Does Ink Go Bad?

[Sharkpie]

Here's something I've wondered about for quite some time. I have about a dozen bottles of ink. My Diamine, Noodler's, J. Herbin & Private Reserve bottles have no date listed. My two Montblanc inks have a month and year listed on them. My brand new bottle of MB Irish Green has a sticker on the box that lists "Sep 2018". My old MB Black has a sticker on the bottom of the bottle that lists "April 12".

 

Are these expiration dates? "Best if used by" dates? Is my MB black still safe to use?

[jar]

Use away.

 

Sure ink can go bad, get infected with mold, have particulates settle out but those are the exceptions.

[ArbInv]

I was just wondering the same thing. I have Mont Blanc cartridges which are still sealed from 2008. They seem fine. Any reason to worry?

 

-Andy

[AllenG]

Like wine sometimes they do. More often they last for many years, even many decades.

[Ecriveur]

It will evaporate if exposed to the air, like nearly any liquid, but if it stays in a sealed, clean container, ink can easily last for years.

[Chi Town]

I have inks, some over 10 years old incl Mont Blanc. And they are still good as best as I can tell............

[dorothynotgale]

I'm currently using ink from the 1950s. It depends on the ink, but generally, if it doesn't get moldy, dry up, or go through some weird chemical change, it will last. Just check for SITB and whether the color seems to be as it should.

[inkstainedruth]

I think I've read that sometimes you get evaporation through the plastic for cartridges. But not for bottled ink, especially in glass, if it's sealed properly after use. And of course you do have to use good practices to avoid SITB. I have several bottles of vintage ink, and they seem to be fine. At least one of the bottles of Quink is from the 1940s, I think, given the shape of the bottle (I got it in an antiques mall a couple of summers ago and it didn't even have a label saying what color it is -- turned out to be Quink Brown). And it's fine.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[wastelanded]

Keep in mind that most modern inks don't have the amount of phenols, etc. that vintage inks had. Five year-old ink should be fine, but to compare modern inks to vintage in respect to longevity? I doubt a bottle of today's Skrip will still be good 60 years from now.

[PenTieRun]

The only ink that I've ever had a problem with the color going "bad" is Private Reserve. The red dyes have been tricky in them.

[kernando]

Makers put dates on ink to get people to buy more ink more often.