Pens In A Backpack...

[SigmaZuiko]

So I normally carry my pens in a soft pen pouch that rides in its own pocket in my backpack. This is fine and dandy however, I have this vintage Wahl that drips like mad when it is shaken and whenever it gets jostled around, the cap gets filled with a nice puddle of ink.

 

I normally wear T-shirts and can't think of any other way than to wear a pen in a shirt pocket, so how should I go about using this pen? Only use it when I happen to wear a proper shirt? Carry ink blotters and just accept that it will be dripping ink as soon as I unscrew the cap?

[Uncle Red]

I have a similar problem with a Mabie Todd Blackbird ED. The primitive feed drips if it's shaken too hard, the nib is very flexible though and it looks great with Oxblood. It stays at home for practice and letters now.

[Ernst Bitterman]

A vintage pen never anticipated that sort of lodgings; the older the pen, the simpler the feed, and the less buffering it can offer. Given your constraints, I would suggest making sure that the pen remains point upward while in the pouch, which means arranging the pouch in the back-pack so it won't slump over and taking a certain amount of care with the slinging of the pack. If that doesn't address the problem, you may have to consider amendments to either your wardrobe or your habits of pen selection; the oldster may have to be limited to homework.

[impossiblebird]

What Ernst Bitterman said. This is why my really vintage pens stay at home while the ones that are younger than me get to play out (actually the Parker 45's a year older than me, but that's basically my cut-off).

[codster]

Is the case you use kept vertically in your bag? And is the pocket you place it in tight enough that it doesn't go bouncing around?

 

I usually loop one strap of my backpack around my knee when I sit at a desk so it won't fall over. In my car, I rest the bag on the floor and use the seat to keep it vertical.

 

This could just be a great reason to buy more school appropriate pens.

[SigmaZuiko]

codster: The case is kept vertically but the pocket is pretty large so I can't imagine it being snug

 

Ernst: I highly agree! However, if it comes to it, I wouldn't mind making this my "pocket-only pen," since it will make the use if it more fancy in my eyes.

 

Good_Helmet: There was a hairline crack in the section that is hidden beneath the barrel (I noticed when I wiped the entire section clean, a small line kept reappearing that made my finger black)

 

Long story short, I moved the feed forward, reset the feed, sealed the crack, and I shall see if it leaks by the time I get to my next class in half an hour

[ExcaliburZ]

Desk pen. Leave it at home.

[fncll]

I generally carry my pens in a roll-up in one of the front-side pockets of my pack, where it fits snugly and I csn be sure the pens stay right-side up (as long as I do!)... if a pen can't deal with that, then it stays at home! Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that...

[SigmaZuiko]

Hrm. Still leaked.

 

I wiped the nib, put it vertically in my pen stand with the nib facing down (and cap on) for a couple hours, took the cap off and lo and behold, its dripping!

 

Did I not completely seal the leak or is this pen destined to be stuck at a desk?

[Leftytoo]

Most of my vintage pens travel in my shirt pocket: since becoming a pen buff, all my shirts, even tee shirts, have pockets. An exception is my Parker 51 aerometric which goes everywhere - use it to mark lumber.

 

A great modern go-anywhere pen is the Kaweco Sport.

 

Bob

[Ernst Bitterman]

A crack in the section is a serious problem; the point and feed stay in it through wedging in a hole only just big enough to admit them. I would begin to worry for using the pen at all, unless you can find a replacement section.

[Ernst Bitterman]

A crack in the section is a serious problem; the point and feed stay in it through wedging in a hole only just big enough to admit them, and they represent a constant source of stress to it. I would begin to worry for using the pen at all, unless you can find a replacement section.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Ernst Bitterman

[SigmaZuiko]

I have a feeling this repair will be looked down upon since I used superglue, but I sanded down the entire section, gouged out the crack with a knife, cross cut slits that go in the opposite direction of the crack (over the crack), slathered the entire part with glue, let that cure, came back to it, sanded it down to size, drew over it with pencil so it slides in and out of the barrel with light friction, and I shall carry it in my back pack once again.

 

I believe I have sealed it fully this time since after putting the sac back on, I'm able to produce finer hairlines!

 

I would have used epoxy but for a part that isn't going to be stressed I thought it would be ok

[ExcaliburZ]

I have a feeling this repair will be looked down upon since I used superglue,

did it work? Don't care so much about others opinions.

[in the flow]

I experienced a similar problem with modern vs vintage pens and their propensity to leak. I tried the upright etc etc thing, to no avail. As suggested, my solution was to leave the leakers at home as desk pens and only cart around the non-leaky ones.

[SigmaZuiko]

There seemed to be a leak underneath the gold filled layer on the section so I trickled shellac around the space between the gold and the rubber several times, let that sit for a few hours. I filled the pen then let it sit upside down for two hours and it seems fine! I'll see how it goes tomorrow but I believe this is one of those vintage pens that might be destined to be at either a desk, or in a shirt pocket.

[SigmaZuiko]

To class, nib up in a snug pouch, no ink on the nib! Wrote fine.

 

Out of class, nib down in same pouch, inside of cap looked wet, nib covered in ink and the pen burped ink like mad for a line then went back to normal.

 

Conclusion: either keep nib up all the time during any form of transportation or leave at desk.