Bad Habits

[LizB]

I've been using fountain pens long enough to have developed a bad habit or two. I think perhaps the worst is getting a dried nib started again by giving it a quick dip in my cup of tea.

 

Come on, I can't be the only one!

[PaulS]

gosh - foul habit indeed - I think you're on your own with that one .................... suppose you only do it at tea tine.

On rare occasions I have spat on some gash paper and swirled the nib around in the saliva to lure the ink back. Am inclined to think we collectors are a more refined breed

[LizB]

I only do it when licking the nib doesn't work :-)

[Bo Bo Olson]

I often have 17 pens inked, so some will be dry...done the tea thing, when too lazy to damp the sponge in my rubber postal sponge cup.

Done the wet the finger trick too. Lazy is lazy......

 

A shot glass with a 1/3 a shot of water would work to those in the States with out easy access to a postal sponge cup.

[zaddick]

How are these bad habits again? Seems fine to me. Now toilet dunking may be a serious problem.

[ThomasB]

Done all of the above...coffee works better than tea...especially Community Dark Roast!

[mhguda]

Nope, not my coffee (or tea for that matter) - I am a coffee purist...

I keep a little jar to dunk my pen, When the water is gone (either clinging to the nibs or evaporated out) I replenish. I keep a sample vial filled with water in my purse for the same purpose. The colors can get quite interesting, seeing that I like to use a range of colors for my inks...

[melodiousb]

I've done both tea-dipping and licking, but I always look around to make sure no one's paying attention first.

[Sasha Royale]

Early Grey has sufficient intensity of color and flavor to mask the infusion of fountain pen ink.

A darker Oolong, such as Po-Nay or Quan-Yin, would also work. Not recommended with ballpoint pens. For Japanese teas, I defer to the ink-drinkers of that culture.

 

"Toilet dunking !" I collect vintage fountain pens. Therefore, most of my pens are previously owned.

My laziness is cured. I'm with Bo Bo Olson, from now on.

[Sasha Royale]

Speaking of bad habits, I use to carry my Parker 45's in the back pocket. Through the college years,

I ruined several pairs of Fruit Of The Looms; damaged Mom's sofa; stained girlfriend's Periani equestrian saddle; ruined a pair canary yellow breeches; and tattoo-ed my bum with a blue "comma", that was visible for a year. At the price of five P45's, I rejected the habit of carrying fps in my pocket.

 

GF is a veterinary doctor in the North. Still hasn't forgotten the saddle, 47 years ago.

[NicolausPiscator]

Hmm... bad fountain pen habits... interesting... fascinating... my worst habit is not to stop buying pens, inks, nibs and paper...

[NicolausPiscator]

(Pretty boring I would say, but I can't help... my best friend stirs his coffee with his - closed - fountain pen...)

Edited June 28, 2017 by NicolausPiscator

[mbankirer]

I only do it when licking the nib doesn't work :-)

Lick then dip...coffee usually, occasionally my water bottle.

[ReadyFireAim]

No problem,

I have a cat that licks anything that looks interesting.

It's usually sitting nearby.

[PaulS]

not relevant to f.ps. really, but speaking of putting writing implements in mouth, I seem to remember some folk used to have a habit of wetting a pencil tip on the tongue prior to writing with it. Can't think it really improved the result, and rubbing the lead from a pencil on your tongue might become a health hazard over time.

[Inksomnia]

I have bad habit to fill pen without cleaning it at all, sometimes I don't even wait it to be empty. This is especially bad with my Twsbis, because I use pigment based ink in them. I have not cleaned my twsbi eco, ever. I bought my eco like over year ago...

[Water Ouzel]

... rubbing the lead from a pencil on your tongue might become a health hazard over time.

 

You'd have to eat a lot of pencil "lead" to have any problem develop. Pencil "lead" being a mixture of graphite and clay and sometimes a small amount of grease or wax, with modern mechanical pencil lead being graphite mixed with a synthetic (not "precious") resin as the binder.

 

No metallic lead (Pb) involved in the process.

[cimmerian]

Oh, God. What was I thinking when I went and read this thread?!

 

My worst habit is inking a new pen without cleaning it first. Nothing compared with you people.

 

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No, wait! When it's cold and I'm wearing an anorak I sometimes carry a pen with my cellphone and keys in the kangoo pocket. Don't know if it's worse for the pen or the phone jostling around with the keys.

[PaulS]

quote ........... "No metallic lead (Pb) involved in the process." yes, you are correct, thanks - I should have realized not the Pb sort -- o.k. so no problem licking the pencil tip

Edited June 28, 2017 by PaulS

[Newjelan]

Nope, not my coffee (or tea for that matter) - I keep a sample vial filled with water in my purse for the same purpose. The colors can get quite interesting, seeing that I like to use a range of colors for my inks...

Thanks for this idea, it never occurred to me. Until now, any pen that dries out stays home where I can dip it in the running water from the tap or blot it with a wet paper towel.