Pens on the Go
As trusty and reliable as your pen may be, it can react in various ways when you take it along on a trip. You may be talking about a long car ride that spans sixteen hours. On the other hand, you might need to make a trip to a far city or a different country; thus, the need to ride an aeroplane. Going further, your job might require you to take your pen to extreme heights, such as to outer space in a rocket. For such a simple, handy instrument, a pen can require various mechanism in order to adjust to various levels of air pressure.
The concern over taking pens along on a trip is common among those who own fountain pens. Modern fountain pens are less of a problem than vintage ones. These days, all that you need to do is to keep the pen full and standing upright inside a leather case during an aeroplane ride. Some can even be used aboard the plane. This means that you can answer a crossword puzzle, do business paperwork, jot down your itinerary or fill up pages of your travel journal while riding on a plane. Several manufacturers guarantee that you can do these things high up in the air without worrying about a huge blot. This is because modern mechanisms have allowed fountain pens to adjust to varying degrees of air pressure.
Those who own vintage fountain pens – and even some modern types – have more precautions to take when flying. Cabin pressure can cause the pen to leak, making an ugly mess. In such a case, one should either make it completely empty or completely full. An empty pen can then be refilled with ink once the owner reaches his or her destination. This process may be tiring for some, but it saves them the nightmare of wiping ink off the pen or other things in the bag.
Fountain pen owners also have to take care when going on long road trips, as bumpy roads and hot temperatures might cause some leaking. Again, this can be prevented by keeping the pen either empty or full and upright. With proper caution, you can properly maintain your fountain pen and keep it in top condition all the time.