[stationery] this week in learnings

[kaberett]

Silicone is not permeable to water, but does (or at least can) have significant gas permeability.

This is relevant to stationery because a lot of "vintage" fountain pens -- prior to about the 60s and 70s -- use ink bladders made of latex.

I have one such pen, currently without a sac fitted, and went down this particular rabbit hole while trying to work out what my best option for getting it up and running again is.

It turns out that fountain pens, much like one of my other terrible hobbies, are (variably) expensive vacuum leaks. What this means for vintage pens fitted with silicone sacs is that you must store them upright basically any time you're not writing with them...

... because otherwise the combination of capillary action (which is how the nib works) and gravity draws ink out of the reservoir. In a pen fitted with a latex sac, this doesn't happen because air can't leak into the reservoir -- but the gas permeability of silicone means that with a silicone sac it can, just by dint of the exterior of the sac being in contact with the atmosphere, so there's absolutely nothing to stop all of your ink deciding to Go On An Adventure, Which Is Widely Considered A Bad Idea.

Ergo I have decided that my mild contact allergy notwithstanding I think it is worth gloving up for long enough to fit a latex sac, which I will then never have to interact with directly again until it perishes, because the pen in question is a lever-filler (as seen on youtube). This will be my first attempt at doing any such thing, mind, so it's entirely plausible that I'll end up with an uncontrolled leak regardless, but hey -- fingers crossed!

(More detail if you want it!)

Comments

[shewhostaples]

Good luck!

I feel the need to tell you that Port, like many other cats, is very keen on chasing inanimate objects. In particular, she has identified my two Lamy Al-stars as targets of interest, to the extent that if I have them downstairs one or both of them inevitably ends up somewhere inconvenient on the floor. Of the two, the mint green one seems to come in for more grief, though maybe it's just that I tend to use the royal blue one more...

[tei]

HUH. Fascinating! When I bought my (single, boring cheap modern) fountain pen, it also said to store it upright, but I never knew why.

[fyreharper]

Okay but the more-detail that I want to know is what kind of pen are you restoring??

(Good to know about the what-kind-of-inks-in-vintage-pens though…)

[lunabee34]

I've never used a vintage pen with a sac before, but I've read about them. There's one stationery blog that's devoted pretty much entirely to vintage Mabie Todds. It sounds very fiddly but very satisfying to get right.

[perpetualflame]

I do love fountain pens, only use modern ones, but honestly, this is fascinating. Good luck with the repair job. I'm also trying really hard - but possibly not succeeding - in falling down a rabbit hole of reading about vintage pens!

[davidgillon]

On the plus side, at least these vacuum leaks don't need you slaving over a hot stove of HF stew.

Here's hoping the after-fitting postmortem is thoroughly boring and not at all ink-stained!