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Platinum Preppy Eyedropper


walkingagh

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I just purchased a new bottle of heart of darkness Noodler's and along with it came an eyedropper pen that I am pretty sure is a modified platinum preppy.

 

post-11763-1200944427_thumb.jpg

 

3 things that are different

 

1) All the markings have been removed from the pen along with the cartridge that is normally in the preppy.

2) Silicon grease has been added to the threads for seal and to keep them from cracking under preasure

3) A rubber washer has been added just above the threads on the piece with the nib. Tightening the barrel down onto this keeps the barrel from unscrewing in your pocket.

 

The effect of these last two is that the pen does not leak in your pocket. You do have to make sure you really tighten down the barrel because it can come unscrewed easily. To check, just snap on the cap which fits very snuggly, and turn it on the pen. If the barrel moves it's too loose and you may have a pocket full of ink.

 

Speaking of full of ink, the barrel of this pen easily 4 or 5 times as much ink as cartridge! I have been using it for the past week, and it really holds alot of ink. I think could even be used as a device for carrying ink in a pinch.

 

post-11763-1200944531_thumb.jpg

 

Nib and writing:

The nib on this pen is a very smooth writer and quite flexible when compared to a safari nib. I actually really like the way it feels. However, it is a very, very wet nib (too wet perhaps) and lays down a fine to medium line.

 

post-11763-1200944675_thumb.jpg

 

Compared to a a Safari EF nib, the line width is very similar, however the wetness is apparent in the feathering that is quite visible on the Moleskine paper. Also you can note how rich and dark the Heart of Darkness Ink is compared to Pelikan Brilliant Black (which is the one in the middle).

 

post-11763-1200945915_thumb.jpg

 

post-11763-1200945951_thumb.jpg

 

As I said before the writing for this pen is incredibly smooth, and is actually quite fun as the nib just flows over the page. The flexibility and wetness really combine for a nice writing experience. Writing several pages at a sitting was no trouble at all; however, when I stopped to read something for a minute or two, I ran into the only real issue I have with this pen -- it dries out incredibly fast.

 

I think somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute of being cap-less and not writing, it begins to slow down on the ink flow. After 3-5 minutes it is completely dry, and is quite difficult to restart. Sometimes I have had to resort to putting the cap back on and allowing it to revive in that closed environment. (It generally does write very well immediately after the cap has been removed.) I will try other inks in the future, but given how wet this pen is when it is writing, I think a wetter nib would just be a problem.

 

Weight and handling:

This pen is incredibly light as I think has been said before. It writes well posted or not and as the cap is so light it makes little difference. The barrel is a decent width but I found it very slippery and hard to grasp, so I made a few small etches with a key to allow me to grip it more loosely. I am partial to light pens, and this one is great.

 

Carrying it around:

Overall this pen is great for carrying around. The ink has stayed in the pen about as well as it does in my safari (i.e. drop it off the desk and expect some splashes inside the cap). I have had it in my pocket all week without any stains and enjoy having it.

 

In conclusion: This is a really cheap pen ($4.00 after modifications) that has some potential as an eyedropper pen. It writes well, seems durable so far, and is comfortable. However, you must remember to cap it if you set it down for a moment. If you can get over that hurdle, it is a fun pen, one that you won't mind losing, and could look very cool with the right ink in it.

Edited by walkingagh
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Where did you purchase the Noodlers that you got a pen with it? I may rethink my ink buying moratorium here.

 

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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Where did you purchase the Noodlers that you got a pen with it? I may rethink my ink buying moratorium here.

 

Donnie

 

Swisherpens.com -- It's a 4.5 oz bottle with a pen for $15 and I think it's about $20 shipped. Not super cheap, but pretty good deal.

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Where did you purchase the Noodlers that you got a pen with it? I may rethink my ink buying moratorium here.

 

Donnie

 

Swisherpens.com -- It's a 4.5 oz bottle with a pen for $15 and I think it's about $20 shipped. Not super cheap, but pretty good deal.

 

Thanks.

 

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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  • 2 months later...

All of the 4 preppy reviews here describe it as a very smooth writer. I got one yesterday and it's a rough, horrid writer. I was expecting something as good as a Varsity but no. I ordered the red and the color is a violent pink-orange-red. Hideous. I replaced the ink with Tiananmen. Didn't make it write any smoother. Maybe I'm just unlucky and got a bad sample.

http://www1.spinitron.com/thefsb-sig-small.png
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That's clearly a Preppy. Everyone talks about making the Preppy an eyedropper. Looks like someone's taken it to the next level!

 

thefsb: I've bought 7 preppies and they've all been nice. But it is a $3 pen, so it's not exactly HQ. Sorry to hear your preppy wasn't so hot.

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I think some 4.5oz bottles are in my future. :thumbup: I still haven't tried LEgal Lapis and HoD.

"Can I see Arcturus from where I stand?" -RPW

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I have a couple and one is smoother than the other, but neither are horrid. They don't catch, snag or give the sensation of tearing paper.

 

Love the HoD and the Polar Blue is growing on me.

RAPT

Pens:Sailor Mini, Pelikan Grand Place, Stipula Ventidue with Ti Stub nib, Pelikan M605 with Binder Cursive Italic, Stipula Ventidue with Ti M nib, Vintage Pilot Semi-flex, Lamy Vista, Pilot Prera

For Sale:

Saving for: Edison Pearl

In my dreams: Nakaya Piccolo, custom colour/pattern

In transit:

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both preppy's I've gotten (with HOD and Nikita) have dropped ink on the page. They were super wet too. Pretty useless because you never know when a big drop of ink will come out. I think if the pen that comes with it sucks, don't put it in there and make the ink cheaper.

