Okay, What Am I Doing Wrong?

[SeeksAdvice]

Emptied my bottle of Diamine Registrar's Ink, and there's obvious filamentous growth on the inside of the bottle. I thought that DRI had phenol in it? And, no it's not hair. I rinsed the bottle with vinegar to clear some of the IG precipitate, and it's definitely mostly-clear filamentous growth.

WTH? Starting to wonder if I want to drink the water out here.

Really thinking that this whole thing is pointless anyway. Just a lot of money and for what?

[mark e]

i've had that problem with 3 or 4 different diamine inks...oxblood, green-black, florida blue and maybe another, cant remember---i think it might have to do with the fact that diamine inks are in plastic bottles---the green black was the first to do this, after about 6 months-- so i transferred the oxblood and the blue into glass, and it helped, but over a year or more longer time period, they also went bad---separated, color and filament clinging to the inside of the glass...my solution was to quit buying diamine inks---i have parker and skrip inks from the 1950's-60's that are usable and held up better than that, i dont need that hassle

[arcadeflow]

I had to throw away Diamine Ochre because it came with bubbles that would never go away (froth). It really gave me a bad impression, but I like their colors. I ordered 6 more 30 ml bottles, and of the previous 6 I owned, I sold 4 and only kept Blaze Orange. I had problems with Crimson clogging my Prera, with Pilot inks it never dries. I even wet the nib to make it run again and it started drying out when I was using it after a while. But since I can buy 6 of them for the price of 1 Iroshizuku, it is worth the risk. I believe brands like Diamine and Noodler's are important, because they celebrate the joy of fountain pens with great price and a huge selection, but I am under the impression that they fail sometimes. In your cause it is an expensive particular ink so I can understand why you are mad.

[Moshe ben David]

hmm. The only Diamine I have is Diamine Syrah; it is in a glass bottle AND in my Lamy 2000. Sure hope this unknown SITB does not show up!

 

mark e: how old were your inks. Wasn't there an episode a while back where some batches of Diamine did in fact have a problem with SITB? Or am I think of a different ink -- Caran d'ache maybe?

[Lou Erickson]

Emptied my bottle of Diamine Registrar's Ink, and there's obvious filamentous growth on the inside of the bottle. I thought that DRI had phenol in it? And, no it's not hair. I rinsed the bottle with vinegar to clear some of the IG precipitate, and it's definitely mostly-clear filamentous growth.

WTH? Starting to wonder if I want to drink the water out here.

Really thinking that this whole thing is pointless anyway. Just a lot of money and for what?

 

You sound really unhappy, and like you're looking for meaning in ordinary day to day things. I'm sorry to see your frustration and discomfort, but I don't know what it is that will find meaning for you. Different people have different things.

 

As far as the growth, the biocide thread suggested how to cope with that, but I really don't know if that's what's really on your mind.

 

If possible, I'd suggest not worrying about the pens for a bit, and trying to get away from the daily grind and understand what it is you really want, and focus on that. It's easy to lose that in the daily shuffle and struggle.

 

Feel better.

[KBeezie]

Even with inks that have some kind of countermeasure to mold/fungal growth doesn't prevent it 100%. It's also another reason I never fill straight from the bottle, but rather I transfer some of the ink to a 5ml sample vial, and use that for filling the pens. That way nothing goes back into the bottle except a clean syringe.

 

You also want to keep ink out of warm areas or areas with a lot of light or sunlight, best to keep them in cool, dark places. So when I set aside some sample vials for filling, I just put the bottles back into their boxes and stash them away in the cabinet or tote.

 

Live and Learn.

Edited September 17, 2014 by KBeezie

[mhosea]

I usually fill from vials, but ever since I got into oversized pens, most piston or lever fill, it's more often been a hassle to do that. Filling a 149 from a sample vial is not the easiest thing to do, given the narrow margin for error. Have no idea what the OP did wrong, if anything. It's probably environmental or a huge case of cross contamination with some quite robust organism. Possibly it could happen to anyone with that organism floating around. The mitigation steps I take are to fill from vials to protect the ink in bottles, and my rotation of pens means that I'm usually filling a pen that is both clean and dry. Finally, I add phenol to most acidic and pH neutral inks (most of the alkaline inks I have smell pretty well endowed already).

[mark e]

hmm. The only Diamine I have is Diamine Syrah; it is in a glass bottle AND in my Lamy 2000. Sure hope this unknown SITB does not show up!

 

mark e: how old were your inks. Wasn't there an episode a while back where some batches of Diamine did in fact have a problem with SITB? Or am I think of a different ink -- Caran d'ache maybe?

