Eyedropper conversion

[gpjoe]

Picked up the multicolored 7-pack of Platinum Preppy fountain pens and some o-rings (already have the silicone grease), to try converting to eyedroppers.

Converted one and it worked great. Storing it in a cup over night, just to make sure it doesn't leak. Which brings me to yet another question:

For those of you that have done the conversion, on any pen, using grease, do you reapply grease on every fill?

 

[silverlifter]

I did. I would wipe everything down, refill and re-apply. I doubt it makes a difference, but it satisfies my OCD jitters...

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

I did. I would wipe everything down, refill and re-apply. I doubt it makes a difference, but it satisfies my OCD jitters...

+1

Mine was primarily used for taking notes when I went back to college. I lightly wiped it down and reapplied grease when refilling just to ensure that I wouldn't find my notes or textbooks covered in ink due to a faulty seal.

 

[KW Driver]

No, not every refill. Maybe every fourth or more. I just look at the threads (both sets) and see if I think they need more, or just evened out on the threads.

If I don’t touch or disturb the threads, I usually don’t need to fix them. And I reload with a syringe, so I don’t get ink on the grease

 

[gpjoe]

No, not every refill. Maybe every fourth or more. I just look at the threads (both sets) and see if I think they need more, or just evened out on the threads.

If I don’t touch or disturb the threads, I usually don’t need to fix them. And I reload with a syringe, so I don’t get ink on the grease

I used a plastic pipette, but will probably use a syringe on the next fill. It seems that a syringe would be a bit more precise on both the amount and placement of the ink into the barrel.

 

[KW Driver]

I use a Goulet syringe with a 1.5” flat, dull needle and a 5ml syringe get it below the threads to begin filling and keep the ink level below the threads. Having a demonstrator body is easy to see, an opaque one requires good lighting down into the body to see when to stop

I have an eyedropper ink bottle, and it was sloppier than I’d prefer.

A thin pipette may be easily clean enough to keep your threads clean. The syringe is just dead easy, with one fill. It’d be easy enough to cut off and file a needle bevel to make your own if you didn’t want to buy one from Goulet pens

 

[gpjoe]

I use a Goulet syringe with a 1.5” flat, dull needle and a 5ml syringe get it below the threads to begin filling and keep the ink level below the threads. Having a demonstrator body is easy to see, an opaque one requires good lighting down into the body to see when to stop

I have an eyedropper ink bottle, and it was sloppier than I’d prefer.

A thin pipette may be easily clean enough to keep your threads clean. The syringe is just dead easy, with one fill. It’d be easy enough to cut off and file a needle bevel to make your own if you didn’t want to buy one from Goulet pens

View attachment 1555208

Oh, I have many Luer Lock syringes, and needles of varying diameters. Used them for mixing vaping e-liquid by volume before I started mixing by weight, which is why I also have a supply of the pipettes on hand.

Definitely going with the syringe next fill.

 

[Doc4]

For those of you that have done the conversion, on any pen, using grease, do you reapply grease on every fill?

Not every time, but once in a while when I think it "needs it".

Of course, when I started eyedroppering pens I tended to err on the side of caution (and avoiding leaks) and re-greased every time.

Over time I eased up a bit at a time as I got more confident in the abilities of the seal.

will probably use a syringe on the next fill

Yes they are very useful, especially in sucking up the last bit of ink from an almost-empty ink bottle.

I have an eyedropper ink bottle, and it was sloppier than I’d prefer.

My earliest experiences with eyedroppering was with a 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's ink that came with a pre-converted Preppy.

Mind you that was years ago and I think they have stopped including the Preppy with the bottle since.

The eyedropper worked well enough, but yes, the syringe is certainly a step up.

 

[gpjoe]

Not every time, but once in a while when I think it "needs it".

Of course, when I started eyedroppering pens I tended to err on the side of caution (and avoiding leaks) and re-greased every time.

Over time I eased up a bit at a time as I got more confident in the abilities of the seal.



Yes they are very useful, especially in sucking up the last bit of ink from an almost-empty ink bottle.



My earliest experiences with eyedroppering was with a 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's ink that came with a pre-converted Preppy.

View attachment 1570783
View attachment 1570784

Mind you that was years ago and I think they have stopped including the Preppy with the bottle since.

