I often save my ink cartridges, rinse out with water when empty, then use a syringe to add bottled ink to it. You can’t beat how inexpensive bottled ink ends up being in the long run! 😊💕
I came here to say the same thing. Also, there are mini converters for the Kaweco Sport - they don't hold a lot of ink but it can be less fiddly than rinsing out an old cartridge and refilling it.
There is something I want to mention: Be aware that many fountain pen inks fade over time if they are not explicitly marked as archival inks. I lost the contents of several journals of my teenage years due to ink-fading. After around 14 years the writing was completely illegible. Especially the lighter ink colours. So if you want your grandchildren to read your journals be sure to use a long-lasting ink 😉
Hi @writingmylife can you tell me a brand of archival ink? Also do they come in other colours? I presume for most fountain pens I’d need to use a converter for archival ink?
@@Planner_girl_kel Hi, I know Noodlers Ink has different colours of archival inks and also every ink that's based on iron gall is very long lasting but that is only blue I believe. I'm no expert, however. I stopped using fountain pens for many years and just got into it again. i'm not sure if there is archival ink in cartridges... maybe some of the fountain pen veterans on youtube can answer that 😄
@@Planner_girl_kel you can simply use cartridges that you have already used the original ink out of. Clean it out with water, and syringe fill the cartridges. You can buy a bulb syringe or better yet an ink syringe. This has a small metal nose that is basically a long thick needle head without it being sharp. You can fill cartridges and converters with these and it’s easy and cleaner. Most fountain pens that are cartridge pens are technically cartridge/ converters pens. Meaning that you can buy either one for any given fountain pen. Some cartridge/ converter pens come with both. Other make you buy your own converters. Some pens use standard international cartridges and converters for their pens and others use what are called proprietary cartridges/converters. Let’s say you you have a Lamy Safari. They use proprietary cartridges/ converters. Which means they have a different cartridge/ converter that is not standard international cartridges and converters. So you would look up online Lamy Safari converter to find where to buy them. Many well respected companies sell them so you know you are getting the real deal. But I’ll give you a hint. Lamy Safari’s used Z 28 converters. Other pens that use proprietary cartridges and converters are Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor along with many others. Other pens do used international standard converters and cartridges such as Kaweco,Visconti, and Jinhao. So you just have to look up which companies use standard international or have the own proprietary cartridges and converters. But to be clear. All pens that use cartridges, that I know of, also can use a converter. Hope this helps. Cheers
Lovely to see your experiences. I've got a quick tip for ink explorations - buy samples from fountain pen ink shops! There are definitely a few places in the UK and the US that provide these. You usually get 2mls in a sample vial and that's enough to know if you actually like the ink and might want to find a full bottle. Much much better for the wallet! The Pilot Kakuno can also use a converter such as the CON-40, if you don't want to use cartridges and syringes. If you're a fan of fine nibs, try a Platinum pen. Like most Japanese pens, they usually run on the fine side, and they have pens at all budgets. Oh and yes - you can dip the nib directly into the ink and fill it the same way you fill the TWSBI Eco. I do this with the VP in particular, but all other pens too, and you can just wipe the nib and grip section properly afterwards. Make sure to soak up a bit of the extra ink in the nib unit, otherwise it might blob a bit before it writes normally. This really speeds up the process when you want to write immediately after filling. :)
@@Daksina oh yes! Platinum President’s which have gone out of production now, but you can still grab one on Amazon if you act fast, have an Ultra Extra Fine nib option. I just bought one about 2-3 months ago. I also have a medium and that’s very nice indeed. I’m getting a fine, to replace my first Ultra Extra fine that had an unfortunate accident when it decided to fall off of a two story porch onto gravel, dirt, and stones. Looking into some nib meisters now to get back to me about seeing if this one can be fixed. Anywho, seriously you should pick one up. There prices are way down from what they used to be by about half. They have beautiful 18k gold nibs. And in my and many others opinions, they are more beautiful that their close cousin, the 3776. Get ‘em while they are still around. They are going fast. Again, check Amazon for the best prices. I got mine for around $100! Some are around $150 now because the sellers are realizing there aren’t many left. Hope this helps! Cheers
Hi Daksina. Enjoyed this video. I believe I have more fountain pens than you have. My favorites are: pilot pens like, Metropolitan,Decimo, E95s,Explorer, plus Twsbi Eco, Swipe,Lamy Safari, Studio, Kaweco Sport& one Benu. The only ball point pens I like are the Foray. Here is a tip...fill your syringe with water and clean your converters and cartridges by putting the syringe tip deep into them and fill them. No more twisting to clean a converter. Takes much less time. BLESSINGS
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to do this and you were great at explaining the filling mechanisms. So much about fountain pens comes down to personal preference and it’s great to see yours and see your collection and inks. Thank you for previously recommending the Delike fountain pens on AliExpress. I now have 2 of the heavier metal ones and I also got the red resin one a while ago. The nibs are great as “Japanese extra fine” and write smoothly and beautifully. There are only three things I could think of to add. 1. Blotting Paper - inexpensive and great for just putting in your book as you close it without worrying about it smearing or transferring. 2. A bulb syringe for cleaning out the nibs. It really forces water through the feed and nib and can make cleaning quicker. 3. If you use the tool that comes with the Twsbi Eco, and read the instructions you can dismantle and clean them really well.
