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Carrying Fountain Pens In Hot Climates?


FountainPenNovice

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Personally, I got excited thinking I had another Nevadan on the forum.

 

:W2FPN:

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There wouldn't be too many places in the lived in world with temperatures like that too often. I'm guessing the middle east? I'm Australian and have only had one day of 48C and that was the day of one of the worst bushfires we'd seen in years.

Personally I carry my fountain pen generally in my bag, a nice over the shoulder bag just big enough to fit my laptop and a couple of books. In the past have gone for the trouser pocket as I like to avoid the shirt pocket, the junior engineer look doesn't suit me (even if I'm studying to be one)

 

 

Junior engineers..."you make the rocking world go round" /ok that didn't quite work/ Seriously though, would love to field test a bunch of fountain pens in the Australian bush/outback to see how they hold up. I believe Mabie Todd Swan fountain pens were used in jungle & island conditions during WW2 in the Pacific and held up pretty well.

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If the pen has some has some sort of built in insulation like a sac from a lever pen, or a cartridge/converter and a piston should have enough space for the ink to expand if not all the way filled.

 

It's the eye dropper with no insulation that is not a hot weather pen...in some ways. It burps in use (when under 1/3 filled) and when 'closed' again from my reading from excess heat...and being body close.

 

Having piston pens, that can be filled every night before bed or right after breakfast never felt the urge to buy an Eyedropper.

Rubber sacked pens from what I read, could deteriorate in jungle influenced areas; perhaps why the eyedropper survived in India.

 

Where I live and have gotten use to it....dam Global warming, I got use to 88F or 30 C as hot....then we have had days in Germany :yikes: of 40 degrees. Being sane and retired stayed indoors, so can't help you with hot pen carrying. B)

 

Hmm... never thought of that. Interesting. Anyway, I don't eyedropper my pens. I also have a spare ballpoint on hand in case someone wants a loaner or if I run out of ink-so refilling in the morning works for me. Eyedropping I guess is also great when you have to cannibalise old pen parts and are missing aerometric converters and the like. Parker being particularly coveted in past decades in developing countries before the current BRIC economic boom.

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I too am used to Fahrenheit but where I live, summertime temps regularly get above 40c. I carry my pens in a 3 pen case in my back pocket. Never had any problems with the heat.

 

David

For so long as one hundred men remain alive,we shall never under any conditions submit to the

domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which

no good man will consent to lose but with his life.

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Hi,

 

I am currently in a country with a hot climate and while I normally put my fountain pen in my inside suit pocket, I wanted to know how I could wear it in a hot climate. For example, sometimes I wear it in my shirt pocket (if it has one) and look like the proverbial junior engineer, other times I put it in the placket of my shirt (between the buttons) but when I sweat, I don't want the finish of the pen to be tarnished nor do I want to snag stray chest hair (gross I know but please don't say"wax") . Lastly, although I'm not too keen on carrying anything that looks like a man purse- I'd consider it if it looks cool (no apologies for vanity). So I welcome suggestions from those fountain pen folk inclined towards sartorial elegance to give me options.

 

Thanks in advance.

As I look forward to another summer of 95-105F plus humidity, do NOT leave pens in a hot car. I use cases for mine, but female clothes run short on options in the civilian world. Frye makes nice leather bags in an assortment of leather colors large enough to fit my 11" Airbook + planner, then toss in a wallet & call it a purse if female. Call yours a messenger bag & you're done. The key is to avoid direct sunlight or pressure sufficient to bend the pen body as it approaches melting point. I've had Main Street pens straighten a Waterman, but it was a family pen & sentiment overcame salvage value.

 

If in a desert setting, you might find you need to dip your nib in a little water to rehydrate matters. My ink got thick when I would deploy, but a drop of water got things moving again.

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Personally, I got excited thinking I had another Nevadan on the forum.

 

:W2FPN:

I promise I won't take that personally.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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Personally, I got excited thinking I had another Nevadan on the forum.

 

:W2FPN:

Thanks- love the site

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As I look forward to another summer of 95-105F plus humidity, do NOT leave pens in a hot car. I use cases for mine, but female clothes run short on options in the civilian world. Frye makes nice leather bags in an assortment of leather colors large enough to fit my 11" Airbook + planner, then toss in a wallet & call it a purse if female. Call yours a messenger bag & you're done. The key is to avoid direct sunlight or pressure sufficient to bend the pen body as it approaches melting point. I've had Main Street pens straighten a Waterman, but it was a family pen & sentiment overcame salvage value.

 

If in a desert setting, you might find you need to dip your nib in a little water to rehydrate matters. My ink got thick when I would deploy, but a drop of water got things moving again.

Solid pointers. Frye seems really well made- durable stuff. Thanks for the heads-up.

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Hi,

 

For a gent to carry a pen in their shirt pocket, the length of the pen from the top of the clip to the end of the barrel should be slightly less that the depth of the pocket; and the pen should be low mass (not metal) so that the fit of the shirt is not skewed. Consider pens such as the Sheaffer Tuck-a-Way, a Parker Newhaven Slimfold, or Pilot's long-caps or their Prera.

