KAWECO FAQ

WHAT DOES KAWECO MEAN?

Kaweco stands for KOch, WEber & COmpany. Originally established in 1899 in Heidelberg, the company was eventually renamed Kaweco to signify its founders: Henrich Koch and Rudolph Weber.

 

HOW TO PRONOUNCE KAWECO?

KAH-whe-CO, a truncation of Koch,Weber & Company.

 

WHERE ARE KAWECO PENS MADE?

Kaweco pens are made of best in class materials and components, including fountain pen nibs, ballpoint and pencil mechanisms. Most of the components and parts are made in Germany with some imported. However, all Kaweco writing instruments are assembled by skilled Kaweco staff at its factory in Nuremberg, Germany.

 

WHERE TO BUY KAWECO PENS?

We, Pen & Tool - Kaweco "Selected" online shop, are proud to offer the most comprehensive collection of writing instruments of this iconic brand.

 

WHO MAKES KAWECO NIBS?

The German nib manufacturers for most of the great European brands: Bock and JoWo.

 

WHAT IF MY KAWECO FOUNTAIN PEN NOT WRITE PROPERLY OR HOW TO CLEAN KAWECO FOUNTAIN PEN?

There can be several reasons but the most common one is the nib section has dried up after not having been used for a period of time. You could try flushing the nib using lukewarm water. The best way is to fill the converter with lukewarm water and connect it to the ink feeder, then pump the lukewarm water through the nib several times by using the converter. Repeat this process until clear water comes out of the nib without any ink residue, after which you can dry the ink feeder and the nib with a lint-free cloth. Make sure that both parts are completely dry before inserting a new cartridge.
In addition, you could check if the nib section is screwed in properly and the ink cartridge is correctly placed on the piercer.

Kaweco's care and maintenance manual can be found here.

 

HOW TO CLEAN KAWECO BRASS/COPPER?

Kaweco recommend using Elsterglanz polish paste. You may use other similar polish paste/solution suitable for removing oxidation. Apply the paste on the oxidated area and rub it with a cotton cloth until the oxidation is removed. Then using another clean cotton cloth, rub off the dirt thoroughly, and continue until a glossy shine.

 

HOW TO CHANGE KAWECO NIB?

For the ABS plastic writing instruments, such as CLASSIC, SKYLINE, FROSTED and ICE series, there is a matching front part section with an integrated nib for every fountain pen.
For all other series except Perkeo, you can screw in a standard nib section. 250 for the SUPRA and ELITE series and 060 for the rest.
Nib cannot be replaced for Perkeo series.

More on nibs can be found here.

 

WHAT TYPE OF INK CARTRIDGE FITS KAWECO FOUNTAIN PEN?

Standard international SHORT ink cartridge can be fitted perfectly on CLASSIC, SKYLINE, AL, FROSTED, ICE, LILIPUT, BRASS, STEEL, AC and SUPRA (shortened version) series.
Both international SHORT or LONG ink cartridge can be used on the rest of the Kaweco series including SUPRA (extended version).

More on cartridges can be found here.

 

HOW TO INSTALL KAWECO CARTRIDGE?

Uncap the fountain pen and detach the barrel by turning it anti-clockwise, push the standard ink cartridge in firmly until you feel that it punctures.

Instruction manual can be found here.

 

HOW TO USE KAWECO STANDARD CONVERTER?

You could either:
A. insert the Kaweco standard converter to the pen and turn upper part of converter anti-clockwise until the inner stick is all the way down. Dip the entire nib and feed into the ink. Turn the upper part of the converter clockwise to fill while keeping the nib submerged. Clean the nib with soft paper towel after the converter is filled.
or
B. turn upper part of converter anti-clockwise until the inner stick is all the way down and dip the front of the standard converter into the ink. Then, turn the upper part of the converter clockwise. Keep the front submerged while slowly filling the converter with ink. Insert the filled converter into the fountain pen.

Instruction manual can be found here and product details can be found here.

