Newbie question about converters

[EdMay]

Hello!

I'm a fountain pen enthusiast, although I have very little experience with them.

I recently started using a converter with a couple of my pens, but it seems like the flow starts great then quickly dwindles. If I open the pen and twist the piston down, the ink flows pretty well again.

Is this a problem with the converter, the ink, the pen, or what?

I'm using a Cross pen and a wood turned pen with a Cross nib. The only ink I could find was the Parker Quink, so that's what I'm using.

The converter I'm using in the wood pen came with the pen, but the converter in the Cross pen was given to me by a friend.

I appreciate any insight you can give me!

Thanks!

[Chrissy]

It's usually a problem with the surface tension of the ink inside the converter. That's why they often contain a small ball or spring to break that tension.
If you have a Cross pen and you're using the correct version of their converter for that model then it should be OK. There are two different Cross converters for their different pen models. I think one is orange and one is green. You need to check which one your pen needs.

[jar]

Also you can often solve the tension issue pretty easily. Take a wood toothpick and dip the tip in some dish detergent then very briefly dip the toothpick into the ink in the converter. In this case remember that a little is MORE, you only want to add a very small amount of surfactant.

[Kaputnik]

Parker Quink should be just fine in any pen. It's unlikely to be the ink. Not an "exciting" ink perhaps, but generally problem free.

Jar's suggestion may help. Never tried it myself. I haven't had that many problems with converters. When I do use converters, they are often with Pilot pens, which use a proprietary wide mouthed design, and have few flow problems. Some standard international converters on other pens have given me a little trouble, but not often.

I don't know a lot about Cross pens, although I have one Cross Bailey. I do know that they use proprietary converters, unlike the "standard" converters that fit many other pens. And there are two different types of Cross converters, as Chrissy already mentioned, one that screws into place, and one that just pushes in. Do you know if you're using the right type for your pen?

[Zou]

I have heard it said that the international converters have problems because the opening is so small, and some state this as a reason for their preference of built in filling systems. I've also heard it said that the Japanese three, which each have their own converter, are wider mouthed and have less problems. It is supposedly an air-ink interchange issue, and the problem that occurs is exactly as you describe.

All my pens are Pilots and Sailors, mostly converter pens, but also the 92 and the 823 which although they have an inbuilt filling system it doesn't matter because they use precisely the same feed which has precisely the same interchange properties as far as I can tell. It has never bothered me, but maybe only because I have never known what western in built filling system pens are like.

You could put a little spring or some such in the converter and see if that helps. A spring because it's shape will not block the ink flow.

My feeling with my pens is that the companies have decided they would rather have their pens never burp or spill than make their pens as wet as possible, and that I think is why they make so many converter pens even at higher price ranges. It's just easier to prevent problems when dealing with smaller quantities of ink/air, separating the ink from the warmth of the hand, etc. I think it's a real trade off.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Both Cross converters and carts have pretty narrow openings. That could contribute to the problem.

[EdMay]

It's usually a problem with the surface tension of the ink inside the converter. That's why they often contain a small ball or spring to break that tension.
If you have a Cross pen and you're using the correct version of their converter for that model then it should be OK. There are two different Cross converters for their different pen models. I think one is orange and one is green. You need to check which one your pen needs.

The one in the Cross pen has an orange "plunger." I need to find the documentation and/or box for my Cross pen to see which I need. As I say, that one was given to me as a gift, so I don't know if it's actually made for my pen or not.

I'm also beginning to wonder if I didn't swap the converters. I was using cartridges for both of them, but switched to the converter just to try it. The one that came with the wood pen was in a small bag, the one that my friend gave me was loose. I inserted the converters into both pens at the same time, so I could've swapped them. I'm currently cleaning both of them, so I may see if they fit the other way 'round when I reassemble them.

Thanks!

[EdMay]

Also you can often solve the tension issue pretty easily. Take a wood toothpick and dip the tip in some dish detergent then very briefly dip the toothpick into the ink in the converter. In this case remember that a little is MORE, you only want to add a very small amount of surfactant.

Thanks! I'll give that a shot!

[EdMay]

Parker Quink should be just fine in any pen. It's unlikely to be the ink. Not an "exciting" ink perhaps, but generally problem free.

Jar's suggestion may help. Never tried it myself. I haven't had that many problems with converters. When I do use converters, they are often with Pilot pens, which use a proprietary wide mouthed design, and have few flow problems. Some standard international converters on other pens have given me a little trouble, but not often.

I don't know a lot about Cross pens, although I have one Cross Bailey. I do know that they use proprietary converters, unlike the "standard" converters that fit many other pens. And there are two different types of Cross converters, as Chrissy already mentioned, one that screws into place, and one that just pushes in. Do you know if you're using the right type for your pen?

The one I have seems to be the push in kind. I'm not sure if that's the one I should be using, though. I know I have the box/manual around somewhere. Now...where did I put it....

[arrow]

I have at least four pens with the so called standard converter (Parker, Pelikan and Chinese generic replacements), I have generally very even inkflow from start to near empty. I don't notice much difference between coverters and prefilled cartridges. It's a very tried and tested system, it should work. The only issue I have with them is the tiny amount of ink they hold, but it's manageable. Ink flow is as you mentioned influenced by several factors, nib, feed, etc... it can sometimes be tweaked.

[Chrissy]

I don't know if you know which Cross model you have, but it should be easy to find out. I found out this about the converters It suggests that the green push-in version is usually for Townsend models.