How long can filled pen sit around

[vision35]

This question applies to "quality" modern pens, meaning Lami, Namiki, Pelikans, in $50 to $250 range:

 

If I fill the pen with a cartridge/converter (or piston) with ink, and let the ink pen sit around (meaning it's not my daily pen), how long until I should expect the nib to have trouble starting, or to dry out.

 

I keep the same black inks in most of my FP's since that's what I need and I like to rotate them. However, as my FP collection grows I'd like to keep one or two around with different inks. I doubt I'd use those every day and am wondering what's "normal" for the pen to still write easily.

 

I have an old Parker 51 (1960's) that I find dries out in half a week, or at least won't start up easily when it's been sitting. I would imagine my 2000's, Studios, Bamboos, or 800's of today last much longer but wondered what peoples' experiences were.

[TimButterfield]

This is highly dependant upon the pen and sometimes even varies within a specific pen model depending on how well it is assembled, loose versus tight cap liners for example. I have some pens that can go several weeks and pick right up on the first stroke. Others skip a bit after only a day or two. Part of this depends upon the airtightness of the cap. A well ventilated cap will allow greater evaporation and may have a tendency toward harder starts than a non-ventilated cap. An easy test of this is to put the open end of the cap against your mouth and blow on it. Does air escape? The more air that escapes, the greater the rate of evaporation and the less likely that pen is to last unused for an extended period. Some pens leak prolifically, especially around where the clip enters the cap.

 

Another factor in this is the feed/nib. Does the feed hold enough ink to allow for some evaporation to occur and to still start easily? Even without air leakage, there is still some air in the cap for ink to evaporate into. Some nibs are just hard starting in general. Letting them sit for a while usually does not help.

 

My best successes for starting after a long period of being idle have been with pens with generally nice writing nibs and an airtight or very nearly airtight cap. These include my Waterman Carene and Edson and Filcao Silvia LE. There are others, but these are the first to spring to mind. The last one, the Filcao, is a bit interesting. There is a hole in the side of the cap and the blow test will not work on this one unless the hole is covered. But, it has very little air leakage. The front edge of the section presses against an inner liner, thus eliminating air leakage.

[Melnicki]

When a pen of mine doesn't start right away, I lick my finger and touch the nib to the saliva (then write with it right away)... This seems to do the trick most of the time...

[Blorgy]

When a pen of mine doesn't start right away, I lick my finger and touch the nib to the saliva (then write with it right away)... This seems to do the trick most of the time...

Did you do that in front of the person who suddenly decided not to borrow your Sensa fountain pen ?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...indpost&p=82766

Edited March 16, 2006 by Blorgy

[Melnicki]

No, I didn't, I was in a fancy restaurant when he refused my pen.

 

But really, I don't find anything unsightly or icky about licking one's finger in public -- unless it's to give someone a "wet willie"...

[J. John Harvey]

I've done the lick-start a couple times...

 

Not since I got my new pens though - they're nice to me. ^_^