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#1
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
Hope I'm not posting too much but I'm new to the hobby and have
lots of questions. So far I have two fountain pens, one I keep at my desk at work and one I keep at home for doodling and taking notes while watching TV. The one at work is relatively new, works perfectly, and I keep it in a coffee cup tip up with some other pens, pencils, and other office paraphernalia. The one at home I leave laying on its side and last night it was writing very wet, should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? Thanks, Scott |
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#2
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
scottmandue wrote:
should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? There's no right or wrong answer to this one, Scott. I have pens lying all over the place... A couple are in cups on my desk, but most are lying on their sides. I can't imagine people worried about such things back when fountain pens were all one could buy... they just kept their pens wherever (desk drawer, pocket, wherever). I do find that some of my pens are more likely to write first thing when they've been lying on their sides versus nib up. I think you'll find that for many pens it doesn't matter how you store them but others are a bit more temperamental. You could either try storing the pen nib up or just blot it with a tissue before writing if it's too juicy for your tastes. -- B |
#3
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
scottmandue a écrit : should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? No. The ink dries in the feed and slowly clogs the pen. It is better to store fountain pens in a horizontal position or with the nib down. |
#4
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
virgiliopoeta a écrit : scottmandue a écrit : should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? No. The ink dries in the feed and slowly clogs the pen. It is better to store fountain pens in a horizontal position or with the nib down. I should perhaps add that certain pens seem to tolerate being stored with the nib up, notably the old Sheaffer school pens. |
#5
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
virgiliopoeta wrote:
scottmandue wrote: should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? No. The ink dries in the feed and slowly clogs the pen. It is better to store fountain pens in a horizontal position or with the nib down. This really doesn't make sense given that we live on a planet with gravity. Stored nib up, ink will flow down and out of the feed and into the reservoir. Stored nib down, ink will flow out of the reservoir and into the feed (and in some unfortunate circumstances, out through the feed and into the cap). If you store a filled pen nib up and leave it unused long enough for ink to evaporate, not much will be left in the feed to clog it. If, however, you store a filled pen on its side, or nib down, lots of ink will remain in the feed to clog it if left long enough for the water in the ink to evaporate. The reason the OP noticed that the pen he kept on its side wrote wetter than the one he keeps nib up illustrates the effects of gravity on ink in a fountain pen. There is nothing wrong with keeping a pen nib up between uses and most dealers etc. actually recommend this (see below for just a couple of examples): http://www.cajunpen.com/html/fountainpen_hints.html http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/penstuff.html Pens are designed to be positioned nib up between uses. After all, most have pocket clips or ring tops or are designed to be carried in vest pockets nib up. Of course, the ink in any pen stored in any position will evaporate eventually. If you have to keep a pen lying on its side between uses (assuming between uses doesn't mean many days) lest ink dry in the feed, there's probably something wrong the pen (ill fitting cap, no or cracked inner cap, etc.). -- B |
#6
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
"scottmandue" wrote in message oups.com... Hope I'm not posting too much but I'm new to the hobby and have lots of questions. So far I have two fountain pens, one I keep at my desk at work and one I keep at home for doodling and taking notes while watching TV. The one at work is relatively new, works perfectly, and I keep it in a coffee cup tip up with some other pens, pencils, and other office paraphernalia. The one at home I leave laying on its side and last night it was writing very wet, should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? Thanks, Scott Either horizontal or standing as though it was clipped into a shirt/suit pocket (nib up) is fine. If you won't be using it for a while, empty it and flush with water before storing so that the ink doesn't dry inside. -- ~~Bluesea~~ Spam is great in musubi but not in email. Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply. |
#7
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
BL a écrit : virgiliopoeta wrote: scottmandue wrote: should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? No. The ink dries in the feed and slowly clogs the pen. It is better to store fountain pens in a horizontal position or with the nib down. This really doesn't make sense given that we live on a planet with gravity. Stored nib up, ink will flow down and out of the feed and into the reservoir. Stored nib down, ink will flow out of the reservoir and into the feed (and in some unfortunate circumstances, out through the feed and into the cap). If you store a filled pen nib up and leave it unused long enough for ink to evaporate, not much will be left in the feed to clog it. If, however, you store a filled pen on its side, or nib down, lots of ink will remain in the feed to clog it if left long enough for the water in the ink to evaporate. The reason the OP noticed that the pen he kept on its side wrote wetter than the one he keeps nib up illustrates the effects of gravity on ink in a fountain pen. There is nothing wrong with keeping a pen nib up between uses and most dealers etc. actually recommend this (see below for just a couple of examples): http://www.cajunpen.com/html/fountainpen_hints.html http://www.bertramsinkwell.com/penstuff.html Pens are designed to be positioned nib up between uses. After all, most have pocket clips or ring tops or are designed to be carried in vest pockets nib up. Of course, the ink in any pen stored in any position will evaporate eventually. If you have to keep a pen lying on its side between uses (assuming between uses doesn't mean many days) lest ink dry in the feed, there's probably something wrong the pen (ill fitting cap, no or cracked inner cap, etc.). -- B All of this sounds quite plausible, but has nothing to do with reality. No theory however plausible is of any value if it does not explain actual facts. It is incorrect to assert that modern pens are designed to be stored nib up. In fact, most pens if stored nib up, will slowly clog up even if tightly sealed. Certainly the great majority of pens if left nib up, will not start at once, which is a sure sign of partial clogging. Enough ink