Pens and the TSA

[GirchyGirchy]

True - but pretty soon, with mm-wave full-body scanners, you won't have to carry a picture around of your daughter in a bikini, for the TSA clowns to "enjoy the diversion" that she brings, at least if you travel together-- and this time out of view of the general public.

Sure it's gonna happen. If you don't like it, don't fly. Personally it doesn't bother me.

[GraceThroughFaith]

I wonder if a Lamy 2000 would pass through undetected...

 

I've taken my L2K on numerous flights and I haven't ever gotten stopped because of my pens.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I wonder if a Lamy 2000 would pass through undetected...

 

I've taken my L2K on numerous flights and I haven't ever gotten stopped because of my pens.

 

There is that big chunk of steel that composes the clip, and the interior of the cap is metal. Durable, but not a spy pen. :ph34r:

[rainwolf]

I don't know if they're fully in place, but I got scanned leaving Salt Lake City a few weeks ago...

 

Gack.

 

Already? Sheesh.

Already and for quite a while now, I got scanned leaving SLC back in the fall of 2008.

[voop]

True - but pretty soon, with mm-wave full-body scanners, you won't have to carry a picture around of your daughter in a bikini, for the TSA clowns to "enjoy the diversion" that she brings, at least if you travel together-- and this time out of view of the general public.

Sure it's gonna happen. If you don't like it, don't fly. Personally it doesn't bother me.

 

How 'bout: if I don't like it, I won't have it forced upon me?

[OiRogers]

True - but pretty soon, with mm-wave full-body scanners, you won't have to carry a picture around of your daughter in a bikini, for the TSA clowns to "enjoy the diversion" that she brings, at least if you travel together-- and this time out of view of the general public.

Sure it's gonna happen. If you don't like it, don't fly. Personally it doesn't bother me.

 

How 'bout: if I don't like it, I won't have it forced upon me?

 

My pens have never been an issue... cursory glance at the best. I've had more hassle from steel toed boots than from pens from the wonderful TSA folk.

 

If you turn the offer of the full body scanner down, they physically pat you down... From my line of work, I know how to search a person thoroughly, my continued safety and being able to come home to my family depend on my ability to search a person completely... every time the TSA has searched my person I've almost laughed at the large areas of my person they skip to "protect the modesty of the traveler". It doesn't surprise me that various contraband (bombs.... etc.) make it on to planes... they are not thorough at all.

 

I about wet myself laughing when a TSA employee tried to take my badge out of my wallet on off my belt claiming they could be considered a weapon... they weren't concerned about the .40sw pistol on my hip in the least... cause you know... my line of work and all. Needless to say... I'm not too impressed by our TSA's "security measures"... it would appear that they are operating more on the principle that if you make a person feel like they had to jump through hoops to get on the plane they must be safe. :blink:

 

To horribly misquote B. Franklin.... Those who give up freedom for safety deserve neither. We're doing it wrong... if we're going to give up our freedoms for safety, we could at least be safer in trade for our loss of freedom and privacy... we could learn a bunch from El Al and the way that the Israelis run their air transport... but the ACLU (Stands for "All Criminals Love Us" if IIRC) would be screaming bloody murder... True security wouldn't be acceptable, it would be too intrusive. I still mourn the loss of our freedoms... but that is not a topic for this board so I'll desist.

 

Ah yes... this will probably be my last post that pretty well tells the board (and the world at large) my occupation... it's something that tends to affect how folks interact with me. As such, please continue to think of me as a half-wit loudmouth no-talent clown. Thank you.

[PaulK]

Earlier this week, had my Lamy 2K in my shirt pocket as I walked through security. Never an issue. Only problem I ever had was a couple months ago when I foolishly placed my pen (Conway Stewart 58) in the screening bin. Apparently the cartridges caused the TSA to retrieve the pen and attempt to pull the cap off (vs. unscrew). I suggested to the young lady, after about yelling "unscrew the cap!" to take an additional moment in the future to ask the owner how something opens/works. That was met with a "whatever" scowl.

 

Pen now stays in shirt pocket.

 

If it's my Waterman Exception or another with lots of metal, I'd make sure that it is in my briefcase. Not sure it would make it through the body screen.

 

Never any issues with air pressure changes. All my pens behave very well.

 

My best,

 

Paul

[bgray]

Whenever I fly with pens, it's usually to a pen show, so there's lots of them - 50 to 100 pens.

 

Of course, they are all carry-on. I have all my pens is a case, and I remove all the nibs, and placed them in a special foam case that I made just for nibs.

 

The pens never give me trouble, but the nibs sometimes do.

 

They resemble bullets on the scanner.

 

They always want to check them out, but they've never given me problems once they see what they are.

 

But I'm always a little nervous. Imagine 100+ gold nibs multiplied by the retail price of around $100, and you realize why....

[welch]

I have flown many times with fountain pens...mostly NYC/DC shuttle. No problem.

 

Just flew to Israel on the famously secure El Al. No problem with pens or a bottle of ink. Pens included P51, Pel 200, Lamy 2000, and Eversharp Skyline. No leaks, either.

[GirchyGirchy]

How 'bout: if I don't like it, I won't have it forced upon me?

Then I guess you won't be flying then.

[GraceThroughFaith]

I wonder if a Lamy 2000 would pass through undetected...

 

I've taken my L2K on numerous flights and I haven't ever gotten stopped because of my pens.

 

There is that big chunk of steel that composes the clip, and the interior of the cap is metal. Durable, but not a spy pen. :ph34r:

 

Curses! You have foiled my plan!

