Section too large for bottle neck

[Tommaso Santojanni]

Hello from England!

 

A few of my piston-filler pens' sections are too large to fit into the mouth of some Diamine ink bottles which makes direct filling impossible.

 

I was using a very tiny glass (those used for drinking grappa) but it recently shattered and, besides, it was impractical as I stil couldn't suck up all the ink, wasting quite a bit each time.

 

Could anyone recommend a tool or system that can be used to refill such pens efficiently? And where might I be able to purchase this item?

 

I've heard about special ink wells but Google only finds a Pineider system that looks rather sophisticated.

 

Looking forward to your insights, I offer my gratitude in advance for sharing your time and expertise.

 

Tommaso

 

[antares1966]

I haven’t used it myself, but good things have been said here about the Ink Miser.  Unsure of it’s availability in your area though.

[PAKMAN]

The Visconti Traveling Inkwell may fit your needs.

 

[Mercian]

2 hours ago, Tommaso Santojanni said:

Could anyone recommend a tool or system that can be used to refill such pens efficiently? And where might I be able to purchase this item?

 

Hi Tommaso,

there is an inexpensive alternative to buying filling aids (which, though they are splendid, can be very hard to find here).
It is to buy some glass bottles and to decant the ink from your narrow-necked plastic Diamine bottle(s) into those.

 

E.g. I bought some small glass medicine bottles (aka 'Sirop' bottles) so that I could decant my ESS Registrars' Ink into them, in order to prevent it from oxidising inside the plastic bottle in which it is posted.

 

That website is → here ←.
Other vendors may also exist in the UK, but that is the one from which I bought my bottles.

 

• My link is to bottles of 30ml capacity, but there are filters on the left of the page if you scroll down, and many different capacities are available.
• The bottles are also available in various neck diameters, so you ought to be able to find one that suits your widest pen.
• I bought my bottles in dark brown glass (to protect my ink from light), but you can also buy the bottles in 'amber' or 'clear' glass.
• Do remember to specify caps for your bottles that will make an airtight seal before you place any order.
• I chose the 'polycone caps'.

Also:

• you will need to sterilise the bottles just before you decant your ink in to them.
• I used the 'Milton fluid' that is sold for sterilising the bottles etc used for feeding babies.
• I used a chefs' small plastic funnel (sterilised) to pour my ink into my bottles, thereby avoiding spillage.

I hope that this is useful 🙂

 

Slàinte,
M.

[kestrel]

You can also use 5 mL ink sample vials like these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081GJ2D54?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I'm sure some vendor in your neck of the woods sells them.  They are inexpensive, easy to store, and work better than the ink misers.  I put the vial in the hole in a plastic Scotch tape dispenser while filling to prevent spills.

[Paul-in-SF]

These Ink Miser inkwells are on Amazon UK. I have used this for occasions where there is not enough ink in a bottle to fill from any more. It is usually possible to pour ink from the bottle into the ink miser, and any remaining ink back into the bottle, without spilling. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxury-Brands-Miser-Ink-Shot-Inkwell/dp/B01FUZU9UA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3G8G68UHJPVNN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gmGM15M_YS1en_kCahN3Qqjs7o_xFyTwVQ1WaKqK2leMp4QNJ8yqM8pnYSxaAeMf9dA2-V2Nrzx28T7b1mjGfQ.xMZDZ6tu5tIcpU1S4tG7Btg8CASN3y4U4T4eFLAimtw&dib_tag=se&keywords=ink+miser+inkwell&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1729137788&sprefix=ink+miser%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1

[Merrick]

2 hours ago, kestrel said:

You can also use 5 mL ink sample vials like these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081GJ2D54?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I'm sure some vendor in your neck of the woods sells them.  They are inexpensive, easy to store, and work better than the ink misers.  I put the vial in the hole in a plastic Scotch tape dispenser while filling to prevent spills.

I like this a lot! Going to order some and try them out. 

[Karmachanic]

2 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

Ink Miser inkwells

 

Are not going to fit in a Diamine 30ml bottle.  Sample vials work for me.