This was very informative!! I have always been afraid of fountain pens because of the messy refilling but you showed me how easy it is and now I'm a little excited 😊 Ps you could fill you brush fountain pen with the shimmer inks and get a beautiful shimmer as you brush lettering and for practice you could brush letter the days of the week in your planner. Set up for the week will take a little longer but this really helped me and kept me accountable to practice!! Thanks so much for making this video!!
Bleed through is the one thing I test for, especially with Stalogy paper, but I have found most Robert Oster inks perform well, as well as Herbin (Vert de Gris is my favorite). However, it’s hard to get an ink to sheen on Stalogy. Sheen is different than shimmer, and it’s the one thing I don’t love about Stalogy. I use a stub nib for my shimmers and it works fantastic. I use these for my headers. Because TWSBI has an airtight cap, the nib doesn’t dry out, also. I’m a big TWSBI Eco fan as well. It’s just about all I use and I have a variety of nib sizes. I just love fountain pens and the limitless options in inks:)
11:40 there are a couple of reasons a fountain pen will dry out. One reason is that the pen itself does not seal air tight. Or mostly air tight. Some pens have a cap liner that when you click or screw the pen down will seal up against the lip of the section or grip of the pen. The small flair out part at the end of the area where one holds a pen and the nib itself. And that seals the pen and stops ink from drying up. Some look like they have a cap liner but don’t. Reason two. You haven’t written or used your pen in months and it isn’t absolutely air tight. Most, not all, fountain pen inks are mostly water. So we get evaporation of the water in the ink. Fun fact. You can reconstitute the ink by taking out you cartridge or converter and using an ink syringe, you can add water back into the ink. If you can’t remember how much ink was left in said pen cartridge/ converter, just add 1/3 of the entire cartridge/ converter with water. Shake up to reconstitute the ink and test it. If it’s still too thick, add a little more. Go slowly here because you don’t want to water it down too much. The ink will just be lighter than normal is all. But you rather go slow and get it right rather then add too much and it be too light. One more thing, if you notice your ink is completely drying out in only a few days, check to see if there is a crack or split in the cap or grip section of the pen where air is getting in. That could be a problem. Not completely unfixable but harder to deal with without it not show a repair. Depending on where the crack is. Sometimes you can get a new part for a pen. People online will sell parts of pens out piece meal when their own pen broke in an unfixable way. But some are easier to find than others so don’t depend on that as a fix. Usually you would have to send it to a nib meister that does repair work on the bodies of pens as well as nibs. If the pen is a brand name they usually have a manufacturer warranty. Usually one year. You can look online for that company’s email and phone number to contact them. If it’s still under warranty body work is usually covered. Unless you stepped on it. Lol. And even then some companies will still fix it for you for free or a small fee. Hope that helps you. Cheers
If you decide you want to use bottled ink with your Safari, you can get a Lamy converter : ) Also, I believe the Kaweco cartridges are an international standard short size, so you could try diamine with a lot more colour choices :) Great useful video :)
The Lamy Safari can use a Z28 converter (you purchase separately), the Kaukuno a Pilot Con-40 converter, and the kaweco sport has a mini converter you can purchase - or you can purchase a blunt tipped syringe and clean cartridges and refill them with bottled ink
Jet pens in the US has 3 packs of 15 ml iroshizuku inks, some packs are 3 of the same color but they have a pack a, b, and c that are all different colors. Not sure about where jet pens ships but if they carry them some other shops may also. Great video, I love fountain pens ❤️ after searching it looks like a place called pure pens does offer the sets of three and let’s you choose the colors you want. They seem to be in the UK. Hope this helps
I first watched this over 6 months ago, not knowing anything and hadn’t used a fountain pen since school. Now I can follow everything and know all the different types of pen. I am rewatching as the postal strike has all my new inks hostage and I’m getting impatient lol
Oh wow!! I am just as clueless as I was in this video🤣🤣🤣 Where did you get new inks from? I am also waiting for my Diamine Advent calendar and some sparkly holo inks that are being held hostage lol
@@Planner_girl_kel Ooh lovely!! I bought this GORGEOUS ink called Macbeth and also Dewy Starlight (Wearingeul brand) from Art from the Heart. Cannot wait for them to arrive!
