one tiny drop of detergent into the water, not water poured over detergent. You want surfactant not foam.

[John UK]

I have flushed (again) as suggested, but doesn't seem much better - it at all.

 

What seems to happen is that when the sac is near full, the ink is 'written' out of the collector/feed and not replenished from the sac. If you squeeze some ink in from the sac, it then stays in the collector/feed until written out.

 

I think the problem is that the narrow junction of the mouth of the converter seems to act as a block (the ink moves within the sac, but doesn't feed through into the collector/feed.

 

Once less than half full, it seems much better - don't know why this should be (airlock?).

 

There are no similar problems when using cartridges (same Parker Royal Blue washable)

[Cassotto]

What seems to happen is that when the sac is near full, the ink is 'written' out of the collector/feed and not replenished from the sac. If you squeeze some ink in from the sac, it then stays in the collector/feed until written out.

 

 

This is exactly what happens with my pen, only in my case it's a piston converter, not a sac.

 

 

I think the problem is that the narrow junction of the mouth of the converter seems to act as a block (the ink moves within the sac, but doesn't feed through into the collector/feed.

 

But this is different. In my case, the ink doesn't move withing the converter, it's all stuck at the top.

 

 

I'm just finishing my last ink load, and then I'll wash it again. But I have a further question. According to jar, I must fill the converter with ink immediately after emptying it of the water/detergent mix. But then, won't detergent particles remain in the ink? If the problem were solved, wouldn't it be attributed to this? If it were so, I'd need to flush the pen every time I change ink, is it so?

[Bill Wood]

Well I do something different and it's worked for years. I take the converter apart and with a Q tip apply very sparingly silicone grease to the Q tip. Then I run the Q tip up and down the converter walls. Then re assemble the converter. Works like a charm. And I've tried beads, balls and coils. Try it and I think you'll like it.

[Cassotto]

Well I do something different and it's worked for years. I take the converter apart and with a Q tip apply very sparingly silicone grease to the Q tip. Then I run the Q tip up and down the converter walls. Then re assemble the converter. Works like a charm. And I've tried beads, balls and coils. Try it and I think you'll like it.

 

Do you do this each time you fill the converter, or only once when you first use it?

 

 

I've flushed again the pen and converter, and everything's still the same. When I use water with a bit of detergent, the bubble moves up and down nicely. But when I replace it with ink, it doesn't work. Immediately after filling the converter, I can see the bubble moving upwards and downwards as I tilt the pen and the ink slides. It does so less graciously than with water. And then, when I stop doing it and place the pen vertically for a couple of minutes, the ink gets all clogged at the end of the converter. I've even tried doing it with two different detergents.

 

This happens with the two inks I've tried so far with this pen, Montblanc Oyster Grey and Waterman Serenity Blue. I don't know whether they are very dense inks (they don't look so), but if I cannot use a Waterman pen with a Waterman converter and Waterman ink, what is there left? The only thing I haven't tried yet is using a cartridge, but since I do want to use the pen with a converter and different inks, knowing that the cartridge works well would be no consolation.

[jar]

 

Do you do this each time you fill the converter, or only once when you first use it?

 

 

I've flushed again the pen and converter, and everything's still the same. When I use water with a bit of detergent, the bubble moves up and down nicely. But when I replace it with ink, it doesn't work. Immediately after filling the converter, I can see the bubble moving upwards and downwards as I tilt the pen and the ink slides. It does so less graciously than with water. And then, when I stop doing it and place the pen vertically for a couple of minutes, the ink gets all clogged at the end of the converter. I've even tried doing it with two different detergents.

 

This happens with the two inks I've tried so far with this pen, Montblanc Oyster Grey and Waterman Serenity Blue. I don't know whether they are very dense inks (they don't look so), but if I cannot use a Waterman pen with a Waterman converter and Waterman ink, what is there left? The only thing I haven't tried yet is using a cartridge, but since I do want to use the pen with a converter and different inks, knowing that the cartridge works well would be no consolation.

Okay. Sounds like you may have a defective converter. If the problem really is still present there is one final thing to try and that is with cartridges. If it works with catridges then the problem is with that converter.

 

Now. On cartridges. Standard International cartridges fit in almost all my Waterman pens (not the CFs of course) and today the choices of inks available in cartridges is very wide. In addition, you can refill cartridges just as you would a converter by using a blunt needle syringe (readily available and I also often just use a transfer pipette).

 

Another option is simply to get a different converter but first try the cartridge to make sure the issue is with the converter.

[Cassotto]

Another option is simply to get a different converter but first try the cartridge to make sure the issue is with the converter.

 

I'll do it first thing, if only to be completely sure. I don't think it's a matter with the section, feed or nib, since the ink doesn't reach them (and when it does, because I push the piston downwards so as to flood all that area with ink, the pen writes all right).

 

So it's a good moment to remove that half-used cartridge I have in my pocket-pen-for-everyday-use, clean it (the ppfeu) and see how the Waterman performs with the cartridge. I'll keep you informed.

 

Thanks for all the help!

Edited May 18, 2016 by Cassotto

[Cassotto]

Confirmed: the cartridge has been there on my Waterman for two hours now, and the ink is flowing easily and smoothly. I'll see what happens tomorrow (although I'm sure what it'll be), and I'll give the pen a second opportunity by buying a new converter. If that fails, I'll have to decide whether to start using a syringe or to give the pen to someone else who only uses cartridges.

 

(I'm a bit wary of syringes -not only in the medical sense- because I'm very clumsy, and I dread adding another step to the filling process; as it is now, my hands get stained every time I fell the pen).

[John UK]

Update on mine; I have ordered a different type of converter (still made/sold by Kaweco but a piston rather then squeezable sac). The sac was filled on Monday - and needed 'coaxing' several times on Monday as the collector/feed ran dry from writing, but by today - as it is now only about 1/3 full - has been fine.

The nuisance - and that is assuming it works - is that the piston converters hold (even) less ink than the sac.

[Cassotto]

The nuisance - and that is assuming it works - is that the piston converters hold (even) less ink than the sac.

 

 

Funny. I prefer piston converters, because they allow seeing how much ink there is left.

 

Let us know whether the new converter fixes the problem. I think that's going to be the next step for me, too, only it'll take some time, since they aren't sold near my home. I had thought of buying another converter exactly like the one I already have (hoping I've got the odd bad unit, and not the bad model), but seeing you've ordered a different converter, should I do the same? Has Waterman got different types of converter? Mine is this:

 

[John UK]

The sac is transparent material, so you can see the ink. Because the Kaweco Sport is a small pen, everything is small - ink capacity is not a strong point - and the sac is just squeezed with the fingers - no rib or bar.

 

I ordered the new piston filler from ebay, so I expect it will be here in a week or so. I will report back when I have had a chance to try it.

[Cassotto]

The sac is transparent material, so you can see the ink.

 

Good to know this exists! I've got three pens with a sac, and all of them are opaque.