Namiki VP better for air travel?

[kwahoo]

Pens with breather tubes are supposed to be immune from pressure changes, but with all the pens I've used, they seem to spit a bit of ink into the cap, which is incredibly annoying. I guess I have only traveled with sac pens and it is hard to get them really full. I have not tried a C/C pen.

 

But I read a few things on this forum and elsewhere suggesting that maybe the VP is more robust than others. I can't figure out why that would be, but it's so highly regarded I've been thinking of getting one anyway. This might push me over the edge.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

/K

[Michael Wright]

I've used a VP for flying, and for carrying around in a Filofax which got thrown in a bag which got thrown in the car. The VP handled it very well.

 

I think the reason is that if/when the VP does spit a bit of ink, the trapdoor keeps it inside the pen body. It's pretty well behaved, anyway, and the retractable design gives a bit more security. Every once in a while I wash out the interior of my VPs, and there is a bit of ink in there.

 

Best

 

Michael

[MickeyD]

I have also used the VPs on trips, but rarely in the plane itself. I find if you keep the point up, they do not spit as much. I have used them on the plane in flight, and only had one time when it spit out any ink. I find most times, the leakage is caused by bouncing the pen around in my laptop case. Even though it is in a 3-pen case, "stuff happens", and I end up cleaning the barrel. I'm thinking of investing in an ultrasonic cleaner for both of them (one old style, one new style).

 

Mike

[saturation]

I concur with all the comments above mine, the VP isn't going to make its spit obvious, but it will spittle into the closed cap, albeit not all the time as it depends on how much air is in the pen.

 

Atmospheric pressure at crusing altitude is about 0.5-0.6 bar in pressurized planes, so any trapped air in a pen will expand, and will need to vent. If your ears need to equalize, so will the pen.

 

A way to minimize spittle is to to remove air pockets in the pen. For most any pen, an air pocket can be reduced with a piston screw-type converter. Just before flight, open the pen and rotate the piston until a drop of ink falls off the pen, do not readjust the piston.

 

Try not to use the pen until cruising altitude.

 

The worse case scenario is a nearly empty pen, kept nib down or actually used for writing at ascent. A large air pocket would be sealed in the pen and the expansion will push the most amount of ink out!

Edited February 4, 2006 by saturation

[Dadof8]

This year I have taken 3 trips by air travel. In all three cases, I carried a Waterman Phileas and a Rotring 600 both with F nibs with no problems. The Phileas was always in my pocket with nib up and the Rotring would be in my computer case lying horizontal. Neither one ever leaked. I even used the Phileas while in route with no problems.

 

I currently use cartridges in both pens. They have been either completely full to almost empty and I've never had a problem.

 

This is my experience, YMMV.

 

Dadof8

[davyr]

just got back from a trip to the philippines, with a vp in my pocket. no leaks that i can see, and the cartridge was more than half empty on the return trip. i used the pen at cruising altitude to fill out customs and immigration forms, no problem.

[wimg]

Hi Kwahoo,

 

I have had problems only with pens with a sac as reservoir (and that is mostly vintage pens IOW), and pens with gravity feeds (vintage pens) rather than true capillary feeds. No problems otherwise.

 

Some of the customs and immgration forms are a little hard to write on with an FP - not FP friendly paper. So you may need a BP or RB for those instances.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[saturation]

Thanks folks. The VP or any 30 year old FP I've seen don't leak but spittle. Its only noticeable that it did happen when you clean the pen body. I imagine it like draining a converter that is mostly empty, but with enough ink that bubbles of air form that when burst, splatter a bit of ink. It really shouldn't do it all the time, since the rate of ascent is slow [ 15-30min] enough time for the pen to equalize gently.

 

Its never enough to make a mess of your pocket, at most a stain on your fingertip on a classic style capped fountain pen.

 

If your pen already has some ink splatters for other reasons, this may not be a good test.

 

But, if one keeps the pen clean, put a moist tissue paper in the pen cap or in the lower half of the VP body, and let us know how much dried ink is there.

 

I've been doing the drop-converter thing for so long, maybe I can forget doing it!

 

Now that you got me curious, on my next flight I'll take the whole pen section out of the VP during ascent see what happens with an air pocket in there.

Edited February 4, 2006 by saturation

[PaulK]

When I first joined this 'site, that was one of my first questions (FPs & flying). After lots of input both ways, it seemed that any reports of significant leakage was from vintage pens. Since then, I've flown with Pelikans and my CS Dinkie with no issue at all (full/partially full of ink). I've used them in while in the air (maybe somewhat a bit more of a wet write for the first second or two) but again: certainly(!) not like a blob of ink appeared on the page just a bit wetter.

 

I'm starting to think (with the new FPs at least) this has become more of an "urban legend." I agree with MickeyD, if I ever had a drop of ink appear inside the cap, it was because of jostling 'em. Never an issue in my shirt pocket (nib up).

 

My best,

 

Paul

[kwahoo]

Thanks for all the sensible advice. It makes sense that sac pens would be problems, because as far as I can tell, it's pretty difficult to get them truly full, with no air--as opposed to a converter, for example. And indeed, my problems have been with sac pens, even ones with breather tubes such as the Eversharp Skyliner.

 

/K

[Kelly G]

I fly frequently and have for a number of years. My experience is that vacumatics can present problems when flying - I've had a few caps full of ink. Sac'd pens can leak if not filled or emptied prior to flight - not a 100% occurance but it can happen. I've had vintage lever fillers drop ink in flight. I usually use Pelikan piston fillers in flight and have had no problems. I fly with snorkels and touchdown fillers regularly with no problems. I do try to keep the nibs upright so as not to create more risk than necessary. I always remove pen caps very carefully first time after flight - if they have dumped some ink it's best to be ready. As long as you take some care there is no reason to fly without your fp's.

 

kg

[saturation]

I went looking for what other web sites had to say, particularly the newsgroup archives, and they pretty much mirror this thread: most pens don't leak, at most a touch but not to be of any concern [ nothing to do preflight.]

 

Vintage pens are more likely to leak.

 

Attached is the full FAQ, last updated in 2003. It does have other points of interest for newbies.

 

This link is to the newsgroup, not the FAQ. It is the most active one with archives at google going at least to 1995:

 

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.collect...-pencils?lnk=li

faq.doc

Edited February 6, 2006 by saturation