[neobliviscar]

Depends on your TSA pick of the day. Do you get the ones doing the best job they can, or the power tripper?

 

Most pens are under 6 inches of length, or under 4 inches of actual threat element of stab penetration. No problem.

However: think knitting needles.

Bring a stainless steel pen of about desk pen length and shape (200mm or 7.87 inches) through certain airports and you can expect a *chance* of having it confiscated, destroyed, and a mandatory misdeameanor arrested complete with mug shot. In 2012 I observed such an arrest, with the gent released to travel with his family and deal with nosy questions from fellow travelers. The police explained to him the TSA call made it a mandatory arrest in that state, explained why a misdemeanor, and told him that if he had been out of state or _any_ priors, they would have had to handcuff him and take him to jail.

 

I am flying tomorrow, but not checking my bag as it is a quick trip. Renewing my interest in fountain pens, I was going to take two of my pens to do some writing and practice handwriting, but decided to quickly Google the topic. Reading the older thread here and not seeing anyone with a single TSA pen related incident, I felt that it was time not to lurk here on Fountainpennetwork.com as I often have, but actually post for future reader's knowledge.

[Gloucesterman]

Although we don't really need a daily update, a periodic one to share the continuing state of acceptability or any problems encountered would probably be appreciated by anyone who might be traveling.

 

BTW, could one approach the TSA screener prior to a boarding rush and show the pen/s, answer any questions and, if the pens are deemed unacceptable, have small stamped and addresses package available to be put in the mail back home ot to your next location?

 

It seems that that would solve the problem with the chance of the pens being confiscated (and destroyed).

[jordanjay29]

I went through security twice this summer (once at MSP, the other at DCA) and had no problems with the TSA and my pens. They didn't even bother to open the pen case that the pens were stored inside.

 

Clearly I could have taken over the plane with my Italix Parson's Essential, you know with the sharp italic nib and all.

[BakerMikeRomeo]

I find it quite heartening all the reports in this thread of people who haven't had trouble with the TSA, but I wouldn't put anything past those slack-jawed, mouth-breathing morons, so I'd be hesitant to carry on anything I didn't think of as "cheap".

[balson]

 

 

Seriously, though, I probably won't fly if full-body scanners are implemented. All these other measures are panaceas, red herrings, distractions, and fake reassurance. I'm being jokey about the full-body scanners, but I'm against them, and I do not trust the human factor to honor privacy. Those scans will end up on the Internet. One person might get fired. But, no... if this country can't handle topless beaches or a "fashion malfunction" at halftime, how can it handle full-body scans? Come on! This country is schizophrenic.

 

two batches of body scans have already made it to the internet. they are supposed to delete them at the end of the day, but one of the leaks has over 6 months worth of body scans released. they were not the really high res ones they have now that show everything going on, just the ones where everyone looks like blobs, but if its happened before it will happen again.

 

what i am curious about is if anyone has had any trouble with vintage celluloid pens. i carried some on the airplane no problem and i did not even think about how flammable they are until i got to my destination. i have been too nervous to bring them anywhere since then for fear of the tsa pen shredder.

[ReverendPen]

I have never had a pen screened by Tsa and I have carried many pens with me in my domestic and international flights. But pre-TSA days I had my Hewlett Packard Calculator checked over. It was an HP-48SX. they had never seen a graphing calculator. They had me turn it on and could not for the life of them figure out how to add two numbers.

[Centopar]

I fly to the US from the UK (and back again) about ten times a year - and internally in the US, and to other places - I'm in a plane at least every couple of weeks, and I've never had a problem with my pens. Not ever. I usually have a lot of rather threatening-looking computer hardware with me too (it's my job): bare circuit boards and the like. Occasionally I'm asked what the hardware is, but my explanation has always sufficed (and I'm asked about it very seldom).

 

I think people's worry about the TSA and their equivalents in other countries is often overblown. If you treat them like humans, they generally do the same to you.

[Centopar]

 

what i am curious about is if anyone has had any trouble with vintage celluloid pens. i carried some on the airplane no problem and i did not even think about how flammable they are until i got to my destination. i have been too nervous to bring them anywhere since then for fear of the tsa pen shredder.

 

You can extend that logic to anything flammable: books, clothes, food wrappers...I have never heard of anything being shredded or otherwise disposed of for not being flame-retardant. I really wouldn't worry. I think I can say with absolute certainty that the TSA is not checking your carry-on for flameproofness.

[BakerMikeRomeo]

I think I can say with absolute certainty that the TSA is not checking your carry-on for flameproofness.

Don't be so sure. On a forum I used to post on, a fellow accidentally left a soldering torch in the backpack he was using for a carry-on, and while he was arguing with one of the TSA goons about what to do with it (i.e., whether he'd have to just toss it out, or if he could have a family member come and pick it up at the checkpoint), another braindead goon was fiddling with the torch and accidentally lit his backpack on fire, whereupon she leapt to her feet and shrieked "It's on fire! You can't take fire on an airplane!"

 

As soon as you define a minimum expectation of competence, somebody'll bust right through it.

 

If you treat them like humans, they generally do the same to you.

Bah. If you start treating them like people, they'll start to think they are people, and that's a process you don't want to see get started.

 

Archer: Woodhouse! What are you doing?!

Woodhouse: Uh, sitting down, sir.

Archer: What, at the table?!

Malory: Sterling.

Archer: Like people?!

Malory: Sterling!

Archer: What?! Look, he thinks he's people!

Edited October 25, 2013 by BakerMikeRomeo