Sampling inks is one of the most enjoyable things about using fountain pens for me, and I know it is for a lot of other pen fans. If you live a 'sampling lifestyle' like I do, then you're sure to be quite familiar with the ink sample vial, in some form or another. These are great little containers for sharing small volumes of ink, but there are some challenges when filling from these with certain types of pens. This video is a continuation of the first Sampling Ink video, and is intended to address just about every possible scenario you can face when filling from a sample vial.
Topics I cover in the video:
- Filling from a sample in ideal circumstances (0:39)
- Tilting the sample (1:12)
- Filling a Noodler's Konrad/Ahab (2:30)
- Filling a converter directly in the sample (4:17)
- Ink syringe filling a converter/cartridge (5:40)
- Ink syringe filling a piston pen (6:13)
- Feed saturation method (6:40)
- Ink Syringe filling an eyedropper pen (7:12)
- Dumping it in! (7:39)
- Special treat! Blooper reel (9:00)
Check out all of the other Fountain Pen 101 videos here.
These are the materials I use in this video:
- Goulet ink samples
- Goulet ink sample vials
- Lamy Vista
- Lamy Z24 converter
- Edison Nouveau Premiere Cobalt
- Standard international converter
- Noodler's Konrad Flex Pen, Roaring 20's Brown Tortoise
- Noodler's Ahab Flex Pen, Clear
- No. 2 Pencil
- Goulet Ink Syringe Set
- TWSBI 540, Clear
- Pelikan m800 Italic 1.5mm
- Platinum Preppy, Black
- 3"x5" index card
- Clear tape
- Pilot Vanishing Point Nib (blooper reel)
Write On,
Brian Goulet
I didn't know there were so many ways to refill a pen!I've always used a syringe for refilling converters/cartridges. Seems like the easiest way for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the vid :)
I felt like a bought a DVD with director's cut :) Back scenes are great. Maybe you should add a disclaimer "No ink was wasted during the production of this video"
ReplyDeleteThank you!
The syringe is kind of the ultimate, which is why I built up to it toward the end. But I wanted to cover all the bases here!
ReplyDeleteHaha....I'd be lying if I said that though, I rarely finish a video like this without getting my hands covered in ink, especially this one!
ReplyDeleteI kept hearing a David Letterman intro, 'Tonight's Top Ten category is: 'How to Fill from an Ink Sample Vial" And presenting tonight's Top Ten List, Mr. Ink Drop himself, Brian Goulet!'
ReplyDelete(I almost did a re-edit just for fun, but that would be wrong, because CBS and Ink Nouveau rightfully own the footage. Sure would be nice though....maybe with a special 'Sample Vial of Death' Challenge'. ... ;)
Brian, thanks for this great video because it will come in handy not only for the ink sample vials but also for those awful J. Herbin ink bottles. Once the ink goes down a certain amount in those bottles it is all but impossible to refill a pen by just sticking the nib and feed into it so these sample vial demos you showed us will be good for weird bottles of ink as well. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah, I didn't quite have 10 tips here but it was close...I even cut some stuff out too, my original edit was 18 minutes long!
ReplyDeleteOh, definitely. There are several terrible ink bottles out there. Usually for that situation I recommend doing the direct converter-into-the-bottle filling, or using an ink syringe. Ink syringes just rock.
ReplyDeleteHI Brian,
ReplyDeleteThings you should sell:
1. Small plastic funnels normally used for filling perfume bottles.
2. Eye droppers. I get hassled trying to carry even a blunt syringe on a plane and need an eye dropper for ink. An option for an eye dropper and the little bottle that goes with it would be even better.
Here's a site I found in twenty seconds that has this stuff pretty cheap...
http://www.bestbottles.com/all_bottles/accessories/funnels_and_dropers.php
Thanks for the vid...
David
You do know you are an enabler... b/c of these two videos, I finally gave in and ordered a glass dip pen from y'all this morning... ! That said, offering the ink samples is a tremendous service for your customers - we thank you all very much for doing so!
ReplyDeleteMuhahahaa!!! ;) jk
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like what I'm doing! You're very welcome...I'm glad we do the samples too, for my own sake as much as everyone else's : ) I'm an inkoholic, as you can see!