# Eyedropper Question



## handplane (Jun 23, 2010)

I've been thinking of doing an eyedropper pen.  Will the feed holder and feed from kits or the ones from Lou work for this?  I like the looks and simplicity of them and just want to try it.

Bryant


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## glycerine (Jun 23, 2010)

I believe as long as you've got it threaded and sealed in the right place, you could make an eyedropper from just about any feed/section.


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## Texatdurango (Jun 23, 2010)

My guess would be No, but give it a try and let everyone know if it leaks all over the place or not.

The threads on kit sections are too course and would probably leak like a seive and the last I looked, Lou didn't make sections for sale, just nibs, feeds and feed housings.

What were you planning on screwing the sections into, the metal kit coupler? If so, I would almost garuantee they would leak.

The easiset way to play around with a simple eye dropper would be turn a piece of acrylic, drill a hole in it, tap the end with fine thread such as metric 10x.75 then make a section and thread it to the same pitch, 10x.75. Then drill a hole into the section and glue any feed housing in and your good to go.

A fine thread is the key so when a dab of silicone grease is applied the ink won't leak out.


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## handplane (Jun 23, 2010)

> The easiset way to play around with a simple eye dropper would be turn a  piece of acrylic, drill a hole in it, tap the end with fine thread such  as metric 10x.75 then make a section and thread it to the same pitch,  10x.75. Then drill a hole into the section and glue any feed housing in  and your good to go.



George,

That is exactly what I was planning to do.  I think I worded my question wrong.  I meant to say feed housing instead of section.  I bought some cheap FP kits just to get the feed housings to play with.  I was just curious if the feed would work or not.  BTW, thanks for the heads up about using the clear acrylic rod to practice with.  Now I just have to find some way to ship 6 foot sticks to where I live.

Bryant


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## Texatdurango (Jun 23, 2010)

handplane said:


> George,
> 
> That is exactly what I was planning to do. I think I worded my question wrong. I meant to say feed housing instead of section. *I bought some cheap FP kits just to get the feed housings to play with*. I was just curious if the feed would work or not. BTW, thanks for the heads up about using the clear acrylic rod to practice with. Now I just have to find some way to ship 6 foot sticks to where I live.
> 
> Bryant


 
Been there, dont that! :wink:

Well, if my acrylic rods weren't 900 miles away in a storage bldg, I'd send you some short lengths to experiment with.

Since you will be making your own section using fine threads coated with silicone grease, your only concern would be the joint between the feed housing and the section.

Since you don't have to thread the feed housing into the section, any kit feed and feed housing would work.

I use Lou's feed housings and have his tap to thread the inside of my sections now but before that I made a few pens by simply drilling a snug hole into the section and slipping a feed housing in and at the last second, applying a bit of CA around the housing which glued the housing into the section pernantly but made a nice seal as well. 

The threads on the feed itself are very fine so don't worry about leaks between the feed and it's housing, even with the kit feeds.

Looking forward to seeing your first prototype!

On Edit: One thing you might try is to call US Plastics http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24128&catid=440  and tell them where you are stuck and ask if they could possibly cut a rod into shorter pieces for you.  Remember, the cheaper EXTRUDED rods come in 4' lengths and the more expensive CAST rods come in 6' lengths.  I would recommend staying with the extruded rods for practice since you can't hardly tell the difference anyway.


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## handplane (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks for the advice George.  I found a source for shorter rod at another website.  It cost a little more but is more convenient.


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## nava1uni (Jun 24, 2010)

Tap Plastic sells rod in 3 foot lengths and I have had them cut things smaller and they have done it for a small fee.


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## handplane (Jun 24, 2010)

Tap plastics is the source that I found.  I can deal with 3 ft lengths without any extra shipping.  I am going to order from them  soon.


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