Carrying a fountain pen

Gents-

My new FP collection/AD has begun. Being in the military and using fountain pens has been wonderful. My uniform sleeve has pockets for pens. The pen slides in and sits nib facing up. Has anyone had any problems with leakage? I noticed that some ink had leaked inside the body when I changed the cartridge the other day over to a converter but I haven't been at work since. I'm hoping this one doesn't leak. I may have not seated the cartridge in there all the way either, so I don't really know the cause.

If anyone has any tips on this I would love to hear them!

Subscribed as I'm just venturing into FPs myself. Looking forward to learning a bit.

Neither of my Pilot Metros have leaked inside the body. I do tend to rinse the pen off once a new cartridge/converter is in place.

I carry an FP every day usualy cliped in my shirt just bellow the top Or second button or in my breast pocket if the shirt has one. Generally the nib is the highest point and I have not had any serious leak issues. I had an issue once when I had a pen nib down in my pocket, it leaked quite a bit in the cap but the nib had issues anyway. I would say if you are storing it generally nib up you should not have any issues. I have mainly vintage stuff which I find there is more potential to leak as the nibs are not set in perfectly after almost 100 years. If you are carrying modern stuff I would not be worried.

Regards
Dave

I've been carrying a fountain pen in my pocket at work, I teach middle school, since September. It is always clipped into the shirt pocket. No leaks so far from vintage or modern pens. The pens have played basketball, volleyball, and at least fifty dodge ball games. The ink stays where it is supposed to stay. (in the pen or on the paper)

I have been carrying since this fall. Everyday in my dress shirt pocket at work and have yet to have a problem. I have also carried my pilot metropolitan in my jeans pocket. No real leakage problems but serious nib creep. I'm guessing from the body heat.

No problems clipped in pocket.

DevinLT1966 said:

I have been carrying since this fall. Everyday in my dress shirt pocket at work and have yet to have a problem. I have also carried my pilot metropolitan in my jeans pocket. No real leakage problems but serious nib creep. I'm guessing from the body heat.

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What ink are you using? Noodlers creeps something fierce regardless of circumstances. Is the ink burping into the cap?

blackhhawk said:

Gents-

My new FP collection/AD has begun. Being in the military and using fountain pens has been wonderful. My uniform sleeve has pockets for pens. The pen slides in and sits nib facing up. Has anyone had any problems with leakage? I noticed that some ink had leaked inside the body when I changed the cartridge the other day over to a converter but I haven't been at work since. I'm hoping this one doesn't leak. I may have not seated the cartridge in there all the way either, so I don't really know the cause.

If anyone has any tips on this I would love to hear them!

Click to expand...

I am in the same situation for carrying and it has been a little over a year with zero issues. Some pens like the TWSBIs have an o ring that provides an extra sense of security. What pen are you carrying?

as long as the converter is in securely then you shouldn't have any issues. I would just clean the pen out, re seat the converter and keep an eye on it for a few days.

I think you didn't seat it fully. I fly unpressurized, and only have problems with my P51 burping if I'm above 3000 MSL generally. On the ground, I've never had a real issue with any of the ones I carry.

You are probably safe as long as you keep the nib up.

I have a Lamy Nexx that I use for travel. It typically stays in my pants pocket when walking, or in my backpack (cap up in a pen slot) the whole trip, and has been thrown into my checked baggage a few times now too (just sort of thrown in near the middle). I have yet to have the pen show any signs of leaking. It is fitted with a Lamy Z24 Converter and Diamine or Noodler’s ink.

I carry an FP every day, usually in the inside pocket of a sport coat. I did experience a leak once, while carrying my Lamy Safari in the front pocket of my pants, the cap somehow uncapped and through capillary action a significant amount of ink was absorbed by the pants, which effectively ruined them. It was a bummer - and highlights to some extent the weakest point of the Safari - the cap. I prefer screw on caps, generally, and most of my pens now have them. That said, pants pockets are more challenging for a pen than say, an inside pocket or front shirt pocket, that kind of thing as they are subject to less motion/movement that could uncap them. On the weekends, I like to carry a pen in my pocket and the screw on cap, and very small Kaweco Sport fits the bill perfectly.

I haven't had issues .. and I usually carry em in a messenger bag (in slots in the bag and in a pen case that moves inside the bag) .. only on hard shakes some ink in the caps of the pens may be found on some .. but as you say that yours had leak inside the body, you should check if everything is ok. Careful when you insert new carts and make sure they are set good.

The couple of times that I experienced minor leaking I had to attribute it to user error, not pen failure.

I also had a leak from a Preppy, because the cap loosened and capillary fed onto my pocket as well.

you'll have a problem putting a pen into your sleeve slot, but only because of cap size. if you're willing to unthread two of the three pen sleeves, no problem, assuming you don't cut the fabric in the process. I keep a Safari sometimes, and my 78G always in my ACU shoulder pocket, clipped to the side expansion fold so the clips don't show on the velcro. that's where a screw cap comes in handy. and I don't care if I trash a 78G at $10/per.

blackhhawk said:

Gents-

My new FP collection/AD has begun. Being in the military and using fountain pens has been wonderful. My uniform sleeve has pockets for pens. The pen slides in and sits nib facing up. Has anyone had any problems with leakage? I noticed that some ink had leaked inside the body when I changed the cartridge the other day over to a converter but I haven't been at work since. I'm hoping this one doesn't leak. I may have not seated the cartridge in there all the way either, so I don't really know the cause.

If anyone has any tips on this I would love to hear them!

Click to expand...

what pen are you using?

the_edski said:

What ink are you using? Noodlers creeps something fierce regardless of circumstances. Is the ink burping into the cap?

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I know people like to dump on Noodlers for nib creep, but no amount of nib creep is going to creep all the way off the nib and onto your shirt pocket.

Bob L. said:

The pens have played basketball, volleyball, and at least fifty dodge ball games.

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Boy, your pens must be in really good shape! I can't even get mine to roll over without a little help...

archi77 said:

Boy, your pens must be in really good shape! I can't even get mine to roll over without a little help...

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They serve as a shirt pocket cheering session. Good thing too, I need all the help I can get.