#pilot vpen

[petermorwood]

This popped up on my YouTube the other day and not to brag, but...

Oh, why the hell not? It's a small brag, but satisfying. :->

I posted about refilling the Pilot Vpen (IRL-UK) / Varsity (US) - and adding how-to links - about 4 years and then again a year ago.

Here are the how-to links; I'm glad to see they're still active.

This one, like the video, calls for pliers and suggests removing the nib:

This one doesn't use pliers or separate the nib from the feed.

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Bragging aside, I'm pleased to see Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens giving this hack a higher profile (and Kudos for it, too - as a retailer it's more in his interest to sell them than refill them!)

His reason is very sound: those cheap little pens (usually about 3-to-4 local currency units whether €, $ or £) are ideal for FP-curious newbies or as no-loss-worries when travelling or no-damage-worries loaners.

They also have much better nibs than the price would suggest. Indeed that seems common to all the inexpensive Pilot pens I've tried, which includes every nib size of MR / Metropolitan.

In addition, IMO the notion of "disposable" fountain pens goes completely against the principal FP virtue, where once you've bought the pen, all you USE is the ink.

So in the US at least * buy that ink from Goulet. They've got one or two to choose from and a selection of samples in vials or sets...

( * In Ireland, with Pen Corner in Dublin now gone, I get mine from CultPens or Penstore.)

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I should mention, for completeness, that some "starter" fountain pens have prices not much more than these disposables and, refilled by "proper" ink cartridges / bottle-refill converters, don't involve anything like this trouble.

Just saying...

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It just so happens that one of my two Vpens was about due for a refill, so here are some pics of the process.

I scrubbed the markings off the barrels a long time ago so I could see what was inside, since refills mean the ink in the pen often has nothing to do with its colour-indicator cap.

First, disassembled and washed in changes of warm water until the water stays clear.

Here's the nib and feed: they've always come out of both Vpens as a single unit, with no need for pliers. Since the nibs show no desire to come off I've no desire to force the issue and maybe break something; those little ink-guide fins are delicate.

The filler is a small syringe begged from our local vet. I also use it to refill cartridges with custom ink colours (yup, I sometimes roll my own...)

Its "needle" is plastic tubing (an empty Pilot gel-pen cartridge, appropriately enough) which fits the syringe perfectly, and a pointy end made by stretching the tube over a candle-flame then snipping to length. If it gets too stained - this is nearly there - just chuck it in the recycle bin and make a new one.

The ink could have been any of the 30-odd I have at the minute, or something mixed specially, but I chose this one - a nice dark green - for the same reason @dduane had me buy it.

It's a very cute bottle... :->

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And here's the "disposable" pen refilled, reassembled and re-writing.

It really does have a better nib than you'd expect from a supposedly single-use pen...

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It sometimes takes a while for the ink to work its way by capillary action down from barrel to nib, especially if everything has been left to dry after washing. Put the cap on the pen and be patient.

Or speed things up by taking the cap off and running a thin stream of hot water over the barrel for 30 seconds or so. This increases internal pressure, forcing the ink along the section fins.

NB, this step is only for a refilled Vpen / Varsity. Don't try it with anything else, and in case it's not obvious, do this at a washbasin or sink, because You Never Know.

Now use a bit of kitchen paper or loo roll to blot the water which has got on the nib. This has a mild "suction" effect, and when you see ink on the paper (you might need to wet the nib again) your refilled pen is ready for use.

This wet-and-blot nib step can be used to encourage any stubborn fountain pen to get back in action, but the hot water trick, once again, is Vpen only.

Anyway, done.

[bloodcrosses]

[melisendevector]

Quick morning doodles using the Pilot VPen

[mallml]

[shelsvt]

Update on my history notes! I wish I can make these notes prettier but I literally have no idea how 😭. Oh well I can make my Chem or Algebra notes pretty.

[darkacademiadesign]

Dark Academia On A Budget

STATIONERY

A fountain pen in the budget range, like a Platinum Preppy, Pilot Varsity/Vpen, Pilot Plumix, Jinhao 51A or Jinhao X450. None of these pens should cost more than £5-7.

A bottle of 30ml Diamine ink, or 50ml if you feel like splurging a little. 30ml - £4, 50ml - £10.

A blunt needled syringe for re-filling the fountain pen. Might not be needed depending on the pen.

Off-brand craft paper post-its/sticky notes. £1-4 depending on size.

