Has Anyone Experienced Any Corrosive Nib Because Of Iron Gall Or Any Problems? I Use R&k Salix

[fezz4734]

I truly do love my iron gall ink R&K Salix, it writes a great tone of blue for iron gall but my only worries are in my nibs as I use them in parker 45's. I don't know if they can be a danger or not? If they are I might move to Noodlers bulletproof inks for archival purposes because I am writing to look back at later years but don't want my pens to not be functional because of an ink im using :/ I don't see any other inks I can use for saving pages and papers maybe permanent ink like montblancs permanent blue but anyways any concerns or opinions about iron gall ink?

[KBeezie]

Modern IG like Salix, Scabiosa etc shouldn't eat away at steel nibs, they're not as acidic as older process of making IG. At worse they can stain the materials on the pen.

[theverdictis]

I've never tried Noodlers ink, but I watched a video yesterday on YouTube from one guy stating that he would only use Noodlers ink in very cheap pens. Not sure if that means Noodlers ink tends to burn holes through your FP or not . Type in Google if Iron gall ink is corrosive or damaging over long periods of time. Or clean your pens after every use.

 

Ben

[KBeezie]

I've never tried Noodlers ink, but I watched a video yesterday on YouTube from one guy stating that he would only use Noodlers ink in very cheap pens. Not sure if that means Noodlers ink tends to burn holes through your FP or not . Type in Google if Iron gall ink is corrosive or damaging over long periods of time. Or clean your pens after every use.

 

Ben

 

Guess it depends on which inks he was talking bout, since many have a variety of properties. It's possible that the bulletproof inks didn't agree with certain pens he had, but if that were the case IG would behave worse. I've no problem using Noodler's Black Eel in most my pens and I haven't heard anyone else say anything like that of Noodler's so a little confused there. The exception seems to be Bay State Blue which is known to eat certain materials like Ebonite (I think it's mentioned on either Binder's site or one of the others that grind nibs).

[KBeezie]

Found an article showing damage though it would be incredibly helpful if it was known WHICH color/ink it was. Can't just blanket ban a whole brand, and it could have even been a bad batch. Though it could have been Bay State Blue, which is not listed as pH Neutral.

 

http://gregminuskin.com/?p=2426

 

http://gregminuskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/DSCN1535-300x225.jpg

 

Most Noodler's Inks are listed as pH Neutral (ie: my Black Eel says "Always pH Neutral" on the bottle), so that's something to look for if you're concerned. I don't know what pH balance Salix and Scabiosa has but GouletPens says they haven't heard of any concerns about corrosiveness of R&K's IG inks since they are made with a process that's not nearly as acidic/alkalinic as older IG ink.

Edited April 17, 2014 by KBeezie

[theverdictis]

 

Guess it depends on which inks he was talking bout, since many have a variety of properties. It's possible that the bulletproof inks didn't agree with certain pens he had, but if that were the case IG would behave worse. I've no problem using Noodler's Black Eel in most my pens and I haven't heard anyone else say anything like that of Noodler's so a little confused there. The exception seems to be Bay State Blue which is known to eat certain materials like Ebonite (I think it's mentioned on either Binder's site or one of the others that grind nibs).

Blue state blue does ring a bell, I think this was the specific ink I saw the video on. Why does it react this way?

 

Ben

[KBeezie]

Blue state blue does ring a bell, I think this was the specific ink I saw the video on. Why does it react this way?

 

Ben

 

 

Not sure but their "Bay State" line of inks seem to have disclaimers on GouletPens

 

The Noodler's Baystate inks are slightly different formulas than conventional fountain pen inks. They are designed to be more vibrant than other inks and have a slightly basic pH-level, and as a result they are prone to staining and should not be mixed with other non-Baystate inks. If staining should occur, a solution of 10% household bleach and 90% distilled water will clean it up. If you have any particularly rare or valuable pens, you may want to avoid using Baystate inks in them.

 

 

Guessing whatever they did to it to make it more vibrant also contributes to less of a pH-Neutral Formula and more prone to staining.

 

Far as ink properties go ( PDF here ), BSB is listed as Forgery-Resistant (impervious to laser, alcohol, solvents) and Water Proof, but it's not bulletproof or archival, and doesn't appear to be an iron gall either.

 

The BulletProof line of inks don't seem to suffer the same problems as mentioned about Baystate (with blue seeming to be the most popular one complained bout when I do a search). I imagine with most modern pens with modern types of materials, it's not usually an issue, but you throw in something like say an ebonite feed (ie: hard rubber) the not-so-neutral pH seems to take effect.

 

I wonder if the pens BSB affects is also affected by R&K's IG inks in the same way, I don't normally see Salix/Scabiosa being used that often online so probably just a matter of how many people had a chance to try them in the pens that would be affected.

[Randal6393]

The only pen that has corroded on me is a Gillott 303, used with McCaffrey's Penman. But, it was a long run -- over 80 addresses for a wedding. I kind of expect Gillotts to rust with an IG ink, especially one with an active formulation. Other than that, no, modern IG inks -- especially those designed for fountain pen use -- are not that corrosive.

 

Enjoy,

[RudyR]

I would stick with the tried and true Iron Gall ink. Any blockage that would occur through negligence (which is the big reason you would have a blockage with modern IG inks) can be cleared by letting the feed and nib soak in vinegar for a while. The other reason why you might have a blockage is if for some reason your ink has precipitated solids that have settled on the bottom of the bottle and you sucked it up when filling. Many inks are subject to this problem so its not exclusive to iron gall inks. This is another reason modern Montblanc bottles are so good. They are designed to contain any sludge from entering the filling chamber if you use the bottle correctly.

 

And of course, do not mix your inks. This is the most dangerous and catastrophic procedure possibly resulting in SLUDGE OF DEATH (arrrrgrhhh, shriek.... faint).

Edited April 17, 2014 by RudyR

[rbadger332]

No corrosion, although the ESSRI that I've got that I tried today seems to like precipitating out of solution and clogging my pens. Guess it is just too old. But it's never damaged any of my pens. I used it in my Visconti HS, Pilot VP, Stipula Passaporto, Parker Sonnet, and my TWSBI 580 that I sold. THe only pen I haven't used it in is my Parker Vac, and that's only because the Vacumatic is a PITA to clean out properly, so I use real light and low-maintenance inks with it.

[onepuff]

I also use Salix as an everyday ink. I've used it with piston fillers with combinations of celluloid and acrylic barrels, gold and steel nibs, plastic and ebonite feeds as well as with steel dip pens. I've yet to experience any staining, silting or corrosion of any kind. I do clean the fountain pens out thoroughly once a month and always clean the dip pen nibs well after use.

Edited April 18, 2014 by onepuff

[The Good Captain]

I use Salix & Scabiosa, Montblanc Midnight Blue, ESSRI & Lamy Blue-Black without any problems at all. Just a bit of common sense in keeping things moving in them and a flush before refilling now and again seems to work fine.

[KBeezie]

I also use Salix as an everyday ink. I've used it with piston fillers with combinations of celluloid and acrylic barrels, gold and steel nibs, plastic and ebonite feeds as well as with steel dip pens. I've yet to experience any staining, silting or corrosion of any kind. I do clean the fountain pens out thoroughly once a month and always clean the dip pen nibs well after use.

 

Well Ebonite and Gold is actually the ideal material to use around even older Iron Gall ink as they don't corrode from it, which is probably why gold nibs were much more popular back in the vintage days aside from just it's prestige (it's the newer stuff that would hate the old IG).