 

Should one choose not to carry a pen in their shirt pocket, (I rarely do so), I found that a simple belt pouch, such as those designed to hold wee torches [flashlights] do the trick, though that can appear somewhat 'tactical'.

 

Or wear a proper kilt, which is not only cool3, but offers many options for stowing a pen, etc.

 

As mentioned above, it is essential to keep your pen hydrated. As I do a fair bit of writing, I fill/flush my pen/s every evening, and give the nib+feed a good rinse. I also find that they are happier when I wear them upon my person so they can enjoy my micro-climate.

 

I've worked at temps of 57℃, (135℉ for those who have yet to say goodnight to Fahrenheit), and my rotoring 600 (converter) and Pelikan P99 Technixx (cartridge) have performed flawlessly, though a Fisher Space Pen is on standby.

 

I found that iron-gall inks do well no matter the humidity which may alter paper characteristics/absorbency.

 

By,

S1

 

_ _

PS: The "proverbial junior engineer" is often so cute, like a just-weaned puppy that is earnest but unsteady, so needs both coddling and training.

Edited by Sandy1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I think it looks kind of nerdy but you could consider a "neck loop pen slot":

 

fpn_1461520216__fcneckloop.jpg

 

 

* Picture from the Franklin-Christoph website.

Edited by carlos.q
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The "proverbial junior engineer" is often so cute, like a just-weaned puppy that is earnest but unsteady, so needs both coddling and training.

I'm not sure about that.

My teacher of Industrial Draughting used to say that "there are two type of people in a university. Those that get laid, and engineers".

Edited by sciumbasci
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I think it looks kind of nerdy but you could consider a "neck loop pen slot":

 

fpn_1461520216__fcneckloop.jpg

 

 

* Picture from the Franklin-Christoph website.

 

I never understood why these would be designed with nothing for the clip to hold on to.

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Junior engineers..."you make the rocking world go round" /ok that didn't quite work/ Seriously though, would love to field test a bunch of fountain pens in the Australian bush/outback to see how they hold up. I believe Mabie Todd Swan fountain pens were used in jungle & island conditions during WW2 in the Pacific and held up pretty well.

From my experience all of mine have held up pretty well. Never had a heat based problem yet.

 

I'm not sure about that.

My teacher of Industrial Draughting used to say that "there are two type of people in a university. Those that get laid, and engineers".

Not sure how it is in other parts of the world but down under the engineers are the big drinkers on university campus.

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I think it looks kind of nerdy but you could consider a "neck loop pen slot":

 

fpn_1461520216__fcneckloop.jpg

 

 

* Picture from the Franklin-Christoph website.

No, not nerdy, those are pretty cool. They're better than this

 

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I carry mine the same ways. However, there is some risk, when the pen comes loose from the cap, and the pen sinks downward, across ones torso, leaving a trail of Heart Of Darkness ink. Except for undershirts, all my shirts have breast pockets. Perhaps an alternative would be leather pen case worn at the trouser belt.

 

When does it get "hot" in lovely Canada ? Listen to Jar. HE knows "hot."

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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I never understood why these would be designed with nothing for the clip to hold on to.

 

 

I've got one, generally used during warmer weather, and there's nothing for the clip to hold on to because there's no need for such. The pen slips in pretty tightly and won't be much inclined to slip out. I've not been able to gently, or even moderately, shake one out from the holder.

 

Actually, getting a slip-cap pen back out of the holder tends to be more of an issue. I seldom use it with any but screw-on cap'd pens.

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I carry my pens in a case and the case go inside my purse. Based on my experience screw on caps are better in hot dry days. Okay Sonnets are not famous to not dry out in a week, but in days over 40 Celsius they had constant struggle, while my Sailor Sapporo had no problem even if I didn't used it for days.

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I never understood why these would be designed with nothing for the clip to hold on to.

Makes a lot of sense!

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I think it looks kind of nerdy but you could consider a "neck loop pen slot":

 

fpn_1461520216__fcneckloop.jpg

 

 

* Picture from the Franklin-Christoph website.

The horror! The horror!

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Aerometric "51"s have a small hole drilled into the end to allow air pressure to equalize. It was originally intended to prevent burps due to drops in pressure while flying.

 

eta: You can make a similar modification to a Hero 616. Lever fillers always allow pressure to escape.

 

and also: We ought to ask the Indian contingent how they deal. Eyedroppers are very popular in India, and they are the most burp-prone of FPs.

One of the aforementioned Indian continent here...

Temperatures are touching 40 degrees (Celsius obviously) and am happily carrying my Parker 51 Vac and Duo, pelikan M200 & 140, 3776, and a large ebonite eyedropper (in rotation) with absolutely no problems.

 

I carry two pens in my shirt pocket. Some friends carry three. That's what the pocket is there for.

 

And yes, you do wear an undershirt, it's far more comfortable that way (for you, the pens couldn't care less :-) )

A lifelong FP user...

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