sbwertz
Member
I have someone who wants a fountain pen and asked what refill they take. Are the refills for the fountain pen kits standard refills you can buy in a stationery store?
Fountain pen question
- Thread starter sbwertz
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its_virgil
Member
Yes. The ink cartridges are called International Standard and are readily available. Several of our vendors sell them. Just be sure to get quality ink and stay away from an unbranded ink cartridge. The ink that comes with the kit should go into the trash. Converters for using bottle ink are also available.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
Do a good turn daily!
Don
sbwertz
Member
Can you recommend a brand? All our fountain pens are the kind you fill from an ink bottle!
monophoto
Member
Sharon
Most fountain pen kits use the 'international standard short' cartridge and/or converter. These are widely available, although the suburban big-box stationery stores (Office Max, Staples, etc) don't always carry them. Fortunately, on-line suppliers such as Goulet Pens, Jet Pens, etc., do stock them. In addition to kit pens, these also fit a number of name-brand pens.
By the way, specialty stationery stores in large cities (especially in Europe) almost always carry fountain pen ink cartridges.
There is also an 'international standard long' cartridge, but they are harder to find. Any pen that is designed to use the 'international standard long' cartridge can also use the international standard short cartridge. And a neat trick is that pens that can hold the long cartridge can often hold two short cartridges - one actually plugged into the pen and in use, and the other stored in reverse position inside the barrel. That means that it is possible to hide a spare cartridge inside the pen - something that is handy when traveling.
As to brands - any brand that also sells bottled ink is fine. I bought a new pen when I was in France a couple of moths ago, and picked up a box of Pelikan cartridges at a stationery shop in Arles. Other good brands are J. Herbin, Diamine, Faber-Kastell, Visconti, Kaweco and Private Reserve. Just avoid the unbranded 'bag of cartridges' from China option on e-Bay.
Higher-end non-kit pens sometimes use a proprietary cartridge design, for example, Cross, MontBlanc, Parker, Lamy, etc. And not surprisingly, those refills are also more expensive (that's the Gillette razor marketing philosophy in practice). In is generally possible to purchase pumps (converters) for these pens as well. Big-box stationery stores may carry a limited selection of proprietary cartridges, but usually only for the brands of pens they sell.
I use converters in my fountain pens. Converters (aka pumps) can easily be refilled from bottles of ink (and ink in bottles is going to be much less expensive than ink in a specialty, throwaway cartridge). Converters almost always hold much more ink than disposable cartridges. And the selection of inks in cartridges is limited, while there is an unbelievable choice of inks available in bottles - with a very wide price range.
Cartridges can easily be refilled using a blunt syringe (sold for refilling the cartridges for ink-jet printers). However, its difficult to reseal the end of a cartridge, so this is usually only practical for refilling cartridges at home or in the office, and then immediately installing the cartridge in a pen. Eventually, recycled cartridges do wear out - repeatedly removing and then reinstalling them causes wear on the plastic nipple that connects to the pen, but my experience is that this takes years to occur and is usually not a serious problem.
Most fountain pen kits use the 'international standard short' cartridge and/or converter. These are widely available, although the suburban big-box stationery stores (Office Max, Staples, etc) don't always carry them. Fortunately, on-line suppliers such as Goulet Pens, Jet Pens, etc., do stock them. In addition to kit pens, these also fit a number of name-brand pens.
By the way, specialty stationery stores in large cities (especially in Europe) almost always carry fountain pen ink cartridges.
There is also an 'international standard long' cartridge, but they are harder to find. Any pen that is designed to use the 'international standard long' cartridge can also use the international standard short cartridge. And a neat trick is that pens that can hold the long cartridge can often hold two short cartridges - one actually plugged into the pen and in use, and the other stored in reverse position inside the barrel. That means that it is possible to hide a spare cartridge inside the pen - something that is handy when traveling.
As to brands - any brand that also sells bottled ink is fine. I bought a new pen when I was in France a couple of moths ago, and picked up a box of Pelikan cartridges at a stationery shop in Arles. Other good brands are J. Herbin, Diamine, Faber-Kastell, Visconti, Kaweco and Private Reserve. Just avoid the unbranded 'bag of cartridges' from China option on e-Bay.
Higher-end non-kit pens sometimes use a proprietary cartridge design, for example, Cross, MontBlanc, Parker, Lamy, etc. And not surprisingly, those refills are also more expensive (that's the Gillette razor marketing philosophy in practice). In is generally possible to purchase pumps (converters) for these pens as well. Big-box stationery stores may carry a limited selection of proprietary cartridges, but usually only for the brands of pens they sell.
I use converters in my fountain pens. Converters (aka pumps) can easily be refilled from bottles of ink (and ink in bottles is going to be much less expensive than ink in a specialty, throwaway cartridge). Converters almost always hold much more ink than disposable cartridges. And the selection of inks in cartridges is limited, while there is an unbelievable choice of inks available in bottles - with a very wide price range.
