# pump fountain pen



## bloodhound (Apr 26, 2015)

Hey guys and  girls.  I have been asked to make a pump style fountain.  I have bought all of my pens from PS.  Where should i start looking for this style of pen?  Thanks


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## its_virgil (Apr 26, 2015)

You'll not find a kit that is a pump. Kits use cartridges or the converter that comes with the kit. Sorry.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## bloodhound (Apr 26, 2015)

ok cartridge is the ink tube? What is the converter??  My first fountain. Sorry.  So, the pump type made by people here. They are kitless? Im not ready for that yet.


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## bloodhound (Apr 26, 2015)

Berea sells pump converters. Now can these be installed in fountain pen kits? Or does it not work that way?  Sorry for all of the questions.


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## its_virgil (Apr 26, 2015)

Most kits come with a converter. Not sure about PSI since I don't buy any of their fountain pens kits. The converter sucks up ink from a bottle and inserts into the front section instead of a cartridge. I use better converters than what comes with the kits.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=fountain+pen+converter&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 
Yes, Berea kits and some others come with a converter.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## monophoto (Apr 27, 2015)

Fountain pens use liquid ink.  That ink can be purchased either in bottles or in sealed plastic cartridges.

Cartridges are installed by pressing them onto a short nipple at the back of the 'section' (the portion of the pen holding the nib).  Cartridges are convenient because they are sealed and can easily travel.  But they don't hold a lot of ink, and the selection of inks in cartridges is limited.  And on a $/liquid ounce basis, ink in cartridges is more expensive than ink in bottles.

Most pen manufacturers offer refillable cartridges, aka converters.  Some people also call these 'pumps'.  I suspect the person who asked for a 'pump fountain pen' wants a pen with a converter.  Converters also fit onto the nipple on the back of the section, but can be refilled.  Some converters have a twist mechanism, others have a slider.  Converters hold more ink and allow you to fill the pen from a bottle which gives you a broader choice of inks.  Converters are also useful when the time comes to flush the pen because they can be used to force clean water through the section to remove any residual ink.

Some pen manufacturers use proprietary cartridges and converters, while others use a generic variety, sometimes referred to as 'standard international'.  The components in pen kits all use standard international cartridges/converters, and every kit that I have purchased came with both a cartridge and a converter.  You can purchase additional standard international converters from both CSUSA and PSI as well as other vendors.

There are a few other reservoir/filling mechanisms for fountain pens, but I'm not aware that these options are available in any kits.  One option is the piston filler in which the body of the pen itself is the reservoir that is filled by twisting a knob hidden under a cap at the end of the barrel.  Another option is eyedropper pens.  These are pens in which the barrel is the reservoir that is filled using an eyedropper.  Some fountain pen aficionados use standard cartridge/converter pens as eyedropper by removing the cartridge/converter, filling the body of the barrel with ink, and the using either a rubber o-ring or silicone grease to seal the joint between the section and barrel.  You can usually tell those folks apart because of the fresh ink stains on their fingers and shirt pockets.


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## jyreene (Apr 27, 2015)

What Louie said ^^^^^^


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## bloodhound (Apr 27, 2015)

Wow that was a good read. Thanks for the info. Very useful.


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## BSea (Apr 27, 2015)

There is also a type of pen called a button filler.  You push a button to squeeze a sack that draws ink up inside the sack.  That may be what the customer means by pump.  This version is a custom pen all the way though.  Before you invest a lot of time, I'd find uout for sure what the customer wants.  People who collect fountain pens can be very exacting as to what they want.  There is a whole forum dedicated to this.  

The Fountain Pen Network


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## monophoto (Apr 27, 2015)

BSea said:


> There is also a type of pen called a button filler.  You push a button to squeeze a sack that draws ink up inside the sack.



Yes - this is what used on the classic Parker model 45 and 51 pens that have been more recently copied by Hero in China.  Parker called it the 'aeromatic filler'. In many of those pens, you had to remove the section from the barrel to access the squeeze mechanism.  A downside is that they don't hold much ink.

There was a related scheme that used a lever on the barrel of the pen that you could operate without removing the barrel.


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## Joey-Nieves (Apr 27, 2015)

J Bar - 40mm [50476] : Richard L. Greenwald, LLC, Pens, Pens Parts and Photographs
Converter, Squeeze [20158] : Richard L. Greenwald, LLC, Pens, Pens Parts and Photographs
Pentrace Article #102501_127 Anatomy of a Fountain Pen I: A Typical Lever Filler

Ok, I've been doing some research on this and found this article.  I'm also a client at Richard Greenwald store and have noticed he has different size j bars that are adequate for this project.
Now if you come to Puerto Rico we could make a prototype and write an article between beers and the beach!(LOL):biggrin:


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## bloodhound (Apr 27, 2015)

Lol starting to wonder if I have bitten off more than I care to chew here. But I will give it a spin.


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## bloodhound (Apr 27, 2015)

Well Joey that sound like the best thing I have heard all day. Lol I'll pass it by the wife. Lol


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## BSea (Apr 27, 2015)

Jonathon Brooks (and I'm sure other) has done at least a few of the lever pens. I have all the parts for a button filler, I just haven't invested the time to do one.  But if you need someone to make notes, I can probably write a few words between beers. :beer: 

EDIT: Here's a lever filler by Jonathon


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## chartle (Apr 27, 2015)

monophoto said:


> BSea said:
> 
> 
> > There was a related scheme that used a lever on the barrel of the pen that you could operate without removing the barrel.
> ...


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## chartle (Apr 27, 2015)

BSea said:


> People who collect fountain pens can be very exacting as to what they want.  There is a whole forum dedicated to this.
> 
> The Fountain Pen Network



Tell me about it. I made a Fountain pen Pencil set for my son's college graduation. His everyday carry is one of a number of pens he has bought over the years. I was worried that I wasn't getting him a good nib. At least it came with a converter. Also it had a plastic section. 

Turns out he and most people he talks to prefer it over metal. I think he said it makes it too heavy.

I've learned a new language, its been tough because it was a surprise so I could say to him "Hey saw this neat youtube video on how to modify your nib."


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