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Can The Sailor 1911 Be Converted Into An Eye Dropper?


Bluey

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Hi

I bought myself a Sailor 1911 Profit Standard 21k with a zoom nib recently and am getting to know the nib's quirks to maximise my usage from it. The problem is that the ink flow is tremendous so I only need to have to breath on it and it's already used an entire cartridge. I've done a little research online to see if I can convert it to an eyedropper but there is nothing conclusive. Some say yes. Some say no.

 

I've put some water in the barrel and left it upright for a number of hours in a cup and it hasn't leaked a drop, so maybe a good sign?

 

The resin Falcon has a similar layout, being made of resin with a metal ring around the end, and I've seen quite a number of successful conversion stories for that (including one from a well known American retailer), so I don't see why it can't be done for the Sailor 1911.

 

What would you all advise? Or perhaps there is someone out there that has used theirs as an eyedropper successfully for a while?

 

Thanks so much.

Edited by Bluey
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Technically it is possible yes I have tried once with my pro gear; the feed can hold indeed a big amount of ink. But keep it in mind that it is not recommanded to convert into an eyedropper a pen with metal parts inside it . ;)

 

 

What you can do is to hack it : buy 2 cartridges, cut the end of one cartridge, then cut off the mouth of another one. Try to joint them using some kind of glue or shelac . Reinforce it with some transparent tape. Now you have a big cartridge ;) and a better ink capacity :thumbup:

 

works even better for KOP.

Edited by -Velvet-
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Excellent! Thank you.

 

Yeah sure, point noted about it not being recommended because of the ink corroding the metal. Still, the Sailor 1911's black cigar is not exactly a unique styling of pen by any stretch of the imagination so it will be easy and inexpensive to replace it anyway.

 

There were 2 cartridges supplied with the pen so I could keep that hack of yours as a possibility in the future (just in case it all goes chest-up). Cheers! :thumbup:

 

 

edit

I've just noticed the threads on the section are metal :doh: . I think I may have to resort to your hack Velvet.

Edited by Bluey
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For your consideration.....Take a Sailor cartridge cut the end off

measure a latex or clear sac and affix sac to cartridge usin' sac

shellac. Works great.....below is a scan of two I made {standard European cartridge} usin' said

technique.....Note converter..than clear sac and one with latex sac.

Much greater ink capacity than converter.............................Now just insert it and vioila....Usin' it with Asa Sniper pen......................................................

fpn_1463010382__affizdert876nbm.jpg

 

Fred

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Excuse the Dreaded Double Post {DDP}....

 

Fred

Edited by Freddy
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Cheers Fred. incidentally I don't have a converter for it because none was supplied. I only have the 2 - now emptied - cartridges. I figured I'd not bother with the converter because it's tiny anyway. So I think the frankencartridge is looking like my best plan.

 

There is another option - the black cigar is a wee bit boring so I was thinking of buying a cheaper Sailor with a different colour and shape and then transplanting the zoom nib into it. I've looked all around the net and concluded that modern day Sailor only has 2 styles of pen - the cigar like this and the flat end one like this

So if the flat end type one doesn't have any inconvenient metal bits then I could try one of those, killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Edited by Bluey
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First, let's make sure the "excessive flow" is not a malfunction. I hope it is simply the way you write, or your personal perception. So, how long does it take you to change cartridges ? Your Sailor is a very nice fountain pen, designed as one of the best. It is designed for cartridges. If you use it in a manner other than intended, you are vulnerable to unintended consequences.

 

Have you noticed that none of the "good" fountain pens of the modern era are designed as eyedropper pens ? Do the people , who design and manufacture fountain pens, know something ?

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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I've just tried a different ink, a drier ink, and this has indeed changed the flow somewhat. It no longer gushes like it did with the original cartridge. So your inference is correct in that the excessive flow was due to something other than the pen.

 

Although the design of the pen is somewhat meh the unique zoom nib and the flow make an overall nice pen, so I may be tempted to try a different nib, a much less broad nib though.

 

I'm not sure about the modern state of eyedroppers actually Sasha because the only ones I've seen so far are Indian which I don't know a lot about at present.

Edited by Bluey
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Cheers Fred. incidentally I don't have a converter for it because none was supplied. I only have the 2 - now emptied - cartridges. I figured I'd not bother with the converter because it's tiny anyway. So I think the frankencartridge is looking like my best plan.

