Mythbuster: Air Travel And Fountain Pens

[GTD]

Hey guys,

Just went on a recent trip to Atlanta and thought about posting my mythbuster. In the past, I was afraid of traveling by air and carrying my fountain pens. I took the liberty of taking some pics before and after my flight, and all I can say is that FOUNTAIN PENS DO NOT leak when traveling by airplane. I had them covered in paper napkins waiting for the worst to happen, but it turns out that nothing happen! Hope you enjoy.

[BT_Summers]

With respect, this is your experience.

 

Other people have had serious problems with pens leaking in flight, including pens being completely emptied of ink.

[akrohn2010]

GTD - glad yours didn't leak on you! I can attest to what smiffy has said: your experience may vary. I have flown with my Eco and Pilot CH91 and had no leaks, despite storing horizontal and not emptying or filling them prior to flying! On the other hand, I flew recently with a TWSBI Vac mini, with a full fill, blind cap sealed, nib stored up, and had it leak badly inside the cap.

 

Bottom line: you can minimize the risk with precautions but I believe leaks are always possible with changes of air pressure and movement associated with flying. Glad this trip was a success for you!

 

~AK

[BT_Summers]

GTD - glad yours didn't leak on you! I can attest to what smiffy has said: your experience may vary. I have flown with my Eco and Pilot CH91 and had no leaks, despite storing horizontal and not emptying or filling them prior to flying! On the other hand, I flew recently with a TWSBI Vac mini, with a full fill, blind cap sealed, nib stored up, and had it leak badly inside the cap.

 

Bottom line: you can minimize the risk with precautions but I believe leaks are always possible with changes of air pressure and movement associated with flying. Glad this trip was a success for you!

 

~AK

 

 

Agreed. I have followed the advice given on here, people said no risk of pens leaking on a flight. I was flying for a meeting, my pen leaked inside my jacket pocket, ruined my suit, my shirt, my tie, ink on my hands. The cartridge had emptied itself completely. Felt like suing the people who had given such broad brush advice of 'pens do not leak whilst in an aeroplane'.

 

If there is some reason to have a fountain pen at the destination I take an empty pen and a new cartridge. The benefits of flying with a fully inked pen do not measure up to the risks.

[lionheartlee]

I've found the Visconti double reservoir to work flawlessly while flying.

[wrtskn]

Just flew overseas with a MB 149 and Pelikan M1000, and had no problems with leaking at all. In fact, I used the Pelikan at altitude a little.

[CupTea]

Yeah, it just depends on your precautions. I recently came back from overseas and forgot a Pilot Metropolitan in my backpack, with a half full cartridge. It leaked into my bag - as you would expect. Lesson learned. I am sure if that cartridge had been either empty or full and/or the pen stored properly with the nib up nothing would have happened.

[amberleadavis]

I recently flew across the country and back again ... well, I didn't fly, I was a passenger on planes that flew....

 

Thanks to some wonderful enablers who let me borrow their pens and equipment:

I took 2 MB 149s , 1 Sailor 1911 (well, actually, that was the nib and feed, the body is a used Thompson), 2 Pilot Capless, 3 Visconti ink wells, 1 bottle of Blackstone Ink concentrate.

 

NONE of the pens or ink wells leaked on the flights. I did however discover that the MB149s didn't hold as much ink as I thought they would. I could only get about 15 pages per fill.

[FOUR X FOUR]

A few years ago I flew out to Denver and back to Jacksonville. None of my pens leaked but my arms sure were sore from all the flying.

Allan😀😀

[amberleadavis]

I was going to call out "chicken" since chickens can't fly, but then I thought someone might take offense. So instead, I reply: Narf.

[abstract49]

I have been reading all these comments, here and on earlier threads discussing it, for a long time. I have flown a number of times, even before I discovered the FPN, with various fountain pens in varying states of fullness, both cartridge and converter.

