To Screw Or Not To Screw | How to get a fountain pen cap off

I have one trouser leg rolled up.
Just tell me the secret!

Have you recently taken delivery of a pen - or even been handed a friend's pen - and you have that horrendous moment of not knowing whether this is a screw-on cap or a pop-off cap?

And you half-heartedly pull at it and twist at the same time because you don't know what to do for the best?

You don't want to damage the barrel by twisting and potentially scraping the finish and simultaneously, you don't want to pull too hard in case you damage the threads?

Just me?



If it's tightly screwed, you might not unscrew hard enough and go straight to a firm pop off.  And the hideous mental to'ing and fro'ing begins: "it's not unscrewing.... its a cap, wait, it's not un popping......it's a tight screw, try unscrewing, but I don't want to spoil the barrel finish, go back to unpopping before you bloody well RUIN it..... no, it's deffo not unpopping ......stop pulling at it incase you bust the threads, oh my God ........ YOUTUBE!!! SOMEBODY GET ME A YOUTUBE FOR THIS PEN!!!'

At this point I usually throw myself down on the bed with a flannel over my face and get some whale sounds on Spotify.

IF ONLY THERE WAS A UNIFORM AND AGREED WAY TO TELL - FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE PEN - HOW THE HELL TO GET THE CAP OFF.

Imagine .... a groove on the external chrome work of a pen could signify a screw cap .... smooth chrome work could signify a pop-off cap.   Perhaps some grooved or smooth clue on the clip?

But then, I'm a noob at all this - maybe there IS some cunning way to tell.  And it's like the Masons - you need someone to point it out to you before you know.  So, if there IS some cunning way to get the cap off without inducing mental collapse, please share :)

Note: no pens were harmed in the creation of this blog post.  But some have been well-twisted when they should just have been popped.