Centripetal pen dewaterer

[someonesdad]

Just for the heck of it, I made a simple device get the water out of a pen that has been flushed. I made mine from some schedule 80 gray PVC pipe I had. I used the heavier pipe because I wanted to cut some threads on it. The cap was made from a chunk of 1.25" PVC bar stock. I cut 20 threads per inch. As 3/4" PVC pipe is 1.05" outside diameter, this is nearly a 1-20 UNEF thread.

 

A sane person would have just used a chunk of schedule 40 pipe, glued on an adapter to a male 3/4" NPT threaded end (or used a chunk of 3/4" threaded nipple), and stuck on a pipe cap.

 

I drilled two 0.050" (about 1.25 mm) holes 180 degrees apart in the end and tied in a piece of braided nylon twine. A figure eight knot was used on each end of the twine to keep them from coming back out of the hole.

 

The pen is put into the device with the nib towards the cap. Cushion the nib on something absorbent, such as toilet paper. Put the cap on and swing the thing around by the twine. Cheap, easy to make, and works in zero gravity.

 

http://www.gdssw.com/fpn/pen_spinner.jpg

[ajcoleman]

Very clever -- I like it!

 

Just be sure to hang on tight while you whirl that thing around. It would be hard to explain to the nibmeister trying to straighten the tines of your nib out that they got bent when you launched your pen across the room and through the wall while trying to dry it!

[pen2paper]

staple it-I mean, chain it to your wrist, to be sure

[someonesdad]

I made the string pretty long so that I take a couple of turns around my hand before swinging it. No way it's going to come loose. If I was really paranoid, I'd take it out on the lawn and swing it.

 

I just cleaned a pen a bit ago with it and it works fine -- I had no worry of the thing getting loose and damaging the pen (or putting a spot on the ceiling to explain to the wife).

[Lloyd]

Didn't David slay Goliath with a sterling YOL pen in one of those?

[pen2paper]

ooh perhaps my unused salad spinner could be repurposed into a pen dryer...would have to install a seat belt for my pen babies.

[Johnny Appleseed]

The Salad Spinner is a well established solution. See - (drum roll) the salad spinner centrifuge, Just the facts mam (on how to make one)

 

http://mainstreetpens.com/pix/centandpen.jpg

 

Of course, for those looking to do it the original way, there is the official Parker Pen Centrifuge. I tried to find a link to Richards post on it, but couldn't find it (maybe he posted it elsewhere - Pentrace?)

 

Ron Zorn built his own - What is this and what do I do with it?

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/centside.jpg

 

But if you really want to dewater a pen, try Andy's design where you attach it to a lawnmower blade.

 

Ah the joys of centrifugal force!

 

John

[wvbeetlebug]

Cheese and Crackers! I was flushing pens today and thought "Man it would be nice if I could just swirl this in the air." Great minds think alike!

 

[pen2paper]

The Salad Spinner is a well established solution. See - (drum roll) the salad spinner centrifuge, Just the facts mam (on how to make one)

 

http://mainstreetpens.com/pix/centandpen.jpg

 

Of course, for those looking to do it the original way, there is the official Parker Pen Centrifuge. I tried to find a link to Richards post on it, but couldn't find it (maybe he posted it elsewhere - Pentrace?)

 

Ron Zorn built his own - What is this and what do I do with it?

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/centside.jpg

 

But if you really want to dewater a pen, try Andy's design where you attach it to a lawnmower blade.

 

Ah the joys of centrifugal force!