For a drier ink in the twsbis try pelican 4001 Inks. I love broad nibs and wet Inks, so have always steered clear, but they could be perfect for you! Also paler shades or adding some distilled water to change the surface tension will create a drier flow 😊
Thank you for taking the time to do this video! So very helpful to this newbie here :). What do you store them all in? Can't wait to start a collection!
You are so welcome! I keep mine in a pouch so they are horizontal. I don't know if it's true, but I've heard fountain pens don't store well vertically if they are inked.
@@Daksina They do. I'm in the US and I buy from there when I have a nice order complied just because their prices for Diamine inks are unbeatable and they actually have Troublemaker Inks, which are so hard to come by.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 79 | คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs อาเมียร์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WfPSA1A0NHc/mqdefault.jpg)
I often save my ink cartridges, rinse out with water when empty, then use a syringe to add bottled ink to it. You can’t beat how inexpensive bottled ink ends up being in the long run! 😊💕
I came here to say the same thing. Also, there are mini converters for the Kaweco Sport - they don't hold a lot of ink but it can be less fiddly than rinsing out an old cartridge and refilling it.
A tip.. use that syringe to clean converters and cartridges.
Great tip!
There is something I want to mention: Be aware that many fountain pen inks fade over time if they are not explicitly marked as archival inks. I lost the contents of several journals of my teenage years due to ink-fading. After around 14 years the writing was completely illegible. Especially the lighter ink colours. So if you want your grandchildren to read your journals be sure to use a long-lasting ink 😉
Thank you so much!! I have thought about purchasing archival inks for that very reason actually.
Hi @writingmylife can you tell me a brand of archival ink? Also do they come in other colours? I presume for most fountain pens I’d need to use a converter for archival ink?
@@Planner_girl_kel Hi, I know Noodlers Ink has different colours of archival inks and also every ink that's based on iron gall is very long lasting but that is only blue I believe. I'm no expert, however. I stopped using fountain pens for many years and just got into it again. i'm not sure if there is archival ink in cartridges... maybe some of the fountain pen veterans on youtube can answer that 😄
@@writingmylife3782 thank you
@@Planner_girl_kel you can simply use cartridges that you have already used the original ink out of. Clean it out with water, and syringe fill the cartridges. You can buy a bulb syringe or better yet an ink syringe. This has a small metal nose that is basically a long thick needle head without it being sharp. You can fill cartridges and converters with these and it’s easy and cleaner.
Most fountain pens that are cartridge pens are technically cartridge/ converters pens. Meaning that you can buy either one for any given fountain pen. Some cartridge/ converter pens come with both. Other make you buy your own converters. Some pens use standard international cartridges and converters for their pens and others use what are called proprietary cartridges/converters. Let’s say you you have a Lamy Safari. They use proprietary cartridges/ converters. Which means they have a different cartridge/ converter that is not standard international cartridges and converters. So you would look up online Lamy Safari converter to find where to buy them. Many well respected companies sell them so you know you are getting the real deal. But I’ll give you a hint. Lamy Safari’s used Z 28 converters.
Other pens that use proprietary cartridges and converters are Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor along with many others.
Other pens do used international standard converters and cartridges such as Kaweco,Visconti, and Jinhao.
So you just have to look up which companies use standard international or have the own proprietary cartridges and converters. But to be clear. All pens that use cartridges, that I know of, also can use a converter. Hope this helps. Cheers
Lovely to see your experiences. I've got a quick tip for ink explorations - buy samples from fountain pen ink shops! There are definitely a few places in the UK and the US that provide these. You usually get 2mls in a sample vial and that's enough to know if you actually like the ink and might want to find a full bottle. Much much better for the wallet!
The Pilot Kakuno can also use a converter such as the CON-40, if you don't want to use cartridges and syringes.
If you're a fan of fine nibs, try a Platinum pen. Like most Japanese pens, they usually run on the fine side, and they have pens at all budgets.
Oh and yes - you can dip the nib directly into the ink and fill it the same way you fill the TWSBI Eco. I do this with the VP in particular, but all other pens too, and you can just wipe the nib and grip section properly afterwards. Make sure to soak up a bit of the extra ink in the nib unit, otherwise it might blob a bit before it writes normally. This really speeds up the process when you want to write immediately after filling. :)
Wow, that's very cool!! I'm definitely trying that with my VP. Thank you!!
