Flying, and liquids.

[mrs quoad]

For various reasons, I have to go to France next week.

I'll need to do some work whilst I'm there.

I'd like to take a fountain pen, and some ink.

The smallest ink bottle I have is 1oz (?!)

tbh, I don't like it that much, so it's easily considered expendable, too. Should all else fail.

Long story short, can I take this much ink through customs? Do I need to put the INK in a bag (clear disaster) or the INK BOTTLE in a clear bag (less blatant disaster)?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Freeze it. Then it's a solid.

 

[bi0boy]

Customs is not a problem, it's the security check.

If it's in your checked baggage they won't even look at it.

If it's in our hand baggage you can put the container holding the ink in a bag (obviously not the ink, that would be silly)

 

[mrs quoad]

If it's in our hand baggage you can put the container holding the ink in a bag (obviously not the ink, that would be silly)

I'm glad to hear it; tbh, I'd never really thought that it could be in a container in a bag, until I saw something intimating that on a customs website (I've found suprisingly few guidelines!) And I don't travel much

No checked luggage, so container it is.

ty!

 

[bi0boy]

Check on your airline's website, they should have the best info.

 

[trashpony]

Whatever you do, do not attempt to use your pen on the plane. It will leak horribly everywhere. And be very careful on first use on land - have tissue paper at the ready. Fountain pens do not appreciate the pressure in planes <<<<<bitter experience

 

[TruXta]

The limit per container of fluid is 100 ml ~ 3.5 oz. You can have as many as you can fit into that plastic bag they make you put all that stuff in.

 

[stuff_it]

Whatever you do, do not attempt to use your pen on the plane. It will leak horribly everywhere. And be very careful on first use on land - have tissue paper at the ready. Fountain pens do not appreciate the pressure in planes <<<<<bitter experience

Pics or it didn't happen. In fact you should wear black, mrs quoad, and try it, don't forget to film it for posterity....

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The limit per container of fluid is 100 ml ~ 3.5 oz. You can have as many as you can fit into that plastic bag they make you put all that stuff in.

I'm sure you're not allowed as many as you like. I think you're only allowed as many as will fill a 1 litre clear plastic bag

 

[TruXta]

I'm sure you're not allowed as many as you like. I think you're only allowed as many as will fill a 1 litre clear plastic bag

I just couldn't remember the size of the bag. So, yes.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The fountain pen issue is caused by having air in the ink reservoir - which expands in the lowered pressure as you ascend more than the ink does, so it forces ink out of the nib. If the pen is completely full or completely empty it won't happen, and it also is less likely to happen if the pen is upright during the ascent (gravity holds the ink in a bit).

Incidentally you can also see that effect if you have a pen with a really big ink reservoir (like 3-4ml, twice or three times the size of your average rollerball) that is in the hot sun when it's half full or so. The air expands and you get the odd blob of ink out of the nib. Apparently when they're almost empty the heat from your hand can do that sometimes, though I've never seen it. Mostly this is "eyedropper" pens which have no actual filling mechanism so can hold vast quantities of ink in them.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I just couldn't remember the size of the bag. So, yes.

and I think maybe up to 1000ml in total but can't be arsed to check

 

[purves grundy]

Make sure your bladder is empty before going through security, too. They got me on this once.

 

[gentlegreen]

Couldn't you borrow la plume de ta tante ?


*scarpers*

 

[joevsimp]

for the record, a 120ml bottle of contact lens fluid is fine, just put it in the bag and damn the torpedoes, although it probably helped that it was swissair and not elal, although it was the same terminal

 

[trashpony]

Pics or it didn't happen. In fact you should wear black, mrs quoad, and try it, don't forget to film it for posterity....

I was flying straight after a meeting where I had been wearing a pale green suit and there was a massive blob of ink on the skirt so I had to chuck the whole bloody suit

I stick to pencils on planes nowadays - you can't go wrong with a bit of graphite

 

[mrs quoad]

Have spent the day picking wild lavender in the Southern alps, and can confirm that:
a) nae worries with bottled ink
b) nae worries with a dribbly pen. Not even a hint of excess ink in the nib. Kept upright in a plastic pen pouch, with a pretty full cartridge tbf

 

[Elpenor]

So flying on Friday and think I still need to put my liquids in a clear plastic resealable bag?

Are aerosols counted as liquid if under 100g? Is soap classed as a liquid?

Do Heathrow still provide those bags they used to some years ago?

Are there any water fountains?

 

[platinumsage]

Yes, still need a bag. They're trialling new scanners for liquids that would remove that requirement but they're not ready yet.

Aerosols and soaps count as liquid, max 100ml per container.

You can help yourself to bags and water.

 

[Pickman's model]

So flying on Friday and think I still need to put my liquids in a clear plastic resealable bag?

Are aerosols counted as liquid if under 100g? Is soap classed as a liquid?

Do Heathrow still provide those bags they used to some years ago?

Are there any water fountains?

Just a minute

 

[Elpenor]

Which airport?

Heathrow

 

[Pickman's model]

Heathrow

Yeh I saw just after I posted. Here's a map of Heathrow https://maps.heathrow.com/?s=eyJtYXBSZW5kZXJlciI6eyJ2cCI6eyJsYXQiOjUxLjQ1OTY4NCwibG5nIjotMC40NDc3MzcsInpvb20iOjE3LjI2MDQwMywiYmVhcmluZyI6MCwicGl0Y2giOjB9LCJvcmQiOjN9fQ== which if you tap the search thing lets you see their long list of water fountains

 

[Elpenor]

Yes, still need a bag. They're trialling new scanners for liquids that would remove that requirement but they're not ready yet.

Aerosols and soaps count as liquid, max 100ml per container.

You can help yourself to bags and water.

Yeh I saw just after I posted. Here's a map of Heathrow https://maps.heathrow.com/?s=eyJtYXBSZW5kZXJlciI6eyJ2cCI6eyJsYXQiOjUxLjQ1OTY4NCwibG5nIjotMC40NDc3MzcsInpvb20iOjE3LjI2MDQwMywiYmVhcmluZyI6MCwicGl0Y2giOjB9LCJvcmQiOjN9fQ== which if you tap the search thing lets you see their long list of water fountains

Thanks both

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Bag it up before you go, a freezer bag is fine, everything under 100ml, hard soap is not liquid, aerosols are, as are Vaseline type products. Take an empty water bottle, there are drinking fountains all over the airport.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Fwiw London City now has no restrictions, Heathrow should have none by the end of next year, but when you return to the U.K. you will probably encounter the liquids rules…

 

[platinumsage]

hard soap is not liquid

Yes, I'd forgotten hard soap was still a thing, haven't seen one in years.