I've owned a fountain pen for roughly a month and I still have no idea how to refill it without getting ink all over my hands. I wanted to try some shimmery red ink and now it looks like I've killed someone
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Would you like some tips or maybe a video about how to do it?
If so, let me know what kind of pen and what you’re trying to fill it from and I can help. 😃 It can be messy, but that should be the exception and not the rule.
One tip that may help:
After the the pen is full of ink, take the nib out of the ink and expel a few drops (4-5ish) back into the bottle. Then twist the knob to bring the piston back. This will keep your feed from being too saturated. Saves mess.
Find a small piece of cloth you can wrap the unit in while you fill it, then wipe the section that holds the nib off with it. You have now reinvented the penwiper.
Victorian women made penwipers for the men in their lives for a reason, and it wasn’t twee sentimentality…
Hmm... Something like a TWSBI Eco then? You usually only need to get just the nib 'submerged', but it can really depend on the bottle shape as well which can make it a little more annoying. Personally, I'd always have a tissue around the bottle to wipe and keep my hands clean though as well
You can use an ink syringe (syringe with a blunt ended needle) to transfer ink between the bottle and an ink cartridge, which is usually pretty mess free https://www.purepens.co.uk/products/ink-syringe
Comments
If so, let me know what kind of pen and what you’re trying to fill it from and I can help. 😃 It can be messy, but that should be the exception and not the rule.
One tip that may help:
After the the pen is full of ink, take the nib out of the ink and expel a few drops (4-5ish) back into the bottle. Then twist the knob to bring the piston back. This will keep your feed from being too saturated. Saves mess.
Victorian women made penwipers for the men in their lives for a reason, and it wasn’t twee sentimentality…
If the bottle is too hard to work with, transferring to an easier bottle helps.
Also always do it in the bathroom if you can. Never over carpet 🙃
That said, a chamois (and not the polyester synthetic type) cut into 4-6 inch squares does a really good job of limiting the spread.
https://www.purepens.co.uk/products/ink-syringe