I know this is going to sound crazy...but i'm currently trying to shoehorn an ebonite feed into a pen that was designed with a plastic feed and converter. Now...the ONLY significant difference I can see between the Ebonite and stock-Plastic feeds are the little poker\tail thingie on the end of the plastic feed that goes out the back of the housing.

This little poker/tail thingie does not come on any ebonite feed that I've seen in the size that's on the plastic housing. I know that the little poker\tail thingie is part of the ink-transduction system that pushes the ink along from the converter up the feed and onto the nib via capillary action.
I also know that the absence of the little poker\tail thingie on the ebonite feed is what's keeping the #5 ebonite feed from getting any ink when placed into this pen.

I can bet you're probably saying: "Well why doesn't he just chop off the back side of the housing and let the ebonite feed get exposed to the ink like it needs?" And while you're completely correct, there's two things standing in the way of that precise method.

  1. If I chop off the backside of the housing to expose the feed to ink, I lose the ability to use the converter...killing the pen.
  2. It's a brass pen, so no eyedroppering possible (Ink does'nt like metal...chemical reactions are bad mojo) ...therefore, no chopping off the rear of the housing and the converter nipple which resides on the rear of the housing.


So does anyone know how to find one of these little tubes\poker\tail thingies to add onto an ebonite feed?
Let me see if I can find a photo...Ah yes, here's one in a parker-21.


Apparently, these are a requirement when using ebonite feeds that don't directly touch the "Ink Supply" but are supplied ink? Or supplied air?
i dunno...but I know I need something poking out the back of the ebonite feed out into the converter to draw the ink to the ebonite feed...lol.

Would a piece of metal do the trick? I could easily jam a needle or piece of a staple or those other metal thingies that hold paper stacks together...I forget what theyre called...can use them to pick locks too....argh...my brain is failing me....
PAPER CLIP!!!
That's it!!....whew...that took way too much energy to recall...

I appreciate any information and the opinions of the experienced personnel here.

Thanks!!