How to Prevent Fountain Pen From Drying?

One of the best ways of improving your handwriting is by using a fountain pen. But a lot of times you take out your well-stored fountain pen only to find that its ink has dried out. Not exactly the experience you would like when inspiration hits, right? There is no doubt that fountain pens make an excellent tool for writing, drawing, and sketching. But what if your fountain pen ink is drying out constantly? What do you do then? Well, when an ink-filled fountain pen is constantly drying out, it indicates a problem with your fountain pen that needs an immediate fix for a good fountain pen writing experience!  

Why Do Fountain Pens Dry Out? 

There can be a variety of reasons why the ink of the fountain pen is drying out and many hacks can fix the issue. The fountain pen ink dries out sometimes because the water content of the ink evaporates. When the ink dries out within minutes of writing, it suggests that there is clogged feed. There can also be reasons like not sealing the cap properly, storage issues, using thick ink, or dry climate.

Also Read: How To Clean Your Fountain Pen

Hacks to Prevent Fountain Pen From Drying

You can stop your fountain pen ink from drawing in many ways. Some of the hacks for your fountain pen ink drying problem are outlined below. Take a read! 

1. Clean the Fountain Pen

Often the reason for your fountain pen drying out quickly is that the feed is clogged with dust, pigment, and particles. Clean your fountain pen now and then and you would be good to go! Clogged feed can happen even when the fountain pen is kept capped so a simple cleaning would do the trick.

Clean your fountain pen by flushing the nib and feed under the tap. If you still face the problem, let your pen soak in water overnight.

2. Dip The Nib in Water

The instant solution to your fountain pen drying is dipping the nib in water before writing and then, wiping it off with cloth. This ‘priming of nib’ can be done by squeezing the cartridge as well. What you are doing with these actions is sucking down some ink before you start to write so that your fountain pen works well.

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3. Store Fountain Pens Right 

When your goal is to have a fountain pen nib that’s wet and not dried out, you can do it by storing your fountain pens right. Note that fountain pens are to be placed upside down rather than upright like other pens. You should either keep them horizontal on the desk or place it cap down on the pen stand. This is the point of distinction of fountain pens from others and following it, you would find that your pen doesn’t dry out so often now.

4. Store in a Covered Container

Store your fountain pens in a closed container like Tupperware. This will close off air from the fountain pens. It ensures that the water content of the ink won’t evaporate which is among the top reasons for your fountain pens drying out.

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5. Choose The Right Storage Location

Dry air dries your fountain pen so if you have kept your fountain pens in a place where dry air is in abundant supply, move the case. If you have kept your fountain pen near a PC cooling fan or a radiator, even if they are in a drawer, there is a high chance that it will dry out.

6. Use a Humidifier

Dry climates, sub-tropic areas, deserts, or places that fall between 35°N and 35°S would dry your fountain pens out definitely due to the harsh climatic conditions. If you want to save your fountain pens from drying out, get a humidifier and run it to fix your fountain pen problem.

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7. Use The Right Ink 

Some fountain pens tend to run drier than other fountain pens. You can solve this by using the fountain pen ink in your pen that remains wetter for a long. More saturated inks and sheen or glitter inks are generally thicker. You would find that blue and green inks are generally thinner, and so are the Japanese inks.

You would also discover that fine nibs work well with wetter inks while medium & broad nibs go well with thicker inks. Experiment with different inks and you will find the one that goes just right. Also, drier, finer nibs work well with lubricated inks that write smoothly.

8. Tape Off The Breather Hole

Some pens contain breather holes while some pens don’t and you need to check whether your fountain pen has one. Breather holes can dry out your pen, especially when its size is large. Tape them off and the problem is fixed. Generally found under the cap clip, you can hold your fountain pen cap against light to check whether your pen has one. You can also see if the cap has breathing holes by holding it up underwater and checking if there are any bubbles. Those wanting to seal the breather holes elegantly can use some hot wax.

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9. Spread The Nib Tines

10. Opt For A Wetter Fountain Pen

If you are having too much trouble with your fountain pen, try switching it to a different one. In some climates, some fountain pens work better than others. Western pens & European brands tend to be wetter than Asian brands. You can try a LAMY pen which is a German brand that manufactures fountain pens that keep wet for a long time.

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Conclusion

Though there are numerous ways of fixing a fountain pen that has dried out, it can be annoying to do so sometimes. One of the above fixes will definitely solve your issue and make you write smoothly in no time but if you find that your problem is solved, go for a wetter fountain pen like LAMY!