eyedropper conversion

[PTJeff]

Can anyone shed some light to the question
"if you make a closed end Churchill or El Grande, can you take the cartrige or converter off and fill pen with ink to make it an eyedropper fill fountain pen?

 

[Scott]

I don't see why not! The only issue is leaking, and there are only so many places it can leak. The part you press into the brass tube, glue it in with epoxy. And use some silicone grease on the threads of the section to seal it up. The only issue I've heard with doing this is priming the feed, and you can usually do that by dipping the nib and feed into the ink after filling the pen and screwing it back together.

Now realize that not all materials will be appropriate for this use. Most wood, being essentially a porous material, might eventually allow ink to seep through. Consider things like this before choosing your material. Oh, and be sure to get really good coverage on your glue when gluing the brass tube into the material, as you wouldn't want ink leaking through any gaps in the glue!

Good Luck!

Scott.

 

[Dan_F]

I wouldn't try this with a press-fit pen with brass tubes. In addition to the possibility of leaking, the ink might react with the brass tubes or fittings. Most ED pens also have fine and tight fitting section threads, fortified with silicon grease and perhaps an 0 ring.

Dan

 

[aldwardo]

I had a request to make an eyedropper pen, so I thought I would bump this back up. Has anyone done this, with or without succuess? I was thinking about lining the barrel with epoxy to seal it, epoxying the finial and threads in, using an O-ring and silicone grease on the threads. I would love to hear advice, and about other's personal experience before I spend the time and money on it. Thank you!

 

[PTJeff]

Aldwardo,

for what it's worth:
making an eyedropper from a kit is a poor idea cuz...
use of brass tube
use of coupler to attach section to body
sloppy tolerances of section to coupler threads

I decided to make (kitless) eyedroppers from manually cut threads so that the tolerances are tight, and if they get a little loose, i'll use food grade silicone to ensure good seal to prevent leaks.

 

[aldwardo]

Aldwardo,

for what it's worth:
making an eyedropper from a kit is a poor idea cuz...
use of brass tube
use of coupler to attach section to body
sloppy tolerances of section to coupler threads

I decided to make (kitless) eyedroppers from manually cut threads so that the tolerances are tight, and if they get a little loose, i'll use food grade silicone to ensure good seal to prevent leaks.

OK, thank you for the information!