Converting To Eye Dropper Fill

[greencobra]

I've seen references many times of someone converting a pen to an eye dropper fill. How is this done?

Edited April 23, 2007 by greencobra

[PaulLeMay]

That very much depends on what pen you are starting with. I have heard this is possible with Sheaffer Vacu fillers.

[Oxonian]

Hi Greencobra,

 

Before you try to convert any pen to an eyedropper there are a couple of things to check on,

 

1)The first is pretty obvious, make sure that the barrel of the pen does not have any holes in it. Sheaffer school pens, No Nonsense and Kaweco sport are among the favourite cheap pens with which to do this

 

2)For preference it should have a threaded joint at the barrel/section joint, this helps to make sure that ink doesn't seep out if the sealing fails.

 

Once you have checked that the above recommendations apply to the pen that you have chosen, in most cases the conversion is very simple, wipe the threads of the section/barrel joint with a little silicone grease, hold the barrel with the mouth upwards, fill the barrel about 3/4 of the way up with your chosen ink from an eye dropper or syringe, screw in the section, slowly, carefully and completely are the words that apply here, turn the pen the right way up and away you go.

 

All this said some pens may need a little more work like an O-ring fitting or the use of PTFE tape to make the threads ink tight but basically that is it.

 

Cheers, John

[Johnny Appleseed]

Word of advice - don't try to make an eyedropper out of a lever-filler.

 

John

[meanwhile]

Word of advice - don't try to make an eyedropper out of a lever-filler.

 

John

 

Or a Lamy Safari...

[meanwhile]

Hi Greencobra,

 

Before you try to convert any pen to an eyedropper there are a couple of things to check on,

 

1)The first is pretty obvious, make sure that the barrel of the pen does not have any holes in it. Sheaffer school pens, No Nonsense and Kaweco sport are among the favourite cheap pens with which to do this

 

2)For preference it should have a threaded joint at the barrel/section joint, this helps to make sure that ink doesn't seep out if the sealing fails.

 

Once you have checked that the above recommendations apply to the pen that you have chosen, in most cases the conversion is very simple, wipe the threads of the section/barrel joint with a little silicone grease, hold the barrel with the mouth upwards, fill the barrel about 3/4 of the way up with your chosen ink from an eye dropper or syringe, screw in the section, slowly, carefully and completely are the words that apply here, turn the pen the right way up and away you go.

 

All this said some pens may need a little more work like an O-ring fitting or the use of PTFE tape to make the threads ink tight but basically that is it.

 

Cheers, John

 

You also need to look for a pen where there won't be metal in contact with the ink, I believe.

 

In practice home-made EDs are less great than they sound. There are reasons why good ED pens like the Dani's - and other "ink tankers" like the Levels - have cut-off valves...

 

Firstly, a big fill gives more time for ink to evaporate. This sounds like a small effect, but it isn't really - FP's lose ink so fast that evaporation is a major factor in writing lifetime. (The 51 is probably the outstanding low evaporation design.)

 

Secondly, when ink is in contact with the pen wall so is the air bubble in that ink. So it heats up and cools down much more than the bubble in a converter or cartridge, and acts like a pump trying to push the ink out. That's why the Pendemonium make a big deal about the special Kaweco Sport EDs they sell - they're supposed to have a sealed filler (designed by Nathan "Noodler" Tardiff) to prevent this.

 

Bottom line: PTFE tape or silicone can easily get you an ED that doesn't leak *most* of the time.

 

If you want a safe, cheap pen with ED capacity, consider one of those Kawecos, or a Level. If you want to have fun making an ED, then I suggest a translucent Kultur. They looks so pretty!

 

[meanwhile]

Oh - and as for why evaporating ink is bad: it leaves sediment behind, leading to maintenance and flow problems. This shouldn't have catastrophic effects though - I'd be more worried about what a leaking pen could do to furniture or clothes.

[greencobra]

Thanks, don't plan on doing this conversion any time soon but you folks answered the question, and then some. Just wondering what was involved and why someone would do it. My guess is ink capacity.

[meanwhile]

Thanks, don't plan on doing this conversion any time soon but you folks answered the question, and then some. Just wondering what was involved and why someone would do it. My guess is ink capacity.

 

 

That's the usual reason. Plus it can look really nice in a transparent or translucent pen and make the ink level even easier to read. My Kultur Kristal looked great as an ED filled with Noodlers Navaho...