Noodler's Charlie Flow Problem (Leak?)

[Martini1R]

I got this pen with the Kung Te Cheng ink. It has been working nicely for the pass 2 weeks and now it is suddenly having some crazy flow issue. Randomly, a drop of ink would suddenly come out and hit the paper. It is not gashing out like crazy, just a drop, but enough to ruin whatever I was writing. I can see the frequency of this happening is getting higher as well.

 

My pen is about half filled now. I usually store it laying flat on a tray. Sometimes there could be a pen underneath the Charlie as I pile the inexpensive pens on this tray on the desk. I seldom carry this pen with me and I never dropped it, or did something to the nib.

 

Is there something I could do to fix this or prevent it from happening again? I am not a huge fan of this small pen but it seems to be a pity to just throw it away.

 

Anyway. Comments appreciated.

[catbert]

Try topping up the level of ink. When there is more air in the barrel, heat from your hand may cause expansion that pushes out ink.

[inkstainedruth]

That's the downside of eyedropper pens (the upside of course being the huge amount of ink they hold. And possibly the downside of the barrel material -- I had a similar problem this morning with a Dollar 717i, which is a piston filler (I was holding it at the dentist's office while having my teeth cleaned because I was trying to make notes about where all I had to go after that, and the hygienist came in before I finished).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Martini1R]

Thanks for the tip. I sure noticed the cooler temperature of the ink when I hold the pen but never thought about that. Now I appreciate the preppy a little bit more because I never have a leak like this out of the 10 peppys I have. Thank goodness.

[mckenzif]

Preppys and similar eyedropper pens can be sensitive to changes in air pressure as well as changes in altitude, if you drive into the mountains, etc. When I used to fly, I would wrap any fountain pen in a paper napkin as 'insurance'. Or add it to a small baggie with a bit of paper towel inside. Most 'real fountain pen users' have ink stains on the fingers from time to time. Consider it a mark of distinction

[Martini1R]

I filled up the Charlie again and it seems to stopped the leaking issue. Nice little pen but I probably won't carry it around.

 

If I fly I usually not just wrap the fountain pen, I would put them in a zip lock bag just to be safe. I really admire people who are dedicated to carrying a fountain pen even when travelling. I find that tedious not to say the risk of losing it on the road.