Fisher Space Pen Hack

Sometimes the aesthetic of a specific pen is not mirrored with the refill it contains. Case in point, the Fisher Space Pen. I love the simple good looks of the bullet pen but I have no need for a thick ballpoint that can write at zero Gs. I like fine, fine, fine gel pen refills. So, I hacked it.

Fisher Space Pen Hack

With a little bit of washi tape around the barrel in key points and a trim to the end of the refill, a standard Uni Style Fit Gel Cartridge fits into the Fisher Space Pen like a champ.

I suspect with some finagling, other refills of the Pilot G2 variety might also work. More tests and experiments to follow.

Fisher Space Pen Hack


DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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14 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Thank you for this, I love the style of this pen but the ink refill doesn’t inspire my writing – I’ve hacked my target dollar spot pens I will definitely try this.

      1. Hi. The Bullet Pens do not take Parker Style Refills. They are much smaller than Parker refills. They can be used in Parker Pens because they come with an small plastic adapter which increases their length – so they can fit into Parker Pens. But you cannot reverse it. (Parker Refills do not fit into Bullet pens.) If only it was that easy!

  2. Hi Ana – just wondered if you got my reply (above)? Does it make sense? I wondered if you had found any other refils (not Parker) that might fit a space pen? Thanks

    1. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I can’t reply through the WordPRess app on my phone (fix this already, WordPress!) so I thought I’d replied. I would recommend trying some of the G2-style/Euro rollerball refills and cutting them down to size. You might need to plug the end with a little glue/play-doh/what-have-you but that might work for you. I cut down plastic barrel inserts all the time to fit into various pen barrels. As long as the tip/grip section is narrow enough it should work.

      1. Thanks for this Ana. Yes, the key problem will be finding a refil with a small enough diameter for (a) getting past the spring/into the hole at the end, and (b) the barrel fitting through the threaded neck of the body… I will put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and see what I can discover… I don’t think it will be easy – or else the great Google in the sky would have revealed it by now… 😮

        1. Check with Goldspot Pens, the keepers of the Refillfinder site. They might be able to help you track down a better fitting refill. I have had refill hacking successes and failures. I tend to just open pens I have around the house until I find one with a similar sized refill. Then I cut, tape or jimmy it to fit in my pen of choice. It isn’t pretty but I’m always thrilled when it works. Best of luck!

  3. Hey Ana – Have you noticed that when you REMOVE the Uni Style Fit Gel Refils, they catch on the Fisher Pen’s internal spring. You have to be careful when you remove them not to damage the internal spring. How did you overcome this issue?

    The only refill I have found that goes nicely IN AND OUT of a space pen SO FAR is the Hi-Tec-C Coleto (0.5mm) refills.

    1. I actually save springs out of retractable pens to have a stash of back ups for pen hacking. I haven’t tried the Coleto refills in my Space Pen but I’l give that a try next. Thanks for the tips!

  4. Just ordered one of these, thanks to your article. Love the form factor and weight of the Fisher pen, but I just can’t leave the awesome writing feel of my uni-ball signo. We’ll see how this goes.

  5. OK. Several years down the line – just returning to this hack. There is still no genuinely easy way to hack the space pen – some have been suggested but they generally fall foul of the 2nd small internal spring inside the space pen. The suggestions above are all, at best, fudges that risk damaging the pen’s internal spring.

    1. Tofty on Shapeways does sell a 3D printed sleeve that fits into the Space Pen. It will hold a D1 refill which might give you some other options without risking the spring inside. There’s a link to his shop at the bottom of the refill guide.

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