Eyedropper Pens

[Charles Skinner]

​I have the Gama large demonstrator fountain pen and like it very much. Had trouble at first, but all is well now, except that I notice small drops of ink inside the cap from time to time. What causes this, and how can it be avoided? C. S.

[Noihvo]

 

[rwilsonedn]

There are several possibilities. Starting from the least serious:

Gama eyedroppers have a relatively simple feed, so they are not immune to being shaken, bumped, or even just carried nib-down. This alone could cause drops to exit the nib. Solution: always carry the pen nib-up, and be gentle with it.

For the same reason, you should keep the pen nib-up when subjecting it to sudden increases in temperature, such as going from an air-conditioned building to a hot afternoon.This allows the air that will expand with temperature inside the pen to escape through the feed without pushing a blob of ink out too. Solution: keep the pen nib-up when warming it. If it has been in a cold place like an air-conditioned room, warm it in your hand, nib-up, for a minute or two before you write with it.

 

Second, it is possible that drops are leaking from the nib because air is getting into the pen barrel. This air could be coming in through the threads between the section and barrel. Solution: put a light coat of silicon grease on the threads before you assemble the pen after filling it. This can be an issue even if you are not seeing ink leaking at the threads.

Or the air could be getting in through a gap that is not supposed to be there: either a crack or, in the case of hand-made pens, sometimes a poor fit between the feed and the section. You can usually spot cracks or bad fit by taking the section off and blowing into the barrel (for cracks there) or the section (for section cracks or miss-fits.) Solution: these require a trip back to the pen maker.

Good luck with your troubleshooting, and enjoy your pen!

ron