 

HOW TO USE KAWECO MINI CONVERTER?

You could either:
A. insert the Kaweco mini converter to the pen and dip the entire nib and feed into the ink. Pull the knurled end of the mini converter to fill while keeping the nib submerged. Clean the nib with soft paper towel after the converter is filled.
or
B. push the knurled end of the mini converter down and dip the front of the mini converter into the ink. Pull the knurled end upwards. Keep the front submerged while slowly filling the converter with ink. Insert the filled converter into the fountain pen.

Instruction manual can be found here and product details can be found here.

 

HOW TO USE KAWECO SQUEEZE CONVERTER?

You could either:
A. insert the Kaweco squeeze converter to the pen and dip the entire nib and feed into the ink. Squeeze the converter and release again while keeping the nib submerged. Repeat three to four times, wait a few seconds in between the squeezes and clean the nib with soft paper towel after the converter is filled.
or
B. dip the front of the squeeze converter into the ink. Squeeze 3 to 4 times to fill the converter with ink while keeping the front submerged. Insert the filled converter into the fountain pen.

Instruction manual can be found here and product details can be found here.

 

HOW TO REFILL A KAWECO ROLLERBALL PEN?

Standard G2 refill is suitable for all SPORT pens. Uncap the rollerball pen and detach the barrel by turning it anti-clockwise, then remove old refill and insert new standard G2 refill.
EURO refill is suitable for DIA2, ELITE and STUDENT series. Uncap the rollerball pen and detach the barrel by turning it anti-clockwise, then remove old refill and insert new EURO refill.

Instruction manual can be found here and product details can be found here.

 

HOW TO REFILL A KAWECO BALLPOINT PEN?

Standard D1 refill is suitable for all SPORT pens, LILIPUT and SPECIAL "S" series.
For SPORT pens and LILIPUT (without cap) series, turn the push cap at the top in anti-clockwise direction until loose and pull out the mechanism. Pull out the used refill and insert a new one.Insert the whole push cap mechanism through the top of the barrel and then turn clockwise to secure it. Note: do not over-torque it, stop turning once it is secured in place.
For LILIPUT (without cap) series, another method, similar to SPECIAL "S" series, is to detach the front cone by turning it in anti-clockwise direction, pull out the used refill and insert a new one, and finally secure back the cone by turning it in clockwise direction until it is tightly fitted onto the barrel.
For LILIPUT with cap series, first detach the cap by turning it in anti-clockwise direction, followed by detaching the barrel by similarly turning it in anti-clockwise direction. At this point detach the refill housing by turning the knob at the top of the front part in anti-clockwise direction, pull out the refill housing and replace the refill. Once this is completed, secure the refill housing back by turning it in clockwise direction, followed by putting back on the barrel on the front part by turning it in clockwise direction.

Standard G2 refill is suitable for SPECIAL, DIA2, STUDENT, ELEGANCE and ELITE series.
For SPECIAL series, detach the front cone by turning it in anti-clockwise direction, pull out the used refill and insert a new one, and finally secure back the cone by turning it in clockwise direction until it is tightly fitted onto the barrel.
For DIA2, STUDENT, ELEGANCE and ELITE series, detach the top cap by turning it in anti-clockwise direction and then simply refill the efill. Secure the top cap back by turning it in clockwise direction. 

Instruction manual can be found here and product details can be found here.

 

ROLLERBALL VS BALLPOINT?

The difference between rollerball and ballpoint is not the shape of the pen but the ink. In a rollerball, the ink is water-based and it puts more ink onto the paper compared to ballpoint, whereas ballpoint uses oil-based ink and therefore it takes a little bit longer to dry.

 

DOES KAWECO HAVE LEFT-HANDED NIBS?

Special left-handed nibs are not available in the current Kaweco range. A finer nib is recommended for left-handers, so that the ink dries faster and will not blur as easily.

 

IS KAWECO INK DOCUMENT PROOF OR WATERPROOF?

The Kaweco ink is not document proof and not waterproof.