 

When I began reading these discussions, I decided that I had been very lucky, and that I ought to take some precautions I hadn't before, whenever I took a plane anywhere, more particularly overseas (higher altitude, longer time aloft). Anyhow, the upshot is, I have never had more than a few drops of ink in a cap after a flight. Another precaution I've learnt is to open the pen carefully, and over a paper towel or disposable rag, after a trip.

 

On the other hand, I have made the mistake of leaving fountain pens in my car (usually in my mileage log, which always has a TWSBI Diamond 580 in its zippered case) on hot Texas summer days. Now that will give you a fine mess to clean up! Fortunately, you can see the ink in the cap before you open it and get it all over your hands, papers, etc. As Amberlea no doubt knows about Nevada heat, the Texas summer heat will fairly boil anything in a closed car in pretty short order.

[Beechwood]

An alternative thought may be why have some people had bad experiences.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Beechwood

[Sasha Royale]

Fountain pens do not leak because of magic, or unusual phases of the moon. It is a very simple function of changing air pressure pushing on the ink. Eliminate the factors, and avoid the leak.

(Learning at FPN is fun.)

 

Write with joy.

[amberleadavis]

 

On the other hand, I have made the mistake of leaving fountain pens in my car (usually in my mileage log, which always has a TWSBI Diamond 580 in its zippered case) on hot Texas summer days. Now that will give you a fine mess to clean up! Fortunately, you can see the ink in the cap before you open it and get it all over your hands, papers, etc. As Amberlea no doubt knows about Nevada heat, the Texas summer heat will fairly boil anything in a closed car in pretty short order.

 

 

I got into the reasonably cool car the other day and opened up the glove compartment to find that the asprin bottle had melted. The car is garaged during the hottest parts of the day.

[amberleadavis]

I did find, however, that flying with an Estie was a mistake.

 

And since it matters, all the pens were full when we flew.

[DrDebG]

I fly a lot, and take my fountain pens with me. On some flights, a pen might leak. On other flights, I have had no leaks. I have tried all sorts of options - cartridges only, converters/bottled ink only, piston fillers/bottled ink only, no ink at all in the pens, etc. Bottom line: I plan for a leak and take necessary precautions. When I am on a trip where I fly multiple legs, I generally will empty/clean the pens of ink before starting. Each filled pen is placed in a ziploc bag which is then rolled around it then into a pen case, which is then placed in a horizontal pocket in my small carry-on that goes under the seat in front of me. Bottled ink is put into small vials (2 only), wrapped in plastic wrap, and put into my quart size bag of liquids. Or I may carry cartridges instead, which are wrapped in plastic and put in my quart size bag of liquids. I have never had a problem with TSA/security carrying ink or pens on a plane.

[katerchen]

Depends on how much air you have in the pen.

 

Also : it's all about pressure *difference*. If they pressurize the cabin right (and maintain pressure) you'll be fine.

[wrtskn]

I was on B767's over the pond and back, and my ears never popped -- so Boeing probably became high tech with environmental pressure differentials and ear comfort. FYI - there was a baby crying a couple seats over before takeoff, and it never cried while ascending or descending, so they must have improved the pressurization system.

[rohop]

Air pressure being associated with altitude led me to wonder about travel via auto from sea level through mountains. I'd expect sudden changes may cause the pen to burp. However, I'm curious about vac systems and are they all the same. i.e. TWSBI vac vs Pilot Custom 823? I read that the TWSBI vac had experienced leaking during flight. Would and 823 (since there is a large price difference does that equate to a quality difference)?

 

Curious as I am a newb and do travel via auto from through mountains and I am so addicted to FPs that I will not even use a pencil. hahaha

[akrohn2010]

I did a trip from sea level to Shaver lake in CA (6-7 thousand feet) recently with no problems. I did wrap my pens up in ziplocks just in case though.

 

I suspect the more gradual pressure change of driving up to the mountains vs flying (hours VS minutes) may lower the chances of burping due to pressure equalization.