@@Daksina oh yes! Platinum President’s which have gone out of production now, but you can still grab one on Amazon if you act fast, have an Ultra Extra Fine nib option. I just bought one about 2-3 months ago. I also have a medium and that’s very nice indeed. I’m getting a fine, to replace my first Ultra Extra fine that had an unfortunate accident when it decided to fall off of a two story porch onto gravel, dirt, and stones.
Looking into some nib meisters now to get back to me about seeing if this one can be fixed.
Anywho, seriously you should pick one up. There prices are way down from what they used to be by about half. They have beautiful 18k gold nibs. And in my and many others opinions, they are more beautiful that their close cousin, the 3776. Get ‘em while they are still around. They are going fast. Again, check Amazon for the best prices. I got mine for around $100! Some are around $150 now because the sellers are realizing there aren’t many left. Hope this helps! Cheers
Hi Daksina. Enjoyed this video. I believe I have more fountain pens than you have. My favorites are: pilot pens like, Metropolitan,Decimo, E95s,Explorer, plus Twsbi Eco, Swipe,Lamy Safari, Studio, Kaweco Sport& one Benu. The only ball point pens I like are the Foray. Here is a tip...fill your syringe with water and clean your converters and cartridges by putting the syringe tip deep into them and fill them. No more twisting to clean a converter. Takes much less time. BLESSINGS
Thanks for sharing!! I will definitely try that next time!! Your collection sounds amazing!
Thank you for doing this video!
You are so welcome!
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to do this and you were great at explaining the filling mechanisms. So much about fountain pens comes down to personal preference and it’s great to see yours and see your collection and inks. Thank you for previously recommending the Delike fountain pens on AliExpress. I now have 2 of the heavier metal ones and I also got the red resin one a while ago. The nibs are great as “Japanese extra fine” and write smoothly and beautifully.
There are only three things I could think of to add. 1. Blotting Paper - inexpensive and great for just putting in your book as you close it without worrying about it smearing or transferring. 2. A bulb syringe for cleaning out the nibs. It really forces water through the feed and nib and can make cleaning quicker. 3. If you use the tool that comes with the Twsbi Eco, and read the instructions you can dismantle and clean them really well.
Thank you!! I will have to dig out that tool lol. I’ve never even stopped to think what it’s for🤣
This was very informative!! I have always been afraid of fountain pens because of the messy refilling but you showed me how easy it is and now I'm a little excited 😊
Ps you could fill you brush fountain pen with the shimmer inks and get a beautiful shimmer as you brush lettering and for practice you could brush letter the days of the week in your planner. Set up for the week will take a little longer but this really helped me and kept me accountable to practice!! Thanks so much for making this video!!
Glad it was helpful! Excellent idea about filling the brush pen with the shimmer ink - I will definitely give it a go!
Bleed through is the one thing I test for, especially with Stalogy paper, but I have found most Robert Oster inks perform well, as well as Herbin (Vert de Gris is my favorite). However, it’s hard to get an ink to sheen on Stalogy. Sheen is different than shimmer, and it’s the one thing I don’t love about Stalogy. I use a stub nib for my shimmers and it works fantastic. I use these for my headers. Because TWSBI has an airtight cap, the nib doesn’t dry out, also. I’m a big TWSBI Eco fan as well. It’s just about all I use and I have a variety of nib sizes. I just love fountain pens and the limitless options in inks:)
Ah, I didn't know that about Stalogy paper, thanks for sharing!! Yes, TWSBIs are so great!!
11:40 there are a couple of reasons a fountain pen will dry out. One reason is that the pen itself does not seal air tight. Or mostly air tight. Some pens have a cap liner that when you click or screw the pen down will seal up against the lip of the section or grip of the pen. The small flair out part at the end of the area where one holds a pen and the nib itself. And that seals the pen and stops ink from drying up. Some look like they have a cap liner but don’t.
Reason two. You haven’t written or used your pen in months and it isn’t absolutely air tight.
Most, not all, fountain pen inks are mostly water. So we get evaporation of the water in the ink.
Fun fact. You can reconstitute the ink by taking out you cartridge or converter and using an ink syringe, you can add water back into the ink.
If you can’t remember how much ink was left in said pen cartridge/ converter, just add 1/3 of the entire cartridge/ converter with water. Shake up to reconstitute the ink and test it. If it’s still too thick, add a little more. Go slowly here because you don’t want to water it down too much. The ink will just be lighter than normal is all. But you rather go slow and get it right rather then add too much and it be too light.
