Traveling With Metal Dip Pen With Large Nib - Security Risk?

[m2maverick]

Hi,

Getting ready to travel and I'd like to bring my metal traveling dip pen with me (see attached photos). The top area can be removed and inserted into the holder to protect the nib. But when I keep looking at it, it does look rather dangergeous with the 048 falcon nib. Has anyone had problems with passing metal dip pens through security? It's the only protected dip pen I currently own and I can see myself missing the flight to avoid giving it up. Unfortunately, I travel rather light and dislike checking bags, but may consider it, if others had issues with security. Thanks for any info! :hmm1:

 

American Lead Pencil Co. Traveling Dip Pen.pdf

[Braindrain]

I don't know about that pen in particular, but there generally aren't any issues with bringing FPs when travelling.

[jbb]

I always worry about this sort of thing too. We once had sealed bottles of mesquite liquid smoke confiscated at Denver airport. You could put the nib in your purse or wallet separately. It looks a lot less like a weapon when it's not IN the pen.

[OakIris]

It's been a few years since I went anywhere on a plane, but when I did they confiscated my army surplus can opener at the airport:

 

http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/images/p38add.jpg

 

It was in my wallet and I didn't even remember having it with me. It is certainly less lethal looking than your dip pen or nib - and how they thought I could threaten someone with a relatively dull blade less than 1/4 of an inch long I don't know, but I ended up losing something that I bought when I was a kid about 45 years earlier so I was a little bit sad about it. Much more easily replaced than your dip pen though; you might check with security at the airport to find out prior to your trip.

 

@ jbb - you never know what you might have been up to with such a dangerous substance as mesquite liquid smoke! DIA is where they confiscated my can opener, too.

 

Holly

Edited March 11, 2012 by OakIris

[andybiotic]

ooo... it does look quite dangerous, especially that you can conseal the nib in the barrel as if you are trying to hide the pointy bit and making it look like a harmless rod... Kind of like a mini version of a dagger hiding inside a walking stick! I would remove the nib and place it elsewhere, putting the nib in a separate container or something (away from the holder) Don't try to hide it by wrapping it up and putting it inside your socks or anything like that as that just further raises suspicion! Just put it in a small container (with other nibs if you have more) and put it where it is easily visible.

[professionaldilettante]

IT'S a CUPCAKE! I mean TRAP!

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h21/Funkguerilla/ackbar.gif

I don't know about you, but if bags were free for check-in, I would do it. Otherwise, if you're paranoid of losing it, I'd just keep it at home. Who know's who actually remembered to take their crazy pills at the TSA check in that morning.

Edited March 12, 2012 by professionaldilettante

[fuchsiaprincess]

I have found that airport security tend to be more concerned about the ink in my FPS, rather than the nibs. I was once told to remove my pens from their leather pen case and place them in those clear zip-lock bags, so that they can bang against and scratch one other. I wasn't happy!

 

Can't comment regarding a dip pen though.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I fear my Apache Sunset and Golden Brown will be confiscated by the US Air Port security even if in my suit case.

 

I will have to strive to keep the bottles far apart. Only Homeland security knows what bottles do alone in the darkness.

 

 

Dam putting my pens in a safe leather 'shoe' to prevent them from being banged around looks like a no no....too.

Out of the pen protector..... :blink:

 

And can't put them next to a bottle. It looks like something they slept though in the 27 minute HLS class.

Big blasting caps....yep....

 

Are you sure this book we are living in was not written by Jonathan Swift?

[impossiblebird]

Airport security freaked when they found a silicone kitchen spatula in him indoors' hand luggage; they argued that he could tear off the silicone 'blade' and use the blunt metal handle as a weapon. I wouldn't risk it with your pen.

 

What I don't understand is, however much they can make up a far-fetched scenario where you could conceivably use these items as weapons, it's not actually unlawful to own can openers, dip pens, silicone spatulas... so how come they get to confiscate them, not allow you to, for example, post them back to your home address or put them in your hold luggage? People are required to check in so far in advance of their flights these days, surely this procedure could be better planned? The only justification for confiscation would be that there's not time to do anything more considered ... and yet there is; people spend hours on end at airports pre-flight, playing hurry up and wait.

 

If you do decide to risk it with your pen, maybe carry a prepaid self-addressed packet you could (if they allow you to) use if you need to offload the pen, or dump at the airport if you pass inspection (after removing the address label to thwart identity theives!)

[impossiblebird]

I have found that airport security tend to be more concerned about the ink in my FPS, rather than the nibs. I was once told to remove my pens from their leather pen case and place them in those clear zip-lock bags...

