Material Composition Of Pilot Feeds Etc.

[Maurizio]

The reason for this odd-sounding topic is that I'm conducting an experiment which I'm posting on the ink forum. I'm testing basil essential oil in ink for the pleasure of the scent while writing.

 

I'm being conservative and testing the adulterated ink with some inexpensive pens first. I've put 2 drops of basil essential oil into a full standard size Waterman ink bottle. I've then loaded this ink into "test" pens to see what reaction, if any, will occur. I've loaded it initially into a Platinum Preppy and a Pilot 78g; I've got a Pilot Metropolitan on order arriving soon into which I'll also put the scented ink. I'm particularly interested to see if there will be any nasty negative effects upon the feeds as a result of contact with the essential oil. I have several nice Pilot pens I'd like to run the scented ink through IF it's safe including VP's, a Custom 74, Falcons, and a CH 912. I plan to expose the less expensive pens to the scented ink for a full year before deciding whether or not it may be safe to run in my more expensive pens.

 

My question for you Pilot experts is this: does anyone know if the material (the plastic or resin or whatever it is) used for the feeds on the 78g and the Metropolitan is the same or roughly similar to the material used to make the feeds on the more expensive pens. It would seem that the feed material would be roughly similar (except for ebonite feeds on the 845 - I'm pretty sure ebonite and essential oil would be a bad combination), but that the designs of the feeds may be different. Or, I could be wrong and they use completely different plastic and resins for the higher end pens than on the lower end ones. Any insight will be appreciated so I can gauge whether my experiment with the less expensive pens is a test run for the reaction of the feeds to the essential oil in the higher end pens.

 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

[hari317]

My question for you Pilot experts is this: does anyone know if the material (the plastic or resin or whatever it is) used for the feeds on the 78g and the Metropolitan is the same or roughly similar to the material used to make the feeds on the more expensive pens. It would seem that the feed material would be roughly similar (except for ebonite feeds on the 845 - I'm pretty sure ebonite and essential oil would be a bad combination), but that the designs of the feeds may be different. Or, I could be wrong and they use completely different plastic and resins for the higher end pens than on the lower end ones. Any insight will be appreciated so I can gauge whether my experiment with the less expensive pens is a test run for the reaction of the feeds to the essential oil in the higher end pens.

 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

The 845 has a plastic feeder, the same that is found on the 743.

 

the feeder design is dfiffrent between the metro, 78G and the customs. The Customs 74/742/743/845 have the same design, the differences are in the dimensions.

 

Ink is water soluble, is essential oil water soluble?, if not then how will you achieve a uniform mix? is this a good idea? you have to arrive at your own conclusion.

 

HTH

Edited December 25, 2015 by hari317

[Maurizio]

This may be a bad idea, but I've decided to discover the answer for myself rather than rely on anecdote. If it doesn't work I've lost a Preppy, a 78g that I wasn't using because I didn't like the way it wrote, and a new Pliot Metropolitan that I could otherwise use as a nice knock around pen, but, if the experiment - after a year of exposure - succeeds, then I get to use pleasantly scented ink with my good Pilot pens..

 

Re water solubility, the basil oil I'm using appears to be water soluble because it dissolved into the Waterman ink after a bit of vigorous shaking. 24 hours later I can see no signs of separation when I look into the bottle with a flashlight.

 

My Metrro has not arrived yet. So far there is no apparent damage to the Preppy and the 78g, and they are writing normally but I didn't expect any so soon. What I'm concerned about is subtle damage over time which is why I've decided to conduct the experiment for 12 months. If I see no damage after 6 months, I may take a chance and put the ink in my old reliable Pilot Ecrino which I've had now for more than 15 years.

 

Hari do you think it is reasonable to assume that the plastic used by Pilot to make feeds for a lower-priced pen such as a Metropolitan is the same or chemically similar to the plastic used to make feeds for pens such as the Falcon, the Custom 74 and the CH 912, and, as you note, the Custom 845? (I don't have an 845 yet, got diverted this year by 3 Falcons and a CH 912, and don't think ebonite will like essential oil) My biggest concern is that if the experiment succeeds after 12 months with the less expensive pens I will end up destroying a good pen because the feed material is different.

 

Thanks for reading.

[hari317]

I feel they will use the same material for the functional parts like feeders.

 

I feel ebonite feeders are easier to clean in case of contamination, IOW, i feel ebonite as a feeder material is more hardy.

 

Best

Hari

[Maurizio]

Thanks for your opinion Hari, I really appreciate it.

 

Interesting that you think the ebonite feeds would be stronger and more resistant to the "foreign" or potentially destructive effects of the essential oil than plastic. I don't own one yet but I'd want to be VERY certain the essential oil won't be destructive even to the Pilot plastic material before thinking about exposing it to a Custom 845.

 

My Pliot Metropolitan arrived today. Seems like a very decent pen for the price. Flushed it and inked it up with my essential-oil adulterated Waterman ink. The feed on the Metro looks identical to the 78g. Photos attached. 78g on the right, Metro on the left. As noted I'll be keeping these pens loaded with the scented ink for months and check back in here in about 3 months.

[amberleadavis]

Well, they sure look good.

[Maurizio]

Yes, clearly there isn't any damage yet; it's been since 12/24 when I first loaded the scented ink into the 78g and I the Preppy; the Metro was just exposed to the ink today. There have been no flow issues with any pen so far. Now it remains to be seen if there will be any damage over time.