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View Full Version : Reasons to Prefer a Piston Filler



eriquito
April 5th, 2010, 11:05 AM
I'm trying to love the piston filling system, but currently I can only hold it in high regard.

It's my impression that many a Fountain Pen Geek considers the piston filling system to be superior to all others. If that's you, could you explain your reasons?

I wouldn't mind if this thread turns into a Piston Filling Pro/Con Debate, so I'll start with:

The piston filling system is fantastic, until it comes time to flush the pen. At that point it becomes a royal pain in the blind cap and really, for this reason alone, I'm currently a big fan of eye droppers.

Please share wisdom, opinion, rumor and myth. I await enlightenment.

Eric
Son of Ragnar

Kelly G
April 5th, 2010, 01:48 PM
I think the piston filler is only a pain if you make it one. The piston fillers I use have threaded nib/feed systems that allow for easy removal of the nib, so if you are changing ink colors or wanting to get the pen clean for storage, it isn't a big deal. For normal flushing I don't try to get the water returns absolutely clear and just flush a few times to make sure I don't have any build-up going on.
I would much rather flush a piston filler than a Vacumatic or even most lever fillers.

I like piston fillers because they hold a lot of ink and are quite reliable. Of course, I don't mind an eyedropper either.

eriquito
April 5th, 2010, 11:29 PM
I think the piston filler is only a pain if you make it one.

Oh sure, blame the victim :)

I know... I really have to lower my standards when it comes to flushing (non-removable-nib) piston fillers. I want all traces of the old ink gone but I keep hearing, "You're asking too much," "Why bother?" "What's the point?"


I like piston fillers because they hold a lot of ink and are quite reliable.

Great reasons for liking piston fillers! I agree with both points and I'll try to keep them in the forefront of my brain the next time I'm flushing a piston filler (and telling myself to ignore that tiny bit of ink that just keeeeeeps coming out of the pen).

Anyone else have reasons to prefer a piston filler?

Eric
Son of Ragnar

Koyote
April 6th, 2010, 10:06 AM
Piston fillers hold mucho ink, and so flushing is infrequent. And if you fill with the same ink, you need only flush every several fills.

Anyway, I find that my piston filler only takes slightly longer to flush clean than a cc pen -- maybe a minute vs. a half minute.

dannzeman
April 6th, 2010, 11:39 AM
Piston fillers hold mucho ink, and so flushing is infrequent. And if you fill with the same ink, you need only flush every several fills.



Anyway, I find that my piston filler only takes slightly longer to flush clean than a cc pen -- maybe a minute vs. a half minute.
Yes, most of what you say is true but compared to an eye dropper a piston filler is like a cartridge.

Sent from my DAMAGEDHERO200 using Tapatalk

gillyohan
April 6th, 2010, 02:28 PM
I think any type of filling system is going to have things its better and worse at. It probably just depends on what the user can/cannot stand.

The ED has the potential to hold a lot of ink, but the one I have (a cheap preppy ED) has to be filled at least a third full or it starts dripping ink from the expanding air in the barrel. I have never had this happen to any of my other types of FPs. This means I can't use that last bit of ink, or have to dump it back into the bottle (eck) or into a "leftovers" container. This is actually the main reason I don't want to use ED FPs. Someone please correct me if this minimum fill level is not "required" of all EDs. I also think it can be challenging to flush the feed and nib on an ED because there isn't something there to suck water back and forth through them, unless you have a bulb or something like that.

PFs typically still hold a good amount of ink, are able to provide suction back and forth for flushing, don't require anything other than a bottle of ink to fill, and some have easily removable nibs to allow for more thorough cleaning if needed. I think real neat freaks may struggle with PFs. Some have easily removable nibs, but what about when the ink gets behind the plunger on a demo FP? Also, if there is damage to the any part of the PF system, it's not as easily repaired/replaced at home.

CC is pretty nice because they allow for carts or convertor, and can be pretty easily taken apart and cleaned. I think the main weakness is the smaller ink capacity. Also, if the convertor breaks, it can be replaced for a relatively cheap cost.

Just some personal thoughts based on somewhat limited experience.

sokuban
April 6th, 2010, 05:03 PM
I've only ever used c/c fillers, and I don't really like their small capacity. Though I prefer it over piston fillers because it makes it easier to clean; I seriously don't understand how people could clean a piston filler.

I haven't tried an eyedropper yet, so I still look towards it as the grail. You think that the eyedropper requires more effort to fill, but does it really? you just need to drop some ink into the barrel and close it, you don't even have to wipe the nib! I guess there would be a lot of problems (like the one above me) of ink leakage, but if you had a tightly sealed eyedropper that works, it sounds like the best filling system.

gillyohan
April 6th, 2010, 06:43 PM
I don't think the ED requires more effort to fill. In fact, I can't imagine anything being easier to fill, unless, of course, you don't have an eyedropper. The problem is that EDs, at least some, require the barrel to be at least a third full. I think that requirement, in and of itself is ridiculous. It's like I can never use that last third of ink...It's just there to make sure ink doesn't begin dipping out of the nib. Tightly sealing the ED doesn't have anything to do with this either, since it's coming out of the nib.