 

There is another option - the black cigar is a wee bit boring so I was thinking of buying a cheaper Sailor with a different colour and shape and then transplanting the zoom nib into it. I've looked all around the net and concluded that modern day Sailor only has 2 styles of pen - the cigar like this and the flat end one like this

So if the flat end type one doesn't have any inconvenient metal bits then I could try one of those, killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

You could also buy an indian ebonite pen from Asa, Ranga etc... Remove the steel nib, replace it with your sailor nib. There you have a reasonnably priced King of Pen :P

 

I have done it sucessfuly with a Ratnamson and a Pilot 78g nib. And i will do it again with a platinum 3776

 

 

Check my topic " A japanese nib in an indian body " Hari has posted there some very usefull tips & photos ;)

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You could also buy an indian ebonite pen from Asa, Ranga etc... Remove the steel nib, replace it with your sailor nib. There you have a reasonnably priced King of Pen :P

 

I have done it sucessfuly with a Ratnamson and a Pilot 78g nib. And i will do it again with a platinum 3776

 

 

Check my topic " A japanese nib in an indian body " Hari has posted there some very usefull tips & photos ;)

*Goes to look up "A japanese nib in an indian body"*

 

Thanks! I'll have a look into that.

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I think there's a market for someone to make a "super cartridge" with replaceable seals for Sailor and other cartridge converter pens. Something that would be easy to fill with just an eye-dropper, and reuseable indefinitely by periodically swapping commercially available o-rings.

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Yes, my Demo converted into an ED is one of my favourite pens, always in rotation for a decade now.

 

I have only used "safe" inks only with the pen and have never found a problem with the metal parts.

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I think there's a market for someone to make a "super cartridge" with replaceable seals for Sailor and other cartridge converter pens. Something that would be easy to fill with just an eye-dropper, and reuseable indefinitely by periodically swapping commercially available o-rings.

Quite likely. I don't understand why companies make them with such tiny ink capacity. Grrr.

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Yes, my Demo converted into an ED is one of my favourite pens, always in rotation for a decade now.

 

I have only used "safe" inks only with the pen and have never found a problem with the metal parts.

Maybe I'll try that in a cheap pen sometime but I'll probably try the hack that Velvet and Fred mentioned.

Edited by Bluey
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Looks suspicious what you mention about ink flow. I have a Sailor Brush pen and seems holding up quite well, although the thick ink makes harder to check the ink level in the cartridge, but its the same size as regular cartridges. Using it in the past two weeks and recently started to notice that the "flow" is getting weaker. So I would suggest to check the flow. Although Sailor inks in Sailor pens generally flows amazingly well.

 

Thought about gluing together two cartridges hack as well, but I can't complaint about the level of durability of a cartridge with fine or medium fine nibs. Converter are much more problematic. Never was able to fill it up fully.

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Ink flow suspicious? Not sure what you mean. I was using the supplied cartridge and the ink flow was as you describe. Then I changed the ink to Diamine Terracotta and it became much drier, but it's also drier in my Pilot Capless too. So much so that it skips occasionally.

 

I'm hoping there is another cheaper Sailor around that I can convert into an eyedropper and then place the zoom nib in that.

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Maybe I'll try that in a cheap pen sometime but I'll probably try the hack that Velvet and Fred mentioned.

 

don't play with something you can't afford to lose...

 

i've tried to make EDs out of all kinds of pens

 

when it isn't an optimal conversion a thorough wash restores things back to square one

 

some inks will stain, so only use "safer" ones.

 

note: the metal pens don't "burp", every plastic ED I've used burps on me...

Edited by torstar
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don't play with something you can't afford to lose...

 

i've tried to make EDs out of all kinds of pens

 

when it isn't an optimal conversion a thorough wash restores things back to square one

 

some inks will stain, so only use "safer" ones.

 

note: the metal pens don't "burp", every plastic ED I've used burps on me...

Points noted. I can get some of those cheap Chinese pens on ebay for about a £1 and test on some of those

Edited by Bluey
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Points noted. I can get some of those cheap Chinese pens on ebay for about a £1 and test on some of those

 

But you asked if you can do it to a Sailor 1911, that doesn't get proven using cheap pens, unless that wasn't quite the point you wanted to make?

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But you asked if you can do it to a Sailor 1911, that doesn't get proven using cheap pens, unless that wasn't quite the point you wanted to make?

Yes that's right. Sorry am I missing something here or does Sailor use some sort of ultra rare metal that's not found anywhere else?

Edited by Bluey
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