Leaky Eyedropper

Hi All,

I have this eyedropper that I've owned for about 5 years now. I haven't been able to use it as it burps ink. It's a Levy Pen Co. branded eyedropper with a donor Waterman nib. I am not sure if the feed is original to the pen but I suspect that it's the reason it keeps burping. I'm keen on trying to get it to work since it would be a shame to not be able to use it at some point.

Photos here show you that the feed has a rather wide main channel that is composed of three smaller channels.

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Given the above dimensions and construction of the feed, would my best option be to search for a feed that has a much smaller channel than what I currently have? Thank you very much and appreciate any suggestions on where I may be able to source feeds or who best to speak with to help procure one.

Burping ink in eyedroppers isn't usually anything to do with the feed. It's down to expansion of the air in the barrel due to the heat of your hand. Keep it well filled and you shouldn't have that problem. Another method is to hold it nib up and let the heat of your hand transfer so that the expanded air will escape upwards before you begin writing.

All of my eyedroppers leaked. I usually hold them upright and let them warm up for a minute before writing. This is super inconvenient sometimes, but okay for longer sessions. Ill also keep an eye of the feed for the first few moments of writing. When I see the ink starting to build up, I'll dab it on a paper towel and that usually solves the problem. Like eachan said, it likely has to do with warming air in the barrel. Keeping it full will help, but all of my eyedroppers still burp.

Though the burping can be controlled - to a degree, at least - I find nursing eyedroppers along to be too annoying and I gave up on them long ago. There were a few years at the beginning of last century when they were the only form of fountain pen available and the surviving work of those years isn't covered with blots. I think those people must have been more patient than me. Perhaps the relief of not having to constantly dip your pen outweighed the fear of dropping a blot right at the bottom of the page and having to start all over again...