Chinese Fountain Pen Conversion

Picked up a Chinese fountain pen where its shipping cost exceeded that of the plastic pen. I used beeswax from burnt candles to seal the pen, allowing it to hold 10 mg of liquid ink—a surprisingly large amount. Another, similar Chinese fountain pen I converted in a like manner fell apart, but an AI service revealed the technique for applying beeswax to the seal of this more recent one. My next pen project might be of an even sturdier acrylic model from China.

Because my cheaper pen holds so much ink, I’m concerned that if the barrel fails there will be no way to contain the spill—it could ruin a shirt or stain the floor. This inexpensive pen, which I’ve modified for eyedropper filling, may not be injection‑molded with delicate seams, so I hope it won’t fail in that way.

The Chinese nib isn’t bad; it likely has an iridium tip, although the manufacturer’s marking doesn’t specify “iridium.” For a \$3 steel nib, the feedback is quite decent. Compared with some expensive, inflexible nibs, I find it performs very well.