Ink Refills????

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Has anyone had problems with the ink refills that come with the kits??? If so what refills do you replace them with??? What color ink do you all try to use or is the kits standard???

[PaulD]

I really haven't ever had a problem with the ink supplied with the kits so far. However, I do keep a pre-madeup supply of replacement inks, erasers and leads for sale on demand or to replace what is orginally supplied on demand. For the parker inks I am now stocking the gel alternative as interest is growing in that writing medium. I keep both blue and black inks on hand, but move a lot more black then blue. You can buy whatever replacments you want at the local Staples, however, they come in two and three packs which is more expensive then just buying the one you really need right now and most peoples' experience suggests that they will never find the other purchased refills when they want them in the future -- hence, my approach of just selling the single refills.

[William Young]

I have had good luck with the refills supplied in the kits but now that I have so many pens out I am getting some requests for replacement refills.
I first checked at my local staionery store because I am not close to big stores like Staples etc. . Heck . . they want $4.50 for a refill.
So now I get them online for $1.00 to $1.50 just to have some extras on hand.
Biggest problem I have had is ink cartidges for fountain pens . I have had a couple completely evaporate out dry right in the pen even though the kits have rubber O rings both ends that are supposed to prevent that. But at 50 cents per fountain pen cartridge I always try to keep a half dozen in stock. They won't eveporate while sealed in their plastic wrappers.
W.Y.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Thanks Paul and Bill for the replys. Now that I want to try pen turning and still waiting for my equipment, seems to been a mixup at Crafts Supply, I have been reading some pen forums to try to get as much info as I can. It seems there have been quite a few cases where the ink refill in some kits runs out very quickly or skips or stops writing all together. People have tried different refills and seems Parker is what people go to. But there seems to be another problem accurring with some of the more plated pen kits in that some refills do not go in the kits properly because of the extra plating. People have complained because using an expensive kit and having the customer come back and say the refill doesn't work is embarassing to say the least. Will have to watch for this I guess.

[Gunny]

I have had trouble with about a half dozen of my fountain pens that were stored top (nib end) down. It was as if the ink rusted the nibs. This only happened in ones that were stored with the nib down. Now I don't put the ink cartridges in until a customer wants to try one.
For ballpoints and rollerballs I've had no trouble at all. Sheila at Pens of Color (pocwoodworking.com) has reasonable prices on all the refills and she takes Paypal as well as plastic.
The refills that come with the kits are all Parker T-Ball Jotter or Cross style. None of mine have run out yet and although they aren't genuine Cross or Parker they all seem to work fine.
However, a lot of people who regularly use ballpoint pens, seem to fixate on either Cross or Parker. The deal closer on many of my sales seems to be when I say: "They take a regular Cross (or Parker) refill that you can get in any Staples or neighborhood stationary store." Same for the Schmidt refills for the Roller Balls.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Just to add to the story the parker refills that were in question are being fazed out and they retooled them with a different tolerance to compensate for the thicker platings.