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NOTE: See the update version named: INKING-SYSTEMS.HTM

JEB's PENs Fountain Pen Inking Systems...
I'm pleased to offer the following inking systems in my custom fountain pens. Please note that not all systems may be available in all pen styles. So if you want a system in a certain pen style that isn't shown in any of those pens, please inquire as to the availability.

Standard Cartridge/Converter (also referred to as a 'C/C'):
The C/C system is the standard system available in nearly every pen. As the title shows, C/C refers to the CARTRIDGE and CONVERTER (also referred to as a RESERVIOR). The most comon cartridge is the 'Standard International' (also refered to as 'International Short'). These cartridges are about 1.50" (38mm) long. 'Long Standard International' cartridges are up to 3" (75mm). But there are a multitude of non-standard lengths (not long ago I ordered some 'Shorts' and they were 2" long). The names are also jumbled around or extended: 'Short International', 'Short Standard International', etc. But dispite the order of the words, the important one is 'INTERNATIONAL'. This word refers to the shape of the TIP on the cartridge. So if you buy a pen that accepts an International cartridge, make sure you purchase cartridge that say they are 'International'. Several of the major pen manufacturers sell their own brand of refills, and many are non-standard tip. That way (just like printers) you keep buying THEIR cartridges. After you make sure it's an International cartridge, the length doesn't really matter unless it's a special size pen (like my pocket pens). If the pen accepts a converter, then just about any length cartridge will fit with the exception of the very long ones. The advantage of the short cartridge is that if your pen accepts a converter, then you can typically fit a spare short refill in behind the one in use.

Converters fall under a similar 'International' style category. Again, it refers to the style of the TIP. And just like the cartridges, many of the major manufacturer's will use a non-standard converter. Again, the only reason is because they want you coming back. You don't receive any additional advantage with their 'custom' fitted converters or cartridge. On the contrary, it limit what you can use. If you only use cartridges, you'll be limited only to what they offer.
International converters range from 2.75" to 3.0" long. They can also be referred to as K5 or K6, referencing the model numbers of the Schmidt brand converters. So some of the shorter barrel pens may only allow enough length for a cartridge, rather than both.
Ink volumes... A Standard International cartridge (1.50") holds about .5 ml of ink, while a converter will hold the same or slightly more depending on the length and style. A converter isn't designed to allow for your pen to hold more ink, just make it convenient to use a wider variety of inks or colors.

The defacto standard in converters is a knob and screw system. You turn the knob, which turns a threaded rod which first forces out the air. Then you reverse the rotation to pull ink in. But another type of converter is the SQUEEZE converter. These work just as the name implies-- you squeeze it, instead of turning a knob. Some squeeze converters just have a rubber bulb that you squeeze, while others have the bulb inside a metal case and you push a bar that's set into a slot to compress the bulb. Squeeze converters are also available in short or long lengths. However the longer squeeze converters won't fit every pen. Most are non-standard and will only fit a certain brand of pens.

Eyedroppers....
Eyedroppers work very simply: The ink goes directly into the barrel of the pen. Then some type of seal keeps the pen from leaking when the section is reinstalled. And as you will find with most of the other inking systems, the eyedropper hints at how it works. As I stated an eyedropper works by filling the barrel directly with ink. And as the name implies you use an EYEDROPPER to transfer the ink. A small syringe also works well.
My eyedropper pens are made with a special rubber o-ring mounted behind the section threads, and it seats against the front of the barrel when the section is screwed in place, sealing the barrel completely. Fill the pen with ink using an eyedropper or syringe, then reinstall the section with the o-ring in place.

Many standard C/C pens can actually be used as eyedroppers by simply applying silicone grease to the section threads. The grease creates a seal around the threads and fills in the gaps around the threads creating an air-tight seal. The disadvantage of this method is that you have to clean off the grease each time you refill the pen and apply new grease. so it can get a little messy. But the advantage is that it allows the pen to hold a large volume of ink.

Piston-fillers....
Piston fillers work very similar to a converter. The main difference is the piston system is built into the pen. There are a few different styles of piston filler system, and they are referred to by the mechanisms that make them work. The PISTON system uses an internal screw and plunger. Just like a converter, you turn the knob--this time at the back of the pen barrel, which pushing down a rubber plunger. as the plunger goes down, it pushes out the air. Reverse the rotation of the knob and pull ink up into the barrel. I use this type of a piston system, which is a 1-piece system that is pressed into the barrel. Because it's a 1-piece system, it works very well and is virtually maintenance free.

The other type (which I do not currently offer) uses a thin plunger and a series of rubber o-rings to seal the plunger inside the barrel. It's more complex to install and can be quite finicky, so I've elected not to use these.

Button-fillers....
Button-fillers are very popular. As the name implies, they use a BUTTON to fill the pen. The button is hidden under a cap at the end of the barrel (referred to as 'blind-cap'). Unscrew the cap to access the button. To fill the pen, you dip the nib and front half of the section into the ink (bottle), then press the button, release and wait for several seconds. Then repeat the process. Watch for air bubbles in the ink bottle--as you press and release the button you are forcing out air and allowing ink to flow in. As long as you see bubbles as you press the button, there is still air inside the ink sac. So continue repeating the process until you no longer see air bubbles. Once you don't, the pen should be full.

Button-filler parts... A button-filler works using three basic parts: the button, a pressure bar, and an ink sac. When you press the button, it moves the pressure bar against the ink sac, compressing it and forcing the air out. And as mentioned earlier, when you release the button the sac open up, creating a suction that pulls in ink. And the button only needs to move a short distance to fully compress the sac. Remove it from the ink and wipe the nib and section dry.

