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Looking For Pen That Doesn't Dry Out


wallylynn

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I'm starting a new logbook and am looking for a dedicated pen to go with it. Catch is that there's not all that much to write. Flushing my EDC to make entries with the same ink isn't worth the time, or ink. Having a different color every line makes reading difficult. Are there any inexpensive pens that resist drying out? I've heard good things about the Pilot Varsity. How about preppies or petit? All my Noodlers are notorious for drying out, the vegetal plastic is too porous. I had a Lamy ABC dry out in just a month to my surprise.

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My Lamy Safari will go a couple weeks without use, and start right up. Downside, it is not a really pretty pen. But then, pretty is what pretty does.

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Also I have a pilot Varsity which has been filled with KWZ Iron-Gall Blue for several months unused, and writes on first stroke. No corrosion either.

 

Problem is filling it for the first time. You need to soak the body in hot water and pull out the feed. Then you need to give it a long soak, for 24 hours, because instead of a normal ink channel, it has a fibrous wick. You then fill the body with your ink, it can take 2ml. Push the feed back in. Now the next part is waiting for the ink to come out (remember, it has a fibrous wick). Put it tip down on some tissue and wait till you've sucked all the water out and ink starts coming out. However, once you've done this, you have a pen for $3 that doesn't dry out.

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I have a Hicks eyedropper that's very reliable, but that won't help you in the slightest.

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I find the Pilot Metropolitan very reliable, as well as the platinum preppy/ plaisir

Platinum's Slip and Seal mechanism is made exactly for that. My Plaisir has set for five months without writing and picked right up after that period with no hiccups.

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The best way to combat nib dry out is to have a desk pen and base on your writing desk. Next best is The Parker 51 with its hooded nib and snap on cap, the combination allows for pretty good results.

There is something else that ive Discovered recently. The Wing Sung 610 Vacumatic. They seem to be continually upgrading this pen. I can tell you that I have 4 of them. they have been inked sitting nib up in a pen cup. Two on my desk and two on my kitchen island. (The places i most often look for a pen)

Let me say first that, these look a lot like a P-51. Their size and feel are very similar to the 51. Nibs are steel and can be scratchy but with a little tweaking are good writers, with a well saturated, very thin ink line. (Think Sailor fine) The high points of this little pen is that it seems to hold a lot of ink. Allows very little ink loss due to evaporation. Not the same writing experience as a P-51, but these pens write first time every time. Not something id choose for long writing sessions. My four pens have been inked for a good 6 months.

I would never treat my other pens in this manner. But, these seemed like an inexpensive option to have a pen ready for quick notes. Ive never touched them for cleaning or refilling. I just grab one when i want to jot down a note, put the cap back on and back into the pen cup. At $12.60 each, Im pretty much impressed. I abuse the heck out of these inexpensive pens and they just keep writing.

Dont know if this is an option for your situation, but Just thought Id put it out there.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vacumatic-fountain-pen-0-5mm-fine-nib-wing-sung-601-silver-cap-with-box/283136516573?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

post-108126-0-58630900-1565116966.jpeg

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The Platinum Preppy would be a good choice, and cheap. Another alternative is a TWSBI Eco. I keep one filled with Platinum Carbon Black for when I need a permanent ink. If you want to spent that much, a #3776 Century would also meet your criteria.

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1/4 filled shot glass. dip and go.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Not sure what you're after but here is a list of some pens of mine that have NEVER EVER not started no matter how long I've left goodness knows what ink in them . . .

Platinum 3776
Platinum Preppy / Plasir
Parker Urban
Pelikan M30
Lamy 2000
Lamy Aion
Pilot Custom 91
Pilot 912
Namisu Nova
Moonman M2
TWSBI VAc 700

Bless them :rolleyes:


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The Wing Sung 610 Vacumatic. They seem to be continually upgrading this pen.

Can you tell me more about the upgrades? I know they went from sac to piston, but that's all I know. I'm kinda glad I didn't get it when it was first introduced. I'll probably get it, although maybe not for this purpose. I'd rather EDC such a nice pen instead of having it sit unused.
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Are there any inexpensive pens that resist drying out?

 

The Platinum Preppy is as cheap as any reliable Japanese or German fountain pens come, and is ostensibly designed to resist ink drying out even if capped and unused for twelve months or longer.

 

All of my more than two dozen Wing Sung 3008 pens (which cost less than $5 each, and some acquired for under $3) have been good at resisting drying out.

 

Of course, they're not the only models that are exemplary in that regard. The Jinhao 51A and Delike New Moon 3 pens I have all proved effective, and are good and well-balanced writing instruments besides.

 

I find the Pilot Metropolitan very reliable,

 

Every single Pilot MR — whether it belonged to the MR Metropolitan range, MR Animal range, or the Japanese domestic equivalent Cocoon product line — that I have owned and used (two MR Metropolitan, three MR Animal and two Cocoon) has proven to be relatively ineffective in sealing the nib and feed to prevent ink evaporation when capped. I deem that to be the pen model's single worst 'feature', and completely dwarves the physical step-down between barrel and section that doesn't particularly bother me when writing.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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My issue isn't about hard starts, it's about dried up pens. The way sealed new unopened cartridges dry up. Poor caps just makes that worse. I don't mind a quick dip to alleviate hard starts. (I assume that's what Bo Bo meant.) I really don't want to flush and fill.

