How does a fountain pen only consume the ink it needs and does not leak?

Question

How does a fountain pen only consume the ink it needs and does not leak?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Surface tension. The cohesion of the ink to itself and the outside edges of its tip keep it in place. Like how small drops of water will stick to your fingers. But because ink is thicker, it can stay in something like a pen tip until it finds something more binding, like paper.