 

John

thanks John..guess this could also slurp into a thread on You Know You're Obsessed When.. everything can be repurposed in connection with the obsession.

hey-I've got an unused electric snowblower

[someonesdad]

I'm just waiting to hear some chem or bio lab person pipe up and say, "Oh, that's nothing -- I just adapted our lab's centrifuge and I can dry 12 pens at once. Oh, and at 20 krpm too!" :roflmho:

[Dillo]

With that incredible G-force from a lab centrifuge, you can't use the wads of tissue anymore. Flattened nibs...other oddities. Good balance would be essential. You will need to buy two of each pen or make counterweights

 

Dillon

Edited March 14, 2009 by Dillo

[pen2paper]

'Dillo'

With that incredible G-force from a lab centrifuge, you can't use the wads of tissue anymore. Flattened nibs...other oddities. Good balance would be essential. You will need to buy two of each pen or make counterweights

Dillon

:hmm1: sounds like he may have 1st hand knowledge

[gregamckinney]

I'm just waiting to hear some chem or bio lab person pipe up and say, "Oh, that's nothing -- I just adapted our lab's centrifuge and I can dry 12 pens at once. Oh, and at 20 krpm too!" :roflmho:

 

Calling FarmBoy...

Though I would really expect more of a LHC-based device from him.

 

greg

 

 

[someonesdad]

I'd seen the salad-spinner thing before and liked it -- but it consumes too much space for my tastes. Then the pipe/pipe cap thing hit me and it's compact and easy to make (the PVC plumbing parts, not the way the idiot above did it on a lathe). Since making it the other day, I've used it 6 or 7 times and it works remarkably well. I just stuff a little toilet paper in the end, cap it, then use it 3 or 4 times before replacing the toilet paper. Including loading and unloading the pen, the whole thing takes perhaps 15 seconds.

[Heirphoto]

When I was a kid I had a chemistry set that came with a centrifuge type device that would hold two test tubes. It was made mostly of plastic and if you pumped the top it would spin. Being as test tubes and pens are similar in size maybe this would be a nice, ready to go solution. Probably an ebay find now days or something a science supply place would have.

 

Tony

Edited March 14, 2009 by Heirphoto

[rollerboy]

You realize that with this talk of centrifuges and pipes that the CIA and FBI are going to be carefully monitoring FPN from now on. Poor agents. Sent in undercover to FPN. Life and career crumble as fountain pen addiction takes hold.

 

Anyway, I just put the pen aside and let it dry overnight. I'm so ashamed.

[Snowcap]

'Dillo'

With that incredible G-force from a lab centrifuge, you can't use the wads of tissue anymore. Flattened nibs...other oddities. Good balance would be essential. You will need to buy two of each pen or make counterweights

Dillon

:hmm1: sounds like he may have 1st hand knowledge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have

[PacificCoastPen]

what fabulous ideas. hmmm, you could attach some drying pens to the ends of numchuks and swirl those around a couple times.

 

Ouch.

[bphollin]

When I was very young, my parents gave me two delightful pen de-waterers.

 

^{Hands. Just throwing it out there...}

:blink:

[pb2]

Just for the heck of it, I made a simple device get the water out of a pen that has been flushed. I made mine from some schedule 80 gray PVC pipe I had. I used the heavier pipe because I wanted to cut some threads on it. The cap was made from a chunk of 1.25" PVC bar stock. I cut 20 threads per inch. As 3/4" PVC pipe is 1.05" outside diameter, this is nearly a 1-20 UNEF thread.

 

A sane person would have just used a chunk of schedule 40 pipe, glued on an adapter to a male 3/4" NPT threaded end (or used a chunk of 3/4" threaded nipple), and stuck on a pipe cap.

 

I drilled two 0.050" (about 1.25 mm) holes 180 degrees apart in the end and tied in a piece of braided nylon twine. A figure eight knot was used on each end of the twine to keep them from coming back out of the hole.

 

The pen is put into the device with the nib towards the cap. Cushion the nib on something absorbent, such as toilet paper. Put the cap on and swing the thing around by the twine. Cheap, easy to make, and works in zero gravity.

 

http://www.gdssw.com/fpn/pen_spinner.jpg

 

I was about to strap my whole wet collectiion to my helicopter blades... glad I saw this! Especially with the AV fuel prices. Come to think of it, rubber bands and a small fan blade might work...if you use it out doors.