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My wife and I leave tomorrow for a Mexican cruise to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. We both like to journal and want to take our pilot fountain pen, with the con-50 converter.

Can we take these on the plane?

Or should we just take a ball point?
 
You have to leave the nib at home since it is pointy -- just like leaving your razor blades at home or mailing them ahead.





(just kidding)
 
You have to leave the nib at home since it is pointy -- just like leaving your razor blades at home or mailing them ahead.


TSA is just this silly. You can't have nail clippers or some odd something because they're 'dangerous,' but you could easily take a pencil, which, according to the Bourne Identity, is totally lethal.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Maybe take the pens "dry" and keep a bottle of ink in your suitcase ... well wrapped, of course. I suspect you will use up more than one converter each of ink on the trip.
 
Maybe take the pens "dry" and keep a bottle of ink in your suitcase ... well wrapped, of course. I suspect you will use up more than one converter each of ink on the trip.

It really isn't a big deal to travel with an fp. Nib up as usual when you can, I often would have to write while flying. It seems to help if the pen is nearly full, but I've only had a Snorkel ever burp a little ink into the cap, just be mindful when you open it up. Men have been flying with fountain pens for decades, you'll do fine.
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
I do fly a lot and always have a fountain pen with me, mainly Pelikans. Never had any problem, I even use them during the flight to fill out custom and immigration forms. I would not expect that you have a problem.
 
Congrats!! I fly with fountain pens all the time. I've only had problems with pens that had rubber sacs - a snorkel and an estie. Any pen with a converter has been fine with any amount of ink inside. I tend to carry them upright on the plane though.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Our pens made it safely no issue. I even used it on the flight home.
 
Years ago, I was told not to fly with a fully converter, or fountain pen bladder. The reason was that the lower air pressure could cause ink to swell and leak through the nib.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Years ago, I was told not to fly with a fully converter, or fountain pen bladder. The reason was that the lower air pressure could cause ink to swell and leak through the nib.

And yet I hear from others that you should fly with a full or empty pen, but not one half-full, because the air will expand but the ink pretty much won't ... so a full pen experiences no expansion within the converter &c, an empty one does but who cares because it's empty, but a half-full one does and watch out because there's ink in there that could get pushed out.

Generally, for most pens a "nib-up storage when not in use" is the best rule of thumb.
 
Years ago, I was told not to fly with a fully converter, or fountain pen bladder. The reason was that the lower air pressure could cause ink to swell and leak through the nib.
If the ink swells enough to leak out of your nib, then I fear for your blood.
 
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