When disaster strikes...

[Wuddus]

It's a few decades since I was last using fountain pens, and therefore a few decades since one suddenly, and without apparent provocation, decided to deposit it's entire ink content somewhere highly inconvenient.

Rather than having to go back through the learning curve of ruining shirts and jackets, what are the key causes of catastrophic pen failure to watch out for? The only ones that I can recall happening to me, are the incorrectly inserted cartridge (not fully pushed home) coming loose and spewing ink everywhere, and hanging your jacket over the back of a chair, and then leaning back....

What pen disasters have you had, and why?

[top pen]

Homemade eyedropper pens...

Every time I've tried it's ended in disaster.

[Paddler]

I have used fountain pens since 1953. I have had no pen disasters as a user. I have had several disasters as a newb pen restorer. Having restored (or wrecked) approx. 90 vintage pens of any and all designs, my rubble factor is about 8%. I don't restore pens anymore; I have more pens than I need or can use. My pens have never spotted a shirt. None have broken while in use.

[Wuddus]

I have used fountain pens since 1953. I have had no pen disasters as a user. I have had several disasters as a newb pen restorer. Having restored (or wrecked) approx. 90 vintage pens of any and all designs, my rubble factor is about 8%. I don't restore pens anymore; I have more pens than I need or can use. My pens have never spotted a shirt. None have broken while in use.

Impressive track record. I hope to have similar success from here on.

[fqgouvea]

I’ve never had a pen just let go as you describe.

The most common disaster for me is when the pen cap unscrews itself in my shirt pocket. I then reach for the pen and end up with a cap in my hand and an open nib in the pocket, which quickly leads to a big blob of ink on my shirt.

I’ve had the experience of trying to fill a (lever and sac) pen whose section was a bit loose, and then, while cleaning out the section, twisting it a little. That twists the sac, which spreads ink all around.

Of course, vintage pens can leak if shaken too hard, as I have learned when making dramatic gestures with such a pen in my hands.

But hey, it’s just ink. We always have Amodex in the house.

[Farmboy]

Knowing what pen may help assess possible causation.

[Deb]

No disastrous accidents here. Sac-fillers can leak disatrously if the sac isn't fitted properly or becomes holed.

[Chrissy]

No disastrous incidents with spillage from pens here either. Not that I ever "wear a pen" in a jacket or shirt pocket though.

I've knocked over a couple of sample vials on my desk before now, but there's a towel on there that's covered in ink anyway.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Catastrophic converter failure in a Wing Sung 992. 'Say, why isn't this ink reaching the nib?' As this pen is transclucent, I should have seen it coming, but my fingers were green for days.

[Wolfman Zack]

I’d say that a pocketable pen case would be a good measure to reduce these risks.
Not a panacea against all issues, but it reduces the potential for issues substantially.

Here is mine that I’ve used since shortly after getting my first pens.

[Wuddus]

Nice case!

[Chrissy]

Nice case!

I think so too.

[DrPenfection]

As compulsive as I am about ink stains, I have had a couple of "incidents". One was after I drove over a 14,000' pass with one of my inks being totally full of ink (i.e. no room for expansion). When I got to my hotel that night, I discovered Pilot Iro. Momiji all over the inside of my pen case. Thankfully, the pen case and everything else was washable and the ink came out (surprisingly!). The second instance was with my Montblanc 144. This is one of my very favorite pens, but it has a little idiosyncrasy. The converter must be fitted on just a specific way. If it isn't fitted just right, when I go to unscrew the body from the fitting, it also unscrews the converter spewing ink through the nib all over my hands. I have learned the hard way a couple of times to be very careful. The last incident involved a bottle of ink, not a pen. I was having difficulty taking the top off my brand new Montblanc Lavender Purple ink bottle. After many tries, I realized that I could not budge the top. Time for the wrench. Well, let's just say I got a little carried away. I only lost a few mls, but it took a lot more effort to get the purply ink stain out of the white formica desk top. "Note to self: When unscrewing the lid off a bottle of ink, do so under several layers of paper towels or newprint."

[Wolfman Zack]

Nice case!

Nice case!

I think so too.

Thanks, I made it myself!

[catbert]

So far no disasters at the desk or at home, despite using fountain pens on and off since school.

I did have a slip cap (I forget which pen) come adrift in a trouser pocket. No staining visible on the outside, but part of my leg was blue. To be fair, a ballpoint once did the same and that was much harder to clean up. Only snap caps or retractables in pocket now, unless they're in a case or sleeve.

My vintage Aurora 88 burped J. Herbin vert olive when I was out on a cold day. Fortunately it was in a Nock Lookout which completely absorbed the spill. The rest of my bag was fine and the stain rinsed right out of the pen case.

[fountainpenkid]

All fountain pens (with the exception of those that physically prevent it (with an ink-shutoff valve)) will leak under the right conditions. For early eyedroppers, these conditions are met during most daily use, whereas for a pen like the aerometric Parker "51"*, these conditions are only met with improper use--a bad drop or extreme temperature or pressure variation. A pen's behavior can be equally dependent on its fill level--at the end of a fill, a pen becomes particularly sensitive to temperature or pressure changes, while at the beginning it is likely more sensitive to drops.
Some tips:
1. Don't carry any pen in a clothes pocket at the end of its fill--very high chance of burping
2. Make sure to blot the feed fully after filling and ideally turn pen nib-up and intake some air
3. Don't carry any pen nib-down

*assuming it has been filled properly (i.e collector desaturated via air intake stroke)

[chalkdust]

It was the early 1960's, about '62, I think. Mom was gone shopping or somewhere. My brother was working on some school art project that required a dip pen. He was using some waterproof green ink. The jar of ink was uncapped.

As happy brothers, we recognized the time had come for pillow fight. Sadly, this occurred in the same room, the family room, where he had been working on his project.

Soon, most of the ink formerly in the jar of green ink was deposited our green sofa. The greens did not quite match.

When mother returned, all waterproof ink was banned from the interior of the house forever.

I currently have two waterproof green inks in my own house, but I avoid pillow fights now.

[dfo]

I currently have two waterproof green inks in my own house, but I avoid pillow fights now.

Very wise.

My Lamy 2000 emptied its contents on a flight last week; however, that was my fault as I left it only with a quarter fill of ink. My Lamy 27 empties its contents every month or so, but I think that one of the numerous cracks is letting in air. It is basically scrap, but I refuse to let it go.

[ethernautrix]

It's funny that I consider myself a careful person, cos just trying to remember how many pens I've lost or parts of pens I've lost and how many bottles of inks I've tipped over... seriously, note to self: Update self-image, Ms. Clumsy!

One time, I came home from work and was changing out of my clothes. I noticed a huge patch of black on my thigh. The heck? The cap on the pen I'd carried in my front pocket had loosened and all the ink bled out. I hadn't noticed cos... black jeans. Who knows how much ink I've spattered on myself all these years (black clothes, black ink, who knew?!).

[VertOlive]

My Mini-TWSBIs all seem to lie in wait for me to ink them up so they can leak all over my hand at the grip. This no matter what I tighten or loosen or grease.

Other than that, it's the eyedroppers that are the problem. They are always burping and splatting ink and I've never owned a tame one. I only keep one these days for the novelty.