So, I agree that it is a great filling system as far as ease of filling and cleaning go. I don't think it's the best system when it comes to actual use of the pen. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong about the ink "requirement". Maybe Ebonite EDs don't have this problem.

penspouse
April 13th, 2010, 04:22 PM
Yes, most of what you say is true but compared to an eye dropper a piston filler is like a cartridge.

Sent from my DAMAGEDHERO200 using Tapatalk

Except it holds a TON more ink.

dannzeman
April 13th, 2010, 05:13 PM
penspouse, welcome, it's nice to see ya on the boards!

Except it holds a TON more ink.
When you say "it", which one are you referring to? The eye dropper or the piston filler?

JohnCruzNg
April 13th, 2010, 06:43 PM
I love aerometric fillers the best because flushing is so easy. Aerometric fillers force the ink out and flushing is easy. Three to five pushes on the the aerometric filler and then you're done but with the piston filler you might need 20 fills to get the water running clear (I use Hero Black Carbon Ink and Noodler's OMB). I do not mind the small ink capacities (in the pilot converters and the Hero 616) but the way I see it is a plus. I have a lot of inks that need loving.

penspouse
April 13th, 2010, 11:08 PM
penspouse, welcome, it's nice to see ya on the boards!

When you say "it", which one are you referring to? The eye dropper or the piston filler?

Piston filler holds more than a cartridge pen.

dannzeman
April 17th, 2010, 02:58 PM
Yes, most of what you say is true but compared to an eye dropper a piston filler is like a cartridge.

Except it holds a TON more ink.

When you say "it", which one are you referring to? The eye dropper or the piston filler?

Piston filler holds more than a cartridge pen.
That's correct. And an ED holds more than a piston filler. My original comparison was trying to imply that an ED hold so much more ink than a piston filler that it makes the piston filler look like a cartridge.

Ernst Bitterman
April 20th, 2010, 09:25 AM
I should probably keep my vintage mouth shut...
http://dirck.delint.ca/Packard%20Bulb.jpg
This Packard bulb filler holds slightly more than the large Guider ED I own, and is a dream of ease when flushing. The Sheaffer TDs are pretty straightforward, too, although the more complex feeds take a little more effort to clear. I'd put lever and button fillers slightly ahead of pistons and vacumatics in terms of ease, although the latter two hold more ink (but not so much as the bulb filler because the mechanism takes about half the available space). The Sheaffer vacuum fillers hold gobs of ink, but while easy to clean give on a slight heart murmur each time they're worked-- is THIS the time the seals fail? As an aside, the Conid (http://www.conidpen.com/) pen looks like a good bet, if you can lay your hands on one.

lovemy51
May 5th, 2010, 08:32 PM
I should probably keep my vintage mouth shut...
http://dirck.delint.ca/Packard%20Bulb.jpg
This Packard bulb filler holds slightly more than the large Guider ED I own, and is a dream of ease when flushing. The Sheaffer TDs are pretty straightforward, too, although the more complex feeds take a little more effort to clear. I'd put lever and button fillers slightly ahead of pistons and vacumatics in terms of ease, although the latter two hold more ink (but not so much as the bulb filler because the mechanism takes about half the available space). The Sheaffer vacuum fillers hold gobs of ink, but while easy to clean give on a slight heart murmur each time they're worked-- is THIS the time the seals fail? As an aside, the Conid (http://www.conidpen.com/) pen looks like a good bet, if you can lay your hands on one.

i have one of these bulb fillers by remington and it's not that simple to flush completely.:confused:

lovemy51
May 5th, 2010, 08:45 PM
my fav piston filler has to be the pelikan (there are other german pens like Ero and Reform with the same sys)... with the threaded nib system it is super easy to clean. i own a few other P/F pens that are a pain to flush (mostly the cheaper ones, like Dollar pen, Parax, Wality, etc).

how much ink the P/F holds is not a factor in the use i give them... since i get tired of the ink very quickly and change it constantly.

SProctor
May 6th, 2010, 01:07 PM
Personally, several of the fountain pens that I prefer at the moment are piston fillers... Yes they tend to hold more ink than the average cartridge/converter filler and not as much as most ED fillers. I use a fair amount of stubby and italic nibs that use a lot of ink when I am writing with them. The Piston-Fillers tend to hold enough ink for me to finish my project, whatever it might be... where with a cartridge or converter I would have to stop and either put a new cart in or refill the converter before I am finished with whatever it is that I am writing. Believe me, I have gone through having to do that many, many times.

A couple of my favorites right now are the Lamy 2000 and the Lamy 27. During the flushing process on these piston-fillers, it is not difficult to uncouple/unscrew the section from the barrel manually and to run some additional water through the barrel (tank) before reassembling the pen. Often while I have the pen apart, to save a little time I will fill the tank completely with ink using a syringe, just like one would refill a cartridge. This eliminates the normal dipping-the-nib part of the refilling process and can be a much cleaner way of doing it in the long run. I also find that I can put more ink in the tank that way too.

Just my two cents worth on the subject...

bardolator
May 9th, 2010, 05:13 PM
My Pelikan (M400, white/tortoise) does take a long time to flush...but I KNOW when I'm running out of ink, and I KNOW when it's clean! I really dislike the whateveryoucallit fill system in my P45 flighter.