adheres to the feed to slowly clog it as successive layers of dried ink accumulate. When you turn a pen nib up, and leave it, not all the ink flows back into the bladder or reservoir. A small part dries in the feed. This is the simplest explanation which accounts for the observed facts, and is therefore most probably the correct one. If a pen is stored horizontally or with the nib down, on the other hand, the feed is kept wet, and no ink can dry in the feed, which is what normally causes clogging. Horizontal storage is somewhat preferable to storage nib down, however, because ink leakage is less a danger. In a well-designed feed however, even storage nib down is quite safe. There ishowever a tradition that pens should be stored nib up, which apparently dates back to the days when non-stainless steel was used in nibs. Stainless steel (most usually 18% chromium and 8% nickel) dates of course only to the period 1903 to 1912, and was not commonly used in nibs until after the First World War. Consequently, it was considered more important to keep ink away from the nib, so as to avoid corrosion, than to avoid clogging the feed. People simply were accustomed to frequently soak their feeds for a few hours, which is much less harmful to non-stainless steel than regular, prolonged exposure to ink/water. For the same reason, gold was preferred to steel for nibs. Yellow brass was also tried, and gave good service, but was finally rejected because of the difficulty in rolling it into nibs. I have often wondered if some metallurgist might someday obviate this difficulty. Yellow brass closely mimics gold, and is much harder - similar in hardness to steel, as I recall. With modern stainless steel however, there is no logical reason ever to store a pen with its nib up. If however you find a pen such as the Sheaffer school pen, which seems to clog only very slowly when stored nib up, you may wish to adopt this position. All of this is however a bit of a tempest in a teapot, as it is not difficult to unclog a feed by soaking overnight. Naturally for this purpose alone one need not soak the whole pen. |
#8
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
virgiliopoeta wrote:
All of this sounds quite plausible, but has nothing to do with reality. No theory however plausible is of any value if it does not explain actual facts. Here are the actual facts. The OP has two pens. The one he keeps nib up in a coffee cup on his desk at work writes perfectly. The one he keeps lying on its side at home writes very wet. Now, Gregg, don't you think gravity (albeit a theoretical construct) does a rather good job of accounting for the difference in how these two pens write? It is incorrect to assert that modern pens are designed to be stored nib up. How many fountain pens have clips mounted on the end of the barrel thus forcing the user to carry the pen nib down? (none) Where are the rings on ringtops posted? (top of cap) Now, if fountain pens were meant to be positioned nib down between uses, don't you think someone along the line would have mounted clips or rings on the end of the barrel? In fact, most pens if stored nib up, will slowly clog up even if tightly sealed. As mentioned in a previous post, ink in any pen stored in any position will evaporate eventually. Certainly the great majority of pens if left nib up, will not start at once.... The great majority of pens? You're making this up. ... When you turn a pen nib up, and leave it, not all the ink flows back into the bladder or reservoir. This is true. A small part dries in the feed. A properly sealed pen will not dry out between uses provided the pen is not allowed to sit for long periods of time (days) between uses. There ishowever a tradition that pens should be stored nib up, which apparently dates back to the days when non-stainless steel was used in nibs. Stainless steel (most usually 18% chromium and 8% nickel) dates of course only to the period 1903 to 1912, and was not commonly used in nibs until after the First World War. Consequently, it was considered more important to keep ink away from the nib, so as to avoid corrosion, than to avoid clogging the feed. Huh? What do you think they were using for fountain pen nibs back then? I really don't think anyone was particularly concerned about gold alloy corroding. No, the custom of carrying/storing pens nib up has everything to do with minimizing the chances of leaking and nothing to do with preventing corrosion to nibs. People simply were accustomed to frequently soak their feeds for a few hours Hmmmm.... I wonder what a person wrote with back then while his/her pen was drying out. Any ideas? With modern stainless steel however, there is no logical reason ever to store a pen with its nib up. Well, I'm not sure what type of nibs are on the OP's pens, but I think he'll probably store the pen he formerly kept lying down nib up to prevent the feed from flooding (which is why it was writing so wet... It's that gravity thing, Gregg). -- B |
#9
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:07:45 GMT, BL wrote:
virgiliopoeta wrote: I've snipped the discussion above 'cause I wouldn't want to interfere in a private war or appear like a lily-livered peace-maker, heaven forfend. Carry on with the hacking and slashing, boys; you're clearly having a great time and I find it immensely entertaining. It livens up the group and may even dispel some of the myths that seem to have gathered around fountain pens and their use. All I wanted to say is this: regardless of how it's stored, a fountain pen is going to dry out if it isn't used. The time taken for that to happen is going to vary from pen to pen but it'll happen eventually. It's probably - I'll be no more definite than that - the case that the "nib up" option is the best, though virgilpoeta's comment about the drying of ink adhering to the nib and feed has some merit, particulary when you consider pens with complex, multi-finned feeds. Whichever pen I'm currently using lies horizontally in a wooden pen tray. I never have a problem with pens drying out but that's because I use them a lot. In essence, drying out is a problem of under-used pens. Enjoy the pleasure of using them more often or if it does dry out, don't worry about it. All the modern inks I've used wash out very easily. -- Sem |
#10
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Storing fountain pens with ink in them?
scottmandue wrote: Hope I'm not posting too much but I'm new to the hobby and have lots of questions. So far I have two fountain pens, one I keep at my desk at work and one I keep at home for doodling and taking notes while watching TV. The one at work is relatively new, works perfectly, and I keep it in a coffee cup tip up with some other pens, pencils, and other office paraphernalia. The one at home I leave laying on its side and last night it was writing very wet, should fountain pens be stored with the tip up between uses? Thanks, Scott Some pens tend to write more wet when they're running out of ink. I think it's because of more air in the barrel/sac/cartridge means more pressure on the ink flow. Nevertheless, it's just a guess. Juan |
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