Traveling with fountain pens

[HDoug]

I recently returned from a business trip where I took two fountain pens and two inks. I filled both pens before wrapping them in a paper towel and putting them in a ziplock baggie with two bottles of ink. I put the baggie in my luggage so I wouldn't run afoul of TSA rules and regs.

 

When I unpacked at the hotel-- oh no! -- the paper towel was saturated with blue ink. I didn't know which pen leaked, or maybe it was both...? I cleaned everything up and used the pens during my stay. I went through the same routine on my way back -- oh no! -- same result.

 

Well, it turns out it wasn't the pens that were leaking, it was the bottle. Specifically, the bottle of Noodler's Luxury Blue. The other ink was in a small bottle I got at the art supply store and that one held tight.

 

Just passing this along to others who might be contemplating traveling with their favorite pens: Pay attention to the ink bottles too!

 

Doug

[MYU]

I suggest a traveling ink pot/well. They usually come with a double cap to help avoid leakage. You can get them on-line. Visconti has a rather pricey one, but I bought a vintage type ink pot on eBay for less than $30. Also, I hear that medical vials can work as well, as long as you get one with an opening larger than 3/8".

[Chris_PA]

Doug, I travel weekly and for several months now have been taking several fountain pens with me in my computer case. I've not had one leaking issue - I even will use my fp in air (not during the plane ascending to altitude) to write with. The fountain pens do face nib-up in my computer case, and I'm not militant about making sure they are all full (combo of cartridge and piston-fill).

 

I even took my newly received Vanishing Point and was nervous because of lack of cap, and still no issues!

[HesNot]

I've had to fly a few times recently with fountain pens. I've traveled with a c/c Sheaffer Imperial, a Vanishing Point, a "51" flighter, a "51" aero, a 61 and most recently with a "51" vac. I've filled the pens before leaving and kept them in a 4 pen case that I keep in an upright position with me. Although the vac "51" is not supposed to be a flight design it came here with no leaks or blips. Ditto for the rest. My staple pens are the VP and the 61 - I use cartridges in the VP and carry extras, and the 61 is a great design for aircraft. But I've found that keeping pens upright is the most important factor it seems.

[macthemaths]

My Lamy Safaris that were thrown in my hand luggage bag performed perfectly on a recent flight to Barcelona.

[maryannemoll]

I suppose it's because modern pens are made differently, more efficient, to some extent, to suit the modern lifetsyle. I'm just curious about one thing, though. Does this now debunk the old rule that we should not take inked fountain pens aboard planes?

[vacuumkid3]

Both bottles of Noodler's that we took (Manhattan Blue and Black) did not leak a bit. They held up rather fine. I will not try traveling with a FP as I fear leaking for a Snorkel or Touchdown, possibly. Also, I don't have a good method of holding them upright. Plus, I don't travel much. I probably will bring some FPs with me to New York in a few months. That'll be fun. Maybe I can visit Art Brown again! Just my $.02!

 

~~K~~

[Latro21]

i was just struck with a thought while reading this thread.

 

has anyone thought of using those plastic containers meant for storing your toothbrush during travel to hold a fountain pen? if i remember correctly, they come in different sizes, and i believe we used to have one that would have fit a phileas [ill have to see if i can find it to be sure].

 

this might make a very nice cheap container to keep pens safe while also containing leaks.

 

OH! BETTER IDEA! if you have a pen that will fit, a cigar tube would be perfect. cheap, sturdy, protective, and some are leak proof.

[Kelly G]

In my former life, before changing vocations last year, I traveled by commercial air and business jet at least monthly and often more. I carried my fp for 10 years with no major problems. The first of those years it was a MB 144 and the last five various vintage and modern pens. I had only two experiences of ink in the cap of a pen - one was a 51 vac that was laying horizontal in my pen case and bag. No ink leaked out of the cap. I can't remember the other pen.

I always tried to fly with full pens, although many return trips were with pens less than full. I rarely carried ink with me as my trips were short in duration and I usually carried eight pens. I found my modern Pelikans to be the most reliable traveling pens. I always used my pens while flying, trying to hold the nib up when it wasn't actually writing.

