What's Wrong With My Eyedropper?

[sombrueil]

This is a Newton custom hard rubber eyedropper with a vintage Waterman #2 flexible nib in it. A very nice pen indeed. Recently though, it has started blobbing ink at the start of writing after it has sat for a day or two. It's in a pen tray so rests horizontally. Right now it is more than half full of an orange mix, mostly Diamine Autumn Oak which is as dry an ink as I have. It doesn't "blort" randomly, it just writes uncontrollably wet for awhile, such that I have to scribble on a scratch pad until it calms down. Then it writes as usual.

 

What could be causing this? It is just the air pressure in the pen body? Or would there be some other reason?

[Addertooth]

I would normally think that indicates the seals (or the seating of the nib and feed), are not as tight as you need. With rest, the pen seems to fully equalize with regular atmospheric pressure, as versus having a small amount of vaccuum inside the body. This makes it very generous with ink at first, until the amount of ink which has left the pen, creates a bit of a vaccuum inside the pen.

 

With luck, one of the big boys, who have rebuilt more than a couple of drip pens will chime in here.

[hari317]

Its the warmth of your hand heating the air in the barrel causing it to push on the ink as it expands from the heat.

 

Uncap the pen and grip the pen nib up for a few minutes before you start to write. This will cause the aur to expand and escape through the feed before you start writing. Or. Just refill your pen. It will reduce the air volume and lessen warm hand effects.

 

HTH.

[sombrueil]

Thanks!!

[LukeSkyliner]

Second to Han's excellent advice - I learned the hard way with eyedroppers having any air at all in them, and once placed pen to paper, your hand warmth expands the air pocket. Same as with safeties, except that those are easily "belched."

 

Meantime, we fountain pen folks will judge you by the content of your character, not the color of your fingertips.

[Greenie]

If the pen is more full of ink, it will blob less. You can also hold it firmly in your palm for a minute with the tip up and the cap off to warm the air a bit before writing.

 

So I guess I am just a third person telling you the same thing!

[Maccabeus]

I concur.

 

4th person, and one who writes almost exclusively with an ebonite Ranga eyedropper.

 

Eyedroppers are kind of like a cast iron skillet. You have to let it come up to heat before using it if you want it to behave.

[Greenie]

 

 

Eyedroppers are kind of like a cast iron skillet. You have to let it come up to heat before using it if you want it to behave.

 

 

What a great way to explain it!