Kaweco Al Eyedropper - Going For It

[Jumpmonkey]

So, I'm going to go ahead and do it. I have heard continual ***BUT COROSION*** comments, but, it doesn't seem like anyone has actually tried.

 

Why am I giving it a go? I love the pen, but hate the cartridges, I hate their size, I hate refilling them. I hate them, completely.

 

Also, I am not sure how many have looked into it, but Aluminum does not oxidize the way that we often think of oxidization. We usually think in terms of steel turning red and flaking away. But, the red oxidization is not the only which occurs in steel, there is actually some nice oxidization which can form and create a patina which protects the metal to a degree. Anyhow, it seems that Aluminum actually has a somewhat favorable response to oxidization, and I'm going to ink it up as soon as my italic nib shows up (hopefully today)

 

I'll keep tabs on it as time goes. If it turns disastrous, I'll let y'all know. If it works just fine, and looks dead sexy, I'll let you know that too.

 

Anyhow, if anyone has direct experience with tragic results, tell me now. Otherwise... LET THE EXPERIMENT BEGIN!!!

[Algester]

GOOD LUCK just remember something will happen to the aluminium/aluminum

[Jumpmonkey]

I know something will happen. We'll see if it is negative, positive, or neutral in it's effect. I hate the pen enough as a cartridge pen to be willing to roll with whatever the result is.

 

The information I have seen indicates that it will be more likely beneficial than problematic, unless somehow it causes the threading to seize and the pen to be more difficult to fill, but I believe still serviceable.

 

http://flannerytrim.com/content/does-aluminum-rust

http://www.theruststore.com/Does-Aluminum-Rust-W26C2.aspx

[Algester]

ohh next is that something will happen to the ink... but other than that I don't know there's already some signs of corrosion on my macbook pro... but its colored black :X

[Jumpmonkey]

As I said, we'll see what happens. The pen just annoys me currently, so I don't risk loosing anything. Just a pen I didn't like to begin with.

[Jumpmonkey]

Pen is writing: https://db.tt/RJ5rmIRh

For how long? We'll see...

[Uncle Red]

Good luck! I wonder if the alluminum could be coated with something to make it safer as an ED?

[Namru]

Yeah, no. You can't anodise aluminium with ink, it just corrodes.

[Jumpmonkey]

Corrosion, it's a scary word, but, I wonder if anyone has actually researched it in relation to Aluminum. Every time I find something on aluminum oxidation or "corrosion" it is actually much kinder than what we commonly think of as "corrosion."

 

Again, another source: http://www.aluminiumdesign.net/design-support/aluminium-corrosion-resistance/

 

The more I read into the use of Aluminum and the resulting oxidation and corrosion in varying environments, the less concerned I am. And then, I am consoled by the fact that Kaweco makes the most fiddly pieces of garbage. The new nib is already acting up, just like the one the pen came with... Honestly, right now, the pens reliable finickyness seems like the likeliest candidate to end the experiment unfavorably. Time shall tell. At worst, I'll keep it inked to see if it ruins, even if it doesn't get used.

[Namru]

Corrosion, it's a scary word, but, I wonder if anyone has actually researched it in relation to Aluminum. Every time I find something on aluminum oxidation or "corrosion" it is actually much kinder than what we commonly think of as "corrosion."

 

Again, another source: http://www.aluminiumdesign.net/design-support/aluminium-corrosion-resistance/

 

The more I read into the use of Aluminum and the resulting oxidation and corrosion in varying environments, the less concerned I am. And then, I am consoled by the fact that Kaweco makes the most fiddly pieces of garbage. The new nib is already acting up, just like the one the pen came with... Honestly, right now, the pens reliable finickyness seems like the likeliest candidate to end the experiment unfavorably. Time shall tell. At worst, I'll keep it inked to see if it ruins, even if it doesn't get used.

My palm has gone through my face.

[Tweel]

I'd expect the pen to first turn grey, then start pitting. The barrel threads will probably get rougher and tend to seize.

[wastelanded]

The threads will have to be coated with grease, so they'll be somewhat protected. You could try coating the inside of the barrel with a light layer of silicone grease. If the aluminum body is actually eaten right through, I'll be very, very surprised. This is ink, not hydrochloric acid.

 

Let us know what happens.

[Jumpmonkey]

The threads are coated in silicone grease. Not sure it's enough as some bled onto them, after an initial wipe, no further problems. On day 3, about to pull it out, do some writing...

 

As of now, no visible damage or abnormalities inside the barrel of the pen. More ink in the threads, I think I need better grease. Even with ink having gotten in the threads the nib/grip section unscrews easily (the first time was tough, for whatever reason, but normal since.)

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Corrosion, it's a scary word, but, I wonder if anyone has actually researched it in relation to Aluminum.

 

You're kidding, right? Aluminum was a wonder metal of the late 19^th Century, a new element. Lots of research was done on it due to the demand for it, and as a result the price of producing the metal came down from the astronomical strata.

 

The research into the practical uses of aluminum was largely concentrated on the strength and corrosion resistance of the metal. Aluminum was the big thing for dirigibles and aircraft in the first half of the 20^th Century.

 

What will happen is that the benign coating of oxidized aluminum on the interior of your fountain pen will start to corrode, but you will not be able to notice this since it's pretty much all happening at a molecular scale. Once that coating goes, the raw aluminum will start to react with the ink. How this progresses will depend on the pH of the ink you're using and on the other substances in the ink. Some inks will take a while to do anything that a human could notice. Other inks will go through the aluminum rapidly.

 

The threads will probably be the first place where you might notice the corrosion. It won't be because ink has somehow spilled on the threads, it'll be because the threads are pointy in places and the ink will be making its way through them. Silicone grease will help, but the ink will work its way along the interface between the non-reactive grease and the reactive aluminum.

 

The outcome of your experiment is predictable.

 

Nathan Tardif used to have a demonstration posted on the Web of how some inks go through aluminum at a pretty fast clip.

[Christi0469]

Hey, it's your pen and you didn't like it much as it was. I hope the experiment works beautifully because it prefer it when experiments yeild surprisingly beneficial results. Either way time will tell.

[Icywolfe]

How about titanium?

[Jumpmonkey]

Ink Stained Wretch,

 

Cool deal, got a link to the aluminum/ink demonstrations? I'm still going through with it, for the sake of science! Granted, it may be grade school science, where the experiment has already been done to death by real scientists. But I am still happy to do my 3rd grade science fair project. Besides, maybe no-one has tested P.R. Ebony Purple. Maybe it's the one un-coated-aluminum-friendly ink out there.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Jumpmonkey

[Ernst Bitterman]

For a practical example of aluminum/ink interaction, have a look at this thread from FPGeeks. I don't have any great pictures of this sort of thing, but my experience of ink and aluminum is that the oxidized metal tends to deform as well as pit; it puffs up!. If you're in it for the science, I wish you well, but I think it will end up costing you a pen.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Ernst Bitterman

[Jumpmonkey]

Ernst,

 

Thanks for the heads up. If it costs the pen, that's fine. I'm done with Kaweco as a company, though, eye-drop-ability would spare at least the pen I do own.

[sharmon202]

What ink are you using? Sorry if I missed that but some might work better or longer than others.