[ubermonkey]

Why tho?

Sure, there are some converters that are notably, notoriously small (Namiki Vanishing Point converters are infamous for this), but in those cases it's simple to use carts instead. (In the Namiki case, the carts last weeks and weeks.)

[soogwoog]

So you can use different inks other than compatible carts?

[dakr]

I use a syringe to refill cartridges from whatever bottle of ink I want to use. The cartridges can be reused many many times.

edit: lol, if I had reloaded the page before commenting, I would have seen all of these people saying the same thing!

[dwringer]

> edit: [...]

Every time fountain pens come up on HN I'm amazed how active the discussion gets.

[dumpsterlid]

I mean, how important is the pen as a tool to human history? The pen is one of the most important human inventions and the fountain pen is by far the coolest version of it :P

[ubermonkey]

I am similarly surprised at the number of technical people who prefer one or more of the following:

* Fountain pens * Mechanical watches * Cars with clutches

[ubermonkey]

Most pens either ship with or will work with a piston converter. You don't need to mod a pen just to use inks other than those available in compatible cartridges.

E.g.,

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=fountain+pen+piston+convert...

[dwringer]

A lot of people just reuse empty cartridges a few times by refilling them with a blunt tip syringe (sold by most online pen/ink shops), using whatever ink they want.

[dumpsterlid]

It is far easier to get a blunt nosed syringe for $0.10 (not sharpened for medical use) and use it to quickly and cleanly refill cartridges with whatever ink you want.

[foldedcornice]

For a video visualization of how this works, Brian Goulet (who runs a popular fountain pen YouTube channel) published a tutorial on cartridge cleaning and refills: https://youtu.be/QloRQWHe5Gk?t=301

[ubermonkey]

Isn't it even EASIER to get a converter?

[BeetleB]

> Why tho?

Just to expand on the time before refills. Most converters are under 1 ml. Having, say, 3-4 ml in your pen means you fill it a lot less frequently.

The thing keeping me away from eyedropping my pen is the inevitable burps.

[ubermonkey]

As I said, the only converter of mine that seems to have a capacity problem is the Namiki, but for practical reasons I also almost always run carts in that pen anyway.

I don't need a project, and I'm not super interested in locking a pen into a single mode of operation. The beauty of most pens is that you can go with carts OR with a converter, depending on mood. (Obviously some, like Pelikans and TWSBI, are bottle-fill only, but you know that going in.)

[BeetleB]

Yeah, I don't do cartridges for the same reason as others: I change the ink often, and the selection with cartridges is almost non-existent (and much more expensive per ml).

For a lot of pens, there is no "locking". You just remove the cartridge/converter, and add silicone, and you're good to go. You can always revert back.

[ubermonkey]

Fair.

I ran carts only in my Vanishing Point(s) for years, but largely because it was easier for travel and I found the ink color and consistency very pleasant.

Once I stopped traveling so much I started using more bottled ink, which is fun, but then you get to a point where you have a mental matrix about which inks work best with which paper in which nibs…