New, cheap Pilot pens . we'll see how well they eyedropper .

[Doc4]

My package came in today from Jetpens.

Included was a "Pilot Petit1" fountain pen and a "Pilot Petit3" fude (brush) pen. Posted and capped, they are almost exactly the size of a Kaweco sport, and a tad smaller without the cap entirely.

They cost $3.80 for the fountain pen (only "Fine" available at Jetpens) and $2.90 for the fude.

My plan is to see how well they take to being eyedroppered, and report back.

 

[Heron]

I'm eager to see your results. I'd like to try all three types of the Petit.

 

[the_edski]

Eager to see as well. The Petit is supposed to be a great pocket pen.

 

[SmoovD]

They take to ED pretty well. You just need to take care because the plastic is pretty fragile.

 

[syngent]

Have fun, keep windex near by

Cant wait to see how you made out

 

[jiminyshiznit]

I have a bunch of the Petit1's, and they're great little pens. They don't seem like they'd convert to eyedroppers real well, due to very coarse and somewhat loose threads. They write great, though, and have held up to daily use for several months without a hitch.. I've been especially rough on the blue/black, but it still writes like a champ. I'll be curious to see your eyedropper results, and thoughts on the Petit3.

 

[Doc4]

I put a good supply of silicone grease on the threads, and so far so good. There's no way of putting an o-ring on, btw.

 

[jiminyshiznit]

I put a good supply of silicone grease on the threads, and so far so good. There's no way of putting an o-ring on, btw.

Sweet! So, are you filling the barrel all the way up to that line, just below the start of the threads? That should be about 4x the ink of a cartridge, right?

 

[SmoovD]

I put a good supply of silicone grease on the threads, and so far so good. There's no way of putting an o-ring on, btw.

That is how I converted the Petit. It does hold a great deal of ink. With the fine nib, a fill can take some time to empty.

 

[Snargle]

I'm curious about that plastic pocket clip...it looks like it would snap off very easily. What's your impression of the clip, having handled the pen for a few days now?

 

[SmoovD]

I don't trust the clip. The Petit is purely a pocket pen for me. Even then, I typically drop one into a jacket pocket to keep the barrel from too much damage.

 

[Doc4]

Sweet! So, are you filling the barrel all the way up to that line, just below the start of the threads? That should be about 4x the ink of a cartridge, right?

Yep, fill 'er up! Dunno if 4x exactly, but "a lot".

I'm curious about that plastic pocket clip...it looks like it would snap off very easily. What's your impression of the clip, having handled the pen for a few days now?

A bit flimsier than a Preppy clip. I'm not going to recommend this pen for "need durable" duty, where a Kaweco would do better. But the clip is better than the Kaweco metal clip for that gentle "give" needed for ease of clipping & removing the pen from a shirt or jacket pocket.

 

[jiminyshiznit]

I don't trust the clip. The Petit is purely a pocket pen for me. Even then, I typically drop one into a jacket pocket to keep the barrel from too much damage.

Yep, two of mine have broken clips.. definitely not to be trusted.

 

[Heron]

I let my kids try my fountain pens this morning. Now I have to get a couple Petits for them. Cartridge only, though. I barely trust myself with an eyedropper pen.

I put a good supply of silicone grease on the threads, and so far so good. There's no way of putting an o-ring on, btw.

If the threads are loose and you can't use an o-ring, would a few wraps of Teflon tape work? I don't trust grease alone. One of my Preppies has ink all the way up the threads to the o-ring.

 

[Slivovitz]

I'm going to have to break out some of my Pilot Petits and give this a shot sometime. I have several of the Petit1 fountain pens, and 1 Petit2 felt tip.

The trouble is, I just have so many pens. So it may be a while before I've got an "opening".