Asa Galactic, Pen Review, Burping, Learning And Custom Cartridge Conversion

[rahulchandna]

ASA GALACTIC

My handcrafted pen journey started with ASA Galactic, a beautiful pen from ASA pens (www.asapens.in/eshop).

Honesty Note :-
I am very lazy and my only motivation for writing this is to get a discount coupon from Mr Subu. and then use it to buy ASA Daily .

When I ordered ASA Galactic, there was a shipping mistake and mine was sent to Spain.

So the first Galactic I received had "Gilly" written on it, but Mr. Subu. is very cool, he sent me another Galactic and added Click Tulip (for free !!) .

Now there are many reviews of this pen eg. mehandiratta's, but since I am an engineer ( by choice ) so this review is all about the experiments I did with the pen !.

Edit Note :-

Please read this post from an reverse engineering point of view and all I care about is learning how things work, not what makes them pretty, not what the simple solution is, nor i even care if I end up ruining the pen.

The experiments started when one fine Dehradun morning (4 am), I was studying algorithm space-time complexity concepts and the Galactic burped !.

The review :-









Pen looks amazing when inked up !



The pen has a massive ink capacity and there are no leaks from the side of the barrel.

So I was writing at 4 am and then as I paused while still holding the pen in writing position, to read all the weird complexity stuff I wrote, when I came to the bottom of the page I saw the BURP !!



The pen was leaking from the top of the nib, bottom of the feed and from the tip of the nib as well.

The standard process is to apply 100% silicone grease to stop the leaks from the side of the nib and feed.

The fix for burping is to either change the feed or ink up the pen.

Now I wanted to see if I can find another solution using only the things I had at home.

I started with toothpaste, yea you read it correctly, i applied toothpaste and it worked for a few minutes until the toothpaste started to mix with the ink !



Then I used cello tape, which worked but as I fixed the position of the nib and feed the tape broke and nik started to leak again.

So I used Glue stick and it worked for a few minutes but ink started to leak again.

As you can see below, by this time I had already broken the feed tip and the nib was bent !



Then I thought I should try to reduce the ink flow.



Now flow reduction worked but the ink flow was not consistent, so I removed the pipe that was connected to the ink channel, but then wax broke and started to block the ink flow.

So I removed all of it and replaced it with an injection cap (needle removed), the cap fit perfectly and securely.

I created a hole on the top of the cap, the ink would flow from there to the feed and the pipe (coming out from cap) would bring extra ink back from feed to the tank.



Now this worked beautifully, no leaks no burps, ink flow reduced and we finally have a fix !!.

But it looked ugly so now it was time to optimise it (fix the problem first and then find a better solution).

So I looked at it for some time and then vola (syringe always goes securely inside its cap) !

What if I remove the top of the cap, rotate it, insert it in the pen and then use the syringe as a cartridge !!





I removed the bottom half of the syringe and left the syringe piston rubber inside it to prevent any leaks (since that is what its job is ).

Now all of this looks good but the ink flow was not consistent because there was no capillary action happening between the nib section and the cartridge.

So I added the pipe (I reduced its size afterwards), and now due to capillary action the ink would stick to the sides of the pipe and flow from syringe to the nib section.



The syringe converted cartridge is basically going inside it's cap, so obviously connection is very secure/strong and so there are no leaks.

After this conversion the pen stopped leaking from the nib and feed as well and there was no burping.

The final product !



I really enjoyed doing these experiments, hope you enjoyed them too !

Edit :-

Now lets use this knowledge to create our own pen

 

So all we require is a nib, feed, some body and ink !

 

So i found an old use and throw pen, took Jinhao Nib and Click Tulip feed.

 

Wrapped them together using plastic wrap that Galactic came in.

 

Filled the pen with ink and securely placed the nib and feed in it.

 

 

 

 

My pen is not handcrafted but oh well !

 

Ah !, the happiness of finally satisfying the engineers "how things work" and "do it yourself" itch...

Edited January 30, 2017 by rahulchandna

[mhguda]

Hmm... for a while there I thought you were trying to ruin a perfectly good pen and were on the way to success..

I still think Why look for a simple solution when you can find a complex one...

I have this pen, and when it blurped a bit too enthusiastically when the barrel was almost empty, I tried pushing the nib and feed in a little further and turning it slightly, to get a better seal. Worked, and my Galactic usually writes until nearly empty - mostly because since I like to rotate my inks I never fill it completely either. (although a full barrel of a beautiful color ink looks fantastic on this pen.)

