Where can I find refills for older pens?

Where can I find refills for older pens?

Since we specialize in vintage pens, we do not usually sell refill cartridges other than examples of obsolete design, most of which are no longer functional and are chiefly of interest to collectors. And though we try to keep up, the variety of proprietary refills offered over the past few decades is truly vast. We can offer the following tips, however, and suggest that if you need further assistance you try an online search, since pen hobbyists are constantly trading tips on adapting and substituting for obsolete cartridges. Note that fountain pen ink cartridges can be refilled using a small syringe, and with a bit of ingenuity a sac can be grafted onto an old cartridge to make a converter.

Parker cartridges and converters for both fountain pens and ballpoints are generally available and have remained standardized (with the exception of a few fat old-model converters that will not fit inside some extra-thin pen barrels). Felt-tip (fiber-tip) refills no longer appear to be available, but there are adapters that permit use of Parker rollerball refills. A cut down BIC ballpoint refill can reportedly be used in a Liquid Lead pencil (though there will be nothing to cover the nonretracting point).

Waterman C/F cartridges and converters are now in very short supply. You may have luck going direct to Waterman, but their supply is bound to run out soon if it hasn't already. Waterman Lady converters apparently fit the C/F and we have heard that international standard cartridges will fit, as will Waterman short cartridges and Pelikan converters -- though the refills may be a bit loose inside the barrel without a bit of tape as a shim. We have not tried this ourselves, but the recommendations come from good sources.

Early Sheaffer and Eversharp ballpoint refills are long obsolete, but a number of hobbyists have made adaptors and posted do-it-yourself instructions online. There has also been discussion about refilling dried-out ballpoint cartridges, if you have an original specimen to work with.

Small international cartridges, cut off at the neck, will reportedly fit both Esterbrook and Wearever fountain pens. There are also adaptors that allow Parker cartridges to fit Esterbrooks -- old time production, but worth seeking out.

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