Kaweco Sport - anyone using as an eyedropper?

[HesNot]

I've been thinking about getting a Kaweco sport as a knock around pen to replace my stainless Vector which just isnt working very well these days - and would likely use it as an eyedropper with some silicone on the threads just to avoid small cartridges. Anyone doing this willing to share their thoughts and opinions? How is the flow? Leaks? Problems? etc...?

 

Thanks!

[BillTheEditor]

I've carried a Kaweco AL Sport fountain pen for two years now, and a Kaweco Sport rollerball eyedropper conversion for a year. I keep them in a Kaweco pen case in my left front jeans pocket, which means they are with me seven days a week, no matter what I am doing. No problems at all with either pen. They don't leak and they don't dry out. The fountain pen nib is a bit wet, but that's ok.

 

I recommend them.

[HesNot]

Thanks Bill! Can you describe the rollerball conversion? I don't believe I've heard of that ... Also - what kind of dog is that in your avatar?

[BillTheEditor]

Thanks Bill! Can you describe the rollerball conversion? I don't believe I've heard of that ... Also - what kind of dog is that in your avatar?

The rollerball conversion came from Nathan Tardiff, via Swisher Pens. Nathan took a Kaweco rollerball, added a couple of O rings and some silicone grease, and the pen became an eyedropper fill. Seems to be more secure than silicone grease alone. I refresh the silicone grease when I refill the pen. Takes very little grease to do the job. Swisher also sells Kaweco Sport fountain pens that have had the Tardiff conversion.

 

The avatar is my Labradoodle, a Standard Poodle - Chocolate Lab cross. I won't refer to Labradoodles as a "breed" because I don't want to get into a shouting match with AKC snobs (they refer to dogs like mine as "mutts" in a particularly offensive tone of voice). But these are wonderful dogs, very friendly and ideal as therapy dogs and canine assistants. They have poodle smarts and lab energy so they are great companions as well and very easy to train. My dog (his name is Dakota, or Cody for short) is 110 pounds, at the upper end of the size range. You can also get smaller Labradoodles, either lap dog size (10-15 pounds) or a sort of medium size (about 40 to 60 pounds). As long as the Labradoodle comes from a reputable breeder, you can be sure you are getting a healthy friend. Labradoodles don't shed as much as other dogs and the higher the generation, the less they shed. Gen 1 is a direct cross between poodle and lab. Gen 2 is the result of mating two Gen 1s. Gen 3 is a cross between a Gen 2 and a poodle, done to decrease the amount of shedding to practically zero. Cody is a Gen 1 and we just Swiffer the floors as required.

[Oxonian]

Hi HesNot,

 

Never found any problem with the Modern Sport that I have, I however prefer to use a small squeeze converter that appeared from some cheap no name pen, which just fits and holds 1.5-2 times the amount in an international cartridge. I wonder if the small 'Bantam' converter that Giovanni at Tryphon has just got in would fit?

 

I tried it as an eyedropper but didn't find any advantage so I cleaned it and went back to the converter. Mine also writes a bit on the generous side but as I don't tend to do pages and pages with it the ink capacity isn't all that important.

 

And Bill, whatever the avatar dog is he/she is amongst my favourite of all the avatars on the forum, a splendid hound.

 

Cheers John

[HesNot]

Thanks Bill - interesting on the rollerball, I'll have to check out Chuck's site.

 

I thought that was a labradoodle. We have an 11 year old black lab who is adored in our household - he has the best and most even keeled temperament and is just a sweet, sweet and steady dog. We got him from my wife's godparents who had bred their female yellow and the litter were across the board some marvelously well bred dogs (we're not AKC snobs either - just happened upon a great litter due to the family connection). He is a beautiful English lab and tops out at about 75 pounds when at his fighting weight. Alas, due to his solid breeding, he comes equipped with the proper double coat and consequently since he is an indoor companion he sheds more or less all the time but particularly in the winter when his undercoat is not needed. We swiffer a whole lot.

