Fountain pen -- flight safe?

[Fredrik Glöckner]

Is it safe to use a fountain pen while flying? I'm thinking about the
change of pressure.

I have a LAMY 2000 piston filling fountain pen. I am worried that the
change of pressure might:

* expel some ink and ruin my clothes

* damage the internal workings of the pen, i.e., the rubber seals etc.


What do you think?


Fredrik

[bill7tx]

It depends on the pen, and it depends on whether there are any changes
in cabin air pressure during the flight. I've had piston fillers leak
on one flight and not on the next (same Parker Sonnet both times), I've
had pens with cartridges fitted that were ok one flight and not the
next (specifically a Parker 45 and a Lamy Safari). The pens I would
trust the least are aerometric fillers and lever fills (Hero pens from
China, in my case). The only pen that has never leaked during flight is
my Parker Duofold. Possibly that's because the Duofold's cap screws on
and might maintain the air pressure inside the pen, or as least slow
down the rate of pressure change so that things equalize more gently
and don't cause the ink to bleed out through the nib. All the other
pens have click-on or slide-on caps.

I've never had a pen that was damaged by changes of air pressure,
although I guess that's possible. They have just leaked or dropped big
blobs of ink, especially when used in flight (the Parker 45 leaked into
the cap -- ugly surprise when I opened it afterward). Now when I carry
a fountain pen on a plane, it will either be completely empty
(preferred) or completely full, and I never use it in flight. I also
never carry the pen in my shirt pocket or pants pocket (even if in a
pen case). I have a small leather pouch fitted with an ink-absorbing
lining and internal sleeves for four pens (or Visconti travelling ink
pots, which fit perfectly) and a pocket for refills; the pens and ink
pots stay in the pouch during flight. I am very careful when I open the
pens after flight, and only do so over a sink (not in a client meeting,
which is where I opened that Parker 45, unfortunately). The Visconti
ink pots have never given me any trouble, leakage-wise, and they allow
me to empty any aerometric, lever-fill, or converter-equipped pen
without wasting ink.

If you fly a lot and want a pen just for travel, you could always get
one of those eyedropper pens with a safety shutoff valve built in. As
long as you remember to close the shutoff valve before you fly, you
ought to be ok. They hold a lot of ink, too (could leave the ink pot
home).

Hope this helps.

Bill

[bwesley8]

As a (very) frequent flyer and re-newed fountain pen user (just purchased my
first one since college, 30 yrs back) I really appreciate your cautionary
tips!

Bart

Post by bill7tx
It depends on the pen, and it depends on whether there are any changes
in cabin air pressure during the flight. I've had piston fillers leak
on one flight and not on the next (same Parker Sonnet both times), I've
had pens with cartridges fitted that were ok one flight and not the
next (specifically a Parker 45 and a Lamy Safari). The pens I would
trust the least are aerometric fillers and lever fills (Hero pens from
China, in my case). The only pen that has never leaked during flight is
my Parker Duofold. Possibly that's because the Duofold's cap screws on
and might maintain the air pressure inside the pen, or as least slow
down the rate of pressure change so that things equalize more gently
and don't cause the ink to bleed out through the nib. All the other
pens have click-on or slide-on caps.
I've never had a pen that was damaged by changes of air pressure,
although I guess that's possible. They have just leaked or dropped big
blobs of ink, especially when used in flight (the Parker 45 leaked into
the cap -- ugly surprise when I opened it afterward). Now when I carry
a fountain pen on a plane, it will either be completely empty
(preferred) or completely full, and I never use it in flight. I also
never carry the pen in my shirt pocket or pants pocket (even if in a
pen case). I have a small leather pouch fitted with an ink-absorbing
lining and internal sleeves for four pens (or Visconti travelling ink
pots, which fit perfectly) and a pocket for refills; the pens and ink
pots stay in the pouch during flight. I am very careful when I open the
pens after flight, and only do so over a sink (not in a client meeting,
which is where I opened that Parker 45, unfortunately). The Visconti
ink pots have never given me any trouble, leakage-wise, and they allow
me to empty any aerometric, lever-fill, or converter-equipped pen
without wasting ink.
If you fly a lot and want a pen just for travel, you could always get
one of those eyedropper pens with a safety shutoff valve built in. As
long as you remember to close the shutoff valve before you fly, you
ought to be ok. They hold a lot of ink, too (could leave the ink pot
home).
Hope this helps.
Bill

[Bluesea]

Post by Fredrik Glöckner
Is it safe to use a fountain pen while flying? I'm thinking about the
change of pressure.
I have a LAMY 2000 piston filling fountain pen. I am worried that the
* expel some ink and ruin my clothes
* damage the internal workings of the pen, i.e., the rubber seals etc.

Damaging the pen isn't an issue, it's having all that ink on your fingers
and clothing, etc.

Conventional wisdom says to either fill or empty the pen completely. If you
choose to fill it, don't uncap it while the plane is ascending or
descending.

Post by Fredrik Glöckner
What do you think?

See how the conventional wisdom works out for you or take a rollerball.

[John Peterson]

Modern FP, at least 30+ years and younger, do not leak or at most burp, not
enough to be messy. I think a clearer truth of it is that leaking depends
on the pens internal design and how much air is in the converter or
cartridge. You can find archives of conversations about this topic on this
newsgroup.

To reduce risk of a burp, the FP is best upright during ascent. Tap it to
expel any ink in the feed so that any air bubble is above, and all ink is
below. In most instances, this suffices in modern FP. Wait to cruise
altitude before using the pen.

If you're using a twist converter, additionally you can twist it clockwise
to expel the air manually until a clear drop of ink forms, then twist back
until the blob of ink is sucked back in. Leave the converter twist at this
level. Its not worth the trouble to do this in a pen like the Mont Blanc
146, as the piston mechanism is built into the body. Just do the tap
method above.

Post by Fredrik Glöckner
Is it safe to use a fountain pen while flying? I'm thinking about the
change of pressure.
I have a LAMY 2000 piston filling fountain pen. I am worried that the
* expel some ink and ruin my clothes
* damage the internal workings of the pen, i.e., the rubber seals etc.
What do you think?
Fredrik