The process is the same as our first article. What you need:
A Kaweco Sport Roller Ball pen available at JetPens, silicon grease, an eyedropper, and a bottle of ink.
Here we used a Kaweco Sport Ice Roller Ball Liquid Ink Pen - Medium Point - Green Body and Pelikan Edelstein Fountain Pen Ink Collection - 50 ml Bottle - Topaz Blue. We purchased silicon grease at our local Lowes hardware store, and when shopping for the silicon grease make sure to get one that has enough viscosity to create a good seal.
How to:
1. Disassemble the pen.
If the cartridge has already been used, you can use a piece of tape as a seal, to remove the cartridge and store it for future use.
2. Lubricate the threads of the nib section with a thin yet thorough layer of silicon grease. Make sure to fill the entire threaded area to ensure a positive seal.
3. Keep the barrel close to your ink bottle to reduce spills. It is a good idea to fill up the barrel over a non-porous, easy to clean surface, or over some scratch paper at the very least. You can also put the open pen barrel inside a cop or container, which can hold it upright while filling and catch any spills. Fill the barrel with ink up to 0.5 cm below the first set of threads to ensure proper air pressure.
4. Put the roller ball pen back together with the tip facing up. Use firm but not excessive force, as tightening the fountain pen too much may result in a crack.
Use a paper towel to wipe off any excess silicon grease that squeezes its way out.
5. To get the ink flow going, we advise to store the pen capped and nib side down for a couple minutes. Make sure to then test out the pen on a scratch piece of paper when you are first starting to write.
Congratulations! You have made your very own eyedropper roller ball pen, which you can use with any bottled fountain pen ink! Your Kaweco should go quite a while before needing to be refilled.
Please keep in mind that over time, your seal may adjust or wear out. You will want to be attentive to your eyedropper pen, and make sure to store it with care. This should prevent any possible leaking and subsequent damage to your clothes!
Thank you so much for testing this out for us!!
ReplyDeleteI am such a nerd. I just bought Waterman blue-black ink, two Kawecos, some silicon grease and a dropper from Amazon, and I look forward to the hilarity which will surely ensue -- and I will not leave them in my bag, I will keep them at my desk to avoid too destructive leaking.
ReplyDeleteNo problem at all, pen testing is one of the perks of the job! :D
ReplyDeleteIts lovely, but why wouldn't you get a 3 or 5 ml syringe with a blunt tip and use it to refill the ink cartridge with whichever ink you desire? No messing around with silicon grease &c., and its easy to use same syringe to rinse out the ink cartridge when you want to change colors. Am I missing something here?
ReplyDeleteThat is very cool Brad. Could you please explain why you need to "Fill the barrel with ink up to 0.5 cm below the first set of threads to ensure proper air pressure." I assume that the air entering the body through the breathing mechanism of the roller ball unit is maintaining an ambiant pressure.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you expect to happen if you filled the pen body lets say half way ?
Thanks. Mark
Hey Mark! I didn't actually write this post - JetPens blogger extraordinaire Liz did. :)
ReplyDeleteBut, in reference to your question, I think it is a matter of having enough ink (and pressure) present in the barrel to get the ink flowing well. I haven't tested this with small amounts of ink though.