Converter Question

[Ugly Old Guy]

My fountain pen (I forget the brand) came with a twist ink converter.

Is the piston the converter supposed to follow the ink down, keeping it almost somewhat pressurized, or stay at the top, letting gravity pull the ink out the nib?
Truth to tell, I wasn't impressed. The ink flow seems a lot better from a cartridge.

This is my first time using a converter. My last fountain pens were a Schafer No Nonsense, Calligraphy set with broad nibs, and a Pelikin (?) with squeeze bulb/sack refil.
I don't think converters were made back in the 1980's for the no nonsense pens, when I had mine. If they were I never saw one - or heard of such a thing.

[Ron Z]

The piston on a converter stays at the top until you turn the knob to screw it down to fill again.

Converters were available for the Sheaffer No Nonsense pens. Sheaffer started making converters back in the 60s, all variations on squeeze squeeze converters, and by the 90s the piston converters. I didn't know about converters until the early 80s when one came with my first Targa. Lots of stores didn't carry them.

The advantage to using a converter is that you in essence flush the nib every time you fill the pen (I cycle them a couple of times each fill). If you use only converters, you need to clean and flush the pen periodically. With a converter, only when you change inks.

[Chip]

When my converter pens start running dry, so I hold them nib up and twist the converter thingie to exhaust some air from the reservoir, with a tissue at hand for blotting.