I feel like a real idiot. I’ve got two or three really nice fountain pens, which I really love to write with, but they take cartridges. Well, okay, but bottled ink would be so romantic, right? Well, all the pens say something along the lines of “Lucky you, you can use bottled ink with your nice expensive pen - just smack the converter into the whizzbang and pump the farfegnugen.” Am I stupid? Is the converter something in the pen? If not, why didn’t any of my pens come with one? What on earth does this thing look like? The picture on the instructions is less than useless. I was figuring you probably don’t have to buy one seperate, since Levenger’s dosen’t seem to have any for sale - am I barking up the wrong tree? Surely everybody else understands how to work this, since I’m finding nothing on the Internet, no Levenger’s FAQ, no “I’m a moron, how do I do this?”, no nothing! Does everybody who buys one of those cute little snail inkwells just know how to work their pens with it? Surely not, right? Somebody help!
As it happens I use a fountain pen (a cheap $29 Waterman Phileas, blue with gold veins). It came with a cartridge converter. This is a glass tube with a plunger in it. To use it, you put the converter onto where the cartridge would go. Screw the plunger so that it is al the way toward the nib. Put the nib into the ink and screw the plunger so that it sucks the ink into the glass tube.
I don’t know where to buy just the converter, but Levenger could probably help you if you call them. Or you could contact the pen maker directly. But I thought I saw converters for sale in the Levenger catalog a while ago.
Both of my pens came with converters as well as a cartridge.
There’s a boffo place here in NYC (stone’s throw from City Hall) for all things fountain pen related: The Fountain Pen Hospital. Yes, they sell new stuff, not just do repairs. And yes, they have a web site:
http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/
The place is staffed by old, sincere guys who take this stuff very, very seriously, so you can be sure they’ll steer you right. Good luck.
Fountain pens. A subject near and dear to my heart. If you still have the boxes that the pens came in, look under the “shell” that was used to cradle the pen - many manufacturers pack a converter and a couple of cartridges underneath.
Another thought - if you’re unable to locate a convertor that works with your pen, subscribe to The Zoss Pens Listserv. Once subscribed, ask about convertors for your pen or any other fountain pen related question. I can almost guarantee that someone on the list will have an extra convertor they’d be willing to sell you.
Sorry - fixed link (hopefully) - The Zoss Pens Listserv