Cartridges can easily be refilled using a blunt syringe (sold for refilling the cartridges for ink-jet printers). However, its difficult to reseal the end of a cartridge, so this is usually only practical for refilling cartridges at home or in the office, and then immediately installing the cartridge in a pen. Eventually, recycled cartridges do wear out - repeatedly removing and then reinstalling them causes wear on the plastic nipple that connects to the pen, but my experience is that this takes years to occur and is usually not a serious problem.
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its_virgil
Member
bmachin
Member
Sharon,
One comment on cartridges: open the box and check to make sure that they are full before you buy. Water vapor will leak out over time, but I'm pretty sure that the dyes won't. So not only will you possibly be getting less ink than you paid for but you could also be getting a heavy dye load which could end up being not a good thing.
Since you are in Phoenix (color me green) you can probably find anything you want, but out here in the wilds of Western Kentucky all we have is Staples with carded generic cartridges.
FWIW,
Bill
One comment on cartridges: open the box and check to make sure that they are full before you buy. Water vapor will leak out over time, but I'm pretty sure that the dyes won't. So not only will you possibly be getting less ink than you paid for but you could also be getting a heavy dye load which could end up being not a good thing.
Since you are in Phoenix (color me green) you can probably find anything you want, but out here in the wilds of Western Kentucky all we have is Staples with carded generic cartridges.
FWIW,
Bill
monophoto
Member
A little skepticism here -
As turners, we are all familiar with the problem that the solvent component of friction polishes can evaporate through the walls of squeeze bottles. I can't comment on whether squeeze bottles are made from the same plastic as ink cartridges, but my sense is that the wall thickness of cartridges is greater than the walls of the bottles I buy at Harbor Freight. And also, friction polishes use highly volatile solvents such as DNA rather than water, so they tend to evaporate more quickly.
On the other hand, ink cartridges aren't high-volume items, and the kinds of stores that stock them may have had them in stock for a few decades, so after blowing off the dust, it probably doesn't hurt to check.
its_virgil
Member
Not all of us. This is the first I've heard of liquids evaporating through the plastic of plastic bottles. Guess I should get out more often.
Buy your ink cartridges from one of our pen supplies vendors and you should be ok. They sell enough of them which will help guarantee the stock is somewhat fresh.
Don
Buy your ink cartridges from one of our pen supplies vendors and you should be ok. They sell enough of them which will help guarantee the stock is somewhat fresh.
Don
bmachin
Member
It happens.
Maybe It's just poor quality control, but I've seen underfilled cartridges.
Throw-away cartridges that come with pen kits. OK, they're chinese.
I've received brand name cartridges from Amazon which were not full.
I just went through some cartridges that have been around the house for several years and some are down substantially in volume.
Susan Wirth, who has been selling and trading fountain pens for more years than she would probably care to admit always warns of this in her seminars at pen shows.
Bill
Maybe It's just poor quality control, but I've seen underfilled cartridges.
Throw-away cartridges that come with pen kits. OK, they're chinese.
I've received brand name cartridges from Amazon which were not full.
I just went through some cartridges that have been around the house for several years and some are down substantially in volume.
Susan Wirth, who has been selling and trading fountain pens for more years than she would probably care to admit always warns of this in her seminars at pen shows.
Bill
Mr Vic
Member
Not all "International Standard" cartridges are the same nor are the convertors. There is actually no "standard". I've had convertors actually press the finial out of a Baron because it was a bit too long. A little work with a drill fixed the problem when the owner brought it back. The spare or maxi cartridges also may not fit. Check before hand if gifting or selling.
The array of inks is amazing. Exotics is a good source for the brands they carry. I like looking for ink at Goulet Pens. You can compare ink swatches to find just the ink color you want. He also has very informative videos on the different types of ink. Word of caution - don't use the bottle ink at the hobby stores. It is made for dip pens and is not nice to fountain pens.
The array of inks is amazing. Exotics is a good source for the brands they carry. I like looking for ink at Goulet Pens. You can compare ink swatches to find just the ink color you want. He also has very informative videos on the different types of ink. Word of caution - don't use the bottle ink at the hobby stores. It is made for dip pens and is not nice to fountain pens.
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chrisk
Member
I always use Pelikan or Waterman International cartridges either short or longer ones.
My favorite inks in cartridge format are Diamine and Aurora. The latter only comes in blue and black.
edstreet
Member
Head over to goulet and drool at the selection, unmatched by any one was. Bottles, samples, scented, color selection out the wazoo, cartridges, selection is perhaps the largest variety you can find anywhere.
Mr Vic
Member
Speaking of Goulet Pens....He posted a video on "International Cartridges" just today.
https://youtu.be/BUpVeQmpqg8
https://youtu.be/BUpVeQmpqg8