[gregamckinney]

Similar to the 5 mL sample vials are the 30 and 60 mL Nalgene wide mouth bottles.  You can usually decant an entire bottle of ink into one.  Because I don't like to travel with ink bottles (for leakage reasons,) I have all my ink in Nalgene bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-HDPE-Mouth-Round-Container/dp/B000P9Z21I/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1FYQ1mUGGNljphhg-tC1V2YjRQsyHXXRqd3xCu0fDdRAdjZxdgJQGeb_IdFUADi5k4PQc9jRUqvuUiDSf280CzSLm6k6dyQduumuhjENYqwmAPMlmkE05nwz8muo9Moxll6PVoLm0kXbf5AuLbt2IQy02K8_VZdSKXkDzhYkOEVCNeQzLHg8nDLk9u_77YH3nZVg_2h5N3z6vQY8kE5WKWfeBLE8r6va5dbNmUet_lI.DbJvarMq67G1V-FWN4-ALvcOq8kafZ2W2PEc0bME2pM&dib_tag=se&keywords=nalgene%2B30ml&qid=1729172682&sr=8-5&th=1

 

greg

[Penguincollector]

   I am a fan of the Ink Miser, mine isn’t a bottle insert, it’s a stand alone vessel that looks like a shot jigger that comes with a pipette, although I generally use a syringe for more exact measurements. Sample vials are also easy, and if you over pour, you can cap it for use the next time.

 

Here’s what my Ink Miser looks like (stock photo from Goldspot):

 

[Paul-in-SF]

8 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Are not going to fit in a Diamine 30ml bottle.  Sample vials work for me.

 

These are not the kind of inkwell that you put inside an ink bottle; notice the flat bottom that allows it to stand up on its own. You pour ink from the ink bottle into the inkwell, use the inkwell to fill your pen, then pour any remaining ink back into the bottle, rinse or wash the residue from the inkwell, dry, and put it somewhere until you need it next time. 

[Tommaso Santojanni]

Thank you to everyone who kindly replied.

 

I shall take up your suggestion and use vials for my inks, which seems a most practical solution. I should have thought about it ...

 

Maybe I'll also buy a Miser, as it may be better than a vial for the very last drops off ink.

 

Thank you, Tommaso

 

[Tommaso Santojanni]

19 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

Hi Tommaso,

there is an inexpensive alternative to buying filling aids (which, though they are splendid, can be very hard to find here).
It is to buy some glass bottles and to decant the ink from your narrow-necked plastic Diamine bottle(s) into those.

 

E.g. I bought some small glass medicine bottles (aka 'Sirop' bottles) so that I could decant my ESS Registrars' Ink into them, in order to prevent it from oxidising inside the plastic bottle in which it is posted.

 

That website is → here ←.
Other vendors may also exist in the UK, but that is the one from which I bought my bottles.

 

• My link is to bottles of 30ml capacity, but there are filters on the left of the page if you scroll down, and many different capacities are available.
• The bottles are also available in various neck diameters, so you ought to be able to find one that suits your widest pen.
• I bought my bottles in dark brown glass (to protect my ink from light), but you can also buy the bottles in 'amber' or 'clear' glass.
• Do remember to specify caps for your bottles that will make an airtight seal before you place any order.
• I chose the 'polycone caps'.

Also:

• you will need to sterilise the bottles just before you decant your ink in to them.
• I used the 'Milton fluid' that is sold for sterilising the bottles etc used for feeding babies.
• I used a chefs' small plastic funnel (sterilised) to pour my ink into my bottles, thereby avoiding spillage.

I hope that this is useful 🙂

 

Slàinte,
M.

 

Thank you for the useful advice regarding the vials. 

 

I must admit, I did not realise that ink could oxidise. Could you kindly explain more about this? It is new to me.

 

I am also very curious about the necessity of sterilising the bottles—what is the reason behind this precaution?

 

Thank you, Tommaso

[inkstainedruth]

14 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Are not going to fit in a Diamine 30ml bottle.  Sample vials work for me.

