I tried looking on here, but either the search isn't all that great, or maybe this hasn't been discussed all that much.

I've been told by the guy at the pen shop that when using bottle ink, I should keep it stored with the nib facing up (by the way, does this go for all ink?).

Now, is this 100% necessary? Sometimes, I keep it clipped to my pants pocket, and when I'm driving, it's sitting horizontal. Sometimes I drive for a couple of hours to my destination. I also have a friend that keeps hers in her purse, and I'm assuming it's laying horizontal. The guy told us today when she bought a converter and a bottle of Private Reserve Copper Burst for her Lamy Al-Star.

I'm kind of concerned about me, and would like to tell her for sure if she needs to figure some other way to store her pen.

When you have the convenient option, storing the nib upright reduces the opportunity for ink to find its way into the cap. Horizontal storage, especially for the periods you describe though, should not be a problem.

Some folk have no problem with permanent storage of filled pens on their side. If you aren't getting any leakage, don't worry about it!

Andy

I wouldn't worry about that advice. It's a little bit too overcautious in my view. I store many of my fps in the horizontal position! No problems ever! Of course, you don't want to jog or run around with the pens nib facing down while heavily shaking them....

Storage of pens on their side is very rarely a problem. I generally carry a pen nib up in a shirt pocket or clipped to my shirt, since it is getting jostled around by my movements but I also carry 3-4 pens in a pen case on their side in my brief case all of the time with no problems. I would stay away from storage and carrying them nib down. Most pen desk sets have the pens nib down but also notice that they can all be tilted down to horizontal for storage in that position when not in use.

At home or at work, I generally store my pens nib up, but that's mainly for esthetic reasons. At home or at work, I have also stored my pens nib down or laying horizontally without any problems with leaking. When I carry a pen, however, I always keep it nib up and clipped to my shirt pocket. The reason I carry my pen this way is that I've read that body heat and movement can cause the pen to leak if you carry the pen nib down. Therefore, I would not recommend carrying a pen nib down in a shirt or pants pocket. I can't comment on carrying a pen in a purse, except to say that certain pen manufacturers used to (and possibly still do) make fountain pens which they called purse pens. It's my understanding that they were called purse pens due to their size.

I've been laying mine down on my desk in between writing tonight and it leaked ink.

I carry my pens (one for black, one for red) clipped to the outside of my left pants pocket (a position which some here have noted seems to not tend to lose pens, out of all the pants pocket positions), since I don't have a shirt which has a pocket for pens.

(I also use them very often - often pulling them out on the bus [being careful of the nibs!] - which is why I keep them in such a quickly accessible area.)

As such, they stay horizontal most of the time.

Leakage on my Cross Century II - the pen I've had the longest, and my main black writing ink pen - is pretty much zilch. Flow has also not been affected.

I've only carried my Grandpa's Parker 51 in that manner for about a day - but I've had no problem so far.

At night, I put the Cross in its box, and stand it on end, so the nib is up; the Parker goes in a casino change bucket with other pens, nib up.

(Unlike him, though, I'm not going to leave it unused for 20 years! LMAO. :-D )

Either none of this matters, or I've been extremely fortunate.

I refill my pens on average once every 10 days...university is very taxing on my ink-supplies...and I routinely have my pens laying down - In my bag, in their case, on my desk...I've never experienced leaks. And I've owned nearly 20 fountain pens throughout my lifetime. Never had one leak.

So no, I don't think it's essential to follow that advice. You may, if you wish, but I don't see it as being necessary. You should generally be able to lay your pens down horizontally for lengthy periods of time without any problems with regards to leaks.

NB: Just make sure your pens don't roll away.

While in rotation..no
While in storage..emtied..no

I have found it is best not to have the nib downward facing...except, of course, if it is an Estie Dip-less..

Bill

all my pens are stored lying horizontally. Inked or otherwise. My rotation is in a 8-pen case that lies on my desk. I don't try to keep it upright (what a pain!)

Never had leakage, etc. The only pens occasionally "stored" upright are my VPs and that's because I might clip them in a shirt pocket or a purse pocket for a short time which forces them to be upright.

The pens I keep in rotation lie horizontally in a Levenger case next to my desk. I believe, but am not positive, that there is a slight inclination, keeping the pens almost imperceptibly off-axis. If that's true, it wouldn't affect pens that were close to full. Anyway, I have had no leaks so far.

I always try to keep my pens nib up except when writing, gravity will always exert pull on ink and reversing the pen will reduce tha chance of pen leakage-from the nib.

Modern pens may not leak due to higher tolernaces and better equipment, however older pens may have better craftsmen, so its a moot point.

Also an upright pen seems less likely to roll-I keep them in a leather case.

I imagine that a pen like the lamy will be fine in her purse and in your pants-but I would not rely on it personally. I would tend to keep them upright. If fact I do-its just safer.

I routinely place my pens on my desk horizontally when not in use and put them in a pen wrap that I put in a breif-case and toss it in the back seat of my car. When in the car they end up at any old angle. The pens are Aurora Ipsilon, Namiki VP, Sailor 1911M, Waterman Expert II, Lamy 2000 and Lamy Al-Star with a mix of inks from Noodlers, Waterman and Private Reserve. I toss one in a belt pouch when I go Geocaching. I have had them at all angles in planes for dozens of flights a year for several years, and not one has ever leaked a drop.

I have 16 pens scattered on my desk (just counted) and they are all horizontal. Never had a problem with any of them. All my others ones - yeah, I have scads of the little devils - are horizontal in pen chests or trays. I have six in a rollup that I cart around, and it can be any which way. Still, no problem. The only somewhat upright pen on my desk is my deskset pen (and, naturally, it's nib down at about a 45-degree angle).

Like KCat, I find vertical pens annoying for some reason. Dry feed? Don't know...

If you do have a problem, then I'd get the pen checked out.

This was more of a problem with vintage pens than modern ones. I don't hesitate to put any of mine horizontally for a while, even overnight, modern or vintage.

Always carry it in your pocket (shirt) with the nib up, ie clipped. But there is no problem in laying a FP down on a desk flat. If anything it will prevent the nib from drying out. Never had any issues, but be careful not to twirl it, flip it it etc or that may cause an ink bomb!!!

I have one pen that writes very wet for a few lines if stored on its side for any length of time, and it dries if stored upright. No problem with the others.