 

I'm glad to hear that the Varsity and Preppy live up to their reputations. I'll get one of each.

 

The Safari and Metro are more than I want to spend. I've already lost two safari years ago. I had them as EDC so I don't know how well they fared not being used.

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The Safari and Metro are more than I want to spend.

 

Seriously? The Pilot MR is often available for less than US$12, and that's just from checking one retailer (Amazon.com). If it wasn't for its ineffectiveness in resisting drying out, I'd say it's a well-made Japanese writing instrument that is well worth the price and on which one can count on the product consistency.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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There's no contest. Platinum pens all have a slip n seal cap that makes them damn near immune to drying out.

 

The preppy is great but it won't really last more than a year in a pocket before something cracks. It's not intended to be much more than a 2-5 cartridge disposable pen.

 

The varsity is also uncannily good at not drying out, but I don't love the feel of the nib. it's weirdly slippery and not in a great way.

 

I'd look at the platinum plaisir over a preppy. It's twice the price (about $11) but ten times the quality of the body.

Edited by Honeybadgers

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Platinum pens all have a slip n seal cap that makes them damn near immune to drying out.

Not true. Only the Platinum Preppy, Plaisir, Procyon, and #3776 Century models have Slip and Seal mechanisms in their caps as stated by the manufacturer. My Platinum Balance (opaque or clear) pens are apt to dry out in under six months, and even the Platinum #3776 briar models I have still dry out in that time-frame. My Platinum Izumo does not have a Slip and Seal cap, but surprisingly it hasn't ever dried out on me even when left inked and unused for a year or so.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Seriously? The Pilot MR is often available for less than US$12, and that's just from checking one retailer (Amazon.com). If it wasn't for its ineffectiveness in resisting drying out, I'd say it's a well-made Japanese writing instrument that is well worth the price and on which one can count on the product consistency.

 

Well, it's back up to 15. I'm sure it's a good pen, but the whole point is that this pen will sit around doing nothing except mostly drying out. For EDC, or gifts, sure. But I don't want to spend 15 doing nothing.

 

 

There's no contest. Platinum pens all have a slip n seal cap that makes them damn near immune to drying out.

 

The preppy is great but it won't really last more than a year in a pocket before something cracks. It's not intended to be much more than a 2-5 cartridge disposable pen.

 

The varsity is also uncannily good at not drying out, but I don't love the feel of the nib. it's weirdly slippery and not in a great way.

 

I'd look at the platinum plaisir over a preppy. It's twice the price (about $11) but ten times the quality of the body.

The preppy will be fine. it's just going to sit around doing nothing mostly. Oddly, I was looking at A Smug Dill's link which says it's made of polycarbonate. PC is shatter reistant, used in nagenes and safety glasses. I'm surprised it'd crack. Or maybe it self cracks from age, not external stress.

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Shatterproof things are made to crack without shattering. Otherwise you'd be describing an indestructible material.

 

They usually crack where there are high points of stress, such as where the barrel and section meet and where the cap slips over the snap point. There's a lot of stress on that point and it eventually gives.

 

Honestly, and I don't mean any disrespect by asking, but what's the point if you really just want a pen to sit around and do nothing? Preppies are quite resistant to drying out, true, but a good old ballpoint isn't going to either. If I just needed something to sit in my desk and work when I needed, I'd just use a nice gel or ballpoint.

 

You can sometimes find the pilot MR for like $6-8. And while I'd argue it's better than dill says about drying out, he's not wrong in that it's nowhere near the league of the preppy or varsity. It still needs to be used every once every week or two.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Can you tell me more about the upgrades? I know they went from sac to piston, but that's all I know. I'm kinda glad I didn't get it when it was first introduced. I'll probably get it, although maybe not for this purpose. I'd rather EDC such a nice pen instead of having it sit unused.

These new ones are vacumatic fillers, some are available with ink windows ( and improvement over the P-51) and i just saw a model with all of the previous features plus double jewels. They are really sharp.

Ive seen replacement nibs in steel and gold in different point sizes.

They claim that its made to be taken apart and maintained by the user. Only problem is that there is. Not a word of English on any of the instruction sheets and the illustrations are poor. I have no idea what they are talking about.

I use them as you would a bic ballpoint left next to a note pad. They serve me well that way. I use them every day. As i said before, the nibs are a bit scratchy. I do nib work so it was no big thing to smooth them out and make them write a bit wetter. My only concern has been putting one in my shirt pocket. some have caps that fit quite snug. Some not so much. I had one separate from its cap while in my shirt pocket once. gave me pause about how i carry them. Ive never had that happen with the 1947 P-51.

You really should get one or three, and give them a try.

Here is a shot of a burgundy double jeweled 601, next to my pride and Joy, a 1947 Black/gold cap P-51 vac with single jewel. The P-51 vac is always inked, and goes everywhere with me in my shirt pocket.

They look a lot alike, but the similarity stops when the nib touches the paper. The P-51 is like driving a luxury car and the Wing Sung, an economy version. both functional depending on what you use them for.

I went nuts trying to get these things to sit still for the camera, hope the pic helps.

post-108126-0-14230300-1565155199_thumb.jpeg

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