Carrying The Fountain Pens

[Carrau]

Main Street Pens and Peyton Street Pens are both reliable sources of vintage pens, and offer some guarantee/warranty.

https://www.mainstreetpens.com/pensales.htm

https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/

[Estycollector]

Both my gold Sheaffer Crest and 51 have imperfections. I had to get close to notice. Also, I got below market price for both.

[chravagni]

 

Right now I have a Lamy Safari, Aurora Style M, and Aurora Ipsilon F. But I'm lusting over a Pelikan blue o blue -- but this may be a momentary craving.

 

Thank you!

 

 

s822

Aurora Style and Ipsilon are great pens to carry. I had a metal Style as a working horse many years long. Too bad that they are hard to find now.

 

I'd add a kaweco sport in aluminium. Cartridge, quite sturdy, with threaded cap and no dry outs.

 

If you'd like another Lamy, the Lamy Pur. Cartridge, metal body (black or grey) and comfortable plastic section.

 

I have also some Pelikan m2×× as everyday carry, they work perfectly and dont leak. But, as others said, they require more attention and care.

[GeneralSynopsis]

I have been carrying a Faber-Castell School+ fountain pen in my trouser front pocket for several years now with no problems. Before this a Pilot Kakuno served in the same role without any problems for some years.

 

The reason that the Kakuno was superseded was that I prefer the nib on the FC, I still have the Kakuno and may put it back into service if I get bored of the FC.

 

I would not use any of my nicer pens in this role as: I do not trust them to not leak to some extent when carried like this, fear their finish would not survive long, or they are too bulky.

[greencobra]

i think most modern fountain pens have conquered the issues you worry about. i don't tend to take my pens out of the house for fear of damage, but i'm going to change that soon. i'm going to pick up a twsbi diamond 500 demonstrator next week, something to carry on a regular basis and travel with. it looks like a cool piston fill pen for an old retired guy like myself to run around with, and who is very clumsy and drops a lot of "stuff."

[Tasmith]

Put an O-ring and some silicone grease on the section threads of a Platinum Preppy, and use the entire barrel as the pen's ink reservoir by filling it with an eyedropper. The pen has a snap cap and a spring-loaded inner cap.

Good idea on the Preppy. But, if you want something a bit nicer looking get a Platinum Prefounte for a few dollars more than a Preppy. Been using a Prefounte as my daily carry since June and I couldn't be happier with it.

[Brianm_14]

I have had great results with TWSBI Eco and TWSBI Diamond 580.

 

1. They hold a TON of ink. You will enjoy long stretches between refills.

2. They have inner seals in their caps, vastly slowing the rate of evaporation/dry out. I left an Eco sitting unused with the cap screwed on for a YEAR while loaded with shimmer ink (a newbie mistake) and it started right up like it had been sitting for only a minute.

3. Their caps screw on securely. I have yet to have a cap pop off and have ink all over my pocket/bag/backpack

.

Yes, yes! I second the vote for TWSBI Ecos. For all of these reasons. I have three, so I can always have a variety of inks and nibs. They are almost as perfectly good as Platinum pens in terms of resistence to drying out. I have never had any of my Ecos leak, and I've owned these three all between two and nearly four years now.

 

My second recomendation would be Platinum pens, any models with the anti-drying out (and anti-leak) seal. I misplaced one of my Platinum 3776s after moving into an apartment from a house. After a little over two years, the pen finally turned up. It wrote immediately on the first try, without any hesitation whatsoever. There are several models cheaper than the 3776 which feature this seal -the Procyon

(?) and the Professor are two, as I recall. There must be others.

 

Of course, even the pedestrian Preppy would be just as safe to carry and always ready to write beautifully! The Prefounte is an upgrade which shares these noble qualities.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Brianm-14-FRMS

[sidthecat]

I have no sensible advice for you since I wear ringtops. This lifestyle confines me essentially to vintage pens since nobody makes them, and makes me somewhat paranoid because those vintage beauties were imperfectly engineered and have a disquieting tendency to unscrew themselves from their caps and disappear...that's probably why they stopped making them. That all said, some of them have insanely good nibs and if you want to have a pen to hand, there you are.

 

[Estycollector]

40 minutes ago, sidthecat said:

I have no sensible advice for you since I wear ringtops. This lifestyle confines me essentially to vintage pens since nobody makes them, and makes me somewhat paranoid because those vintage beauties were imperfectly engineered and have a disquieting tendency to unscrew themselves from their caps and disappear...that's probably why they stopped making them. That all said, some of them have insanely good nibs and if you want to have a pen to hand, there you are.

 

I agree. 

[Mech-for-i]

7 hours ago, sidthecat said:

I have no sensible advice for you since I wear ringtops. This lifestyle confines me essentially to vintage pens since nobody makes them, and makes me somewhat paranoid because those vintage beauties were imperfectly engineered and have a disquieting tendency to unscrew themselves from their caps and disappear...that's probably why they stopped making them. That all said, some of them have insanely good nibs and if you want to have a pen to hand, there you are.

 

 Modern technology to the rescue , try loctite 

[silverlifter]

I've had an AL Sport inked with R&K Dokumentus Dunkleblau in my front pocket for the last several months. It hasn't dried out, leaked or otherwise misbehaved. The aluminium surface is surprisingly hard wearing, it sits in the same pocket as a Spyderco Spydiechef and has not accrued any obvious scratches over that period.

