Fountain Pen Cartridges – What To Know

by admin on May 17, 2010

Converter and Cartridge

Fountain Pen Cartridge Types

Button Filler

Lever Filler

Crescent Filler

Coin Filler

Matchstick Filler

Piston Filler

Fountain Pen Cartridge History

The Parker Pen Co. first offered the Button Filler in 1913. It was patented in 1905 and used as an alternative to the eyedropper method.

The eyedropper process was used by Parker in their Duofold line of pens. Shortly after, the Lever Filler came about, which was patented in 1908 by Walter Sheaffer. The lever filler was introduced by The W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company of Fort Madison, Iowa in 1912.

This external lever depressed the flexible ink sac and fitted flush with the barrel of the pen, when not in use.

Roy Conklin of Toledo soon produced the first Crescent Filler later called the click filler. When pressing the protruding tabs on the outside of the pen, the tabs would make a clicking sound when the sac was full.

There was also the Coin Filler, developed by Lewis Edson Waterman. The matchstick type filler used a coin in an attempt to compete with the winning lever filler patent belonging to Sheaffer.

An opening in the barrel of the pen enabled a coin to deflate the internal pressure plate, a similar idea to the matchstick filler.

The Matchstick Filler was introduced around 1910 by the Weidlich Company. Within the side of the barrel there was a hole that pushed the pressure bar with a matchstick.

Lastly, the Piston Filler was licensed by Pelikan in 1930.

This was used in Pelikan’s first self filling pen called the Pelikan 100.

Background

Fountain pens have come along way from the introduction of the quill pen.

The most popular form of writing of the time, using a quill pen was very labor intensive. Quill pens would last for about a week but then needed to be replaced.

These pens were made of feathers from the wings of geese. As writing grew in popularity so did the need for inventions of better writing instruments and new technologies.

Making the writing process easier, fountain pen pioneers created filling systems that provided better performance in their reservoir designs.

With the first fountain pens, eyedroppers were used to move ink from the ink bottle to the pen.

Although very messy and problematic, this was the process. Fountain pens can be filled by either cartridge or self filling.

Many still prefer the manual filling method over a fountain pen cartridge, even though using a fountain pen cartridge is less messy and cumbersome.

The lever filler and the button filler provided an easier way for fountain pen filling. These fillers brought some ease of use but did require maintenance as well. As professions and trades required more refined writing instruments, advances in fountain pens continued to progress.

Through trial and error, in the pursuit to perfect these filling systems, more refined fountain pens started to emerge.

Older more vintage pens may still require the use of eyedropper fillers.

Still, there are self filling pens that have a sac in them. The older methods were used to put pressure on the sac, allowing the flow of ink.

The fountain pen would get filled or emptied with ink upon squeezing the sac.

Fountain Pen Cartridges – Present Day

The use of cartridges or international cartridges is more common today. Due to the number of European companies using cartridges in fountain pens today, cartridges are also known as international cartridges.

Also popular is the piston filler which uses a piston in the pen, which by twisting the pen drives the piston up or down inside the barrel. This is done by twisting a knob at the end of the pen. Most common today is the use of piston fillers or cartridges.

Converters can be purchased that can convert the cartridge refill pen to a piston refill one.

For maximum ink capacity, the eyedropper filler ink pens would be best. Piston refills hold less ink because of the piston position in the pen. Having the piston take up space in the barrel of the pen leaves less room for ink.

International cartridges of all makes can be used in some fountain pens, while others accept only cartridges of their own brand.

Some fountain pen models do not allow the use of a converter. The use of a syringe would be needed to fill the ink cartridge in these pens. There is a wide range of inks that one can chose from when refilling a pen.

There are numerous ink bottles of different shapes and designs available today. Storing refills will ensure that you do not run out of ink.

Some users love the idea of refilling a pen cartridge by themselves, even if it means getting a little messy with ink. For a classic fountain pen cartridge refill test, try the self filling approach.

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