They also make freestanding Ink Misers.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA:  Sorry for the added bandwidth -- I responded before I saw other posts about the stand-alone Ink Misers....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

6 hours ago, Tommaso Santojanni said:

 

Thank you for the useful advice regarding the vials. 

 

I must admit, I did not realise that ink could oxidise. Could you kindly explain more about this? It is new to me.

 

I am also very curious about the necessity of sterilising the bottles—what is the reason behind this precaution?

 

Thank you, Tommaso

 

The oxidation concern is specific to iron-gall ink (which Registrars' Ink is), because of the nature of the chemistry that iron-gall inks exploit in order to make them 'permanent' (I can provide you with more detail if you would like it).

But: many soft plastics are 'gas-porous', and components in the ink (solvents, biocides, who knows what else) can evaporate through the plastic walls of soft-plastic containers.
This is the reason why sealed cartridges that are left for a long time will often contain 'noticeably-less ink' than new cartridges.

 

The 30ml bottles that Diamine uses seem to me to be the same (posting-safe) type of soft-plastic bottles in which ESS ships its Registrars' Ink.
I know that those are gas-permeable (the HCl inside the bleach solution that I put inside mine to remove some precipitated iron-salts outgassed - and completely bleached the bottle's label - within a very few days), and I switch between colours often, and now have quite a few, which means that several of my inks only get occasional use.
Now, I don't want my ink to evaporate out through its bottle before I have chance to use it, so e.g. when I bought 30ml of Diamine 'Amazing Amethyst' I immediately transferred it to one of the spare 30ml glass Sirop bottles that I had bought when I ordered the bottles for my ESSRI.

 

The sterilisation of the bottles is, in the case of ESS Registrars' Ink, because it is known to not contain a vast amount of biocide, relying partly on its acidity to keep it from growing gunk.
Sterilising storage bottles is always a good idea though, because it minimises the number of biological contaminants that your ink is forced to come into contact with, and thus preserves its 'shelf life'.

 

Slàinte,
M.

[Karmachanic]

On 10/17/2024 at 3:07 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

These are not the kind of inkwell that you put inside an ink bottle;

 

Aahh! Thanks. I'll stick with vials, or 30/60ml nalgene.  Good for travel too.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

@Mercian thank you for your kind response. I found the information enlightening and was unaware that such precautions were advisable.

 

Would Platinum Chuo Kuro also be an iron-gall ink? I use this as my daily ink.

 

Additionally, are standard inks from Pelikan, Montblanc, and Lamy also iron-gall by composition?

 

Save for one Diamine ink, intriguingly named "Writers' Blood" all my ink bottles are in glass. I expect to have finished the Diamine by the end of this year as I've embarked in a project for which I have chosen such colour.

 

[torstar]

A dozen of these off ebay solved all my woes in this area...

 

[lamarax]

On 10/16/2024 at 11:06 PM, PAKMAN said:

The Visconti Traveling Inkwell may fit your needs.

 

 

Those might will not accommodate an overly girthy section (i.e. MB 149 etc.), I'm afraid...

 

Funny thing is that the Pineider equivalent of the Visconti traveling inkwell (I've both), won't take Viscontis with the "hook safe" section, albeit been designed by the very same person (Dante delVecchio).

 

Out of spite, maybe? 😁

[kestrel]

On 10/16/2024 at 10:08 PM, kestrel said:

You can also use 5 mL ink sample vials like these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081GJ2D54?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I'm sure some vendor in your neck of the woods sells them.  They are inexpensive, easy to store, and work better than the ink misers.  I put the vial in the hole in a plastic Scotch tape dispenser while filling to prevent spills.

I should add that there is a silicon rubber seal inside the cap that sometimes comes loose or falls out during shipping or was improperly installed during manufacture.  It is a good idea to check each cap before first use.  A toothpick or longish fingernail is good for pressing the seal back into place.  I find one or two per bag of 50 vials.  Once inserted correctly they don't fall out again.