on salePilot CON-40 Piston Converter

A converter is a cartridge-shaped reservoir that allows you to use bottled fountain pen ink, when a cartridge would otherwise be your only option. Fountain pens that have this option are usually referred to as a cartridge/converter pen, or C/C for short.

A converter goes in the place of where the ink cartridge would normally go. From there, you can fill your fountain pen from bottled ink.

A converter is a detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter.

We have a great video showing how to use a converter here:

It mostly comes down to flushing out the pen with water, and sometimes a little bit of pen flush if the ink is really stuck. 

We put together a blog post with step-by-step instructions, or you can watch the video here:

We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors. Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.

For even more information about fountain pen cleaning, check out our Fountain Pen 101 video blog post.

These fountain pens all take a converter. Please check the individual product descriptions for if the pen needs a proprietary or standard converter. 

You can also check out our Cartridge/Converter Compatibility Guide for general brand guidance.

We accept returns for up to 30 days from purchase. You can read all our Return Policies here.

To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.