New Fountain Pen Nib Infographic - Full of "Tips!"

The following infographic was created by the fine folks at Pen Chalet. Check out their great summary of interesting information about the nib of your fountain or dip pen!

Be sure to check out there site for great deals on fountain pens, inks, paper, and accessories. You can visit them, here, at PenChalet.com.

An Alternate Pen - The Montblanc Fineliner Body Hack

Recently, while at my local Montblanc boutique, I had the opportunity to try their fineliner refill. What an interesting experience! The tip feels a bit like a felt-tipped pen or a rollerball with no pressure needed to make a line. The feeling is almost brush-like. If you have not before had the opportunity to try the fineliner, I definitely recommend that you do so. However, as the refill is proprietary, one cannot simply buy fineliner refills and stick them in any pen body.

While researching the findings of others, it seemed that few folks had pursued alternative pen bodies for the Montblanc fineliner refills. However, a number of internet forums had discussion threads in which the participants spoke about searches for alternative pens to take the Montblanc rollerball refills. One popular option, reported to be successful, was the Waterman Kultur rollerball pen, as well as some Jinhao pens (but not all of them). By far the most popular was a hack in which one cuts some of the plastic from the non-tip end of the refill, shortening it, so that it may fit inside a Pilot G2 body. Inexpensive, mostly comfortable in a utilitarian way, and easy. I loved the idea.

Then, during my last trip to Montblanc, I learned that the rollerball and fineliner refills are interchangeable. This was the breakthrough. While this compatibility may be obvious, if the refills were inspected side-by-side, I had not yet been able to do so. Immediately, I purchased a pack of fineliner refills and sat down (not in the store) to perform the G2 hack on a fineliner refill.

Here you can see a comparison of a G2 refill (top), the modified fineliner refill (middle), and an unmodified fineliner refill (bottom):

All that it took to modify the fineliner refill was cutting some of the plastic from the non-tip end. Simply line up the tip-end of the main body portion of a G2 refill and the fineliner refill and see how much overhang is on the non-tip end of the fineliner refill. That will show you how much to cut.

My new, inexpensive fineliner was fantastic. I quickly determined, over several days of use, that the fineliner was second only to fountain pens in my mind. However, the G2 body quickly became unsatisfactory to me. I wanted something nicer in which to case a fineliner refill, hacked or un-hacked, without spending a large amount of money.

Knowing that the hacked refill fit a Pilot G2, I began to investigate what other pens took a Pilot G2 refill. Then, I remembered one of the recent, inexpensive entries to the fountain pen world: the Pilot Metropolitan. Since the Metropolitan was available in a rollerball variant, I ventured a guess that it might take a Pilot G2 rollerball refill.

I was right.

Swapping my hacked fineliner refill for the refill from the Metropolitan, I was left with something awesome: the great writing experience of the fineliner refill combined with the comfortable - and affordable - Pilot Metropolitan body.

If you are looking for an alternate body for using the Montblance fineliner refill (or even the Montblanc rollerball refills), look no farther than the Pilot Metropolitan and this easy hack.

How to Fill a TWSBI Fountain Pen with a Syringe

In my estimation, the fountain pens made by TWSBI are fabulous, right down to and including their ability to fill from TWSBI inkwells with no mess! However, what if you are trying to use an ink sample with your TWSBI pen? Ink samples that are one or two milliliters or less can pose a difficulty in transferring from vial to pen. However, Ana at The Well-Appointed Desk has written an excellent set of instructions on how to best utilize a syringe for filling your TWSBI with ink. I have personally used this method on many occasions, and I definitely recommend giving it a try. Enjoy!

Photo property of Built from Ink and Tea.

TWSBI Diamond 530 Ink Capacity Expansion

When the TWSBI Diamond 540 came into production, as a replacement for the Diamond 530, one of the most noticeable improvements was a 30% increase in ink capacity. However, if you have a TWSBI Diamond 530, now, and want to achieve a larger ink storage, it is possible to modify your Diamond 530! Read on for details...

