How Can You Tell When You're Running Low On Ink? - Q&A Slices
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- how do you know when you are running out of ink? One of my worst fears is running out of ink when I am in the middle of a meeting or somewhere else when I am taking notes. What are the signs that ink is low, especially where you can't see how full your pen is?
it depends on the pen
if it's truly running out, it will usually start to run dry, lines will be weak, color will lighten, flow will start to break/hard start
cartridge/converter pens are easy, a quite open up and look into the pen body will tell you what's going on
some piston/vacuum pens have ink windows, that tells you there
if you have a sealed body (usually piston, could be eyedropper too, lever or cresent) with no ink window, that's when it's tough to tell
one trick is to turn your piston pen upside down, and screw the piston down so it squeezes out the air (have a paper towel handy) and see if it's all air, or if ink's coming out
Depending how far down the piston goes, will tell you how much ink is in there
eyedropper you can turn it upside down, open it up and look down in there
lever or crescent, similar to the piston pen but requires a little more finesse to keep from blobbing the ink everywhere
my favorite solution? Keep a backup pen with you in case you run out!
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This is one reason I love demonstrator pens, you have no excuse not knowing how much ink is in your pen.
Yeah, demonstrators really make this problem an "easy mode" answer.
The "Low Fuel" light comes on.
Jason Brown .... If only!
I once sat in class for 30 minutes thinking what could possibly be wrong with my Waterman because it was skipping. Checked the tine alignment, the feed, dipped it in water, flexed it a bit, scribbled and it took me almost thirty minutes to think of checking the converter. Yah. Sometimes I'm an idiot.
I've done this in a meeting before, very easy to do.
I've definitly done something like that.
Michelle van den Oever That’s great haha, did you get any questions from your peers about what you were doing and why you wouldn’t just use a ballpoint or something else? :P
It’s ok. We’ve all rebuilt an engine at least once, just to discover we just needed gas. Well, no. No, most of us haven’t. But I don’t want you to feel alone, so…😋
I am new to fountain pens and am very grateful to have your videos to watch. They are extremely helpful and practical, and provide very interesting information about pens, ink, paper, and history. It amazes me that Brian communicates all this with such ease and fluency. And he does so with a use of every-day language rather than speaking in a fussy manner. This, and the humor of the Goulet Pen Company videos, have made it much easier for me to join the pen community than it would have been had the videos used a more formal style. Goulet Pen Company is helping to transform the fountain pen world and lead it forward so that more of us can enjoy the pleasure of pens.
Wow! Thank you so very much for taking the time to say that, John! We remain at your service. - Drew
I keep a few cartridges in my case just to make sure i don't run out. I do use bottled ink, but in a pinch pop a cartridge in and keep going.
My solution is to always carry more than one pen (usually 3 or 4) plus a mechanical pencil.
Yeah, never hurts to have a back-up! - Colin
If all else fails, I always have a cheapo ballpoint with me to use as a backup until I can refill.
Carry an extra pen, don't know why but I never thought of that, too used to always having a ton of disposable pens in every pencil case because you are so totally right when you first make the switch from disposable to refillable even thought it seems like basic logic you really don't think about the fact that you'll be using the same pen all the time and only having the amount of ink in ONE pen instead of having pens dotted all over until it's pointed out to you. On the plus side as long as you keep on top of refilling your pens you'll never have to go searching through heaps of pens hunting for that one single pen that actually works. Although I haven't quite gotten the handle of refilling my pens on the go yet, I used to have my pen filling stuff in a drawer at my desk only I recently got so much fountain pen stuff that I moved it all to it's own (larger) closet drawers however you speaking of having an ink bottle on hand at your desk reminds me that I really need move the refilling and cleaning essentials back to my desk, and perhaps get into the habit of filling and cleaning while I watch you talk and other youtube videos so thanks for the tip/reminder. :)
Or, if it’s a pen that accepts cartridges, just pop a couple of cartridges into your survival tin and you can just take out the converter and use your emergency supply if necessary. I guess if you’re an extreme fountain pen prepper, you could seal straws full of ink and carry them, cut one open and use it to refill your pen in case of zombies, but I’m an amateur.
Weigh you pen when it's empty and again when it's full of ink. Record the two numbers. Figure on refilling when the pen weighs only one-quarter of its full weight, just like when to refill your car's gas tank! :)
If you're using a pen with standard international cartriges (and use the short ones) and the shaft is at least 6.5 cm deep, you can put an extra cartidge in the back as a backup.