The eyedropper worked well enough, but yes, the syringe is certainly a step up.

I thought I recently saw some Noodlers that came with a pen, though it may have not have been a Preppy.

 

[Doc4]

I thought I recently saw some Noodlers that came with a pen, though it may have not have been a Preppy.

Maybe.

I think he moved to including made-in-India Noodler's brand eyedropper pens instead of Preppies a few years ago.

It's been years since I was in the market for a big bottle of ink though ...

 

[KW Driver]

Maybe.

I think he moved to including made-in-India Noodler's brand eyedropper pens instead of Preppies a few years ago.

It's been years since I was in the market for a big bottle of ink though ...

Yep, and I can’t remember what model name he used for it, and it came with a flex nib. I ended up with one and wasn’t real impressed with it honestly.

 

[gpjoe]

Well, for the cost he probably should have stuck with the Preppy. I bought the pack of seven from Amazon for 20 bucks, and did the conversion on one which has been great. Honestly, it writes far above the price point of $3 and it is the smoothest F nib I have tried.

 

[dojpros]

The Preppy is a dynamite proof on concept pen for FP in general and eyedropper conversions in particular.

 

[KW Driver]

Well, for the cost he probably should have stuck with the Preppy. I bought the pack of seven from Amazon for 20 bucks, and did the conversion on one which has been great. Honestly, it writes far above the price point of $3 and it is the smoothest F nib I have tried.

A preppy is a fixed known object. I’m glad you like yours.

The other (Noodler’s) was more “user adaptable”, allowing the user to tweak its performance as a selling point. At a very low price point. Play with the feed, the nib, to learn on to adjust flow and writing characteristics, and piston filled.

 

[KW Driver]

I think Noddler’s called his the Ahab. But that’s a deep memory pull

 

[Doc4]

I think Noddler’s called his the Ahab. But that’s a deep memory pull

No ... the Ahab was (is) a more expensive Noodler's pen. The one he included in the 4.5oz bottles was far cheaper and basic.

 

[Borderboss]

I've converted a couple of Parker Jack Knife Safeties from the teens and a Duofold from the '20s to eyedropper due to issues with the barrels on the pens. I didn't need to use an O-ring as the screw-in section with silicone grease is more than ample for preventing any leaking. I put grease on whenever it seems to need it, but probably not more than once every 5-6 fills.

As for filling the pens, I prefer to use little squeeze bottles with nozzles. I transfer the ink to the bottle once and it's good to go for many fills. Here's the type of bottle I'm referring to on Amazon.

 

[gpjoe]

I've converted a couple of Parker Jack Knife Safeties from the teens and a Duofold from the '20s to eyedropper due to issues with the barrels on the pens. I didn't need to use an O-ring as the screw-in section with silicone grease is more than ample for preventing any leaking. I put grease on whenever it seems to need it, but probably not more than once every 5-6 fills.

As for filling the pens, I prefer to use little squeeze bottles with nozzles. I transfer the ink to the bottle once and it's good to go for many fills. Here's the type of bottle I'm referring to on Amazon.

That is handy.

I've got some empty needle-tip bottles laying around and may transfer some ink to those.

 

[gpjoe]

I've converted a couple of Parker Jack Knife Safeties from the teens and a Duofold from the '20s to eyedropper due to issues with the barrels on the pens. I didn't need to use an O-ring as the screw-in section with silicone grease is more than ample for preventing any leaking. I put grease on whenever it seems to need it, but probably not more than once every 5-6 fills.

As for filling the pens, I prefer to use little squeeze bottles with nozzles. I transfer the ink to the bottle once and it's good to go for many fills. Here's the type of bottle I'm referring to on Amazon.

This post inspired me to try a Preppy without the o-ring. I found that when tightening the body of the pen, the o-ring wanted to "ooze" out of the joint anyway, so I filled two using grease only to see if they would hold tight.

I've got the two, caps on, nibs down in a small glass on my desk that I check every now and then for leaks.

So far, so good.

 

[Altreac]

No ... the Ahab was (is) a more expensive Noodler's pen. The one he included in the 4.5oz bottles was far cheaper and basic.

I believe the pen you're talking about is called the Charlie Pen. I got one with a bottle of Heart of Darkness.