Warning! This modification has the potential to cause the piston mechanism to not function properly! Built from Ink and Tea assumes no responsibility for any issues in your pen, resulting from this or any other modification.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way...the photographic guide!

The process of expanding the ink capacity is simple. First, I recommend disassembling (and cleaning, if necessary) your Diamond 530. Fully disassemble the pen, so that you can remove the piston rod and seal. If you have a TWSBI Diamond 540 or 580, laying the piston rod from the Diamond 530 alongside the Diamond 540 or 580 will show you just how extra long it is (as also shown in the picture, below).

As you can see, using the rod of this length diminishes the capacity of your Diamond 530.

The simple, hack way to fix this is to utilize wire cutters or the snips in a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove a short amount of the end of the piston rod. This will allow the rod to move back farther in the pen. I highly recommend, if you are going to attempt this modification, that you remove a small amount at a time, rather than a large amount to begin.

Here, you can see the resulting amount that was removed, as well as the extra capacity. Unfortunately, because I removed that large amount, there are some issues with the piston rod fitting into the mechanism. Take it off a small amount at a time!

I wish you the best, if you attempt to increase the capacity of your TWSBI Diamond 530. If you would rather have increased capacity out of the box, I recommend taking a look at the new TWSBI Diamond 580!

Enjoy! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.



This post was unsolicited and uncompensated.

TWSBI Vac 700 Nib Swapping - Knox and Nemosine Nibs

After the unfortunately failed attempt at swapping a Knox K35 1.1 stub into a Nemosine Singularity, I got the idea to try the nib in my TWSBI Vac 700. Truly, there was nothing to lose, since buying a TWSBI 1.1 stub would have been an extra investment, and I had been interested in trying a stub with the Vac 700. Unfortunately, the same issue, as had occurred in trying to use the Knox nib with the Nemosine Singularity, once again reared its head, and the trial of the Knox nib in the Vac 700 was over. However, this lead to an idea: If the Nemosine Singularity and the TWSBI Vac 700 both had the same issue with using the Knox nib, would their own nibs be interchangeable? After some more experimenting, I present to you...

The TWSBI Vac 700 with Nemosine 0.8 stub nib!

And some writing samples!

While the Nemosine nibs may not be at the same quality level as the JoWo nibs used by TWSBI in their Vac 700, Nemosine does provide the options for a 0.6 and a 0.8 stub, which are not available for the Vac 700. Side note: I believe that the nib size number for the Nemosine nibs, the Knox K35 nibs, and the TWSBI Vac 700 JoWo nibs is #6. Now, if one of this companies would just make a double broad, life would be even better...

Showing the fit of the Nemosine nib on the TWSBI feed:

 And one last shot of the newly fitted nib:

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post them!

Awesome Pen Mods - The Kaigelu 316 Vacuum-Plunger Conversion

Recall, if you will, the awesome modification that was performed at the end of last year by Flounder from the Fountain Pen Network. He had successfully converted a Hero 616 fountain pen from an aerometric filler to a vacumatic filler. Now, he has returned with another awesome conversion of an inexpensive Chinese pen. This time, he converted a Kaigelu 316 from a cartridge converter to a vacuum-plunger filler, much like a TWSBI Vac 700. This pen received an impressive boost to its ink capacity!

I highly urge you to go check out his blog for pictures, videos, and details, all located right here! That post links to a great number of other posts about this project, and I hope you enjoy them.

The Financial Analysis of Fountain Pen Ink

Before we get into the topic at hand, I would like to make a disclaimer that this article does not contain any methodology or suggestions for acquiring pre-tax write-offs on the purchase of fountain pen ink. For inquiries of this kind, please direct your questions to an accountant, preferably one who loves fountain pens.

Through a conversation with a good friend, I came to realize how infrequently I have heard a case made for the use of bottled ink over ink cartridges. Certainly, the biggest pro on the side of cartridges is their ease of use, convenience (both of changing and of carrying), and lack of mess (or much of one at least!)

