Why The Pelikan Script Does Not Make A Good Eyedropper

[seffrican]

Check this out!

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/235999-making-the-eye-dropper-pen-a-little-less-messy/page__p__2543413__fromsearch__1#entry2543413

 

Cheers!

Brahmam

 

Thanks, it's a nice detailed post, but this is not the problem with the Script, it's to do with the barrel tail not being perfectly sealed.

[nickapos]

In a somewhat belated response to blackpen's review of the Pelikan Script

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/53314-pelikan-script-review/page__view__findpost__p__2522220

 

I asked whether this could be converted to an eyedropper (I also quoted where this had been asked before).

 

It's an obvious question, the Script is widely available and cheap, and those wide wet nibs simply pour out the ink, so the capacity of an eyedropper would come in hand, and the barrel has deep broad threads that are nylon on nylon, so it should seal well, n'est pas?

 

So I tried it. And I discovered the flaw in my plan.

 

Opened Script, dabbed a little silicon on the threads, filled the barrel with my own mix of violet black (which shades delightfully from a 1.5mm stub nib) and spent a happy and meditative hour calligraphating (or whatever the verb is).

 

Put the pen in the pen jar, nib uppermost.

 

Came back the next day, did the same. After putting the pen away, discovered that my hands were covered in violet black. Since there was only one pen with that colour there was only one culprit. But there was no ink leaked on the paper.

 

It took me a moment to realise that while the pen was nib up, the tiny little barrel plug at the tapered end of the barrel had wept a small amount of ink onto the tail of the pen. A little violet black goes a long way when it comes to staining the fingers.

 

Since the barrel threads remained perfectly sealed, the Script is an excellent eyedropper in every way, except that the pen has to live nib down in the pen jar when it is not in use.

 

Unless someone has a suggestion on how to seal the barrel plug, which would be welcome.

Seal the pen with silicone sealant.

I do the same with breather holes in caps to avoid ink evaporation.

[Dillo]

 

Seal the pen with silicone sealant.

I do the same with breather holes in caps to avoid ink evaporation.

 

Some breather holes prevent the action of removing the cap from causing a partial vacuum and pulling ink out of the pen when uncapping. A pen can have breather holes and still be completely airtight since sealing the nib is the job of the inner cap and not the outer cap. Many pens have airtight inner caps and breather holes in the outer cap.

 

Dillon

[nickapos]

 

Seal the pen with silicone sealant.

I do the same with breather holes in caps to avoid ink evaporation.

 

Some breather holes prevent the action of removing the cap from causing a partial vacuum and pulling ink out of the pen when uncapping. A pen can have breather holes and still be completely airtight since sealing the nib is the job of the inner cap and not the outer cap. Many pens have airtight inner caps and breather holes in the outer cap.

 

Dillon

 

Yeah I know, you are right. I do not plug the breather holes in all my pens. Only those that cause too much evaporation.

(For example my Serwex pen). But the same technique could be used to seal pens that have holes at the end of their barel and turn them to eyedropers.