Careful storage of your handcrafted timber pen and pencil will keep them in excellent condition and ready to use. Here are out top three top tips to keep your items immaculate. Please note that correct care and maintenance are a requirement of our lifetime pen guarantee.
1) Avoid extreme temperatures.
Avoid heat. Sunlight can heat your pen to extreme temperatures, so limit direct exposure to sunlight, especially in hot summer months. For example do not leave your pen unattended:
- near a window where sunlight can directly shine onto a coffee table, desk, journal or handbag.
- in a car parked in the sun for long periods of time.
- near a fireplace, heater or other heat source where it will receive direct heat.
Avoid cold. Cold temperatures may cause fountain pen ink to freeze, which expands, and may even crack the pen itself. This in turn can lead to a leakage issue when the pen warms up again. Low temperatures may even cause separation of some fountain pen inks; which in turn can create ink blockages.
2) Store your pens correctly.
Always keep pen (or pencil) retracted or capped when they are not in use. Ink contains volatile solvents that evaporate if exposed to air and capping and retracting nibs slows this process down. A capped or retracted pen limits ink leakage and makes ink damage /staining of the timber or resin unlikely. Keeping your pens capped or retracted also limits damage should your pen encounter incidents such as dropping or rolling.
Fountain pens when in regular use, should be stored nib up. Fountain pens not in circulation should be emptied of ink, flushed with water or pen flush and allowed to dry completely before storage. It does not matter how you store a capped, un-inked fountain pen; nib up, nib down or nib horizontal.
Ballpoint and rollerball pens are best kept vertically with their tip downward.
3) Keep pens protected.
Invest in a protective case, pen pouch, pen tube, pen box, pen roll or pen stand for your pen You can purchase one of our pen and pencil storage option here. Limit the chances of accidental damage such as scratches, drops and leakage, by storing your pens well. Don't just throw your pen in a drawer or pencil case unprotected; use a simple pen sleeve or leather pouch, they are light, durable and protect your treasured writing or drawing implements.