[rahulchandna]

Hmm... for a while there I thought you were trying to ruin a perfectly good pen and were on the way to success..

I still think Why look for a simple solution when you can find a complex one...

I have this pen, and when it blurped a bit too enthusiastically when the barrel was almost empty, I tried pushing the nib and feed in a little further and turning it slightly, to get a better seal. Worked, and my Galactic usually writes until nearly empty - mostly because since I like to rotate my inks I never fill it completely either. (although a full barrel of a beautiful color ink looks fantastic on this pen.)

 

I completely agree that what I did was a bit too much.

 

That is why I call this my experiment, not good nor bad just experiment.

 

Also I gave the simple silicon grease solution in the beginning.

 

This is all about how i satisfied my engineers "how things work" and "do it yourself" itch..

[Fuellerfuehrerschein]

I have read more people encountered air/ink leak problems with traditional Indian ebonite feeds mounted in acrylic grip sections. Putting some https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_seal_tape around the (knocked out) feed will often help when an ebonite or hard rubber feed and the barrel bore do not fit properly. This solution does not look good in a transparent grip section.

 

Your simple traditional Indian ebonite feed must work hard to control the ink flow during significant temperature rises in the ink/air column in an almost empty 3 ml eye dropper barrel. The heat of the user’s hand causes the trapped air column to expand, pushing the ink contained under the air out. During winter, I must keep my Indian ebonite eye dropper half full for optimal function. I encounter increased ink flow (a wetter line) as a warning sign when my pen gets low on ink. Burping only occurs when I refuse to top up the ink.

 

Modern fountain pens have heavily finned feeds for buffering more ink and seldom have more than 1.5 ml ink capacity to control and minimize air expansion problems.

[amk]

I really enjoyed this experiment though I can't help wincing when I see what happened to the poor little Galactic. A very engaging story with some excellent photos, including The Black Spot (or rather, The Blue-Black Spot) which made me laugh - I've had too many moments like that!

 

I like the solution, but I think you might be better off looking at ways of improving the feed (do you have a spare one?) - improved buffering would really help. Or maybe think along the lines of the Parker 51 collector (now I'm wondering what materials we have access to that could function in a similar way...)

[rahulchandna]

I really enjoyed this experiment though I can't help wincing when I see what happened to the poor little Galactic. A very engaging story with some excellent photos, including The Black Spot (or rather, The Blue-Black Spot) which made me laugh - I've had too many moments like that!

 

I like the solution, but I think you might be better off looking at ways of improving the feed (do you have a spare one?) - improved buffering would really help. Or maybe think along the lines of the Parker 51 collector (now I'm wondering what materials we have access to that could function in a similar way...)

 

thank you for the feedback !,

I did order two nibs and feeds from ASA pens, the cost was 170 rupees (including domestic shipping).

I will play with the feeds and see what I learn !

Edited January 31, 2017 by rahulchandna

[Sudhir]

Interesting experiment. Congrats for having the patience to go through the entire process. Shows your resolve to make the fix as complicated as possible.

I have an ASA Galactic too. In fact, I have two - the Galactic and its predecessor, the Gama Jumbo Demo pen.
In both cases, I have modified the feed for extra flow and modified the pens to wet, broad writers. Never had a burping issue with either one.

I have a theory that burping occurs more in pens where the nibs are fine and feeds are tuned for a dry flow and the feed channels are too narrow. In every single pen where I had a burping issue, increasing the width of the feed channel and making the pen write wetter and broader seems to have worked.

 

But my sample size is a few pens, so I cannot comment on the statistical significance of my own "experiment."

 

By the way, I have it on excellent authority that "No ASA pen will EVER BURP!"
They may drool, dribble, vomit, or exhibit other forms of egress, but they shall never BURP!

[rahulchandna]

Sudhir-ThePenPerson

 

I still have a lot to learn about how feeds work.

The above solution is complicated for sure !

 

But for me its an amazing solution and I am very happy with it.

 

For example :- I can now buy ASA Maya for 850 rupees (ED one), then buy 7 rupees insulin injection.

 

1. cut the injection cap

2. remove the needle

3. cut the injection from back

4. leave the piston rubber

4. add a tiny screw/ball-bearing inside the syringe, so that it helps ink to move freely inside the syringe barrel.

 

And within less than 5 minutes, I am done and do not need any expensive configuration, nor do I need to spend 1600/1800 rupees .

 

Now I am sure JoWo, Schmidt are amazing, but for me for 857 rupees and additional five minutes of my time, I am sorted .