 

My brother in law had terrible allergies so my wife's family has had several standard poodles. My mother in law now has settled on miniature poodles as being more manageable and we adopted an ex show dog from the breeder who bred my mother in laws dogs about a year ago to try a smaller non shedding dog and since Tucker the lab is getting up in years. The poodle hadn't been raised with kids so we knew it was going to be an adjustment but unfortunately over the year she never got reliable with our 4 year old around and we now have a 7 month old. Miniatures are not really known for their steady temperaments and despite being the best trained dog I've ever owned we could not trust her with our kids and their friends around - so she went back to live with my mother in law.

 

So now we've started to look at the future when Tucker is no longer with us (he is awesome around the kids - that rock solid temperament I mentioned). The shedding is a nuisance but we just love the lab temperament so we'd thought about a labradoodle as something of a compromise. Anyway - is Cody around small children? What is their general temperament (i.e. do they get more of the lab or the poodle or is it a roll of the dice?)? Feel free to back channel so we can keep this thread on the eyedropper focus...

[BillTheEditor]

Maybe the moderators can split the thread and slide this bit to Chatter. Other people might like to know about Labradoodles.

 

Cody is wonderful with children of any age, and kids (mostly) fall in love with him instantly. So do adults for that matter. He smiles all the time and makes eye contact immediately. He knows to sit when I stop to talk to people, and he knows to sit any time we encounter a child or another dog so that he doesn't frighten them. He has been trained to offer a paw on command or if someone extends a hand toward him. He will also kiss children on command. He does not have any trace of the occasional poodle short temper or whatever that is. He does have the Lab "mouthing" thing but he has a very soft mouth and mostly only does that to my hand, not to strangers. Cody's behavior overall seems to be more lab than poodle, but both are definitely in there. Very smart dog, all the way around.

 

Labradoodles, the big ones anyway, are very active and need exercise. I walk Cody 2 or 3 times a day, a couple of miles each time, and try to do one or two sessions a day in the back yard with him, either playing fetch or working on teaching him tricks/maintaining his training. It would be nice to have a 14- or 15-year-old to run him ragged, but I have to do the best I can at 60. Probably not doing me any harm, to tell you the truth.

 

If you do a search on the Web, you should be able to find a local/state Labradoodle adoption/rescue group and you can put your name on the list to be considered for one of the dogs. That's how we got Cody. He came with basic training, crate training, chip implant, and a full set of papers from the breeder. We did pay $200 as an adoption fee, to cover transfer of the chip data and to set up communication with the breeder, but of course that was optional. The breeder is very reputable and has been most helpful with questions as we learned about Labradoodles.

 

I am considering whether to start Cody in agility training or in training to be a registered therapy dog. Both are time-consuming endeavors, but I think he would be excellent at either.

 

Added: Photo

Edited September 21, 2006 by BillTheEditor

[*david*]

I wonder if the small 'Bantam' converter that Giovanni at Tryphon has just got in would fit?

I can't see why it wouldn't.

[sonia_simone]

My Kaweco Sport is a little skippy, so I've been using it as a dip pen to test my umpteen ink samples. I wonder if I just need to rinse some manufacturing gunk out of it. Other than the skipping it's a sweet little pen.

 

P.S. Cody seems like an absolute peach. What a fine, fine boy he is.

Edited September 20, 2006 by sonia_simone

[KCat]

The sport is great as an ED - go for it.

[Sazerac]

I echo all the good things said about the Kaweco Sport as an eyedropper. I have two of them (and just ordered another from Swisher’s to complete the color line-up). I have used them daily, carrying them with me everywhere. They are great, reliable little writers. I would consider then fairly “wet” writers. I find myself reaching for them even when other (much more expensive) pens are within reach because they are so easy and comfortable to use. If they were a bit fatter and the nib had a bit of spring to them, I’d use nothing else. You should definitely try one.

 

Oh yeah, and Labradoodles are really cool dogs.