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Problem With Pen Cases


iRabb

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I've seen a number of nice pen cases online—not for individual pens in a pocket, but the wooden type designed to hold pens on your desk. However, unless I have missed some, all of them hold the pens in a horizontal position. I've always stored pens nib up.

 

So is it not best practice to store pens nib up? Are these cases designed for uninked pens to be displayed but not used? Or my personal guess: the makers of these display cases are in the business of selling display cases, and do not care if they hold the pens in a less than ideal way because they care more about making the pens visible.

 

I'm very curious to hear what the group thinks.

 

 

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I have seen vertical stands but rarely... commerce is driven by demand...IMHO people in general prefer the horizontal cases rather than vertical, as a result

 

a vertical case with narrow base is bound to topple and a vertical stand with wider base would restrict the use of desk space.

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I have seen vertical stands but rarely... commerce is driven by demand...IMHO people in general prefer the horizontal cases rather than vertical, as a result

 

a vertical case with narrow base is bound to topple and a vertical stand with wider base would restrict the use of desk space.

 

Do you agree with Brian that horizontal storage is fine for the pens?

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Depends on if they are inked or not. Uninked you can store them any way you like.

 

With ink nib up when travelling. Horizontal is no problem at home.

If you are storing them for a long time it is better to unink them, or nib up. I am sometimes lazy cleaning pens coming out of rotation, I wait till I have a couple to clean. I store these nib up in an old test-tube rack from a laboratory.

 

Sometimes I deliberately store a hard starting pen nib down.

 

Be aware that when you have click-on caps not to yank the cap of with the nib down, especially if it has been stored horizontal, as the feed will be more saturated and you might get nibcreep through the vacuum.

 

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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These boxes are made to store your EMPTY pen,if there is ink in them there is a risk that ink leak on the box making it awful. Since the pen is empty being horizontal is not at all a prob.

Edited by Montblanc owner and lover

A people can be great withouth a great pen but a people who love great pens is surely a great people too...

Pens owned actually: MB 146 EF;Pelikan M200 SE Clear Demonstrator 2012 B;Parker 17 EF;Parker 51 EF;Waterman Expert II M,Waterman Hemisphere M;Waterman Carene F and Stub;Pilot Justus 95 F.

 

Nearly owned: MB 149 B(Circa 2002);Conway Stewart Belliver LE bracket Brown IB.

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These boxes are made to store your EMPTY pen,if there is ink in them there is a risk that ink leak on the box making it awful. Since the pen is empty being horizontal is not at all a prob.

Yes, agreed. I think theses horizontal pen display cases are made to hold empty pens not ones full of ink. If you look hard enough there are plenty of display stands for pens that keep them vertical. I got a nice one from my wife for Christmas this past year. Holds 7 pens on my desk, vertically, so all can be inked. I also have a "vintage" Levenger display case, made of dark cherry stained wood with two glass sides that not only holds pens vertically, but encloses them in the case to keep them dust-free. And it takes up less space than their new horizontal version (I can't for the life of me figure out why they stopped making it).

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storing inked pens horizontally is fine, so long as the environment is fairly steady. as i think i noted elsewhere i had an Ahab leak in the cap when stored horizontally, with the caveat that the temperature in that room was not stable; the same pen in the same room gave me no trouble when stored nib up.

 

temperature (or air pressure) swings => pressure and volume changes in the air bubble in the reservoir => ink getting pushed out the nib, IF there's any ink between the air bubble and the nib. nib-up storage => ink drains downward => air bubble escapes out the tines with no ink to stop it.

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Thanks to all who added their opinions. Of all the forums I read, this one and one on straight razors are more active than all the rest put together. It's outstanding.

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I store most of my pens horizontal. Never had any problems.

 

Stand back. I can handle this one. :P

 

Right now, at arm's length I can see 21 pens at rest, horizontally.

 

 

At rest, Horizontally ON a pen rack made to hold 12 pens in a Vertical position.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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Stand back. I can handle this one. :P

 

Right now, at arm's length I can see 21 pens at rest, horizontally.

 

 

At rest, Horizontally ON a pen rack made to hold 12 pens in a Vertical position.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Which begs the question; WHY?

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Which begs the question; WHY?

Because he can???

 

D.ick

~

KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

~

 

 

 

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We have stored uninked pens horizonally for many years with no issues. Please note that our cases are mostly wood and that we open them to vent one night each week (related to the impact of outgassing of pens and their case materials - a different issue than intended here) and that filled pens are stored differently, generally nib up.

D.C. in PA - Always bitin' off more than I can chew.

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We have stored uninked pens horizonally for many years with no issues. Please note that our cases are mostly wood and that we open them to vent one night each week (related to the impact of outgassing of pens and their case materials - a different issue than intended here) and that filled pens are stored differently, generally nib up.

 

Yes,, my question is about filled pens only. I have seen some vertical pen displays, but they all seemed to be shown with rollerballs, point down, which made me wonder if the bottom detent would be big enough for some larger body fountain pens.

 

I would be interested to hear more about venting the case one night per week—this is not something I have heard of before.

 

Finally, I wondered if when you said "our cases" if you meant cases you own, or cases you make and/or sell?

 

Best,

 

Ben

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Stand back. I can handle this one. :P

 

Right now, at arm's length I can see 21 pens at rest, horizontally.

 

 

At rest, Horizontally ON a pen rack made to hold 12 pens in a Vertical position.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

 

Which begs the question; WHY?

 

1) It is simply my unproved opinion that horizontally has the pen writing at it's best quicker after a rest.

2) I can get twice as many pens in the same space that way?

3) The case is very close by where I usually am sitting. It's VERY convenient to just slide a pen in there next to another one.

4) I'm not sure, but they may breed like that.

 

If nothing else, there IS Some method to the madness. ;)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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