Temperature and pens

[Robalone]

:mad2:Now that the warmer weather is here in Perth , I'm back to the period where I have to limit the number of pens inked because, with more that a few in rotation, the ones I get back to have dried up and need flushing rather than refilling , otherwise the ink gets thicker and thicker.
I expect other have this problem too .
65958

[FredRydr]

'Tis true. I notice it most with sacced pens when forced hot-air heating makes for low humidity inside, i.e., now! But I never give in to it and fill my pen rack with 15 inked pens.

[Chrissy]

Here in the UK we don't have that problem. We definitely never had a similar problem at this time of year. :blink:

[SlowMovingTarget]

Here in Massachusetts, we're dealing with very dry air (low humidity due to the cold). The potential concern is urushi cracking due to low humidity. Funny that the general cure for this is... handling. That is, to use the pen. The moisture in the hand is enough to keep the lacquer balanced through the dry season.

I only have three pens inked at the moment, with a typical maximum of four. That means it isn't difficult to use all of the pens enough to maintain their flow. Good caps also help.

[Barry Gabay]

During particularly hot Summer days, even in the early morning when I am writing outside, I do not use ebonite fountain pens. After smelling the scent of their chemical release on a few hot days, I have kept them stored all Summer. Ink has occasionally gushed from my pocketed fountain pens during the hottest Summer days.

[Chip]

The temperature inside our house stays from 60-75°F (16-24°C) and I keep the pens out of direct sun.

Some of my vintage pens with rubber sacs tend to leak when left alone, but I think it has more to do with changes in atmospheric pressure than temperature.

[Detman101]

I pocket carry year round...so heat was always an issue.
I recently switched from Ebonite to Plastic feeds after dealing with having to re heat-set the ebonite feeds over and over.
Now, no more tinkering and my flex is as consistent as my aim.

[Chip]

I recently switched from Ebonite to Plastic feeds. . .

Can you suggest a source for plastic feeds?

[Detman101]

I recently switched from Ebonite to Plastic feeds. . .

Can you suggest a source for plastic feeds?

Nothing special at all, simply "Jowo" feeds. They come standard with most pens these days if it's a "Jowo-compatible" nib. Sources: Penrealm, Goulet pens, Jetpens, Vanness, Anderson pens, and many many others.
With only a run of the razorblade down the ink channel properly, they perform as needed for me.
However, I must note that I've stopped using straight "Flex" nibs and have moved to Oblique-Stub flex nibs...so my "Flex" needs are halved by the built in line variance of the stub nib.
Nowadays I usually only flex on emphasis words or the first letter of a sentence.

[TSherbs]

During particularly hot Summer days, even in the early morning when I am writing outside, I do not use ebonite fountain pens. After smelling the scent of their chemical release on a few hot days, I have kept them stored all Summer. Ink has occasionally gushed from my pocketed fountain pens during the hottest Summer days.
I find it enjoyable practice to put some pens away for months at a time in order to have the joy of discovery/reunion once I bring them back after a prolonged absence. This also reduces my urge for buying new stuff.

[Chip]

Given the linear relationship between pressure and temperature in a confined fluid, it make sense to keep fountain pens as close to a stable temperature as possible. Taking a pen at room temp (say 72°F) and tucking it into an inside pocket (at 95°+) is likely to cause a leak.

I'm not sure of the different coefficients of expansion of ink and air, that is whether a partially-filled sac is more likely to leak owing to increased air pressure. Naturally, a rubber sac is more vulnerable to temperature and pressure changes than a rigid plastic converter.

[welch]

Given the linear relationship between pressure and temperature in a confined fluid, it make sense to keep fountain pens as close to a stable temperature as possible. Taking a pen at room temp (say 72°F) and tucking it into an inside pocket (at 95°+) is likely to cause a leak.

I'm not sure of the different coefficients of expansion of ink and air, that is whether a partially-filled sac is more likely to leak owing to increased air pressure. Naturally, a rubber sac is more vulnerable to temperature and pressure changes than a rigid plastic converter.