 

Also add the discount coupon from ASA pens, for which I wrote this in the first place (see honestly note above) .

 

Right now I cannot go below "F" nib, but this is because I am new to fountain pens.

 

So I guess it will take some time before I can enjoy "M" or "B" nibs.

Edited January 31, 2017 by rahulchandna

[Sudhir]

Sudhir-ThePenPerson

 

I still have a lot to learn about how feeds work.

The above solution is complicated for sure !

 

But for me its an amazing solution and I am very happy with it.

 

For example :- I can now buy ASA Maya for 850 rupees (ED one), then buy 7 rupees insulin injection.

 

1. cut the injection cap

2. remove the needle

3. cut the injection from back

4. leave the piston rubber

4. add a tiny screw/ball-bearing inside the syringe, so that it helps ink to move freely inside the syringe barrel.

 

And within less than 5 minutes, I am done and do not need any expensive configuration, nor do I need to spend 1600/1800 rupees .

 

Now I am sure JoWo, Schmidt are amazing, but for me for 857 rupees and additional five minutes of my time, I am sorted .

 

Also add the discount coupon from ASA pens, for which I wrote this in the first place (see honestly note above) .

 

Right now I cannot go below "F" nib, but this is because I am new to fountain pens.

 

So I guess it will take some time before I can enjoy "M" or "B" nibs.

 

Good for you and I firmly believe the best solution is always the one that works for you.

 

If you ever decide to explore how to modify a feed and heat set the nib and feed, I'll be happy to help.

 

Cheers

Sudhir

[rahulchandna]

 

Good for you and I firmly believe the best solution is always the one that works for you.

 

If you ever decide to explore how to modify a feed and heat set the nib and feed, I'll be happy to help.

 

Cheers

Sudhir

 

Thank you,

I will ask for advise and suggestions, once I start my feed experiments

[mehandiratta]

loved to see what you did with the pen...

I have seen many people who reported a problem with the burping of this pen...

 

I had my fair share of experiences where few pens have burped on me but not this one...

Just before I ink the pen I generally check if the nib or feed is loose of not by pushing the nib and feed inside the section with mild pressure...

then I apply silicone grease on threads firmly and prime it very well...

 

in most scenarios this helps.... but since these are handmade there might be a chance that the feed and section are mismatched and there is air gap...

plus these enormous pens have the capacity to get a lot of air inside the barrel as ink reduces and as air increases chances of ink blob or burping increases...

they do give u warning of burping before they actually burp... increase in ink flow and wetness... adn when it does that it is time to refill ink..

[ak2k5]

my galactic has stopped the burping after an initial trouble when it was bought. now it writes nearly empty without any problems. maybe its because the feed in my pen is different from what is shown in your pic.

[rahulchandna]

loved to see what you did with the pen...

I have seen many people who reported a problem with the burping of this pen...

 

I had my fair share of experiences where few pens have burped on me but not this one...

Just before I ink the pen I generally check if the nib or feed is loose of not by pushing the nib and feed inside the section with mild pressure...

then I apply silicone grease on threads firmly and prime it very well...

 

in most scenarios this helps.... but since these are handmade there might be a chance that the feed and section are mismatched and there is air gap...

plus these enormous pens have the capacity to get a lot of air inside the barrel as ink reduces and as air increases chances of ink blob or burping increases...

they do give u warning of burping before they actually burp... increase in ink flow and wetness... adn when it does that it is time to refill ink..

 

Thank you !

 

since the syringe setup is plug and play, so as suggested in your comment.

I have pushed the nib and feed a bit and refilled the pen, let's see if that resolves the issue.

[rahulchandna]

my galactic has stopped the burping after an initial trouble when it was bought. now it writes nearly empty without any problems. maybe its because the feed in my pen is different from what is shown in your pic.

 

How did you resolve the initial trouble ?

[rahulchandna]

Hello All,

 

So Mr. Subbu. (ASA Pens) read this review and then helped me first to identify the real problem and then fix it.

 

So I made a rookie mistake and what I called "burp" is actually a "leaking feed".

 

This happens when the feed is not properly set and the nib and feed are not married together (they are just flirting ).

 

So he walked me through all the "how-to's" via whats-app messages

• How to marry the nib and feed.
• How much distance there should be between the nib and feed.
• How to put it all in place.

And now the pen is not leaking anymore

 

I believe this was pretty cool of him

 

Also I will be getting my discount coupon on Monday