One more thing, if you notice your ink is completely drying out in only a few days, check to see if there is a crack or split in the cap or grip section of the pen where air is getting in. That could be a problem. Not completely unfixable but harder to deal with without it not show a repair. Depending on where the crack is. Sometimes you can get a new part for a pen. People online will sell parts of pens out piece meal when their own pen broke in an unfixable way. But some are easier to find than others so don’t depend on that as a fix. Usually you would have to send it to a nib meister that does repair work on the bodies of pens as well as nibs.
If the pen is a brand name they usually have a manufacturer warranty. Usually one year. You can look online for that company’s email and phone number to contact them. If it’s still under warranty body work is usually covered. Unless you stepped on it. Lol. And even then some companies will still fix it for you for free or a small fee.
Hope that helps you. Cheers
Wow, thanks so much!!
Thank you for making this video, I learned a lot and now know what to consider if/when I buy my own fountain pens
Pleasure! Glad you found it helpful.
If you decide you want to use bottled ink with your Safari, you can get a Lamy converter : ) Also, I believe the Kaweco cartridges are an international standard short size, so you could try diamine with a lot more colour choices :) Great useful video :)
Thanks for the tips! I'm learning so much from these comments!
I do love my Safaris, Kaweco and Kakunos because I can use a cartridge as you showed or converters for each and use my bottled ink.
It's very handy!
The Lamy Safari can use a Z28 converter (you purchase separately), the Kaukuno a Pilot Con-40 converter, and the kaweco sport has a mini converter you can purchase - or you can purchase a blunt tipped syringe and clean cartridges and refill them with bottled ink
Oh thanks!! Good to know.
Jet pens in the US has 3 packs of 15 ml iroshizuku inks, some packs are 3 of the same color but they have a pack a, b, and c that are all different colors. Not sure about where jet pens ships but if they carry them some other shops may also. Great video, I love fountain pens ❤️ after searching it looks like a place called pure pens does offer the sets of three and let’s you choose the colors you want. They seem to be in the UK. Hope this helps
Thank you so much, I will check them out right now!!
I first watched this over 6 months ago, not knowing anything and hadn’t used a fountain pen since school. Now I can follow everything and know all the different types of pen. I am rewatching as the postal strike has all my new inks hostage and I’m getting impatient lol
Oh wow!! I am just as clueless as I was in this video🤣🤣🤣 Where did you get new inks from? I am also waiting for my Diamine Advent calendar and some sparkly holo inks that are being held hostage lol
@@Daksina I’ve got the inkvent too. I have used The Journal Shop on their Black Friday sale. Also got a few from Gretel Creates and Cult Pens
@@Daksina tell me more about sparkly holo inks
@@Planner_girl_kel Ooh lovely!! I bought this GORGEOUS ink called Macbeth and also Dewy Starlight (Wearingeul brand) from Art from the Heart. Cannot wait for them to arrive!
Look forward to seeing them. I’ve split day 12 advent as I have arthritis and lost my grip. Gutted as it looked so pretty
Love this video! So great to see the same entry level pens I have! I spend too much on ink, planners and washi to have sailors and benus 😛
For a drier ink in the twsbis try pelican 4001 Inks. I love broad nibs and wet Inks, so have always steered clear, but they could be perfect for you! Also paler shades or adding some distilled water to change the surface tension will create a drier flow 😊
Ooh, good to know, thanks so much!
I feel like we hung out so much today 😍 I thought you did a GREAT job. I think I'll buy some sheen/shimmer inks and get a calligraphy nib.
Thank you, friend💕
Thank you for taking the time to do this video! So very helpful to this newbie here :). What do you store them all in? Can't wait to start a collection!
You are so welcome! I keep mine in a pouch so they are horizontal. I don't know if it's true, but I've heard fountain pens don't store well vertically if they are inked.
Lovely pens Daksina.
Thank you, Donna. I would love to see your collection one day, I know you have some beautiful inks!!
I NEARLY JUMP OUT MY SKIN when the bottle fell over and let out a loud gasp
Hahahaha sorry!!
What cover is that you are using?
It's beautiful!!!
Thanks! That's an Aura Estelle one.
Wondering what brand and where the brush fountain pen is from.
No name brand from Ali Express.
have you tried cult pens for the pilot iroshizuku? I believe they're uk based.
I have, thanks! I purchase my pens from them and someone informed me they also sell ink!
@@Daksina They do. I'm in the US and I buy from there when I have a nice order complied just because their prices for Diamine inks are unbeatable and they actually have Troublemaker Inks, which are so hard to come by.