http://www.pendemonium.com/ink_facts.htmI ran across a Shaeffer pen I used in High school (1967-grad)..and of course it had a lovely "peacock blue" cartridge still in it :)
so of course, I set out to find some new ones.. :cry:
but i did enjoy reading about the wonderful world of ink:)
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Ink is a fascinating part of fountain pen use and many seem to be on the quest for the perfect ink. The following contains some random thoughts on the inks we carry and ink properties in general. We get asked a lot of questions about ink and we hope this section on inks will answer many of those questions and help you on your quest for your perfect ink!
PLEASE NOTE: This page is truly a work in progress and something we do just because we love inks as much as you do! We have pages and pages of handwritten notes on inks that eventually will make their way here. We're still working on getting our thoughts and ramblings on all of the different brands we carry from paper to website. We're at 400+ different colors of ink and counting as of April 2008, up about 200 inks from July 2006 when we started this little section. Seems like more are being introduced all the time! Mainly this is a page we do for fun and love of ink, and unfortunately we don't get quite as much time to work on it as we would like. Not that it is unimportant, but there are just an awful lot of other pages on the site that take priority over it. Thanks for your understanding!
Color Variances
Ink colors can vary greatly due to several factors. The width of the nib you use affects color perception - broad nibs put down a much more colorful line of ink than a fine nibbed pen because you *see* more ink on the paper. White paper will make colors appear the truest, ivory or other colored paper may make the ink appear differently. Also, different papers may absorb ink better than others resulting in color variance.
Paper and Feathering
There are a wide range of papers available in the world today. Fountain pens can be very persnickety about which paper they perform best on. Most expensive does not necessarily equate to better paper for fountain pen writing. Ink may feather on paper for several reasons including the humidity level in your particular geographic area. The moisture can draw ink further into a piece of paper thus causing feathering. Broad or wet writing pens may be more prone to feathering. Certain inks seem to agree better with certain papers for no obvious rhyme or reason. The bottom line is you are going to have to experiment a little to find which of your pens and inks are compatible with which paper. We offer a wide variety of fountain pen friendly stationery and papers including Clairefontaine, a favorite of many.
Fountain Pen Ink Permanency
One of the questions we are asked most frequently is which of the inks we carry are waterproof. NO fountain pen inks are waterproof or permanent. They are ALL water based inks, as they must be in order to work properly in your fountain pen. Some inks have more water resistancy than others, but none of them are permanent. Many older inks, especially Sheaffer Skrip and Parker Quink inks from the 1930s - 1950s indicated on their labels whether they were washable or permanent. This does not apply to their permanency on paper, but to how easily they would wash out of clothing. We carry Pelikan Fount-India inks which are safe for fountain pens and exceptionally water resistant.
HINT: If you're concerned that envelopes addressed in fountain pen ink might get wet and the address smeared, try rubbing a plain white candle over the address area. You can't see this and the address is protected. A recent introduction is MicroGlaze and this is great stuff! Rub it over your wrting and it will protect it from rain, sleet and snow!
PLEASE NOTE - Some of the above info on permanency has changed a little bit due to the research and efforts of The Noodler's Ink Company. We now have available truly permanent (still water based) fountain pen inks that employ cellulose reactive dyes. These dyes are completely water soluble in your pens and in the bottle, but the cellulose reactive dyes react with the paper and when dry are totally waterproof and permanent. Great invention! We currently have over two dozen different colors, look for the "bulletproof" designation.
What is Fountain Pen Ink?
Fountain Pen ink is composed of water, dye and surfactant, a detergent based agent used to help control flow in your pen. NOTE: Drawing and drafting inks contain shellac which can be harmful to your fountain pens. There are also several inks out on the market marked Calligraphy Ink and further marked for use in fountain pens. We suggest you check these carefully, we've found most of the Calligraphy Inks to contain shellac and unsafe for fountain pens. Never use any ink other than those made specifically for fountain pens in your pen. If in doubt about a particular ink, feel free to contact us.
Inks & Pens Can be Quirky!
Not all pens and inks are created equally! Sometimes it takes a little experimenting to find the right pen-ink combo, you know what I'm talking about - the perfect flow and color in just the right pen. So remember a few basics because to achieve this you need to remember that this is a little bit of science with a lot of common sense thrown in. Don't panic if Ink A doesn't flow the same as Ink B in your favorite pen, clean out your pen, go back to Ink A or try another ink and put Ink B in a different pen! Did ya'll follow that?
*** Not all inks work equally in all pens ***
Each ink, even inks of the same brand, are formulated just a little differently from each other. Same goes for fountain pens - each one is a little different. Even two fountain pens exactly the same can behave vastly differently. Fountain pens are not like ballpoints, they require lots of TLC and some maintenance just like your car. Always remember to clean your pen with room temp water (NOT hot water & NO chemicals) when you change inks, it's a good idea to do this every few weeks even when you're not changing inks just to keep them up to snuff!
snip for the skinny on every ink known to man (or so it seems)
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