Here was my issue:
I had a Platinum Preppy pen with an empty cartridge. I didn’t want to turn the pen itself into an eyedropper because I like the clean, clear barrel. I tried to rinse the empty cartridge, but the water got trapped inside due to the cartridge’s little floating ball designed to hold ink inside the cartridge.
Here was my solution:
I exchanged a few emails with Margana the Inkophile, and she suggested the genius idea of inserting a toothpick into the cartridge to prevent the ball from blocking the neck of the cartridge, thus allowing the ink to flow out. I tried it, and I had an empty cartridge in about 15 seconds. Brilliant! I was able to refill the cartridge giving my Noodler’s “The Heart of Darkness” (and my Preppy) some attention in the rotation. Yay!
Lesson:
When you can’t get ink of of a cartridge because of the little floating ball, insert a toothpick, and rest the cartridge (opening down) into a cup with some well crumpled tissues. You’ll have an empty cartridge in a jiffy! (Yes, I just said jiffy…)