Pilot Petit1 - anyone converted to eyedropper?

[GreenVelvet]

I've successfully and very happily converted Platinum Preppies, Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens (which I hear are discontinued now, boo-hoo) to eyedroppers. I love them as such.

 

Is it possible to make a Pilot Petit1 into an eyedropper? The parts are plastic in similar ways, just wondering if anyone around here has done it.

[GreenVelvet]

I've successfully and very happily converted Platinum Preppies, Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens (which I hear are discontinued now, boo-hoo) to eyedroppers. I love them as such.

 

Is it possible to make a Pilot Petit1 into an eyedropper? The parts are plastic in similar ways, just wondering if anyone around here has done it.

 

*bump*

 

Really, has no one done this? It seems to me that it would be similar to a Preppy, and I might just jump in and try it myself anyway.

[I am not a number]

Here.

[Possum Hill]

I've successfully and very happily converted Platinum Preppies, Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens (which I hear are discontinued now, boo-hoo) to eyedroppers. I love them as such.

 

Is it possible to make a Pilot Petit1 into an eyedropper? The parts are plastic in similar ways, just wondering if anyone around here has done it.

 

*bump*

 

Really, has no one done this? It seems to me that it would be similar to a Preppy, and I might just jump in and try it myself anyway.

The nib and feed can be removed from a Petit1 like the same parts of a Varsity, so if you glued the section and barrel together you could refill it the same way. You might be able to seal the threads with silicone grease, but they don't seem particularly closely fitted and there are a couple of shallow notches in the end of the section, so the section end won't seal against the shoulder inside the barrel.

 

If you try it, let us know how it turns out. If it's spectacularly successful, or just spectacular, we'd like to see photos, too.

[rwilsonedn]

Unless you really need the extra ink capacity for some reason, why not just refill the cartridges? They seem really robust, and reusing the cartridges would avoid any problems with the heat of your fingers forcing ink into the collector or through the barrel threads.

ron

[holgalee]

I did convert it into an eyedropper by just adding silicone grease, but it started leaking right away.

[GreenVelvet]

I did convert it into an eyedropper by just adding silicone grease, but it started leaking right away.

 

Thanks much - this is the info I was looking for.

[GreenVelvet]

Unless you really need the extra ink capacity for some reason, why not just refill the cartridges? They seem really robust, and reusing the cartridges would avoid any problems with the heat of your fingers forcing ink into the collector or through the barrel threads.

ron

 

Yeah, I've done that, and it's quite effective. The eyedropper idea just struck my fancy for a while, because those Petit1 carts are indeed wee with a small ink capacity.

[holgalee]

GreenVelvet, can you share how you did it? Mine leaked like crazy, from either the nib or section, I can't remember. I used silicone grease, but the leaking was so dramatic that I got a fright!

[GreenVelvet]

GreenVelvet, can you share how you did it? Mine leaked like crazy, from either the nib or section, I can't remember. I used silicone grease, but the leaking was so dramatic that I got a fright!

 

Yes - but I should amend to say that so far I've done it twice, and the first was not a success. I had leakage on my fingers which frustrated the heck out of me, until I realized there was a teeeeeeensy tiny crack in the barrel. This happens with Preppies - they're inexpensive pens and sometimes they behave like it. So the second time I did an ED conversion, I started with a brand-new pen that looked very solid.

 

It was, and it's been an eyedropper for months now. (I've not yet refilled the original color.)

 

I took a brand-new Preppy, and slathered a generous amount of silicone grease on the threads. Filled the barrel using a syringe, screwed the pen closed (gently and carefully - don't want to be too tight as that is what often cracks a Preppy barrel), wiped away the excess silicone grease, and voila.

