Ink bottles capacity

The results of the ink bottle capacities are summarized in the table maintained on this page. What we measure is not the total capacity of the bottle (which will be marked for reference) but the capacity to allow the pen to be filled leaving the lowest residue when the contents are exhausted. The measurement methods are described in this article (in italian) on the blog and discussed in this topic (in italian) on the forum, where the results of the various measurements are also explained. Only the summary of the results is given here.

Modalità della misura

Le modalità di misura sono descritte in questo articolo del blog e discusse in questo argomento sul forum, dove sono anche illustrati i risultati delle varie misure. Questa pagina viene utilizzata principalmente per riportare il riassunto dei risultati, ci limiteremo ad un breve riassunto.

Si sono usate due penne: una Pelikan 140 per le dimensioni medio piccole ed una Duofold De Luxe per le dimensioni medio grandi per svuotare progressivamente, caricandole, la boccetta di inchiostro/calamaio in esame. Si sono usate le quattro modalità di caricamento definite nel paragrafo seguente, pesando con una bilancia il residuo rimasto per ciascuna di esso con la precisione del centigrammo.

Definitions

The table lists the capacities for three different filling modes:

• normal filling: it is loaded with the bottle is placed horizontally in the ordinary position where it is also resting, inserting the pen from the mouthpiece without any shrewdness. This is the normal way to load a pen, the simplest and most convenient.
• careful filling: it is loaded with the bottle is placed horizontally in the ordinary position in which it is also at rest, inserting the pen from the mouthpiece, but being careful to position it in the most appropriate way (for example, tilting it to get to the corners) to improve the draught. This mode is very close to the normal one, but requires a bit of attention and is less comfortable.
• specific filling: it is loaded using the specific characteristic of the bottle that allows (or declares to allow) to make the most of its ink capacity. Usually there is something more to be done than inserting the pen into the mouthpiece and filling (and may increase the risk of overturning), and the mode may be more uncomfortable or cumbersome.
• acrobatic filling: it is loaded using any method that allows as much ink as possible to be recovered from the bottle, using any type of stunt (hence the name). Generally, if it exists, it is an uncomfortable and risky mode (another reason for the name) that is not worth using.

Results

They are listed in the table below.

Bottle	total	Pelikan 140				Duofold
		normal	careful	specific	acrobatic	normal	careful	specific	acrobatic
Pelikan 4001	30 ml	6,42 ml	2,51 ml	1,30 ml	0,56 ml	12,16 ml	6.72 ml	2,58 ml	0,77 ml