Converting aeromatic to eyedropper

[phillieskjk]

I have a Hero 329 (New Version- Not Star Trek). I love it. It always writes smoothly, it has never broken, I love the design (It's a Parker "51" clone) and it was 1 USD! I only have one issue with it. The ink sac is TINY! So, I want to increase the ink capacity by turning it into an eyedropper. I was planning to cut off the ink sack (it cannot be removed otherwise) and then proceed as if it was a cartridge pen. My only concern is the screw at the bottom of the pen. If I seal that screw with silicone grease as well, will it be watertight? Will there be any negative effect on the ink if it is in direct contact with the grease? I am not afraid of breaking the pen (since it was only a dollar) but I don't want it to leak all over.



Thanks,

Phillieskjk

[kirchh]

It's "Aerometric" (or "Aero-metric").

--Daniel

[Scrawler]

I do not know that pen, but aerometric pens rely on a hole at the end of the barrel. You will need to fill that.

[Flounder]

Chaps,

Bear in mind that cheapie Chinese "aerometric" pens are just breather tube equipped squeeze fillers, without an air pressure equalising hole in the breather tube.

I can offer the following input, Phillieskjk:

1. I haven't done an eyedropper conversion out of these, but I have done some broadly similar Hero 616 jumbo squeeze filler to vacumatic conversions. The 616 jumbo pens are the closest Chinese cheapies to the Parker 51 in form and function, and coped well with barrel filling, they did not blob when writing or uncapping (they have functional collectors and inner cap notches). So there is at least a hope that leaking will not be an issue.

2. From what you describe, and the photos I've seen of the old model 329, your revised 329 is Parker 61 esque, with a long slim hood and something like a dished tassie at the end of the barrel, like the old model Jinhao 321 (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/274422-jinhao-321/). I haven't any experience of it, but it seems to me that shellacing the tassie threads would make for a more robust (and aesthetically neat) seal than grease. If the barrel is molded round the tassie (as I expect the Jinhao's was) I would apply shellac with a long artist's brush up the inside of the barrel to seal it - it would help keep the ink away from the metal too.

3. Good luck!