Discussions of environmental impact and waste could be argued back and forth from how the usage of plastic for cartridges (that are thrown away, when empty) matches to the large glass or plastic ink bottles and their corresponding boxes or other packaging. Likewise, using the argument for a greater variety of colors and brand options in bottled ink, while a valid point, cannot be applied to all people. Some fountain pen (or refillable rollerball, etc.) users, as shocking as this may sound to some of us, actually prefer to just use one or two colors by one or two brands, whose ink is probably available in both cartridges and bottles. As I have not yet encountered a fountain pen that could not take bottled ink, so long as it could take cartridges, I shall assume that this does not pose a problem.

What I would like to propose is a case for bottled ink, based on cost. This will not take into account any of those other conditions and will make the assumptions that the brand in question offers the same color in cartridges and bottled ink and that the cartridges are the short, standard international version, holding approximately 0.5 mL of ink. (A standard international converter is also assumed to hold approximately 0.5 mL of ink.)

The cost breakdown, using Montblanc's Oyster Grey ink stands as follows:

One box of cartridges

= 8 cartridges @ 0.5 mL / cartridge

= 4 mL / box @ $4 / box

= $0.50 / cartridge or converter fill (0.5 mL)

One bottle of ink

= 60 mL / bottle @ $17 / bottle

= $0.14 / cartridge or converter fill (0.5 mL)

When viewed by the half milliliter fills, these cents may seem slightly trivial; however, to purchase enough cartridges to equate to the same amount of ink as in the $17 bottle, one would need to buy $60 worth of cartridges! The cost effectiveness is worth the extra initial investment in my mind.

Of course, there are exceptions and other reasons for not buying bottled ink. For example, in the specific case of Montblanc, ink samples are not readily available. Thus, one may want to purchase a $4 box of cartridges to test before actually paying for a full bottle, and this is perfectly logical. However, I urge you to take a look the cost effectiveness of your ink purchases! The savings may surprise you.

(Side note for interested parties: all of Montblanc's inks are priced the same, if they are purchased from a Montblanc boutique in the United States. All boxes of eight cartridges are $4 and all sixty milliliter bottles of ink are $17, regardless of the color in both cases.)


This post was unsolicited and uncompensated. Please feel free to post any questions or comments, below.

Anti-decanting in Action!

Not long ago, I spoke about the freshness of tea and provided some tips by which one could keep their teas tasting better for a longer period of time. In that article, I mentioned the downfalls of buying in bulk, followed by telling of the implementation of "anti-decanting" in my tea collection.

"Anti-decanting" is a process by which one takes a portion of tea from a larger container and stores it in a smaller container for regular use. So named for mimicking the way in which wine is decanted, "anti-decanting" actually serves the opposite purpose of decanting wine - it keeps the tea away from air, as much as possible, rather than exposing it.

For me, small bags with tight seals, as well as small Tupperware containers, make excellent "anti-decanters." What kinds of storage do you use?

As always, comments or questions are more than welcome. Happy "anti-decanting" and tea drinking!

Three Tips to Help Improve Your Penmanship

On this fabulous Wednesday morning, I bring to you, the readers of this blog, a special feature: the following guest post, written in full by Alice Jenkins. Read on, as she details her Three Tips to Help Improve Your Penmanship. Please enjoy, and I invite you to leave comments or questions below.

Three Tips to Help Improve Your Penmanship

Do you love pens, but hate writing because your handwriting looks like the illegible scrawl of a third grader? Have you always wanted to write using a fountain pen or a dip pen, but inevitably find your arms coated in ink and your paper covered in ink blotches? Here are a few tips to help you improve your handwriting to develop the aesthetically pleasing hand of your grandparents (my grandparents anyway, I don’t know about yours…).

Don’t Use Your Fingers

It’s called handwriting for a reason. Your fingers grasp the pen and hold it in position, but your forearm and shoulder are going to be required to actually write smoothly. Simply pick up your hand off of the paper and you’ll automatically find yourself writing very differently, that’s what you want to learn. At first it’ll look like an awful scrawl because you’re not used to it. Once you’re accustomed to having your entire arm moving while you write instead of just your fingers you can write with your hand resting on the paper again, just be sure that your arm is still engaged in the writing process.

