refilling cartridges

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 at 09:10:51 -0500, Big Lou scribbled:
-You can also get these from any hobby store that sells plastic
-models or balsa wood kits. Just ask for a 'glue injector'.

Incidentally, the "needle" that fits onto the Etch-Rite gizmo
also fits on other almost identical, blunt-ended, general-purpose
"syringes" I've seen vendors sell at hamfests, computer shows, and
train shows. Considering what you and other posters have mentioned,
it seems likely that the basic tools that fountain pen fanciers are
looking for may be available in many places. The key thing is the
"needle" part that fits into the hole in the cartridge.

- I ... actually prefer refilling an old Sheaffer Skrip cartridge
-to using the converter since the cartridge holds more ink and
-and makes less of a mess.

I'll go along with that, but I also use converters in those pens
where they fit.

In another posting I mentioned that many decades ago a science
teacher made jet-tipped glass tubes (school property ha-ha!) for
refilling Sheaffer ink cartridges. He charged students two cents
per refill. Since a 2 oz bottle cost 25 cents in those days, I
figure his cost was only about half a cent for the ink! (Fountain
pens were long gone by then, but there were some students who hap-
pened to have discovered f.p.s by way of Sheaffer cartridge pens.)
Filling 54 cartridges per bottle meant the teacher was getting
$1.08 return for a 25-cent bottle of ink. (That was almost big
money in those days, especially for a teacher! grin)

Another angle to this refill issue is if that 25 cents is ad-
justed for inflation, it means that today a 2 oz bottle of ink
should cost $1.50 (exactly, according to the government's C.P.I.
data). This raises questions about why the retail cost of such
bottles today should be as high as it is?! (Okay, I vow to look
around for gallons of ink for only six bucks! grin)

While it may be hard to imagine jet-tips on glass tubes being
small enough, they did actually work. However, they were very
fragile, so over time they would all break and become useless. The
"needles" being mentioned in current postings are a vast improve-
ment, neater and easier to refill pens with. And there's no need
to worry about getting cut by shards when the glass tube breaks!
--
----------------------------------------------
david moeser -- erasmus39 on yahoo
Censornati, Ohio - USA
----------------------------------------------
* "DSFA" = Doesn't Stand For Anything! *

(Headers munged to foil spammers; real info in taglines)