Eye-dropper Fountain Pens.

[Free Citizen]

I read with interest, Martin Lehmann’s account of eye-dropper fountain pens in his article, The First Fountain Pens. Contrary to popular understanding of this type of pen, I believe it is still in widespread use. However, it is not the classics but a reincarnation of it. They are in fact cartridge pens. Strangely, it is the computer age that made it so. How, one may ask. In this age of personal computing, a standard feature is the computer print out. The most popular type of printer is the ink jet. These printers uses ink cartridges and when the ink is exhausted it has to be replaced. Replacement cartridge is expensive. So, most users recycle them. The recycle package consists of ink refill contained in syringes with blunt hollow needles. As Mr. Lehmann describes it, ink is fed into the cartridge drop by drop. When the refill is finished we are left with the perfect tools to do the same with cartridge fountain pens. This is what I do with my Pelikan Future. I believe I am not the only one. This recycling of fountain pen cartridges appeals to me. It is to a certain extent environment friendly. Although not as perfectly friendly as the piston filling Souverans, at least you can pack some spare cartridges on the go. Something you can’t do with a bottle of ink. So, eye-droppers lives on.