Often people who use fountain pens like converters because they allow you to use bottled ink. For a long time, people who used the Kaweco Sport didn’t have a converter that could fit in its short barrel, only having touch-and-go luck with a short mini-converter from Monteverde. Earlier this year Kaweco released a “squeeze converter.”
Kaweco Squeeze Converter for Sport and Al-Sport
I have heard many times people saying something along the lines of “I can’t quite seem to fill this converter all the way” or “this converter sucks.” There’s a bit of a trick to using it effectively.
It’s easiest to use the squeeze converter with a full bottle or a wide bottle, or at least not the bottom bit of a tall ink bottle like Noodler’s, because you need to squeeze in the middle of the converter rather than twisting the top of the converter – you might have some problems squeezing if your fingers are stopped by the mouth of the inkwell.
The first step is pretty self-explanatory. Stick your nib and section into the ink and give it a good slow squeeze or two or three. You should see some air bubbles or maybe hear a little suction.
You may think it is empty, because there doesn’t seem to be anything in the converter.
However, turn it upside down, and give it a few firm taps or careful shakes. You can try tapping the converter against your table. Some ink should fill the end of the converter.
Squeeze again, but very carefully, to release the air in the converter. Be careful not to squeeze too fast, or you might spurt out ink that was in the feed. You should hope to see some air bubbles coming out at the breather hole in the feed.
Stick it back into the ink while squeezing and release, sucking up more ink.
If you give it a tap again upside down, you should hope to see more ink! Repeat as needed, and wipe off the section when you’re done.
It will be very difficult to both get or tell if you’ve gotten 100% fill. It’s much easier with the piston fillers because the entire tank is clear so you can see. However, if you’ve gotten it basically full, you should be good to go.
While it’s not the most easy-to-use converter, with a little practise, it’s Kaweco’s answer to getting the Sport to use bottled ink without a syringe or eyedropper.
If all else fails, you can always live life on the edge.
Good Tutorial.
I usually just detach the converter from the section and dip nozzle of it into the ink bottle and get a full fill that way. And expel all the air by employing the procedure you mentioned, which is to point the nozzle up and let the ink settle to the bottom of the converter, and press the pressure bar to expel all the air out through the nozzle.
That way I don’t get any ink on the nib and section.
Thanks for reading!
That’s a good way of filling as well, since you don’t have such a cumbersome front bit to maneuver into the ink. I don’t usually mind getting ink on the nib and section, since it saturates the feed for me to get the pen writing right away, but I guess I also don’t mind getting ink on my fingers!
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Thanks for this! It makes sense, really. I got one of these when it first came out, with the typical result of about three drops in it after a squeeze.
At the end of the day, I still prefer filling cartridges but that’s just me. I have a tobacco tin full of empty ones.
You should do one of these on turning the Sport into a bulb filler!
Thanks for reading, and the suggestion!
Filling cartridges sometimes just seems easier, especially when you start to gather a bit of a collection. Actually, I’ve heard of people filling the converter with the syringe because it can be a little tricky to fill!
I’ll work on the bulb filler 🙂
Liz, saw you on Global news. Very cool. Do have any Kaweco medium AL Sport pens in stock?
Thank you,
Harry
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Hi Harry,
Thanks for watching me on Global. One of those “once in a lifetime” moments that was very stressful on my end!
We’ll email about the pens 🙂
Liz