FOUNTAIN PEN FILLING INSTRUCTIONS


We include a paper version of these filling instructions with each fountain pen we sell. But, sometimes those papers get lost or you might want to know a bit more about how a pen fills before you purchase it. The most common filling systems are listed below and it by no means covers all of them. If you need further information on how to fill your vintage fountain pen with ink, please don't hesitate to email us.

Remember to always wipe the nib after filling! Place the cap onto the pen with nib pointing up, do not put the pen into the cap with nib pointing down! This will help to prevent getting ink in the cap.


LEVER (single stroke): If the lever lifts toward the point it is a single stroke. Compress sac by lifting lever until it stops, place entire nib and half of section into ink, release lever and count to five slowly.

LEVER (multiple stroke): If the lever lifts away from the point it is a multiple stroke. Place entire nib and half on section into ink, lift lever 5 - 6 times, pausing a second in between.


PLUNGER: Unscrew barrel end blind cap and pull the plunger out as far as it will go. Place entire nib and half of section into ink. Push the blind cap down making sure not to remove the nib and section from the ink. Count to five slowly. Screw blind cap back into barrel end.


BUTTON FILLERS: Unscrew barrel end blind cap. Place entire nib and half of section into ink. Press button and release. Count to five slowly. Replace blind cap.


VACUMATIC: Unscrew barrel end blind cap. Place entire nib and half of section into ink. Press the button 7-10 times pausing a second between strokes. Screw blind cap back in place.



SNORKEL: Unscrew barrel end blind cap and pull out the plunger. Immerse only the Snorkel tube into ink. Push blind cap & plunger down, wait five seconds and screw down. Be sure to pull blind cap out before you dip tube into ink, if not you will draw ink around the sac and into the mechanism as well.


TOUCHDOWN: Unscrew barrel end blind cap & pull out the plunger. Immerse the nib and half of the section in ink, press down quickly on the plunger tube. Leave nib in ink for several seconds. Screw blind cap back into barrel end.


EYEDROPPER: Unscrew section from barrel, use dropper to fill about .25 inches from the top. Screw barrel back in place.


AEROMETRIC: Unscrew barrel at section. Immerse entire nib and half of section into ink. Press the bar on side vigorously 4 - 8 times, pausing for a second in between. Screw barrel back in place.


TWIST FILLER: Turn barrel end knob to left as far as it will go. Immerse entire nib and half of section in ink. Turn knob to right while nib is still in the ink. Leave nib in ink for several seconds.


BULB FILLER: Unscrew blind cap at barrel end and remove. Place entire nib and half of section in ink. Press bulb 5 - 6 times. Leave nib in ink for a few seconds. Replace blind cap.



CAPILLARY FILLER: Unscrew barrel from section to reveal long plastic capillary filler - do not remove the filler. Insert end of filler into ink and hold for about 10 seconds. Wipe ink off filler, replace barrel.


PISTON FILLER: Turn barrel end knob to right as far as it will go. Place entire nib and half of section in ink. Turn knob to left while nib is still in the ink. Remove nib from ink. Turn knob to right, just far enough to bleed out a couple of drops of ink. Tighten knob down.


PELIKAN LEVEL:  The Pelikan Level requires a specially made Pelikan ink bottle with docking station.

Pelikan Level Filling - Step 1
1. Dock in bottle and fill the reservoir by pressing bottle firmly. The two white dots on barrel end should be lined up.
Pelikan Level Filling - Step 2
2. Turn the filling valve of the fountain pen so that the triangle is positioned directly above the dot.
Pelikan Level Filling- Step 3
3. Fill the feed. Ink flows from the reservoir into the feed.
Pelikan Level Filling - Step 4
4. Restore writing position - Turn the filling valve back to original position so that the two dots are lined up. When the feed is empty, go back to step two.


SHEAFFER INTRIGUE
Sheaffer Intrigue


Ink Converter Filling Instructions

Cartridges and ink converters have been around since the early days of fountain pens, but became practical and much more common in the 1950s and 1960s. Many modern fountain pens use converters.

HINT: Many modern ink converters arrive with our pens with little bits of factory oils inside. They're invisible, but they can cause all sorts of problems when it's time to fill your pen. Before using, we suggest you clean your ink converter. Fill a cup of water with room temp water. Add a drop of liquid dish soap. Swish it around. Fill your converter several times with the soapy water, then fill with clean room temp water several times to rinse clear. This will remove any oils inside the converter and aid in proper ink filling.

Aerometric/Squeeze Fill Converter - Remove Barrel. Immerse entire nib and half of section into ink. Press the bar on side of converter vigorously 4 - 8 times, pausing for a second in between. Remove the nib from ink. Squeeze barrel just slightly to expel a drop or two of ink. Screw barrel back in place. Wipe ink from nib.

Piston Converter - Remove Barrel. Immerse entire nib and half of section into ink. Twist the piston knob at end of converter all the way to end of converter (at nib end) pushing out air. Slowly twist the piston to pull ink into the converter. Remove the nib from ink. Reverse the piston just slightly to expel a drop or two of ink. Flick the converter lightly with your finger. This dislodges any bubbles in the ink and helps the flow remain even. Screw barrel back in place. Wipe ink from nib.

Push Button Converter - Remove Barrel. Immerse entire nib and half of section into ink. Push button on end of converter 4-5 times, pausing a second in between pushes. Remove the nib from ink. Push button slightly to expel a drop or two of ink. Screw barrel back in place. Wipe ink from nib.

Plunger Converter - Remove Barrel. Immerse entire nib and half of section into ink. Push plunger knob all the way o end of converter (at nib end) pushing out air. Slowly pull the plunger knob out to pull ink into the converter. Remove the nib from ink. Push the plunger just slightly to expel a drop or two of ink. Flick the converter lightly with your finger to dislodge any bubbles. Screw barrel back in place. Wipe ink from nib.




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