Fountain Pen Converters

Not all fountain pen converters are alike. Today I opened the Sheaffer Viewpoint pen and realized it only had cartridges and none of my converters I own are Sheaffer's. So I took a small 1 mm disposable pipette and fitted it over the Sheaffer feed stem. Perfect. It fit. Then I took a converter with a 3.4mm opening and fit the pipette into the converter. It fit. I trimmed the pipette flush inside the converter hole. I also made sure to turn the piston till it was all the way at the bottom of the converter and not lose the plastic pipette into the converter. Then I fit the converter over the Sheaffer feed stem. It worked. I dipped the pen in my homemade ink bottle and drew up some ink with the piston. It worked.
A while back I was experimenting with some dye to see if it would make for a neutral pH ink. I learned the pH would have an influence on the dye color. I also believed that the metal content of the nib would have some play into it. Perhaps the metal did have to do with the strange colors I could get from the dye, since it was a brass nib I had. Weeks later the nib crumbled like bread in the end of the pen. But that wasn't all I did. I took some of my blue ink I made and put a small piece of 99.9% pure copper anode into the bottom of the glass bottle. The only real difference was the ink started to look more blue-green or green-blue as time went by.
Years ago I had read about the displacement of metals in solution without electrical current applied. I was fascinated, because it was kind of like plating without any electricity. It was a theory called Helmholtz Phenomenon from what I recall. The book was very old and was called Planck's Treatise on Thermodynamics. I love to read old books about plating and how it was discovered and developed in the past probably 200 years. Maybe I'm onto something, maybe not. Anyhow fountain pens are really fun to play around with. I like making up colors and experimenting with lines and nibs.
The pen is a really pretty red and doesn't cost a lot either.

Pen display making during thunderstorms in NC

I have been thinking of ways I could display pens for really cheap. I got this old poster frame for free. I just turned the poster around and put the metal clips in the front instead of behind it to give it a shadow box look. 

Next I went through some supplies thinking how can I fix pens to a picture frame. I found a couple of rolls of hook and loop tape from Harbor Freight. Right now the rolls are on sale for $6.99 and offer 35 feet per roll. It took a bit more than one roll for this huge frame. I recall the measurement across the bottom is 30 inches.
I laid some pens on the board and decided how I wanted them arranged so I could easily see the colors and choose or service the pens. I made measurements to estimate how much supplies I would need and make sure I would have enough.
I started with one row of pens and tested it out to see how I would like it and how many rows I think I could make.
At first I used Elmer's glue but it didn't hold well. So I tried Tacky glue. It worked but I tried Duco glue at the same time. It also worked as well and seemed to dry clear and not be as messy as the Tacky glue. I went with the Duco glue since I had more on-hand also. It took almost a tube of Duco glue (~5 buck at Walmart).
I rolled out the rough side of the hook and loop to bond to the board. I just thought rough surfaces bond better than smooth. Sort of dumb really because the other side is the softer velvety side of the hook and loop. I think it might have absorbed more glue. Plus the board is styrofoam inside and solvent glue could melt styrofoam. I tested the glues in an area where it would not be visible to make sure it wouldn't melt my board.
After I got the first strip of hook and loop, I started digging in my pens and sorting out what still works and what is a good pen worth keeping. I laid them down and rolled the opposite side of the hook and loop over each pen, pressing about one finger space between each one. This forms a nice stiff little loop that can expand or be pinched down to accommodate a smaller diameter pen. So it is slightly adjustable for different sized pens. I made sure to get the loop tight enough the cap or some part of the pen would prevent it from falling out. I hung it up and waited over night to make sure nothing came loose or fell down. It worked. I can now see a whole range of art supplies at once. Maybe eventually I can fill it with pretty fountain pens.
One pen is missing because I am already using it. It's my grail pen of course, a Noodler's Safety pen. I think I did this project for under 20 dollars and I enjoyed it. I think I need to stop buying pens too.

Pilot Kakuno EF fountain pen and unbranded pen comparisons

I have been collecting some nice art supplies. I was on youtube watching reviews of fountain pens and heard many times that a Chinese fine is about the same as a Japanese medium when it comes to nib sizes. I had to see it for myself. I got a pen on ebay for $1.25 with an extra fine nib. I then purchased a Pilot Kakuno with an extra fine nib. The pen and converter was about $19.50, so I threw in a little watercolor pad to get the free shipping on Jet Pens. So nice. Who doesn't love free shipping? What's the difference in the pens?

The unbranded pen looks like a Wing Sung but the logo is not on the clip as it normally is. 

Kakuno is heavy plastic that doesn't seem too fragile and so is the unbranded. The line quality and thickness is so similar I wrote a few pages with them both and really don't think I can figure out which one I used. So that mystery is solved for me. I did have trouble posting unbranded pen. When I did post it, I accidentally squirted some ink out of the feed and dripped it on my clothes. 

The Kakuno has the converter inside and has holes in the barrel that would prevent making it an eyedropper pen. This is perfectly fine for me. I have learned the hard way with Moonman eyedropper pens, which can get warm in my hand, then the air inside the pen expands. What did that do? The ink had no where to go and was pushed out through the nib and "burped" like a baby an ink blob onto my art that I had spent hours drawing. So eyedroppers are cool if I keep them full. The weird thing is everyone goes on and on about all the ink it holds, and it is really no different if you have to constantly fill it. Just my opinion. Plus I put my Noodler's sample in it and only have 2 milliliters. So I can't keep it full unless I buy some more or waste some sample trying to clean it. 

Kakuno has a very nice connector inside the barrel that connects the converter. It is nice and deep and will not allow my ink converter or cartridge to come off by accident. It looks like it wouldn't be easy to break like a cheap plastic piece either. I would not be afraid to put a Kakuno in my luggage or bag while traveling. I would not worry about it burping on my art. I would not worry about it accidentally spilling ink onto my clothes or other people's belongings on a trip. Also I don't feel I will get ink on me in public when I don't have any place to clean up and get the ink off me. The unbranded pen is still great for doing art around the house. 

One other thing some people might care about is the Kakuno don't have a clip. Not a big thing for me but it might matter to someone who loves clipping their pen to a pocket or shirt. I like to slide mine in a phone case or a plastic box just in case a leak ever happened. 

Truthfully, I love the cheap pens just because I can put any ink I want in them as long as it can wash out (not acrylic). And it protects the environment. 

 Also I noticed the little watercolor pad is sold as Fluid 100 and inside it says it is a Speedball product. And it says it is in Statesville, NC. How cool is that? Everyone really likes the demonstrator pens with the showy inks inside. Both my pens are loaded with Noodler's Blue Nose Bear ink. I am a huge fan of Noodler's pens and inks.

 I haven't taken the sticker off the Kakuno yet. It is also a bit smaller than the other pen. I favor small pens over the larger ones. They fit my hands just perfect.

Plus I got out my oversized art journal yesterday. I want to get back to filling the pages. It has all handmade pages. The book itself is hand stamped leather made in India. The book has so many pages I called it my art journal for life. It will take my whole entire life to fill this thing but it has a lot of art in it so far. 

 I took these photos just to see how well the gel pens with glitter would show in photographs. I used so many gel pens on this book I filled a recycle bin with the empties. I really couldn't find refills for those things you find in places like Sam's Club or dollar stores. But I did find some refills for gel pens online and ordered a few. My favorite gel pens are Energel but the refills are a bit pricey for a disposable cartridge. Still good pens that last a long time. Fountain pens help ease my anxiety about environmental waste and they are good on the budget too.