I took two Aurora Idea's on a mission trip to Jamaica - I needed a rugged cart. filler and they performed well, in the air and on the ground.

 

Thankfully, my work traveling days appear to be over, except for an occasional trip. Travel by commercial air isn't that much fun anymore, at least in my opinion.

[Escribiente]

The old advise against flying with fountain pens was probably due to the imperfect presurization of planes before the 1970s. The pressurizaton has improved in the last decades. I have flown with fountain pens, and used them in the air, since the early 1990s without one single leaking incident. The two rules I follow are:

• I make sure that the pens are nib up during take off and landing.
• I don't use them during take off and landing (which extends from the first rule ).

[HDoug]

Okay, thanks for all the comments (really) but what I was warning folks about wasn't flying with fountain pens, it was about flying with bottles of ink. Those suckers can leak!

 

Doug

[jd50ae]

Years ago I would have taken bottled ink on trips. I do not do that any more; it only takes one leaky bottle to cure that. Other then my Pelikans, which are filled before I leave, it is a bag of cartridges, and pens that use them. All of that is packed into a zippered leather pen case which in turn goes into a big plastic bag.

[ConnallMac]

Don't waste a bunch of money on Visconti's ink pot. I went down to a Gander Mountain store and bought a collection of 8 Nalgene containers for about $9.00. They range in size from one to four ounces, so you can take a lot or a little ink depending on how long your trip is or the amount of ink you use. They are nearly indestructible and I have never had one leak.

 

 

--J. Haney

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

The ink exchange vials should work quite well when traveling. They hold about 7ML and are air-tight (and tough enough to go through the mail without fear of breakage). I sell them at cost to those interested in swapping inks and things. If you want some, just PM.

 

Dillon

[jfedv]

I agree on the traveling with stock ink bottles. Bought some Private Reserve in LA last month and it leaked while in my checked baggage. Fortunately I had wrapped in a plastic bag so no luggage or clothes damaged.

 

My Pilot VP using Namiki cartridges has not leaked externally while flying but did leak once within the barrel/section out of about 8 flights. I am now using Noodlers Black and the converter and while I have had no leaks in flight, as a precaution I take the nib/converter unit out of the pen and drop it in a plastic tube for the duration of the flight. Peace of mind that I won't have to clean the inside of the mechanism is nice.

 

My chrome Targa Fine nib with aerometric converter and Skrip leaked 1 out of three flights, but again only within the cap/section, not externally. It stays home these days and "rests"

 

Joe Elward

[ViolinWriter]

When I was doing a lot of pond crossing, and before the liquids ban went into effect, I'd always travel with pens and the equivelant of half a bottle of ink. After a bad lesson learned in the hazards of depressruized baggage compartments, I started what I call the "suspenders and belt" packing system for ink, or the "After System".

 

First, the "After System" in effect today: If I need to pack bottle ink in checked luggage, the bottle ink gets transferred to a one or two ounce plastic bottle or vial with a very tight cap. That bottle is then inserted into a larger vial, such as a large cylinder style plastic prescription bottles from any drug store. Tissues are packed around it to sop up any spillage, should the worst happen. That bottle is, in turn inserted into yet another larger container, usually a still larger child proof bottle such as are available from pharmacies.

 

It is like carrying a Walgreen's matroishka doll. All of these vials in vials were, as a single package, are then inserted into a plastic bag, sealed inside another plastic bag.

 

The reason for the "After System", or how to learn fabric design courtesy of British Airways, was this. You may think the "After System" is the height of paranoia. On one trip, the securely sealed plastic bottle inside a bag, inside another bag, wasn't quite good enough. My black (thankfully black) recital skirt got a huge ink stain on it. The ink in question was blue, so off to the cleaners the skirt went on arrival. I was doing programs in a town near Liverpool, and had plenty of time for cleaning, and for more. It turned out more was needed.

