I'm looking for pens for an HP plotter I recently acquired. These pens are getting harder to come by, and I was hoping someone might have some old dried out ones they would be willing to part with. I am working on trying to figure out a reliable method to either refill them or manufacture new ones. Pretty much the only requirement that I have is that the tip of the pen is mostly ok, I don't care if the ink is dried out.
Since this is one of the carousel units, I can't just use normal pens due to the height restriction. This is for an HP 7550A.
CuriousMarc shows how to refill or adapt a collar to an existing pen...
Yup, I did find that video of his. Although, I would prefer a more elegant solution than that if possible. I'm thinking about maybe turning something from aluminum in the shape of the pens, but with a threaded cap at the top to make for easier refilling? Although I would still need some of the pens to figure out how the tips/nibs are constructed/inserted. The unit I just purchased only came with a handful of pens, not enough for a full set of eight that this unit is able to take.
Unfortunately, I can't use his method of full size normal pens, since this is a carousel model, it has a height restriction due to the enclosure, and I would prefer to not have to modify it.
I purchased a few packs of pens from ChartPak about 2 years ago (via one of their distributors Du-All) - Looks like both they and the Chartpak store don't have them anymore (or are at least out of them).
You might want to try and contact info@duall.com to see if they still carry them.
Otherwise, I'd be interested in hearing what you come up with as a solution, please post back and let us know.
TonyG
I have a 7475A. If the pens are the same, you should be able to adapt a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker by cutting if off 44mm from the tip.
You'll need a 24mm long collar with 10mm inner, 11.5mm outer diameter with a "flange" half way. The "flange" has 16.5mm outer diameter by 2mm thick (where attached) tapering to 1.5mm (at outer edge).
On second thought, you probably can just use a plastic washer (10mm inner, 16.5mm outer diameters, 2mm thick) and superglue it 30mm from the tip. Then use electrical tape on either side to build-up the diameter to 11.5mm.
Are these the same pens as for the 7440A? See picture. I've them laying around since more than 25 years now. And most of the ones with the cap on are not even dried out. Unfortunately sending to US is not option. But if you'll ever visit Vienna..... ;-)
Relying on there being a good tip is possibly rather a short-term solution. You should be able to find a few dried-up pens with NIB tips, but you will soon wear them down. Imho you need to find a way to replace the tip, too, so pqass's suggestion sounds good.
Reading the latest posts, I was wondering if there is a 3D Model that might be useful and I stumbled over this:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4911557The author doesn't say anything about cutting down the pens but seeing that they say that this works in their 7475A I would assume that they have to be. Maybe they also printed a cap to reseal the end after they were cut down.
TonyG
The Curious Marc video also linked me to
which mentions a 3d-printed adapter for sharpies. He uses long pens and modifies the plotter but you could shorten them, too.
Thanks for the video - In the thumbnail image you can see that things aren't really lined up well - I wonder if that is because of the length of the pens or if the adapters are too loose.
If I ever get this 845AB off my bench I might give the Stabilo/Sharpie cut down thing a try.
TonyG
@Rafiki, I sent you a PM. Could you reply? Thanks, G