I love these pratical vids you guys do. Thank you.
The original VW Beetle had an automatic feature to warn you when the fuel tank was empty. The engine stopped running. Most of my pens have a similar feature (though I have to admit that I really mistreated my first nice pen before I realized that no ink was a reason for lack of writing).
I always check my ink supply in my fountain pen on a regular basis. Usually every 3 days I fill it, even if it's not completely depleted. If I have a particular day where I did a ton of writing, I will probably even fill it up after that day. Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.
It's a useful video. My metropolitan did come with the Con 20 and it is difficult to know how much ink is left because the converter is opaque. Thanks
It doesn't help that the 20 has a pretty small capacity.
@@duckrutt Yeah, ant-capacity. I was surprised at how soon it ran out.
That sense of envy whenever Brian whips out the pink-band Waterman in a video :D
Brian, you mentioned in the video that you carry a multitude of pens with you all the time so you always have one inked up and ready to go...so does that mean you’re at least flushing all those pens every 2-4 weeks? Also, love the shirt!
I always carry two pens that thankfully have different ink flows. My main writer is a very broad medium nib that can go through an entire converter of ink in 3 pages.
I always keep with me a back-up pen that I exclusively use my ink cartridges on, which is the Pilot Kakuno. Perfect bottom-of-the-bag, knock-around pen! Never have to worry about it cracking or leaking while it is perpetually living in my bag, and there's always a back-up for the back-up in the form of cartridges.
This is why I carry at least three pens with me, frequently Jinhao x750. I also learned to ink my pens the night before.
A sure fire way is that what you are
writing will develop a shiny appearance, and it won’t appear to dry, even if you blot it. In fact, several minutes later the ink will still smudge.
Can I clean the inside of my transparant cap, because it isnt that transparent any more
Yeah, using a q-tip with water (or pen flush) should be enough to clean out the cap. I use that method with my TWSBI pens. Brian talks more about it in this Q&A slice: ruclips.net/video/xtCGg_1n6Q8/видео.html - Colin
Very informative!! I got one from a giveaway and realized it wasn't writing well and wondered why. I didn't realise how fast they empty.
Major question! What camera did you use to film this?
I'm a production person and am amazed by how crisp this video is.
Another great video guys!
I carry two with me when I’m out. Because I have my pens run out on me. So having an extra pen with me helps. Because I use my pens a lot. I check my pens for ink once or twice a week..
I use a demonstrator, ha!
How I get around this issue. Is I fill my pen at the end of each day. I use Akkerman Shocking Blue exclusively.
Following this practice; I have never ran my pen dry. And, the converter only holds 0.5 ml. I look at procedure as a responsibility that comes with owning a pen customized to my taste.
I've noticed that when my Montblanc 146 Le Grand starts to get low on ink, the writing becomes thicker/wetter. I'm not entirely sure why, but it's consistent.
A good option to have (if one is using Noodler's Ahabs or Neponsets) is "investing" in the .308 cartridges. So if you do run out of ink: decap the cartridge that is filled with ink and replace the empty cartridge with the inked up one.....problem solved. No need to carry an extra pen around.
All the pens that I keep inked up are demonstrators, or have an ink window.
I can tell from the weight of the pen if it's low on ink.
I ran out of ink in my lamy Safari and I had no spare cartridges left so I had to use a ballpoint 🤢
So I ordered a converter with a sample of black swan in Australian roses. (this was just yesterday)
This is story of my entrance into bottled inks
Hi! I've been choosing between a TWSBI ECO in EF, Lamy Safari Petrol EF, and Lamy Al star EF. I don't like the design of TWSBI that much, but the AL star just beats the safari by a hair. The lamy has a thicker line (I write small with the worst paper out there) while the twsbi has a thin line. The safari is much durable, while the al star is a bit fragile while twsbi... (okay). Also, the Lamy has had quality issues with smoothness, which I am scared of.
What do I pick? (I have a Metro in medium and Kakuno in fine but it want to try something new)
Thank you so much!
I don't really like the Lamy EF nibs. They definitely have some toothiness & feedback with those particular nibs. Writing small & using cheaper paper lends itself to a finer line, so I think TWSBI might be the better pick. I bet the design will grow on you too! - Colin
i have a 1945 waterman taperite lever filler so now i know if its low on ink
I carry one fountain pen and gasp, a Parker Jotter in my purse. Just in case.
Ah the benifits of 2020, I'm always at my desk with like 5 bottles of ink in arms reach (in a drawer)