[sebastel23]

34 minutes ago, Mech-for-i said:

 Modern technology to the rescue , try loctite 

 

emmmm ... why should one glue the cap to the pen?

in the end, you WANT to remove the cap from time to time, for example in order to use the pen for writing.

 

😉

[Mech-for-i]

49 minutes ago, sebastel23 said:

 

emmmm ... why should one glue the cap to the pen?

in the end, you WANT to remove the cap from time to time, for example in order to use the pen for writing.

 

😉

 

many people wrongly think Loctite is just glue, but Loctite is a series of product , and plenty of them are not glue, there are thread coating that you put on screw thread so they dampen the micro jitter movements and act as locking agent so the parts do not run loose themselves, used a lot in moving parts in engineering. You can still screw the parts off just as you normally do , those are not glues , check into that kind of thing, google Threading Locking Fluids / Compounds ; if its only the capping thread, thick paste style silicone grease do the job usually fine, but if that does not do the job one need to look into these. If for pens like Ring top, or those with cap jewel, the thread locking compound also usually made a good air tight sealent against dry out too

[es9]

I love my Esties for daily writers and find they are quite durable.  J's are fantastic, but I usually go for an M2 when I need something to throw in my bag.  The M2 is solid, has a no-nonsense aerometric filling system and a durable metal cap that doesn't ding easily, and renew-points mean nibs are extremely customizable/replaceable.  The easily removable nib also means the pen can be quickly and thoroughly cleaned if you decide to switch inks.  

[Detman101]

On 9/26/2020 at 8:21 PM, loganrah said:

Ah, the eternal search for a carry friendly pen. My advice is a pilot 823 or other pen with a shut-off valve like an opus 88 eyedropper. Get a sleeve or similar to protect it from scratches and you have basically as carry friendly a pen as you can have.

 

If your budget can swing the 823 it also had the advantage of having a Pilot #15 nib, which means many options (including flex) are available. Either directly or by swapping in from a 743.

Agreed.
"Japanese-Eyedropper" style pens are the safest bet.
I rock a Penbbs-355 for that simple fact. Cheaper than the Opus-88 and durable, also has lots of mods available, doesn't leak in your pocket or dry-out, they hold a ton of ink also.

[Arkanabar]

On 10/5/2020 at 4:11 PM, scribe822 said:

Hi Mercian,

You've got me on the hunt for a Parker 51--curious where did you find yours? Recommended sites? Looking for a reliable, honest dealer who is wiling to provide a warranty (am I being unrealistic?).

 

Also questions re. Parker 51:

-the gold finish catches my eye: but does the gold plated/filled rub off like w/jewelry, or tarnish?

-I don't have patience for inky, messy filling..you recommend the aeromatic: is filling trouble free?

-you say Parker 51 has large ink capacity: is that similar to current piston fills? Do they by chance take cartridges?

 

And I imagine you wouldn't recommend these pens can be carried neatly.

 

Thank you!!! s822

I asked my mom if she could find my Dad's "51" a few years back.  She did, and it showed up under the tree for me (along with several other keepsakes for my siblings).  As soon as it was flushed, it wrote like a champ.  As with the Hero 616, it's fairly easy to fill -- remove barrel, dunk open part of hood into ink (that's less than 5mm, btw), press the plate on the internal sac at 5s intervals until bubbles stop coming up, remove, squeeze 3 drops out of the collector by pressing the plate, wipe hood, screw barrel back on, and you're done.

 

I make extensive use of the Hero 616, and it does sometimes leak.  But that's typically right after filling, when I leave the collector super saturated and wear the pen around.   It often is clipped to the outside of my breast pocket (as now, when I need to make tally marks from time to time) for easy access.  I've never had it just drop from its cap.  It can get pulled loose, and the barrel can unscrew, but the pen stays in the cap.  These tend to fail after a few years of regular carry (working in medical records, and then as a certified nurse aide).

On 10/16/2020 at 2:13 AM, Brianm_14 said:

{snip}

 

My second recomendation would be Platinum pens, any models with the anti-drying out (and anti-leak) seal. I misplaced one of my Platinum 3776s after moving into an apartment from a house. After a little over two years, the pen finally turned up. It wrote immediately on the first try, without any hesitation whatsoever. There are several models cheaper than the 3776 which feature this seal -the Procyon

(?) and the Professor are two, as I recall. There must be others.

 

Of course, even the pedestrian Preppy would be just as safe to carry and always ready to write beautifully! The Prefounte is an upgrade which shares these noble qualities.

So too does the aluminum Plaisir, a pen I find to be gravely underrated.  You can see the spring-loaded inner cap on a Preppy seat on the section.  That, AFAIK, is Platinum's engineering solution, all up and down their line.

[sidthecat]

On 12/10/2020 at 11:33 PM, Mech-for-i said:

 Modern technology to the rescue , try loctite 

I use a dab of silicone adhesive, since the ability to still use the pen is a factor.

[Mech-for-i]

4 hours ago, sidthecat said:

I use a dab of silicone adhesive, since the ability to still use the pen is a factor.

Google thread locking fluid / compound , too many are in the mindset that Loctite just glue but glue only part of the lineup. I suggest paste type silicone grease as a start , the usual higher viscosity one do not quite do the job

[Detman101]

Indeed. The blue "Lock-tite" is great for sealing threads and tightening loose fittings...without permanently bonding them.
That's what the red "Lock-Tite" is for... 😏

[Al-fresco]

I’ve lost a jacket and a couple of shirts to Lamy Al-Stars where the cap slipped off and I didn’t notice.  A Kaweco Brass Sport is now the only pen I routinely carry around with me.