Custom Rollerball Refills

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EricRN

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May 16, 2019
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Hi all,

Does anyone know if it's possible to by *empty* Schmidt (or other brand) rollerball refills, and then to fill them with ink yourself? There are some fountain pen inks that I would really like to have in rollerball format. I have no idea if this is possible. Perhaps not. Wondering if anyone has tried this or knows of a way to make it work.
 
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I would guess that /in theory/ it could work the same way that ink-jet cartridge refills do - you essentially take a syringe and inject the ink into the cartridge and then plug the hole up afterwards.

I'd be curios as to any potential problems with viscosity of the ink vs. rollerball size (1.0mm/0.7mm/0.5mm) etc.

A plastic refill cartridge like a G2 could work. Hmmmm....
 
Curly said:
I think it would be a lot easier to use the Schmidt Rolling Writer type of nib with fountain pen cartridges or ink pumps. They are made for the task.

Pen Kits & Parts - Schmidt Rolling Writer System - The Golden Nib

thegoldennib.com thegoldennib.com

Beaufort Ink - Refillable rollerball nibs for kitless pens

Refillable rollerball nibs for kitless pens
www.beaufortink.co.uk www.beaufortink.co.uk
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm aware of that. Problem is that I think it's ugly! (Apologies if I offend anyone who really likes it.) I've sort of settled on a handful of kits that I really like, and I was hoping to be able to use them with those. In my day job, I do lots of writing and use lots of different colors when editing/writing by hand. Hence, my interest in fountain pen inks.
 
This may, in a general sense, be one of those areas where Fountain Pens earn their reputation and price. ;) They are certainly more capable pens in general.

That said...it may well be possible to modify the kit nibs to support one of the cartridge-capable nibs that Pete shared. It would probably take some real care, proper research on ink-safe glues and the like, but you might be able to deconstruct one of the ugly nibs, and attach its cartridge-receptacle to the nib of the pen of your choice.

Since it sounds like this is something your you personally, I think that might be a real viable option. If you were selling the pens...I'd really recommend considering if you want to sell such a mod. If it breaks or otherwise fails and ink gets all over a customer's $12,000 suit.... 😱 Plus, you might put yourself on the hook to keep making these, repair them if they break, replace them if they wear out (and if you modified a kit part....)
 
For what it is worth The Schmidt Rolling Writer is interchangeable (same size and threads) with their #5 fountain pen nibs letting you use either in the same pen. I don't know who sells the Schmidt fountain pen nib stuff these days but somebody must. Won't help Eric at all but maybe someone else.

A question. Is the ink in rollerball refills the same as fountain pen ink? I always thought they were different, the rollerball ink being thicker. Might affect how it works if a way could be found to flush refills and replace with the fountain pen ink.
 
Curly said:
A question. Is the ink in rollerball refills the same as fountain pen ink? I always thought they were different, the rollerball ink being thicker. Might affect how it works if a way could be found to flush refills and replace with the fountain pen ink.
Click to expand...
Been doing a spot of internet googling after my thought above and ran across this line:
> You must be diligent and only use ink that is made for fountain pens or you can ruin the mechanisms of our fountain pen, the metal nib being the most important.

And I ran across this but haven't watched it yet
-

Fountain Pen Shootout Rollerballs That Use Fountain Pen Ink

 
EricRN said:
Hi all,

Does anyone know if it's possible to by *empty* Schmidt (or other brand) rollerball refills, and then to fill them with ink yourself? There are some fountain pen inks that I would really like to have in rollerball format. I have no idea if this is possible. Perhaps not. Wondering if anyone has tried this or knows of a way to make it work.
Click to expand...
Beaufort Ink in the UK carries refillable rollerball nibs that take a "Standard International" ink converter or ink cartridge, and therefore, can be refilled as a fountain pen. I have used these rollerball nibs in a couple of my pen designs, and they have been working well with different colors and brands of fountain pen ink so far. Hopefully we can source these here in the USA because postage from Beaufort is expensive.
 
Gennaro said:
Beaufort Ink in the UK carries refillable rollerball nibs that take a "Standard International" ink converter or ink cartridge, and therefore, can be refilled as a fountain pen. I have used these rollerball nibs in a couple of my pen designs, and they have been working well with different colors and brands of fountain pen ink so far. Hopefully we can source these here in the USA because postage from Beaufort is expensive.
Click to expand...
I mentioned those on post #3 and EricRN replied to it in post #4 saying he knows of them and believes they look ugly. Aesthetics play an important roll in our choices and can be a deal breaker. In this instance it is.

William Wood-Write https://www.penblanks.ca in Canada is selling Beaufort kits and Bock nibs so they may start carrying the rollerball nibs in the future. Can always send them a message and see what their plans are.
 
Schmidt PRS Metal Cartridge Rollerball Tip.
I do not consider them ugly. There is one available with a chrome exposed portion. Made by Schmidt. Taps are available for threading the section. Check pricing at several outlets. Some are really proud of them. Tested to write for 20,000 feet and recommended replacement after 30 fillings. I really like using them.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
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