I am posting this as a geek/nerd service to people everywhere (ok maybe there are 2 other people out there) who are seeking a solution to a specific problem:
How do you convert a bullet fisher space pen to a gel ink pen?
Firstly: why, you ask? Well… I’ll tell you. The bullet pen is perhaps one of the most unobtrusive, easy to carry, rugged, and accident-proof pens you can throw in your pocket. As a disciple of GTD and ubiquitous capture and blah blah in “2006-Merlin’s” name we trust*, I like to have a pen on my person as much as possible.
Yet, as a lefty, the OG space pen ink just doesn’t work for me. It tends to vomit out a big glob on the first contact with an index card and then smears as I write in my hideous lefty-claw-hook fashion.
Gel pens like the Pilot G2 have about the best ink I have experienced for a lefty. Unfortunately G2 refills will not fit into a bullet pen.
Enter the Zebra G301. Ugly pens but great refills. Simply cut them down to size and stuff them into your bullet and voila! you have a Gel bullet. You don’t even have to get the length perfect as they will bend a little in the barrel if necessary (see pic.)
So there you have it. Take Zebra G-301 refills, cut ‘em down, cram unartfully into your bullet pen, and you have a great solution for a lefty, or anyone who doesn’t like the space pen ink.
:][:
*PS I like the new Merlin too, he’s just not as manic about fostering niche pen dialogue.
ADDENDUM: I have gotten a few emails and comments from folks who don’t like the bullet pen. I agree. The bullet pen is my “backup when I have no pen”, my “jeans or shorts pocket pen,” my “in the car cup holder pen.”
When I am on the clock and conducting business, and have the luxury of a shirt pocket or suit pocket for a full-size pen, I always carry one of my favorite pieces below. (I am trying to find a way to get a gel refill in these guys too!) Presently I use the MB fine-liner refills, which are great but they run out of ink too quickly and are very expensive.
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I knew there had to be some way to make those babies into gel or rollerball pens. A lot of people are looking for something a bit smoother and more fluid than the standard pressurized refill that accompanies the Fisher pens. Have you ever tried the Fisher so-called “Millenium” pen (a.k.a. the 80-year pen), which is not supposed to run out of ink for a lifetime? The ink flow is horrendous. Blobs, inconsistent flow, skipping and everything. They are guaranteed to write for a lifetime, but how well??
Thanks for the visit Tom. (cool site you have there!)
I have not tried the Millennium but I can’t imagine it would be any better than the fisher refills. Someday I hope to figure out how to get a pilot G2 ink into a fisher bullet form factor.
Cheers – :][:
The Mitsubishi Power Tank pens have a MUCH better ink (especially the blue 0.7mm) and don’t blob up like a Space Pen does. I don’t think they’ve changed the formula since the 60′s…
If Mitsubishi would make a half-sized Power Tank 0.7mm cartridge and put it inside an anodized aluminum bullet like the Space Pen, I’d never carry a Space Pen again. COME ON, MITSUBISHI!
Nice tip Greg. However, I have never been a friend of the Fisher space pens. I recently discovered the US company “RETRO 51″. I use their “Bamboo pen” (with the gel cartridge) a lot now and I am very pleased with it. Go check ‘em out on http://www.pencity.com, who happen to have the best prices as an extra incentive on top!!!
Jur.
This was a great tip. I love my space pen for nostalgic reasons (loved the space program as a kid) and for practical reasons in the car. But I always hated the ink, so I never used my pen. Thanks!
Interesting! I bought the same one from these guys http://www.jmpennifeather.co.uk/fisher/bullet-space and found I had the same problemo, thing is they don’t sell the zg301. I am def gonna try to hack the Fisher as you have done:-) where can i find the refill?
I can’t believe it. You can find anything on the Internet. I was actually looking to solve this exact same problem for the exact same reasons. (e.g. lefty, carry space pen in jeans, space pen ink sucks, Pilot gel pen favorite ink, etc.) Thanks!
do you think those pilot G2 mini refills would fit? I just got my first space pen today, so I’m curious.