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How to Fill a Piston Style Fountain Pen
Written Instructions
Fill a Piston Fountain Pen
Learn how to fill a piston style fountain pen. You may ask what exactly is a piston style fountain pen? A piston style fountain holds the ink within the barrel of the pen and has an integrated piston that is used to draw the ink into the chamber. Some examples of piston style fountain pens include the Pelikan 200 fountain pen or the Lamy 2000 fountain pen.
Steps to Fill a Piston Fountain Pen

1
the first step to filling a piston fountain pen is to move the filling mechanism forward by twisting the knob at the back of the pen.

2
Once the piston is to the front of the pen dip the entire nib into the ink. Make sure you completely submerge the breather hole on the nib under the ink.
3
Draw the ink into the pen by twisting the knob the opposite direction. This moves the piston away from the nib. The vacuum pulls ink through the nib into the pen. Work slowly and at an even pace to keep air from being drawn into the chamber.

4
Remove the nib from the ink and with the nib over the ink bottle let 5 drops of ink back into the bottle.
5
Turn the nib upright and slowly turn the nob to release any remaining air from the pen.
After you have completed the process you may repeat if the chamber is not completely full. You do not have to completely fill the pen. Some pens have a window or are clear so you can see the ink inside the pen. Others do not have that option. The chamber does not have to be entirely full. If you do not use your pen often you may want to only partially fill the pen so you do not leave excess ink in the pen.