 

I've used quite a few Preppies as non-eyedroppers (some with syringe-refilled cartridges, most with a Platinum converter which costs more than the pen itself) and I can say that the quality does vary. Sometimes the caps break, sometimes the nibs are loose, and sometimes the pen is a gem. I think one must be willing to experiment a bit if one wants to play around with cheap pens as eyedroppers... but my current eyedropper (holding R&K Alt Bordeaux) is one of my best writers, shades beautifully, lays down a nice wet line, and starts immediately even if it's been weeks since it's been used.

[dizzypen]

Madame Maven, are you still using your Petit1 as an eyedropper? I ordered one to get free shipping on my bottle of Ku-Jaku. I fully intend to make it into an eyedropper.

[GreenVelvet]

Madame Maven, are you still using your Petit1 as an eyedropper? I ordered one to get free shipping on my bottle of Ku-Jaku. I fully intend to make it into an eyedropper.

 

Sorry for any confusion - I realized one of the answers I made above may not have been clear that I was referring to a Preppy, NOT a Pilot Petit1. I've converted Platinum Preppies, Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens into eyedroppers, but I decided not to try it with the Petit1.

[dizzypen]

Madame Maven, are you still using your Petit1 as an eyedropper? I ordered one to get free shipping on my bottle of Ku-Jaku. I fully intend to make it into an eyedropper.

 

Sorry for any confusion - I realized one of the answers I made above may not have been clear that I was referring to a Preppy, NOT a Pilot Petit1. I've converted Platinum Preppies, Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens into eyedroppers, but I decided not to try it with the Petit1.

 

oh Well, I guess I'll see how it goes with mine once it gets here...

[weemeng]

Yeah, I've done that, and it's quite effective. The eyedropper idea just struck my fancy for a while, because those Petit1 carts are indeed wee with a small ink capacity.

 

The mouth of the Petit1 cartridges are larger than international cartridges and I find that I can fill the Petit1 cartridges directly by "pouring" the ink carefully into the mouth using a small eye dropper bottle.

 

Just be sure that there is a slight opening for air to come out. If the mouth gets filled, poke it with the nib until the ink clears.

 

Rgds

weemeng

[weemeng]

Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens (which I hear are discontinued now, boo-hoo) to eyedroppers. I love them as such.

 

Oh dear, when did this happen? Where can one read about it? It's one of my favourite pens!

[GreenVelvet]

Pilot Varsities and Pilot V-Pens (which I hear are discontinued now, boo-hoo) to eyedroppers. I love them as such.

 

Oh dear, when did this happen? Where can one read about it? It's one of my favourite pens!

 

When I asked JetPens why they weren't carrying the V-Pens anymore, they said they were discontinued.

[bluemagister]

The Pilot V Ball pens exist, but they changed the exterior design a bit. They're known as "V Corn" in Japan and both dye-based and pigmented-ink versions exist. I own 3 or 4 of each.

 

I JUST converted a V Ball Grip into an eyedropper full of Noodler's Heart of Darkness. It writes well.

Edited May 23, 2010 by bluemagister

[carroll]

You can find Pilot Varsity, V-pen, and a cool, white body English V-pen on Ebay or Ebay UK. They all have the same nib assembly, and can all be turned into eyedroppers, if you are patient enough to wait until all the original ink is used up!

 

I got impatient and just dumped the purple Varsity ink when I got tired of it.

Edited May 25, 2010 by carroll

[carroll]

I did convert it into an eyedropper by just adding silicone grease, but it started leaking right away.

 

Thanks much - this is the info I was looking for.

 

M.M. - this may be a problem with the Daiso Shorty No-name pen I sent you. My eyedropper version of the shorty is working fine, but it may have that big thread trouble like a Petit. I used a smear of plumber's grease, and a Noodler's "O" ring.

[dizzypen]

FYI, I've successfully converted my Petit1 to a eyedropper. It required copious amounts of silicone grease since the thread channels are wide and deep, but the excess grease gets squeezed out and is easy to wipe off. No leaks, great flow, no burps, and it holds nearly 2ml of ink!

 

These are great writing little pens. It's hard to believe they are only $4.

 

I'll report back if anything goes wrong...