How to Eyedropper Convert a Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen
Platinum Preppy pens are pretty well known in the pen world as being one of the best values around, with a list price of only a few dollars. It's sturdy, reliable, attractive, and works well. For the true ink addict, they are indispensable.
The bodies of these pens are perfectly suited for an eyedropper conversion, which means instead of getting a Platinum converter to use your bottled ink, you can use an o-ring and a little silicone grease and you can fill the whole body of the pen with ink. Not only do you save cash, but you also increase your ink capacity by about a bajillion percent.
The conversion is simple, I would guess it'll take you about 20 seconds.
The only thing I want to point out is that with any pen that has this large of an ink reservoir, you might want to keep it at least half-full at all times. You *may* experience some ink 'burping' (air bubbles coming out of the nib) if you get below half full.
Why? That is up for debate, but I've heard the heat from your hand raises the temperature of the air inside the pen body, and the difference in pressure causes it to come out of the only place it can: the nib.
Is that true? I'm not sure. Just use the pen as long as you want, and if you notice it burp and you see you're low on ink, fill it back up!
We have a 4-pack of Preppy O-rings available for purchase. You can pretty much use any o-ring you can find that's about this size. Just look for a chemical-resistant o-ring with roughly a 7.5mm inside diameter and 9.2mm outside diameter.
And the silicone grease?
We've got you covered! You can find our Goulet Silicone Grease here. You can use any 100% clear silicone grease (NOT silicone caulk), often it can be found in the plumbing section at your local home center.
