This is the once-famous Venus ballpoint pen of ages past. Venus began making pencils in the 20th century, then pens for many decades before ending up as part of Berol and vanishing. I remember when they could be found in every shop that sold office supplies. They used a standard refill that could be bought for 25 cents. The refill that was in this pen when I found it at a thrift store the other day was still able to write, albeit not well, with an imprint on the tube stating: FINELINE REFILL 50c FOR TWO ($1.00 FOR FIVE) P.O.BOX 8, PROVIDENCE R.I. 02901.
Well, what do you know – I happened to have an old pack of these same refills (Venus brand even) in a box of pen paraphernalia. I tried all four of them and one worked. This piqued my interest in finding new fresh refills, because I enjoy using unusual pens and things. So, naturally, I asked Gemini about the pen and where to find refills. I am pleased to report that Gemini knew all about the Venus pen, but squat about the true secret of the refill. Here is a cut from my “conversation”:
No standard modern refill fits perfectly right out of the box, as the proprietary cartridges used in late-1960s and early-1970s Venus promotional pens have been obsolete for decades. However, you can easily get this pen writing again by using a modern standard refill and making a simple DIY modification.
The Best Modern Replacements (With Easy Tweaks)
The internal chamber of this Venus pen is designed for old-style, long plastic or metal cartridges. To replace it, you can modify one of these modern options:
Option 1: Standard “Japan Type” / Narrow Plastic Refills (Easiest)
- What to buy: Look for basic, inexpensive narrow plastic stick refills like a Pentel R.S.V.P. Refill or a Zebra F-Refill.
- The Tweak: These are typically narrower than the original Venus cartridge. All you have to do is drop the modern refill into the barrel and wrap a few small layers of masking tape around the shaft to create a “stop” or collar so your pen’s internal spring has something to push against. If the refill is too long, simply snipping a millimeter or two off the plastic back end with scissors will adjust it to the correct length.
Option 2: Specialized Vintage Specialty Refills (No Snipping)
- What to buy: Specialty vintage retailers online manufacture custom replica cartridges explicitly for mid-century advertising pens. A highly compatible choice is the X10-style vintage ballpoint refill.
- The Tweak: These metal-body replica refills are specifically sized to mimic the length (106.8mm) and narrow tip profile of 1960s/1970s corporate click pens. They usually slide right in and include a fresh spring.
The 10-Second Hack: Use a Standard “Stick” Pen Refill
A standard, inexpensive disposable stick pen uses a long plastic tube that is exactly 3 mm wide.
- Get a Donor Pen: Take a common BIC Cristal, BIC Round Stic, or a Papermate InkJoy 100 ballpoint pen.
- Pull the Refill: Pull the clear plastic ink tube directly out of the front of the donor pen using a pair of pliers or your fingers.
- Trim to 107 mm: Hold your old Venus cartridge next to the new ink tube. Use a pair of scissors to snip the back end of the plastic tube so it matches the 107 mm length perfectly.
- Drop It In: Slide the trimmed tube into your Venus pen barrel along with the original spring.
The No-Cut Retail Option: The “X10” Refill
If you prefer a premium metal replacement that requires zero cutting or modifying, search online for an “X10 Ballpoint Pen Refill”.
- The Fit: These are specifically engineered for vintage 1960s and 1970s promotional click pens.
- The Specs: They feature a narrow 3 mm metal body and a standard manufacturing length of exactly 106.8 mm, making them a flawless drop-in match for your 107 mm measurements.
On and on it “talked” to me like it knew all, but it only knew what it knew. All the supposed “information” spewed out was irrelevant, coming as it did from what others have posted and wherever else Gemini gets its learning. It didn’t know what I was soon to discover by myself. Maybe after today, Gemini will revise the answer to the question of where to get a refill for a vintage Venus ballpoint! If it does, it might even return a link to this blog post. Go ahead and try it later when you finish reading! Let me know the results.
Here it is – from my box of junk – a standard Paper Mate ballpoint refill fits perfectly, without any modifications! I can only assume that nowhere in vacuum land did this important fact exist, until today. You read it here for the first time!
Nothing more to say, except that even with “Super Intelligence” (some say), one often has to figure out solutions using good old fashioned human brain power. Big thanks to T. M. Sloat Plumbing in Maple Creek Saskatchewan for the pen.
