Last week, there was a brief discussion on The Pen Addict Podcast about how to fill a TWSBI with sample ink. There is not enough ink in a sample vial to fill the pen by the usual method: inserting pen nib in the ink and using the piston to draw the ink into the reservoir. Brad mentioned using a syringe to fill instead which hadn’t occurred to me. So, I thought I’d share the technique. I used my TWSBI Mini but this technique would work with a Diamond 540/580 and probably a Vacumatic as well.
Step 1: Remove the nib unit. Its a screw attachment so just untwist the nib and set it aside.
Step 2: Identify the narrow hole in the top of the ink reservoir so you know where you’ll need to insert the syringe.
Step 3: Grab your ink sample.
Step 4: Fill your syringe. For the TWSBI Mini, I only needed to fill up to the 1 unit marker to get just about a full fill.
Step 5: Insert the syringe needle into the reservoir and slowly depress the syringe being careful not to overfill.
Step 6: Admire the filled reservoir.
Step 7: Screw the nib unit back onto your pen. You may need to give it a good shake (put the cap on or wrap the tip in a towel before shaking) to get the ink down into the feed unit. Then start writing!
You can reverse the process if you are using your TWSBI for ink testing by sucking the ink out of the reservoir with the syringe and putting it back into your bottle or vial. Then clean the pen using water and filling and emptying the reservoir until the water runs clear. Let it dry and refill. I dry mine by shaking it vigorously wrapped in a towel and wiping the nib.
Good luck!