 

The cleaners couldn't get the "splotch" out Being blue on a black rayon taffeta it showed. Rayon is a natural fabric in reality, that stains and can be died by amateurs like me. Or with the help of the British Airways baggage system. So creativity reigned. I got a bottle of blue ink (not that easily found in Liverpool) and not the identical ink as the blue I'd been using,. I then "splotched" the skirt all over using a 10 cc syringe, needle removed.

 

Now, the "splotching" was fun. The result was a little bluish tint to the black, and was in reality attractive. I also brought the "splotched" skirt home, hit it with a few other blues and set the inks/dyes using Synthropol.

 

This is not a recommended fabric dying system. The leaking ink bottle would have been an entirely different story if the leak had stained a pink formal gown (which, that trip was unharmed) or on a white silk blouse. Or it could have been worse yet, on one of my handknitted sweaters. That would be handknitted by moi.

 

Lesson learned. Less (packaging) is not more when it comes to traveling with ink bottles. I don't care what Mies Van der Rohe says. He was right about architecture, not recital skirts and ink bottles on airplanes.

 

Oh, and with the "After System" I've never spilled even a drop of ink. Not even when filling the pens I carry with me, when doing my recital tours.

[lmederos]

QUOTE (ConnallMac @ Feb 24 2007, 06:42 AM)

Don't waste a bunch of money on Visconti's ink pot. I went down to a Gander Mountain store and bought a collection of 8 Nalgene containers for about $9.00. They range in size from one to four ounces, so you can take a lot or a little ink depending on how long your trip is or the amount of ink you use. They are nearly indestructible and I have never had one leak. --J. Haney

... how wide are the mouths of your Nalgene bottles? large enough for a piston filler ?

 

thx

 

 

[AndreaDuni]

QUOTE (ConnallMac @ Feb 24 2007, 06:42 AM)

Don't waste a bunch of money on Visconti's ink pot.

 

I have 4 Visconti travelling ink pots, two in use, and two for gift/collection/other-future-ink. Two are standard, one metal clear, and one metal amber. I have never experimented directly on clothes but I put them in my hand luggage, inside a plastic bag sealed to avoid ink leaks, inside the external pocket. I also put there my fps, both cartridges' and piston fillers'. I had no ink leaks from anywere on Italian airplanes. I just take them externally because of european international rules for liquids. Sometimes I found some ink drops (not to worry about ink spillages) on the nibs and inside the caps.

 

Visconti's ink pots are really good for both converters' and piston fillers' fp. They have a big window, and a big rubber at the top to avoid ink leaks both at travelling and at filling pens, because you need to turn over the ink pot in order to fill the fp at the maximum level and to use till the last drop of your ink. The fp's grip is sealed by the rubber so there is no ink leak.

First times I tryed this operation I was over the washbasin and tested with water, than with ink and now I do also in public without any problem. I just verify to have sealed the grip to avoid spillage of the entire ink pot on my hands when I turn over it (never happened!!!). At the end of the operation just remember to drop inside the ink pots around 2-3 drops from the fp with nib turned down, then turn up it again outside the ink pot and screw the piston or converter to the end to absorb the ink on the nib. Then simply blot the nib to remove ink drops.

 

It is surely more complicated to tell than to do. Really!!

Edited February 26, 2007 by Netnemo

[OldPott]

I flew last week - just a short hop, even in British terms - and totally forgot about my good intentions to keep my selection of pens upright, so slung them into the overhead locker (they were in a leather case inside my rucksack). I was totally caught up in the excitement of trying to fit all my liquids and pastes into a little plastic bag.

 

The pens emerged with no problems, although all concerned were modern pens with either a converter or piston... So I guess you must be right, modern cabin pressures are reliable enough to keep things sweet. I used to empty them and take ink but I've had a few seepages, shall we say, so no longer play that game.

 

I'm off again tomorrow, this time to Edinburgh (again, just an hour or so) and I filled one my vintage Skylines for the trip - and then chickened out. So it will be the newbies again.

 

To tell the truth, I'm more worried about officialdom confiscating them on the grounds that they could be used as weapons...