How does one stop an eyedropper pen from dribbling and leaking large drops of ink onto paper when I try to write with it?

[cakibler]

This is one problem I tend to have with eyedroppers. I have two recently purchased purpose made eyedroppers. (vendor(s) will remain unnamed) Both are beautiful pens but even when I only load a small amount of ink into the barrel, seal the threads on the section with some silicon grease and try to write with either pen, I get big drops of ink leaking through the nib and feed right onto the paper. I tend to have this problem with several eyedroppers I have owned or still own.

 

What does one do other than send the pens off to a repair person to get this annoying problem fixed? The funny thing is I made an eyedropper out of a Bexley Giant frankenpen with a Sheaffer and a Dunn Camel vintage nib that has been a great writer with no leaks. I know it can be done, but I have several eyedroppers that just won't behave. They write nicely but they just leak ink all over as well. Any advice will be appreciated.

Edited January 14, 2010 by cakibler

[Soulmaker1]

This is one problem I tend to have with eyedroppers. I have two recently purchased purpose made eyedroppers. (vendor(s) will remain unnamed) Both are beautiful pens but even when I only load a small amount of ink into the barrel, seal the threads on the section with some silicon grease and try to write with either pen, I get big drops of ink leaking through the nib and feed right onto the paper. I tend to have this problem with several eyedroppers I have owned or still own.

 

What does one do other than send the pens off to a repair person to get this annoying problem fixed? The funny thing is I made an eyedropper out of a Bexley Giant frankenpen with a Sheaffer and a Dunn Camel vintage nib that has been a great writer with no leaks. I know it can be done, but I have several eyedroppers that just wont behave. They write nicely, they just leak ink all over as well. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

I had this problem, on 2 separate Indian made eyedroppers. In both cases it was due to the nib being improperly seated onto the feed (poor QC in my book). Once I reset them they were fine, at least in my case.

 

A

[dizzypen]

It is possible that your pens are defective, but if you aren't filling them up these can leak. What happens if you completely fill the barrel with ink? Do you still get the leaks? If not then you know what the problem is.

[Pat1]

I have 2 eyedroppers not from India but the advice above is good: give the nib a gentle wiggle to fit it well. too is that when you wash the pen make sure all soap is gone or your ink will become runny making burps and fat lines.and dont overfill the pen or toss it about the sloshing ink in the tank can overcome and flood the feed.maybe not the case with new modern pens

[Roger W.]

The classic eyedropper problem is when it only has a bit of ink as the heat of your hand will expand the air in the barrel and cause it leak. If the feed is a feed that is designed to work with a cartridge merely modifying the filling system to an eyedropper will likely add to your problems. The eyedropper was abondoned in the 1910's due to the bladder giving some insulation to the heat of ones hand so they leaked less. An eyedropper should ideally be full or nearly so every time you use it.

 

Yes, piston fillers have the ink against the pen walls but, the feeds are well finned on this to catch the extra ink flow. These too can be made to leak by putting your fist around them and heating them up that way.

 

Roger W.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Roger W.

[Rogue Puppy]

I once received a free eyedropper pen with a bottle of ink. That pen, too, would drip ink onto the paper. Then, one day, I happened to read the instructions which said to prevent this, do not let the pen ink level go below 2/3 full. I never tried it, as by that time I had dissembled the pen and stored it away.

 

Caveat: I'm not 100% sure I have recounted exactly the instructions, but you might want to give a shot anyway. Good luck.

[cakibler]

Well, Filling the barrel clear full of ink has stopped the problem in one pen. I imagine it will cure the problem in the other one as well. It did come with a loose nib and feed and I had already firmly reseated those so I didn't think that was the problem. Thanks for all the great advice. I was amazed at how many people answered my post so quickly. Thanks again everyone!!

Edited January 14, 2010 by cakibler

[Motomo]

I have a similar problem with an old eyedropper pen of mine that I am finally going to breakdown and send to a professional. The problem that I have is that the ink, not sure this is the best wording, but leaks out around the nib and feed and begins to pool. If you clean off the bottom edge of the section where the nib and feed go in it is fine for a paragraph or two and then it has leached out again to the point where it has to be cleaned.

 

I am assuming that the feed needs to reset or is not fitting correctly in the section. I am not versed enough to fix this myself.