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No leaky drippy problems with mine :)

RAPT

Pens:Sailor Mini, Pelikan Grand Place, Stipula Ventidue with Ti Stub nib, Pelikan M605 with Binder Cursive Italic, Stipula Ventidue with Ti M nib, Vintage Pilot Semi-flex, Lamy Vista, Pilot Prera

For Sale:

Saving for: Edison Pearl

In my dreams: Nakaya Piccolo, custom colour/pattern

In transit:

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So far from being leaky, this Preppy ED (+ Nikita) is the only pen I've had that I can shake without it leaking. Unfortunately it is also a very stingy writer. (I guess these little punks are all over the map.) I decided to take preemptive measures with the other one and give it a soaking in ammoniated water. A lot of residue appeared on the surface of the ammonia solution. I hope it wasn't the silicone grease.

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May well have been the grease. But Home Depot sells it in little blue tubs in the plumbing section. Its in a ziplock baggie with a red and white card that says Master plumber. In the section with the faucet repair parts, o-rings seals etc... Cost about $5

 

You may want to replace/replenish the grease after some use anyways.

Edited by Rapt

RAPT

Pens:Sailor Mini, Pelikan Grand Place, Stipula Ventidue with Ti Stub nib, Pelikan M605 with Binder Cursive Italic, Stipula Ventidue with Ti M nib, Vintage Pilot Semi-flex, Lamy Vista, Pilot Prera

For Sale:

Saving for: Edison Pearl

In my dreams: Nakaya Piccolo, custom colour/pattern

In transit:

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So far from being leaky, this Preppy ED (+ Nikita) is the only pen I've had that I can shake without it leaking. Unfortunately it is also a very stingy writer. (I guess these little punks are all over the map.)

That seems to be a good way of putting it. Some reviews I have read here and elsewhere indicate that the Platinum Preppy is the bees knees and others... not so much. In my own experience, I bought a black and a pink Platinum Preppy; both were painfully slow to start and, when they did, both felt rough and scratchy and were very stingy with the ink. Annoyed, I dumped the ink, washed the pens with soap and water, let them dry, and gave the black one a Platinum Pocket brush pen refill cartridge. It is now a very agreeable pen for writing and sketching. Though still a little scratchy, it is pleasantly responsive and fun to use.

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both preppy's I've gotten (with HOD and Nikita) have dropped ink on the page. They were super wet too. Pretty useless because you never know when a big drop of ink will come out. I think if the pen that comes with it sucks, don't put it in there and make the ink cheaper.

 

I just turned an ED Preppy back into a cartridge filler. It blobbed ink on the page as an ED filler and leaked out the threads. Apparently the little rubber o-ring was too loose and snagged in the cap repeatedly when I capped the pen. Anyway, I have a bunch of Platinum red cartridges I wanted to use, and where better to use them than in a pink Preppy?

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both preppy's I've gotten (with HOD and Nikita) have dropped ink on the page. They were super wet too. Pretty useless because you never know when a big drop of ink will come out. I think if the pen that comes with it sucks, don't put it in there and make the ink cheaper.

 

I have ink in five now. (Different colors.) No problems with any of them.

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All of the 4 preppy reviews here describe it as a very smooth writer. I got one yesterday and it's a rough, horrid writer. I was expecting something as good as a Varsity but no. I ordered the red and the color is a violent pink-orange-red. Hideous. I replaced the ink with Tiananmen. Didn't make it write any smoother. Maybe I'm just unlucky and got a bad sample.

 

I have a few Preppys and they all write pretty well. You can buy 5 for $12 from

Pendemonium

Buy a couple of the felt highlighter tips ($1.50 for 2) and install those in place of any scratchy nibs.

 

Or, you could buy something else of course. If you want to spend money on pens there's no shortage of options. If you're looking for cheap pens, you might like the Pilot Petit1.

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  • 7 months later...

Just got the platinum preppy but can't start writing as the ink is not flowing :mellow: Tried holding nib in reverse and doesn't work either. I'm sure the cartridge has been inserted correctly as I can hear the ball bearing moving. What should I do next?

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I got three today, one each with Noodler's eyedropper bottled Nikita, waterproof black, and "gold" highlighter ink. I played living hell trying to get them to start (one had to flush with a bulb forever), but now they write decently. Not bad for a freebie.

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Thanks, offbase! I gave the fp two sharp flicks just before reading your message and that did the trick. Glad you found a way to start yours too.

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both preppy's I've gotten (with HOD and Nikita) have dropped ink on the page. They were super wet too. Pretty useless because you never know when a big drop of ink will come out. I think if the pen that comes with it sucks, don't put it in there and make the ink cheaper.

 

They were probably not sealed correctly. If air gets in through the threads rather than through the feed, Bad Things happen to the flow regulation. A capful of Heart Of Darkness is a likely and undesirable outcome.

 

Designing an O-ring seal is simple enough. Many eyedropper conversions lack proper containment surfaces to ensure that the O-ring stays in proper contact with the sealing surface. Simply rolling the O-ring onto the flat bit on the section threads is not a properly designed seal.

 

I have a couple of cartridge preppies and they work fine, but they are not relying on silicon grease and a dodgily placed O-ring for the integrity of the seal.

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