Being the noob, I was hoping for some advice on transporting my Pelikan on an upcoming trip. I have heard to make sure to transport nib up, and be ready for pressure-change problems. Any other advice? Will leaving an airgap help with pressure spillage?
Also, I was thinking about picking up a small ink pot for the trip. Any suggestions? Is the Visconti worth it? Or a simple Nalgene?
Any and all advice appreciated!
Full Version: Airplanes and Fountain Pens
I have carried them in my pocket (which keeps nib up) on numerous flights. OK to use at cruise altitude; DON"T use during ascent (that's when the pressure change is in the bad direction).
I can't speak to the travel inkpot. I just carried 2-3 pens, more than enough for trip.
I can't speak to the travel inkpot. I just carried 2-3 pens, more than enough for trip.
Carrying them nib up is a good idea during takeoff and ascent. Other than that, there's not much else I've ever done. I used to make sure my pens were completely full, ( to minimize the expandable air in the pen), but quit doing that some time ago. I've never had any problem other than an occasional drop of ink on a nib when the pen was not carried nib up.
Its easy to forget the drill and have the pens laying horizontal instead or when your bag tipped at the wrong angle. At cruising altitude you took out your pens and next thing you know, you have inks all over your hands and on the tray table. Fortunately I have not returned the towel they handed to us. It now blue in color and sheepishly managed to get rid of it. This time, I always bring paper rolls with me and a tweezer to remove the ink that are trapped inside the caps.
QUOTE(jsonewald @ Sep 17 2007, 08:28 PM) [snapback]372713[/snapback]
Carrying them nib up is a good idea during takeoff and ascent. Other than that, there's not much else I've ever done. I used to make sure my pens were completely full, ( to minimize the expandable air in the pen), but quit doing that some time ago. I've never had any problem other than an occasional drop of ink on a nib when the pen was not carried nib up.
See these threads (These links don't work, this is clipped from the Writing Instruments FAQ, which is a pinned message in this (the Writing Instruments) forum. The links in the FAQ do work.)
Fountain pens and airplanes / travel
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=10420
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=8749
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=27287
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=26078
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=21642
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=18656
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=17327
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=12382
It's always a good idea to check the pinned threads and to do a search. This particular topic has been discussed to death here, many times.
Fountain pens and airplanes / travel
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=10420
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=8749
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=27287
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=26078
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=21642
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=18656
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=17327
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=12382
It's always a good idea to check the pinned threads and to do a search. This particular topic has been discussed to death here, many times.
I have a leather 2-pen case I keep in my computer bag. I try to keep the pens nib up but they have gone horizontal at times. I fly 2 - 3 times a month and never had a problem.
-Jay
-Jay
I wonder if you can pass security these days with liquid in your pen or, even worse, inside the Visconti ink pot. This has probably been explored in other threads.
What about acquiring a Namiki/Pilot VP or Decimo as your travel pen? If I understand correctly, their mechanisms are more like ballpoints and hence less likely to leak in changing pressure. Can anyone confirm this?
What about acquiring a Namiki/Pilot VP or Decimo as your travel pen? If I understand correctly, their mechanisms are more like ballpoints and hence less likely to leak in changing pressure. Can anyone confirm this?
QUOTE(adair @ Sep 18 2007, 02:22 PM) [snapback]373288[/snapback]
What about acquiring a Namiki/Pilot VP or Decimo as your travel pen? If I understand correctly, their mechanisms are more like ballpoints and hence less likely to leak in changing pressure. Can anyone confirm this?
Absolutely not. Sorry.
Much as I love my VP, the fact that the mechanism is like that of a ballpoint does not in any way prevent the ink from belching out of the feed and making a horrendous mess inside the barrel, or outside when you push the button. VPs are, if anything, more problematic in this respect, since the interior is that much harder to clean.
However, the good news is that I have found it to be OK so long as the pen is stored upright. I also try (on advice I heard years ago) to make sure the pen is full before I take off in order to minimise the size of any air bubble in the converter or sac.
HTH
Thanks! Good to know this!
Maybe the best thing then is to carry a simple Fisher Space Pen on the plane if you must do any writing on board, and transport your fountain pen separately, empty of ink, to be refilled once you land. Fishers are pretty poor writers but they get the basic job done at any altitude and in any weather. Anyway, I find that my handwriting isn't so terrific on planes, trains or in cars. In fact, in flight, my hands shoot to the armrests at the slightest sign of turbulence...
Maybe the best thing then is to carry a simple Fisher Space Pen on the plane if you must do any writing on board, and transport your fountain pen separately, empty of ink, to be refilled once you land. Fishers are pretty poor writers but they get the basic job done at any altitude and in any weather. Anyway, I find that my handwriting isn't so terrific on planes, trains or in cars. In fact, in flight, my hands shoot to the armrests at the slightest sign of turbulence...