Any graph/lined paper of your choice, most papers should work for fountain pen ink.

BOOKS

Borrow from your local library and read everything you desire for free.

Browse for free e-books and pdfs in this post if you don’t mind reading on a screen.

Frequent your local thrift shops/second hand stores to find the most beautiful old books.

Purchase pre-owned books from online stores like ebay and depop.

Borrow and swap with friends.

Write down the more expensive books on your wish-list for birthdays and Christmas if your family do that sort of thing.

Dig through the clearance stacks at your local bookshops.

CLOTHING

Thrift shops/second hand stores will be your best friend for good quality, often vintage, pieces to slowly add to your curated wardrobe.

Ask your parents and grandparents if they have some old clothes that you can look through and take the clothes you like.

Purchase second hand clothes on ebay, depop and similar online stores.

Go through the clearance racks at your favourite clothing stores, and make it a habit to occasionally enter the more expensive stores because you never know if they have a sale that’ll bring the price down to more reasonable levels.

[stickingandcolouring]

contribution to your research - I uploaded a video of pen tests in a leuchtturm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUSw4PachRY the paper is thin so there is absolutely ghosting, (I believe the same is typically true of tomoe river) but the only pens I've tried that actually *bleed* are alcohol based markers like sharpies, and for some reason the pilot vpen disposable fountain pens (for whom I have never found a paper that stops them bleeding)

I just saw a post floating around tumblr that moleskine is known to have bad quality paper. Unfortunately I’m not informed enough to offer an alternative

I feel like I saw that post too the other day, which is part of why I posted my complaining/personal experience. I'm trying to do research now for good ones, but I might just browse stores to see if I find a cheaper keeper. Granted, I'm not an avid journaler so I don't need anything bougie, but I'd say because of that, I don't mind getting one good journal that I enjoy using, even if it takes me forever to get through. Currently some of the ones that I've seen people recommend to look into are:

Rhodia (seems to be top contender, though not many pages)

Leuchtturm1917 (very mixed reviews)

Tomoe River

Clairfontaine

Whitelines (seems to be mainly spiral-bound)

Waverly Tartan

All that being said, depends what your preference is. Every type will have its pros and cons, like size and paper quality. Some things are more subjective than objective, too. I like stiff hardbacks because they're sturdy and dislike spiral-bound because they bother my hands, which is the opposite of what my sister prefers.

You do want a high enough GSM that your preferred writing media won't bleed through though (90gsm is regular office paper).

Anyway, moleskine is bleh since the one I got can't even handle a ballpoint pen without bleeding and I am mad that I thought it was supposed to be good.

[makecreateshoot]

Afternoon A pointilist experiment on the beach this afternoon. Paper: canson heavy duty sketchbook, pilot medium Vpen.

[petermorwood]

I got a Pilot VPen the other day and it writes like a dream, so much nicer than a pen I've tried that was ten times the price??? It's almost upsetting, and now I've put a blunt needle syringe and a bottle of fountain pen ink on my shopping list because I'd hate to throw it away once it's run out of ink. Thanks for the rec (not recently, I just remember a post or two you've made where you talk about how the nibs on those are really good. You weren't kidding!) and have a nice weekend!

I'm pleased to hear the Varsity / VPen nib quality hasn't changed since that post - not recent indeed, 4 years ago!

They're great for starting, loaning, even risk-of-losing, and a nice (if rare) example for those who might think fountain pens are always costly and elitist. :-)

Here's one link I attached about removing the nib and feed to refill it:

Despite what this article says, I've never had to use pliers even when the pens were new; YMMV on that. However a rag or tissue paper are a must, to protect the nib and catch any seepage of ink.

Green thumbs are for gardening, black and blue ones are the result of carelessly closed doors...

Here's another article:

This one doesn't mention pliers, just something to provide extra grip.

[davidfalor-blog]

A Helpful Rainshower — Sketch-It I tried out a new fountain pen, a cheap throw-away type, Pilot Vpen, that I found in Montreal.

[mallml]

Flawless pt. 4/4

part 3 … Index

“Alright...?

“...Sakumo-san?”

“Father.

“Father, you must take the urn.

“And then let’s go home.”

“How strange that little boy can stay so calm.

“The poor thing...

“He doesn’t understand yet.”

[davidfalor-blog]

A Helpful Rainshower — Sketch-It I tried out a new fountain pen, a cheap throw-away type, Pilot Vpen, that I found in Montreal.