The muscles you want to use are mainly in your shoulder and back. If you’ve ever watched an old kung fu movie you’ll almost certainly have seen a scene where the young Chinese warrior is required to learn to write. If you were paying attention you’d notice that they hold their brush vertically with a stiff wrist and their arms lifted off the paper (they’re using a brush, so it’s a bit different, but bear with me). If you were ever to learn to write Chinese using traditional techniques you’d find that you’d be using exactly the same muscle groups as you would be when handwriting with a pen.

Get the Right Angle

As we just mentioned, we’re not writing Chinese; ideally you’d hold your pen at a 45 degree angle to your writing surface. This isn’t because it’s better for your muscle control, but rather because it helps to keep the flow of ink from your pen running smoothly if you’re using any kind of pen with a proper nib. Holding the pen vertically means that increased pressure won’t bend the tines of the nib properly, possibly damaging it or your paper. You don’t need to hold it at exactly 45 degrees, it’s more important to hold the pen comfortably than it is to get the angle perfect, because if your hand is cramped you’ll run into a whole new set of problems. The important thing to remember is that holding the pen at a shallower angle will give you better control over the tension on your nib and with it more control over the thickness of your lines.

How to Practice

My favorite practice phrase is the old classic “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” because it contains all the letters of the alphabet, so you get to practice everything at once. Sit down and write it ten times (or a hundred if you feel like it), and then come back tomorrow and do it again (etc…). Don’t overdo it at first, because you’ll notice very quickly that you’re training new muscles by just how sore your shoulder and arm will get. Good luck!

Alice Jenkins is a writer, graphic designer and marketer. When Alice isn't nitpicking her own logo designs, she writes about social media, business branding and design. Alice writes for PensXpress, a business that specializes in personalized, imprinted pens. She can be contacted via her Google+ page.

A Word on the Freshness of Tea

An aspect of tea that goes often overlooked lies in the freshness. Will the tea that you have kept in a ziploc bag in the back of your cupboard for four years still taste good, today? Maybe...but I can almost guarantee that the flavor will have diminished in body and quality from what it once was. Excepting certain teas that are meant to be aged (in a proper manner), most tea tastes far better when it is fresh. I have found that the three other factors that will affect the freshness of tea are light, extreme temperatures, and air.

1. Age...Much like food, tea can lose its freshness over time, even without the other factors.
2. Light...Keep your tea stored out of direct sunlight and artificial light. The UV light can break down the tea, and florescent lights can also have a negative effect.
3. Temperature...I have encountered a number of places that recommend storing tea in the refrigerator; however, this only really works with greens and very lightly oxidized teas, and, even then, I have found that this changes the flavor of the tea. 
4. Air...Your food does not benefit from extended storage and exposure to oxygen, so why should your tea? Additionally, aromas in the air can affect the smell and taste of your tea.

Fear not for your tea! There are certainly things that can be done to combat the above freshness-killers. Here are a few corresponding (to the above list) tips that I have implemented in my own tea collection

1. Age...Only buy an amount of tea that you will consume within a few months. This will assure optimum freshness. Sometimes, the freshest-by date on a tin of tea will only be valid so long as you do not break the vacuum seal. (The exception to this age rule is pu'erh, the storage of which will not be addressed in this post.)
2. Light...Use opaque containers to store your tea. Alternately (or additionally), store your tea in cupboards, drawers, etc. which would allow for the use of transparent containers, if such is your desire.
3. Temperature...In the refrigerator or freezer is not the best place for your tea (in my opinion). Near a stove/oven or next to a dishwasher is not ideal, either. I keep my tea in cupboards away from this large appliances. 
4. Air...Use air-tight containers for the storage of your tea. (Again, this does not entirely apply to pu'erh storage.) Containers (such as bags) inside larger containers (such as Tupperware)? Sure! So that your tea does not pick up the aromas of food or other teas, I do not recommend storing tea near food, nor do I recommend storing very aromatic teas in bags with other tea. I have had a weakly aromatic tea pick up the smell of a much more strongly-scented tea by both teas being stored in Ziploc bags next to each other for a period of time. My final word on this is to avoid exposing your tea to air, as much as possible. The following is an example from my personal tea collection:

 Rishi's Peach Blossom white tea has remained one of my favorite summertime teas for many years. This could potentially be saying something, considering that I am the same one, whose taste in black teas has varied over the years from strictly unflavored to almost entirely flavored (fruit, chocolate, crazy froo froo blends) to, now, mostly enjoying aromatics (e.g. Earl Grey, Lady Grey, etc.) and lighter black teas, such as Darjeelings. As such, I find it financially wise to purchase Peach Blossom white in bulk, pre-summer.

