Fantastically informative. I was looking for how to do this. And the type of ink is great to know, I want waterproof ink but don't want it to destroy my brushes. Can't wait to pick some up. Thanks for the great video
Having good results with the Rohrer & Klingner Sketch Ink "Lotte" black although I wish it's not patchy, I wish it was darker. It's waterproof and has micro pigments that work well in fountain pens.
Actually, you don't need a syringe. Simply turn the knob all the way to the right, dip the empty end in the ink and turn it all the way to the left. The tube sucks up all the ink you need and the vacuum holds it there. If you're using a syringe, you could probably just use the existing cartridges and don't need to buy a converter.
i can confirm using a syringe to refill the disposable cartridges works just fine (has higher capacity too without the twisty part). But benefit of the converter is you can push air out of the cartridge if you point it upwards when you twist, makes pens flow slightly faster / wetter usually.
I have refilled my cartridges with Higgins Eternal. I only write with it so I just use the original ink first. I have had to buy one new replacement tip segment so far. Much cheaper than buying a whole new pen. In NZ I found it in the French Art Shop in Wellington, but that has now closed. The original branch is still operating in Auckland. These sort of thing are difficult to find here as we have so few calligraphers that importers don't want to risk new products. I don't allow myself a credit card so online purchases are not an option for me. I'll be keeping an eye out for a converter now. Thanks. I thought it was safe enough to pause the clip and comment just before the end and then the next thing you mention is the replaceable tip Haha. Just to compare, mine cost me NZ$89 = US$64. A new tip was NZ$40 = US$29. Our price includes a Goods and Service Tax at 15% which is always included in the quoted price.
You haven't had a problem with rapidograph ink ruining the feed of these pens? I know using rapidograph in a fountain pen is a huge mistake and will ruin the pen. I don't want to take any chances. But I just ordered the converter, pen, and rapidograph ink and I'm looking forward to getting some drawing in. Thanks so much for this excellent review.
Hi Missy, I've been using the Rapidograph ink in these brush pens for years and I haven't had a single problem, not one. How strange that it will ruin a fountain pen, but is made for the finicky Rapidograph pens. I hope the ink hasn't changed over the years... the container I have here is pretty old.
Hi Garth, Thanks for your reply! Fountain pens use capillary action, whereas Rapidographs use a needle and pressure-based mechanism to feed the ink, so fountain pens tend to dry out easier than tech pens. But I think with the brush pen, that probably isn’t an issue. My other concern was that I thought India ink had a sort of shellac in it that might not be good to sit in the plastic parts, but if you haven’t had an issue, then I trust your experience. Thanks again for a very informative video!
Since I don't use mine as often as you apparently are I prefer not using India/China ink, I'm too scared it might clog it up, but it's good to know that if I were to use it every day or so, I could. Thanks for this video!
I have found that after a month or so of not using it that the ink does start to try the brush. I have had to rinse it with warm water and it came right back to life!
Just an FYI. There are non-pigmented, permanent inks. Like Noodler's Black. I have not tried it in a brush pen, but theoretically it should work. However, the brush may never appear white again since the Noodler's Black permanently stains. If I try it, I'll report back.
If you have used a kuretake no 40 or 50, how would you compare the feedback on the 13 synthetic bristles compared to the natural hair? Is it more/less springy?
Ive looked it up if sumi ink works with fountain pens but every site I found said that its to heavily pigmented and will clog the pen. Is kuretake ink somehow different?
There are some other pens by Kuretake that also use those cartridges and are thinner: #8 and #7. Attention, the Kuretake numbering system is completely random. For example #14 is a disposable brush felt tip pen (hard) ... #7 has a flexible felt tip for calligraphy, it's smaller. #8 has hair and people say it is pretty much the same tip as the "sumi" aka #13, but it is cheaper... You can find a lot of pens with specifications and ratings on jetpens.com, but depending on your location you might find them elsewhere cheaper. In general there a a lot more disposable brush pens that you can not refill.
The problem with Waterproof ink in Brush pens like the kuretake13 is that it ruins the tip and after a while you won't be able to draw very thin lines or it will clog entirely, if you use a waterbased ink the pen will last forever performing very well
This is good to know! It's never clogged my brush before, but I never thought about it contributing to the tip wearing out after a couple years. Thanks!
Actually using water/dye based ink is the save way to fill brush pens. Any "fountain pen ink" will work and it will not clog your pen. The downside is that they are usually not water resistant. However water or dye based ink can produce stunning effects with water or bleach. Be careful with "india ink" or other pigment based ink. They can ruin the brush pen if they dry out completely. Some even have shellac in them, which is very hard to remove.
Yes, the converter is the PLAT500, but I don't know what the #0 is. This is the one I use: www.amazon.com/dp/B004XDE024/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_veVXDbFCZEBNJ
