Rollerball refill question

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keithbyrd

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Customer is wanting a Schmidt 5888 Bold refill. I can find nothing about "bold" and I have no idea what that is! Any thoughts or pointers for me?
thank you!
 
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Hippie3180

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I found an old thread that may help.

 

Darios

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Customer is wanting a Schmidt 5888 Bold refill. I can find nothing about "bold" and I have no idea what that is! Any thoughts or pointers for me?
thank you!
5888 1.0mm Broad maybe? The cartridge just has the letter B on it, so I could see where the confusion may come in.
 

egnald

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I think Darios is right on point. The Schmidt 888 Rollerball Refill (plastic body) and the Schmidt 5888 Ceramic Rollerball Refill (metal) are both available with a 1.0mm Broad point tip. That is what I would consider as "Bold".

Personally, I prefer the Pilot G2 gel ink refills over the standard rollerball refills as I prefer the Gel ink over the more fluid Rollerball ink. So far they fit in the Rollerball style pens I have made, but they might stick out of the tip a little farther depending on the kit design. When they do, i cut a short (about 1/8-inch) piece of the cap that comes on the refill to make a spacer that holds the ink back a little farther -- so it doesn't stick out quite as much. I'm comfortable with this modification for the pens that are for my use, but I wouldn't go there if I was giving the pen away or if I was be selling it.

Regards,
Dave
 

kwandtke

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I think Darios is right on point. The Schmidt 888 Rollerball Refill (plastic body) and the Schmidt 5888 Ceramic Rollerball Refill (metal) are both available with a 1.0mm Broad point tip. That is what I would consider as "Bold".

Personally, I prefer the Pilot G2 gel ink refills over the standard rollerball refills as I prefer the Gel ink over the more fluid Rollerball ink. So far they fit in the Rollerball style pens I have made, but they might stick out of the tip a little farther depending on the kit design. When they do, i cut a short (about 1/8-inch) piece of the cap that comes on the refill to make a spacer that holds the ink back a little farther -- so it doesn't stick out quite as much. I'm comfortable with this modification for the pens that are for my use, but I wouldn't go there if I was giving the pen away or if I was be selling it.

Regards,
Dave
Can I ask maybe a related question? My wife likes the slimline pens I've made for gifts ... but she really wants a rollerball (maybe gel?) . Is there a "slimline" style kit that uses a rollerball? Those cartridges are thicker right?
 

egnald

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All of the Slimline type pens, essentially anything with a 7mm tube, only use Cross style refills. I'm not aware of any brands that contain gel type ink. Someone like Ed from Exotic Blanks should be able to provide a much more definitive answer.

The next closest thing I think would be a kit that uses an 8mm tube and a Parker style refill. I know that you can find Parker style refills that are filled with Gel ink. I haven't made many, but I have made a PSI Premium Designer that uses an 8mm tube. The only other style that I am aware off (off hand) is the PSI Princess kits which use an 8mm tube for the bottom and a 10mm tube for the top. (My wife really likes the Princess kits I have made for her).

Another option, although it is a considerable design difference from a slimline is the PSI Rollester which uses 3/8 inch tube (essentially a 9.5mm). They seem slim to me, but of course, quite a bit different than a slimline. Their advantage is that they do use a Rollerball refill - thus the Pilot G2 Gel refills work in them also.

Outside of Cross, Monteverde is the only company I am sure of that make the Cross style refills. I have also heard from various sources that the Monteverde refills write smoother than the Cross brand. Fisher makes (or at least used to make) a Cross type refill that was pressurized which was used in their "Space Pen".

I wish I could be more help.

Dave
 

ZanderPommo

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Can I ask maybe a related question? My wife likes the slimline pens I've made for gifts ... but she really wants a rollerball (maybe gel?) . Is there a "slimline" style kit that uses a rollerball? Those cartridges are thicker right?
Slimline pro is an 8mm tube and uses a Parker. It's as close as you can get.
 

Darios

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l. I know that you can find Parker style refills that are filled with Gel ink.

I believe that one of them is the Schmidt 9000 Easyflow. Some places I've seen call it 'rollerball style' ink, others call it 'hybrid'
 

greggm

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Henrietta, NY
Customer is wanting a Schmidt 5888 Bold refill. I can find nothing about "bold" and I have no idea what that is! Any thoughts or pointers for me?
thank you!
I have normally gone to Staples.com to reorder the 2-pack 888 rollerball refills. I let my customers know that they can also go there whenever they need them. I also go to Amazon for the 888 and 888F 4-pack refills. Amazon also carries the 5888 metal sleeve refills.
 

derekdd

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Can I ask maybe a related question? My wife likes the slimline pens I've made for gifts ... but she really wants a rollerball (maybe gel?) . Is there a "slimline" style kit that uses a rollerball? Those cartridges are thicker right?
The thinnest I can find is the Snap Cap kit. It uses an 8mm drill vs 7mm for slimlines.

However, once turned, it is very much the same. I bought a bunch of chrome ones from William Wood Write in Canada. It seems to be unique to them. I've sold several by having the woman write with a slimline then with the snap cap. Uses a Schmidt rollerball refill. I've not looked around to see what gel refill would work but I'm sure they're out there as gel pens tend to be pretty thin.

https://www.penblanks.ca/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes

Ed at Exotic has the Editor kit which is pretty much the same beast but the Editor is a ball point.
 

Todd in PA

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5888 > 888.
The best price I saw on Amazon was 2.49 ea. Exotic Blanks has the same for 1.65 ea. ($1.55 if you buy more than ten). But you pay for shipping, so you should grab refills when you're ordering kits and blanks already.
 

Darios

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5888 > 888.
The best price I saw on Amazon was 2.49 ea. Exotic Blanks has the same for 1.65 ea. ($1.55 if you buy more than ten). But you pay for shipping, so you should grab refills when you're ordering kits and blanks already.
Gotta watch Amazon though. Lanier sells a lot of the refills there and there is either a high base price or a shipping up charge that makes it a high price.

Kate at Bullseye also carries a good ink selection as well.
 
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