However, it would not be wise for me to open this large bag, every time I wanted to get a few teaspoons of leaf, especially if I am making it several times per day. The amount of oxygen to which this tea would get exposed could have quite negative affects on the delicate flavor and aroma. Aside from making certain that this bag is closed with as much of the air removed as possible, I use a method that I call "anti-decanting." (You heard it, here, first, folks). At its most basic, decanting involves moving a liquid from one container to another. With wine, decanting is often perform by pouring wine from an enclosed bottle to a more open decanter for the purpose of exposing the liquid to air and allowing the wine to breathe. While we are not dealing with liquid, the theory here is the same, simply reversed in regard to the air exposure. I take a portion of the tea from the larger container and put it into a small bag (or bags), which are stored with the same positive conditions as listed in the middle of the post. Thus, I am reduced from opening the large bag several times a day to a couple of times per week, depending upon the frequency with which I am drinking the tea.

Hopefully, this post has provided you with useful tips for keeping your tea tasting and smelling better for a longer period of time! Feel free to post comments or questions, below. Happy tea drinking!

Swapping Nibs Between Pilot Pens - Part 2!

A month ago, I posted a guide, here, showing how to swap nibs between Pilot pens, as well as discussing the possible arrangements for certain nibs in certain pens. However, I only showed swaps between Pluminix/Plumix pens and Penmanships, as I did not have a Pilot Metropolitan at that time. My Metropolitan has how arrived, and I am pleased to show you a pictorial guide on using a medium italic or extra-fine nib in your Metropolitan. (If you care to see nib swapping with the Pilot Prera, check out Brian Goulet's post and videos, here.) Remember, the medium nib from the Metropolitan can also be used in the Pilot Pluminix, Plumix, and Penmanship.

From left to right (bottom to top), the Pilot Pluminix, Plumix, Penmanship, and Metropolitan - all with swappable nibs!

Begin by removing the caps of the pens.

Next, get a good grip on the nib and feed, together, and pull them straight out. If they are tight, some gentle twisting back and forth, as though you were trying to unscrew the nib and feed from the section, should help.

Remove the nib from the feed, place it on the feed of the desired pen, reinsert the nib and feed, and there you have it: A Metropolitan with a different nib (or any one of the other combinations).

Metropolitan with a Plumix's medium italic nib

Metropolitan with a Penmanship's extra-fine nib

For more information, I highly recommend reading my previously posted guide on swapping Pilot nibs. The steps with the Metropolitan are identical to those with the Pluminix, Plumix, and Metropolitan.

Enjoy! Please, feel free to post comments or questions below. Would anyone be interested in some writing samples and possible comparisons for the Metropolitan with varying nibs? Also, forgive any washout and strangeness of the pictures...I am using a different camera, and it is quite finicky with certain lighting.



Important links related to this post:

• Pilot Prera fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com, here from iSellPens.com, and here from the Goulet Pen Company.
• Pilot Metropolitan fountain pens, available here from the Goulet Pen Company, and here from iSellPens.com.
• Pilot Penmanship fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com. General Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Plumix fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com, here from iSellPens.com, and here from the Goulet Pen Company. General Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Plumix Neon, general Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Pluminix, available here from Amazon.co.uk. General Pilot information site, here. (Note, pictures on the Pilot website are actually of the Plumix Neon, not the Pluminix.)

