I have a pen from my local bank and i noticed that it has a small hole in the side of it. after a few days i came up with a total of 25 pens that have small holes in them. I think they have something to do with the ink.
2006-11-15 11:16:44 · 16 answers · asked by jmcmonw 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
It allows the ink to flow. If not, the flowing ink would create a vacuum inside. It the same principal with can of oil (i know this is going back but oil used to be in cans) You poke a second hole to allow air to replace the oil so it can flow easier.
2006-11-15 11:26:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
pens that don't have holes in them are Fountain pens ...
When airplane travel was starting, fountain pens would leak in pockets because there was no way to equalize the pressure on the ink from its resevoir to the flow of ink through the nib.
Old WW II movies will only show pencils being used (unless there is a glitch in the props dept).
A guy called Biro made the ball point pen with ink that wouldn't drain out. Of course, overheating or damage to the nib / ball point would still cause leaks in pockets, but this was a pen that could be used in planes.
The hole, as others have said, is to equalize the pressure, like a second hole in a can.
2006-11-15 19:30:27 · answer #2 · answered by wizebloke 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be how the pen was secured during the manufacturing process, but it may also be to allow a little air in so that the ink will flow. Liquid dispensers, like the plastic water containers with the pour spout at the bottom, will not flow properly if you don't make a pin-hole or loosen the lid a little to let air in to replace the volume of the liquid that's drained. Otherwise, it creates a vacuum. Ink is a liquid, so it makes sense the same thing would apply.
2006-11-15 19:23:45 · answer #3 · answered by gseeband 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hot turkey made a good unsolicted submission, but his question inquired about the pen part. In the cap, that is the purpose the for airholes to hopefully prevent choking until help can arrive.
The hole on the side I found to be helpful, mostly bic pens, when the ink got stuck and I was able to blow in it to get the ink back flowing.
I concur with most of the other answerers.
/doc
2006-11-15 20:04:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They do. Those type of pens are sealed real tight. If there wasn't a hole, lots of things could happen. Mostly, the ink would not flow properly.
2006-11-15 19:20:34 · answer #5 · answered by pj 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its to allow air to get inside the pen to aid in the flow of the ink. If there was no air the ink would not flow down the ink tube.
2006-11-15 19:20:09 · answer #6 · answered by deljack05 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Think about a straw - the reason that a straw works is that you can create pressure for the liquid to flow (up) since the straw is sealed, without any holes. But if you blow into a straw, all the liquid flows out, and the air comes out the bottom.
The hole allows air to enter, making it easier for the ink that needs to flow out to be replaced by air.
2006-11-15 19:20:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
the hole helps prevent the ink from leaking since it allows air to come in and since the ink is exposed to air the top part of the ink dries up and forms a layer over the rest to prevent it from coming out.
2006-11-15 19:20:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It relieves the pressure so the ink can flow more smoothly to allow for a nice write. Much like how you make two holes in the can of pinapple juice.
2006-11-15 19:19:35 · answer #9 · answered by Robbyz3 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Its to let air into the other end so that it will let the ink out. Kinda like when you put you're finger over a straw and it wont let the liquid come out, Yeah its a prevention of that.
Its also like the carb on you're bong.
2006-11-15 19:25:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