I doubt that the working range is this tight. People have carried their fountain pens in a shirt pocket for about as long as there have been fountain pens. (Side thought: is that why there are shirt pockets?). As a teenager, I walked around DC in June and July, and, while I carefully plotted my course from air-conditioned building to air conditioned building, I never gave a thought to my Parker 45 (original squeeze-filler). Same thing now with any pen -- most often a P-51. Consider, in addition, a pen show or a pen club. Yes, if we leave an Esterbrook in direct sun-light we are likely to have a leak, but that suggests the upper limit.

[BayesianPrior]

. People have carried their fountain pens in a shirt pocket for about as long as there have been fountain pens. (Side thought: is that why there are shirt pockets?).

I always thought shirt pockets were used to differential low-to-middle managers from senior managers and directors. The latter didn't need to carry a pen as they could always 'borrow' one from a subordinate, therefore no need for a shirt pocket.

[welch]

. People have carried their fountain pens in a shirt pocket for about as long as there have been fountain pens. (Side thought: is that why there are shirt pockets?).

I always thought shirt pockets were used to differential low-to-middle managers from senior managers and directors. The latter didn't need to carry a pen as they could always 'borrow' one from a subordinate, therefore no need for a shirt pocket.

I spent 35 years as a "software engineer" at GE Information Services, and at SWIFT. We had plenty of senior managers at both places, and my customers wore shirts with pockets. My customers at both were banks. At GE one year, the Chairman and CEO toured a plant where he pulled off his coat and tie, threw both on the floor and stamped on them, snarling, "These are just decorations, like a wall we throw around ourselves". After that, a lot of people wore pocket-less golf shirts, "Izod shirts", around the offices, but still wore suits when visiting customers. The semi-official regulation dress for techies, no matter what level, became a blue-button down LL Bean or Lands End shirt, with khaki pants, plus a sport coat in case a customer wandered by.

I saw plenty of senior managers at banks, and they always wore shirts with pockets.

Maybe European managing directors wore shirts without collars?

[BayesianPrior]

. People have carried their fountain pens in a shirt pocket for about as long as there have been fountain pens. (Side thought: is that why there are shirt pockets?).

I always thought shirt pockets were used to differential low-to-middle managers from senior managers and directors. The latter didn't need to carry a pen as they could always 'borrow' one from a subordinate, therefore no need for a shirt pocket.

I spent 35 years as a "software engineer" at GE Information Services, and at SWIFT. We had plenty of senior managers at both places, and my customers wore shirts with pockets. My customers at both were banks. At GE one year, the Chairman and CEO toured a plant where he pulled off his coat and tie, threw both on the floor and stamped on them, snarling, "These are just decorations, like a wall we throw around ourselves". After that, a lot of people wore pocket-less golf shirts, "Izod shirts", around the offices, but still wore suits when visiting customers. The semi-official regulation dress for techies, no matter what level, became a blue-button down LL Bean or Lands End shirt, with khaki pants, plus a sport coat in case a customer wandered by.

I saw plenty of senior managers at banks, and they always wore shirts with pockets.

Maybe European managing directors wore shirts without collars?

Sorry, I hope my attempt at humour wasn't misdirected. All in good fun.

[welch]

Ah...got it now.

[Chip]

My father and maternal grandfather were both engineers (and Sheaffer loyalists). I recall grandma mentioning how tough it was to get inkstains out of a white shirt, so she kept several pocket protectors on hand. Same for my mother.

https://i.imgur.com/fah5RSt.jpg

At that time, for engineers they were like a guild badge.

[Chip]

Being leakproof during the pressure changes experienced in flight was a major selling point for the 1949 Parker Flighter series.

https://i.imgur.com/i7pGYHs.jpg

Found this interesting piece:

http://www.richardspens.com/ref/design/flighters.htm

[Robalone]

66496And there's this one. 'Doesn't leak on airplane....' .however, I've got a bunch of these, and they do blob on hot days !!

[fountainpenkid]

My OMAS Extra vest pocket does seem to concentrate inks in the dry New England winter (due to evaporation); this doesn't seem to happen as much during our humid summers. Maybe it's the celluloid shrinking? It's been repaired with acryllic barrel threads, so maybe there's a differential there that causes the inner cap to seal less tightly? Yet it's a proper pen--no actual dry-out!
My GvFC Intuition, otoh, was immediately responsive to temperature and humidity...the way the cap engagement felt changed with the weather. That pen doesn't have a great inner cap design and is prone to actual dry-out regardless of the season.