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Showing results for tags 'determining remaining ink'.
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Hi all, I recently got a Lamy 2000 with EF nib. Although not love at first write, it's growing on me quite nicely and I think it'll be a keeper. One of the trade-offs to the gorgeous design (for those who like this particular style) is a rather opaque and narrow ink window. It's possible to determine the ink level if you hold the pen horizontally, wait a few moments for the ink to settle, hold it up to a bright light and squint sideways. But if all of these things don't (or can't) happen it's a bit hit or miss. I have a slight tremor making it difficult to hold the pen steady enough when in the horizontal position for this method to work for me. So I wanted to try a different way to approach to check the ink level. A few folks have discussed that you can use the ink window as a simple "yes/no" way to determine whether it's time to refill. I wanted a way to find a way to get a better idea of determining the actual quantity of remaining ink but still check the ink window while holding the pen vertically. Here's what I've found out. There's some math, here, but it should make sense: Materials: Lamy 2000 with EF nib. Iroshizuku Take-sumi 2 ink vials bright-ish indoor light. Methods: Emptied the pen of remaining ink (not sure how much was there).Filled pen full with ink, cleaned outside of pen.Turned pen nib down and started to expel ink into empty vial, counting the drops as I did.Mind has a capacity of about 1.4 - 1.5 ml which comes to about 35 drops. 35/1.5 = 23 drops/ml. Size of drops may vary depending on nib size.In 5 drop intervals, I stopped and then sucked in air while screwing the blind cap flush to the pen.Initially turned the pen nib up (then down) and waited about a minute. The ink I used slides off the slides of the barrel relatively cleanly.Held the pen up to the light and squinted.Ran experiment twice to confirm results. Results: @ 5 drops expelled & nib up = no light through middle of ink-window.@ 10 drops & nib up = a sliver of light through ink-window at the top edge of the window.@ 15 drops & nib up = entire window clear/positive for light transmission@ 15 drops & nib down = no light through ink-window@ 20 drops & nib down = no light through ink-window@ 25 drops & nib down = ink window clear/positive for light transmission@ 35 drops - pen empty except what's remaining in nib and feed. Conclusions: nib up and no light transmission, at least (approx.) 0.8 ml remaining.nib up and full light transmission, but nib down and no light transmission = (approx.) 0.4-0.8 ml remaining.nib down and full light transmission = less than (approx.) 0.4 ml remaining.Final thoughts: I didn't show all of my math, but the "ml. remaining" measurements should work regardless of nib size/drop size.While not a "perfect" way to determine how much ink is left, it should work for most people in most situations and give a fairly accurate measure of how much ink is remaining.You still need to wait a minute for the ink to settle, but not having the steadiest hand shouldn't make a significant difference.This method might or might not work for inks that "stick" to the walls of ink vials, etc. for a while. You will probably have to give more time for the ink to "settle".It's pretty darn obvious if light is coming through the middle of the ink window, so there's much less guess work (and squinting) necessary.0.8 + 0.4 doesn't add up to 1.4 or 1.5 because I only checked at 5 drop intervals. I'm sure someone could figure it out with a bit more accuracy, but I think it's "close enough"If I have the time and proper equipment, I will try to add photos or illustrations.I hope others find this helpful. I would like to hear other people's thoughts and insights. I was unable to find this information elsewhere. If this is addressed in another thread, I'd love to know about that, too. Thanks much. Cheers.
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- lamy 2000
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