 

Does what I am describing sound right?

[ZeissIkon]

I have a similar problem with an old eyedropper pen of mine that I am finally going to breakdown and send to a professional. The problem that I have is that the ink, not sure this is the best wording, but leaks out around the nib and feed and begins to pool. If you clean off the bottom edge of the section where the nib and feed go in it is fine for a paragraph or two and then it has leached out again to the point where it has to be cleaned.

 

I am assuming that the feed needs to reset or is not fitting correctly in the section. I am not versed enough to fix this myself.

 

Does what I am describing sound right?

 

What you're describing sounds like a leak is breaking the vacuum in the reservoir; it's exactly what I'd expect to see in a lever filler with a pinhole in the sac. I'd check the threads and look for cracks in the barrel and section as likely sources of the leak; though it may be difficult to adequately repair a crack in hard rubber, if the pen isn't for resale and you don't require the repair to be invisible, Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure might be the best thing to try. It's available from boating suppliers, around eight bucks for the small bottle plus shipping (the small bottle is enough to repair a hundred cracked pens). If threads are the source (that is, no cracks found) a little silicone grease will probably fix it up.

[Kilrymont]

I've seen some of these things too. With my examples (which were only experiments anyway) my cure-of-sorts was to keep the pen nib-up, IOW never let it lie horizontally at all. And when wanting to use it I'd pre warm it thoroughly by holding it in a closed fist to bring the whole pen up to blood heat including both ink and air bubble in the barrel.

If left lying flat while not in use, ink is effectively pushed out via the feed system as the air bubble goes through heat-cool cycles. Which only matters if the ink surface has the cartridge-nipple submerged during the warmup period. If the pen is kept upwards pointing enough to keep the ink content away from the nipple then it cannot get pushed out as the temperature rises from hand contact. Or indeed through day/night warm/cool cycles.

Just analyse the expansion processes ongoing inside the pen and it'll make sense.

If you do as above you should no longer get flooded nibs/paper while writing with your eye dropper pens.

Indeed if you do so it's just possible that the slow cool-down the ink reservoir will go through after being released from the fist warmup could - while writing - give a reverse in-breathing of atmosphere into the reservoir via the feeder and making the nib seem to go dryish, temporarily.

All of which above I found to be such a bloody fandango to endure that I abandoned the concept as a failed idea with little intrinsic merit - and bought my first piston filler, an early Eco.

As yet none of which have replicated the flood/dry nonsense as above outlined. Down to careful feed design?

Maybe. Odd how these sometimes fantastic writing instruments can also seem try our patience with intolerably terrible behaviour...  Part of the appeal? Dunno, I'm no psychologist....

[amberleadavis]

On 2/24/2022 at 9:05 AM, Kilrymont said:

I've seen some of these things too. With my examples (which were only experiments anyway) my cure-of-sorts was to keep the pen nib-up, IOW never let it lie horizontally at all. And when wanting to use it I'd pre warm it thoroughly by holding it in a closed fist to bring the whole pen up to blood heat including both ink and air bubble in the barrel.

If left lying flat while not in use, ink is effectively pushed out via the feed system as the air bubble goes through heat-cool cycles. Which only matters if the ink surface has the cartridge-nipple submerged during the warmup period. If the pen is kept upwards pointing enough to keep the ink content away from the nipple then it cannot get pushed out as the temperature rises from hand contact. Or indeed through day/night warm/cool cycles.

Just analyse the expansion processes ongoing inside the pen and it'll make sense.

If you do as above you should no longer get flooded nibs/paper while writing with your eye dropper pens.

Indeed if you do so it's just possible that the slow cool-down the ink reservoir will go through after being released from the fist warmup could - while writing - give a reverse in-breathing of atmosphere into the reservoir via the feeder and making the nib seem to go dryish, temporarily.

All of which above I found to be such a bloody fandango to endure that I abandoned the concept as a failed idea with little intrinsic merit - and bought my first piston filler, an early Eco.

As yet none of which have replicated the flood/dry nonsense as above outlined. Down to careful feed design?

Maybe. Odd how these sometimes fantastic writing instruments can also seem try our patience with intolerably terrible behaviour...  Part of the appeal? Dunno, I'm no psychologist....

 

Welcome aboard and thank you for the practical advice.