I bear no affiliation to any of the aforementioned companies, and I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Awesome Pen Mods - Hero 616 Vacumatic

A while back, I ran across a modification by Flounder from the Fountain Pen Network. Over the course of several attempts, he had managed to outfit an inexpensive Hero 616 fountain pen with a vacumatic filling mechanism, much like the vacumatic Parker 51. In fact, because the Hero 616 is a bit of a "tribute" (read: clone) to the Parker 51, the finished product of the modification looks even more like the Parker 51. Flounder, then, generously, chose to give away this creation in a "pay it forward," through the Fountain Pen Network. The video below is of the filling of the finished, third version of his Hero 616 vacumatic.

I highly recommend you check out Flounder's blog, here, especially his post on the third version of the vacumatic 616, complete with great pictures! He has mentioned on the Fountain Pen Network that he has another, special, pen modification project in progress, so be sure to watch his blog for future updates. If it is anything like his Hero 616 mod, it is certain to be impressive.

Additional links:

• An article from David Nishimura at VintagePens.com, detailing the Parker Vacumatic filling mechanism.
• Flounder's profile on the Fountain Pen Network (be sure to check his blog, first, for information on his pen modifications).
• The Pay It Foward 2012 thread (now closed) on the Fountain Pen Network with details about Flounder's "pay it forward" of the Hero 616, mark 3, vacumatic fountain pen. (NOTE: A recipient has already been chosen.)

Crafting a Pilot Plumix Neon "Franken-pen"

Yesterday, while browsing the Pilot Pen site for the EU, I discovered a product of which I had never heard before: the Pilot Plumix Neon. The general information site is here. The version of the Plumix available in the USA utilizes Pilot proprietary cartridges. The Plumix Neon from the EU takes standard international cartridges. From what I could deduce, this Pilot Plumix Neon is nothing more than the section from a Pilot Pluminix, which takes standard international cartridges, combined with the cap and body from a Pilot Plumix. Admittedly, the Plumix Neon also appears to be available in just as many colors as the Pluminix, as compared to the mere three colors in which the Plumix is offered (Blue, Purple, and Black).

As I was unable to find any Plumix Neon pens available on English-language websites, I decided to take matters into my own hands and craft my own Pilot Plumix Neon "Franken-pen!" My color options are limited to the three colors of the Plumix, so I chose purple.

Here is a close-up picture with focus on the sections of my Pluminix pen and one of my Plumix pens, side-by-side.

I proceeded to disassemble both pens, removing caps and bodies and leaving the nibs and feeds in their respective sections.

And then I swapped them! The Pluminix now can take proprietary cartridges from Pilot, and the Plumix can now take standard international cartridges, effectively turning it into a Pilot Plumix Neon.

Note: The threads on the Pilot Penmanship are different and do not accommodate such swapping. See this post, here, for information about swapping nibs between various Pilot pens!

Swapping Nibs between Pilot Pens - Part 1

Today, I decided that I should present you all with a guide on how to swap nibs between Pilot-brand fountain pens. First, the glaring question should be addressed: why would anyone want to do this? The simple answer is that it will give the user more options for nibs in their preferred pen body. As some of these pens take Pilot proprietary cartridges and others take standard international cartridges, the user may also desire to use a pen with a specific type of filling system and nib combination.

To begin, allow me to first clarify with which pens I know this modification works, their available nib sizes, their cartridge type, and where they are primarily sold.

• Pilot Prera - Fine and Medium - Pilot proprietary cart. - Japanese markets
• Pilot Metropolitan - Medium - Pilot proprietary cart. - USA markets
• Pilot Penmanship - Extra-fine - Pilot proprietary cart. - Japanese markets
• Pilot Plumix - Medium Italic - Pilot proprietary cart. - USA markets
• Pilot Plumix Neon - Medium Italic - standard international cart. - EU markets
• Pilot Pluminix - Medium Italic - standard international cart. - EU markets

Based on the look of the pen, I would assume that this modification would also work with the Pilot MR, which appears to be the same as the Pilot Metropolitan, available in the EU markets. (The other main difference is that the Metropolitan takes Pilot proprietary cartridges, and the MR uses standard international cartridges.) All other Pilot pens are either incompatible or unconfirmed.