QUOTE
Maybe the best thing then is to carry a simple Fisher Space Pen on the plane if you must do any writing on board, and transport your fountain pen separately, empty of ink, to be refilled once you land
Yep you hit the nail on the head-best to put up with an iferior pen for a short while than a better pen and a massive mess!
QUOTE(adair @ Sep 18 2007, 08:01 AM) [snapback]373304[/snapback]
Thanks! Good to know this!
Maybe the best thing then is to carry a simple Fisher Space Pen on the plane if you must do any writing on board, and transport your fountain pen separately, empty of ink, to be refilled once you land. Fishers are pretty poor writers but they get the basic job done at any altitude and in any weather. Anyway, I find that my handwriting isn't so terrific on planes, trains or in cars. In fact, in flight, my hands shoot to the armrests at the slightest sign of turbulence...
Maybe the best thing then is to carry a simple Fisher Space Pen on the plane if you must do any writing on board, and transport your fountain pen separately, empty of ink, to be refilled once you land. Fishers are pretty poor writers but they get the basic job done at any altitude and in any weather. Anyway, I find that my handwriting isn't so terrific on planes, trains or in cars. In fact, in flight, my hands shoot to the armrests at the slightest sign of turbulence...
It would be better to carry a full Parker "51" Aerometric or Waterman Edson. They were designed and engineered to compensate for changing pressure while flying.
Why write at all if you have to use a ball point?
$500 to $750 will snag you an Edson.
$50 to $75 will snag you a "51."
Both are also great pens while not flying.
Andy
I recently flew and had work to do on the plane. With me came my Waterman Charleston and a Pilot 78G (a relatively expendable pen I figured I could carry when the likelihood of loss was high).
I carefully kept them upright during the ascent, when I figured that the pressure would go down. No problems happened, despite my having wrapped them preventively in paper towels and being ready to clean up the mess. I used the Pilot a lot during the flight, but not the Charleston. I looked at the converter after the flight, and discovered that the Charleston's ink level had gone down significantly, I assume due to evaporation in the extra-dry airplane air.
On the way back, I forgot to store them upright for takeoff. Neither leaked in any significant way (a bit of nib creep, that's all). Worse, the ink was about half full.
I don't know what would happen if they were actually pointing down.
YMMV - other pens may not function as well.
As a side note, a bit of a plug for the 78G: great pen, low low price.
I carefully kept them upright during the ascent, when I figured that the pressure would go down. No problems happened, despite my having wrapped them preventively in paper towels and being ready to clean up the mess. I used the Pilot a lot during the flight, but not the Charleston. I looked at the converter after the flight, and discovered that the Charleston's ink level had gone down significantly, I assume due to evaporation in the extra-dry airplane air.
On the way back, I forgot to store them upright for takeoff. Neither leaked in any significant way (a bit of nib creep, that's all). Worse, the ink was about half full.
I don't know what would happen if they were actually pointing down.
YMMV - other pens may not function as well.
As a side note, a bit of a plug for the 78G: great pen, low low price.
QUOTE(adair @ Sep 18 2007, 07:22 AM) [snapback]373288[/snapback]
I wonder if you can pass security these days with liquid in your pen or, even worse, inside the Visconti ink pot. This has probably been explored in other threads.
(snip)
(snip)
I'm willing to bet that filled pens are okay; 1 oz. ink bottles might even be okay. Beyond that size is a crapshoot, IMHO.
QUOTE(amh210 @ Sep 18 2007, 08:06 PM) [snapback]373783[/snapback]
It would be better to carry a full Parker "51" Aerometric or Waterman Edson. They were designed and engineered to compensate for changing pressure while flying.
(snip)
(snip)
I didn't know that about the 51 Aero... since I have one now, I'll have to remember that.
Good information to know as I travel by airplane at least 2 times a year.
For consideration...
I just finished a couple of trips, one of which had a connection, so 8 takeoff/landings. My Nakaya was in it's pouch and put into a hard plastic case (something like a reading glasses case), laying down in the bottom of my briefcase. It did not leak a bit. It's possible that I noticed it writing slightly wetter, but that's the extent of the change. I don't think I would have carried it in my pocket, partly in fear of a leak and partly in gear of an overzealous TSA agent, but it did fine in my briefcase.
Just my personal experience. YMMV.
Cheers, Dean
I just finished a couple of trips, one of which had a connection, so 8 takeoff/landings. My Nakaya was in it's pouch and put into a hard plastic case (something like a reading glasses case), laying down in the bottom of my briefcase. It did not leak a bit. It's possible that I noticed it writing slightly wetter, but that's the extent of the change. I don't think I would have carried it in my pocket, partly in fear of a leak and partly in gear of an overzealous TSA agent, but it did fine in my briefcase.
Just my personal experience. YMMV.
Cheers, Dean
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