Lever-fillers....
Lever-fillers work very similarly to button-fillers, and use the same type of parts. But instead of using a button to depressing the pressure bar, a LEVER mounted into the side of the barrel is used. It uses a pressure bar and ink sac just like the button-fille, however the pressure bar is made a little differently: abutton-filler uses a 'straight' bar; whereas lever-fillers use a 'J' shaped bar. To fill a lever-filler, you simply lift one end of the lever to flip it open, which then just like the Button-filler pushes the pressure bar against the ink sac compressing it and forcing out the air. Flip the lever closed and ink is pulled up into the ink sac. And also just like a button-filler, you repeat the process until you no longer see any air bubbles, remove it from the ink and wipe the nib and section dry.

Bulb-fillers....
Just as the button and lever filler system names describe how the pen works, so does the bulb-filler. A bulb-filler fills similarly to a button or lever filler pen with the nib and front half of the section dipped into the ink bottle. But here instead of using a button or lever to compress the internal ink sac (which then stores the ink), you are compressing a bulb to bring ink into the pen barrel directly. The bulb is physically the same as those used as ink sacs in button and lever filler pens, it's just used differently.

The method of filling a bulb-filler pen is also similar to a button or lever filler. You start off by dipping the nib and part of section into the ink bottle. But this time you quickly squeeze and then immediately release the bulb. As you do air is forced out (look for the air bubbles). Then once you let go, wait a few seconds (if you have an ink window, watch the level of ink in the breather tube to drop and level off--but it won't drop all the way). Then repeat the process. Continue to repeat the process until the pen is full, or as full as you want it. If no window, then repeat until you don't get anymore air bubbles). Then just as with the other systems, remove it from the ink and wipe the nib and section dry.

Their are TWO key parts of a bulb-filler that allows the filling system to work. The first is the internal Breather Tube. The breather tube is attached to the feed and allows the air inside the cavity to be forced out through a different channel than the channel that the incoming ink flows through. The two channels create a circular motion forcing air out when you press the bulb, and allowing ink to flow in when you release the bulb. The second key part to the system working successfully is actually the user, and how he or she compresses and releases the bulb. You see, in order for the circular motion to begin, you have to SQUEEZE the bulb QUICKLY and FULLY in order to FORCE the air out to create the initial SUCTION that then bring in the ink. So if you just squeeze the bulb gently you may get a little ink into the barrel, but you'll most likely never get it to fill. Here's why... If you study the pen carefully after you start to fill it, you'll notice there is some ink in the breather tube. This is natural. So then when you squeeze the bulb again you are also pushing that small amount of ink back out first before you can push out any of the air. So if you just squeeze the bulb gently, all you will do is push out that little bit of ink and none of the air. And then when you release the bulb, you'll only bring in a small amount of ink again, actually replacing what was already there. So it will never fill. Only by squeezing the bulb quickly and fully will you push out both the ink AND the air, allowing more ink to come in each time to replace the air. Once you get the hang of the 'cadence' it becomes second nature. An ink window is helpful if it's your first bulb-filler because along with being able to see when you need in, it allows you see how the system is working.

Emptying a JEB's PENs Bulb-filler pen... Emptying and flushing/cleaning some brands of bulb-fillers can be very tedious. But my bulb-fillers are quite easy. With some, you have to repeat the same squeeze and repeat process to empty and flush. But with my pens you can simply unscrew the section just as with a standard C/C pen. Just like my eyedroppers, the section seals against the barrel with an o-ring that mounted above the threads. So you can simply unscrew the section and dump out the remaining ink and flush all the parts before reasembling.

How to Emptying and Clean...
Emptying and cleaning these type of pens is very similar to filling them, just a bit longer of a process. First drain the remaining ink into a small jar, then discard it. Most inks are water based, so you can dilute it with water and then pour it down the drain with the spigot running to dilute it further. Another option if you don't like dumping it down the drain is to drain it into a balled up paper towel, then sit the paper towel aside until the ink dries and discard it in the trash.

If you have several pens and like to switch inks, two good inexpensive tools to have is an eyedropper (preferably one with a large bulb) and a small (up to 10ml) syringe. If your pen uses a jowo style nib you can unscrew the nib assembly from the section, then use the eyedropper to flush the assembly with clean water. It works best if you can close up the tip so it fits tight over the nipple just like a converter or refill does. The syringe can be used to flush the front of the feed. This way you don't have to repeat the flushing with the eyedropper as many times. Fill the syringe, then run the water over the feed until it starts to run clean. Then use the eyedropper attached to the back. Once the water runs clean, dry it as best you can, then set it aside to dry. I like to then set the pen or nib with the tip against a dry paper towel. That way any remaining water will seep into the paper towel, allowing it to dry out faster.

Water used for flushing a pen... Because of the various chemicals in 'tap' water (from a spigot), distilled water is best for flushing and cleaning pen parts. But if distilled water is hard to get or expensive where you live, you can save on the amount of distilled water used by first flushing with tap water, then following up with distilled water. Just don't let the tap water dry out on the parts, as it could leave setiment on the parts. Also note that there is a difference between DISTILLED and regular BOTTLED water. Most bottled water still contains additives either naturally or added in by the bottler, so it would have the same dangers of leaving a residue as tap water. Distilled water has ALL the contaminates removed. So it doesn't say 'distilled', it isn't.

Thanks again for visiting, please come back again soon.

Cordially...JEB

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For help with your Fountain Pens on replacing cartridges, filling converters or button-fillers; with cleaning or
any other general fountain pen maintenance, click the link below to visit my "Fountain Pen Help Line" page:

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