From the above list, it can be seen that there are a lot of available combination options. The swap itself is relatively easy and can be performed in a few minutes or less. Here is a pictorial guide, utilizing a Penmanship, Plumix, and Pluminix.

First, remove the cap of the pen.

Second, get a good grip on the nib and feed and pull, gently. It may require some twisting back and forth (as though you were unscrewing the nib and feed from the section), but the nib and feed should come out together.

You will notice that, while the nibs may be interchangeable, the feeds are not entirely so, depending upon the style of cartridge that is used for the pen.

Choose which nibs you want to swap, lift them off the feed, and fit them back onto their "new" feed. Here, I am choosing to swap the Pluminix's medium italic nib for the Penmanship's extra-fine nib.

Once the nib is seated properly on the feed, fit the feed and nib back into the section, matching the middle of the nib with the middle, thin ridge of the grip. There is also a very small notch on the end of the section in front of the screw threads, which can be used to align the nib and feed with the section.

Your Pilot pen will now have its new nib installed, and you are ready to add ink and write! As pens like the Pilot Prera do not have nib units in other sizes available for them, purchasing an inexpensive Plumix or Penmanship is an easy way to acquire a compatible medium italic or extra-fine nib for your not-so-inexpensive Prera.

I hope you enjoyed this guide. Please post any questions or comments in the box below! Additionally, there is now a "guide" tag, by which you may view all guide posts on this blog!



Important links related to this post:

• Pilot Prera fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com, and here from the Goulet Pen Company.
• Pilot Metropolitan fountain pens, available here from the Goulet Pen Company.
• Pilot Penmanship fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com. General Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Plumix fountain pens, available here from JetPens.com, and here from the Goulet Pen Company. General Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Plumix Neon, general Pilot information site, here.
• Pilot Pluminix, available here from Amazon.co.uk. General Pilot information site, here. (Note, pictures on the Pilot website are actually of the Plumix Neon, not the Pluminix.)

I bear no affiliation to any of the aforementioned companies, and I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Platinum Preppy Eyedropper Conversion

This is a semi-detailed guide on how to perform an eyedropper conversion on a Platinum Preppy! If you have already read my previous guide, performing an eyedropper conversion on a Pilot Penmanship, much of this information will be redundant, as the two guides are nearly the same. The other may be more detailed than this one, but, as always, questions submitted through the sidebar or the comment box will be answered as best I can!
To start, collect your materials. In the photo above, I have my Platinum Preppy, semi-cleaned (a full cleaning is a good idea, if it has already been used), my o-rings (link will take you to the purchase page), silicone grease for sealing, and a syringe for filling the converted pen. I have also chosen ink, Diamine Blue-black.

If you have not done so already, go ahead and disassemble your Platinum Preppy.

Take a single o-ring and fit it onto the section.

Roll the o-ring across the threads until it is flush with the larger, grip portion of the section.

Add a very thin coating of silicone grease to the threads for an increased seal.

Using a syringe or eyedropper, fill the body of the pen with ink to just below the threads. The Platinum Preppy has a sealed body with no holes, but on some pens there may be a hole in the end of the body, which will need to be sealed in order to convert it to an eyedropper-filled pen.
Note: The approximate ink capacity of the converted Preppy will be 3ml.

Carefully screw the section and body together, and the eyedropper conversion is complete! Ink should start flowing within a short frame of time.

Congratulations on successfully completing the Platinum Preppy Eyedropper Conversion! I must include a shameless plug (for which I am not being compensated), here, for those who are interested in buying and converting a Platinum Preppy. The Goulet Pen Company (to whom I have no affiliation) sells a combination package that contains everything you need to convert a Platinum Preppy to an eyedropper (one Preppy, silicone grease, o-rings, and syringes for filling). These components are all usable for multiple conversions (except the single pen). Having extra o-rings and silicone grease for refurbishing your conversion is never a bad idea. As this package price is discounted from buying these components separately, it is truly a great deal, and it can be purchased here. I, personally, purchased all of my components separately, but this comprehensive kit would be perfect for someone new to conversions!
Please, feel free to leave comments or questions below. Enjoy!