What's the idea with the zip-lock bags? What difference do they make, when you can open them mid-flight anyway? (which is surely the point of carrying them on the flight, for most travellers, or they'd be in the hold luggage) An open zip-lock bag is of no use whatsoever. And why exclude baby juice and breast milk? If the authorities think liquids might be explosives in disguise, then surely that goes for those, too? You read advice for people to substitute liquids with powders, such as tooth powder, mineral foundation etc, but surely powders can be counterfeit, too? I mean, why aren't these people consistent in their paranoia?

[Kaptenmork]

Airport in Manilla took my brand new lightweight umbrella! yeah maybe I look like a ninja who can kill with anything

[Bo Bo Olson]

Power corrupts...power must be used constantly to be power.

Those with very little power, need you to kow tow deeply, as they stink up the place with their 'mighty' presence.

In the power rush, they will not listen to your ''how sweet the roses are'', as you kow tow.

 

 

Is it illegal to empty the 'confiscated' ink bottle in the waste paper can? ...and if one is not available on the floor?

After all one would not want to have some one in such a important job...be tempted with theft of a valuable $12.00 ink.

Its my ink until they pry it from my dead hand.... Charlton Heston said something like that when he parted the Red Ink Sea.

 

Do they really let you take a dangerous pointy ball point pen on board?

[seoulseeker]

Airport in Manilla took my brand new lightweight umbrella! yeah maybe I look like a ninja who can kill with anything

 

Man, this thread is causing me to worry. I will be flying next week with four fountain pens in my carry on, because I don't trust international mail or sending them with my luggage.

 

What do you think the likelihood is that they will stop me and try to tell me that I can't bring my pens on board? (Worried most about this pen https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlJ9HhDqZ_d4yVJNFR1Co-IxrNuSBGnxCntVQgdhrJ2IKfToO9 , as quite honestly I could see how it might look like a weapon to scanners, with its rather imposing looking skeleton body...)

Edited March 12, 2012 by seoulseeker

[impossiblebird]

Do they really let you take a dangerous pointy ball point pen on board?

Not if they've seen Grosse Pointe Blank, they don't. I'm quite certain that was a ballpoint John Cusack's character stabbed the other assassin to death with.

[Chrissy]

I don't think I would risk it, but taking a self-addressed bubble envelope (plus extra bubble wrap packaging) with you is a good idea just in case. :blink:

 

I can't help thinking about the film where a woman who works at a hotel is forced to accompany a man who is part of a gang that is trying to blow someone up. They also go on a plane where she steals a plastic ballpoint and stabs him in the throat with it.

 

I'm sure someone will think of the title of the film as it eludes me at the moment.

[impossiblebird]

There are quite a few cases from real life of people being stabbed with ballpoint pens ... and it seems that many attackers choose to go for the face and neck.

[nicholasyeo]

It is safer not to bring it, as the airport security is not obliged to return you your item on the way home,

or to mail it home, if you happen to be overseas when the confiscation happens. They'll probably auction

it off at a police auction. Or at least that was what I heard, about all the swiss army knives in the glass box.

[impossiblebird]

It is safer not to bring it, as the airport security is not obliged to return you your item on the way home,

or to mail it home, if you happen to be overseas when the confiscation happens. They'll probably auction

it off at a police auction. Or at least that was what I heard, about all the swiss army knives in the glass box.

Surely this is theft? I really don't see what justification there is for this, if the objects aren't contraband. If it's simply a question of unauthorised carry in a quite specific situation, they should be obliged to allow you to find a way of maintaining ownership. They should allow for stuff to be mailed at the owner's expense. And there should be more clarity and consistency about carry-on rules by now; they've had ten years of faffing about, effectively allowing staff to make up the rules as they go along.

[asaha]

I guess the long metal body of the dip pen may really be problematic. :roflmho:

[rwilsonedn]

The last time I checked, the TSA Web site stated pretty clearly that any item that doesn't actually appear in the list of acceptable items on the site may be confiscated at the discretion of the agent at the inspection point. I read that to mean that if you are traveling with any personal property that isn't specifically mentioned on the acceptable list, you are running at least a small risk of losing it. And no, the fact that you were able to take the item through security unchallenged on your outbound trip doesn't mean anything when you go back through security on the next leg.

My guess is that unless something is clearly a viable weapon, the risk is small. I've never had anyone question my fountain pens, or for that matter my pocket watch or mechanical cameras, any one of which could look like a timing or barometric device to the X-ray machine. But there is no guarantee. I go through this angst about tripods every time I travel with one: they don't fit in my checked baggage, and they could certainly be used (at least once or twice) as a mace. So I usually leave them at home.

ron