M b D---this was 2-3 yrs (or possibly slightly longer) ago, and i think your memory is correct about diamine inks with SITB issues around that time---altho, when i received the inks, they seemed to be OK, just that after about 6 months or so, i noticed the green separating and clinging to the inside of the 1/2 empty bottle---i checked the red and blue, and they had also started to get funky---i strained them thru coffee filters and put them in old skrip well glass bottles (which i have more of than any human has any practical need)---the green didnt make it, and the blue and red became unusable about a year ago---any inks i get now that are in plastic get immediately transferred to skrip bottles, and i dont buy diamine at all---too many other good inks, i dont need that BS---i'm out of visconti blue---when the new batch arrives, into the glass it goes

Edited September 17, 2014 by mark e

[SeeksAdvice]

Well, Williston gets its water from the Missouri River. If you've ever seen the Missouri River, it's not any better looking than the Mississippi. Over the last couple of years there have been two basic failures of the water treatment system, and who knows how many smaller issues (you can tell by the massive increase in chlorine in the water). Technically, the plant uses ammonia, chlorine, and UV treatment on the water (ideally). When we had flood conditions, you could literally taste the "mud" flavor in the water. The most recent failure was the one where water flow exceeded treatment capacity. There has also been extensive work done on the water supply system in town (don't ask what kind of piping the removed in places...). Most recently, we had a water system failure in my apartment building, and when water was restored, boy was it nasty looking.

What I can't figure out is, some inks seem to have serious issues. Others seem to not have them. This is despite being stored in roughly the same location, and for the most part having the same pens in them. Just really, overall, quite frustrated.

 

So far: Diamine Sherwood Green; Diamine Registrar's Ink; Noodler's KTC; Noodler's QSH; Noodler's Borealis Black; Noodler's BSiAR; and Pelikan M205 Duo all showed definite signs of contamination. I tossed my Diamine Poppy Red because I definitely knew it was cross-contaminated by BsiAR and/or QSH.

 

I am highly suspect of my bottle of Noodler's YotGP as it massively thickened up, feels "grainy," and has developed reddish colored matter in it. Also highly suspect of my Noodler's Blue Ghost, as it's got wispy material in it.

And, to top it off... today, my M400 unscrewed itself in my shirt pocket without me knowing it, and laid down a considerable quantity of ink. Starting to think that the universe is trying to tell me something.

[SeeksAdvice]

i've had that problem with 3 or 4 different diamine inks...oxblood, green-black, florida blue and maybe another, cant remember---i think it might have to do with the fact that diamine inks are in plastic bottles---the green black was the first to do this, after about 6 months-- so i transferred the oxblood and the blue into glass, and it helped, but over a year or more longer time period, they also went bad---separated, color and filament clinging to the inside of the glass...my solution was to quit buying diamine inks---i have parker and skrip inks from the 1950's-60's that are usable and held up better than that, i dont need that hassle

 

All my Diamine inks came in those easy-shattering totally non-freeze resistant squarish glass bottles that seem to fail at winter shipping. I don't have any inks that are in plastic bottles.

Loved the color of Diamine Sherwood Green, but it really started having issues fairly early.

[KBeezie]

 

All my Diamine inks came in those easy-shattering totally non-freeze resistant squarish glass bottles that seem to fail at winter shipping. I don't have any inks that are in plastic bottles.

Loved the color of Diamine Sherwood Green, but it really started having issues fairly early.

 

Diamine's 30ml bottles are Plastic, but their 80ml are glass as you just described. Noodler's inks bottles are glass for both their 30ml and 90ml. I seriously debated getting some of the Noodler's Polar inks just because of how cold the winters can get sometimes around here.

[SeeksAdvice]

I live in Williston, North Dakota. "Polar" Blue freezes. Just for the hell of it I left a bottle out at -18F (windchill -24F) to kind of simulate what happens if you leave your pen in the car outside at -30F or so. In the morning it was, for all intents and purposes, solidified. Just a tiny amount of liquid that produced a couple of drops when bottle was inverted. I took photos with my phone, just haven't uploaded them.

It stayed solid long enough that I could scare our paralegal by bringing the bottle in, inverting it over her desk, and opening it. Forgot how long it ultimately took at room temperature to return to a liquid state.

 

IMO, Noodler's "Polar" stuff is just marketing hype for "chalky ink."

[Oldane]

Now, I can't tell if there's fungus in your Diamine Registrars - there may well be - but FWIW, all inks with a high concentration of iron-gall will almost invariably set some sediment. Some of it is on the buttom and there is also often a layer on the inside of the bottle (which can be hard to clean out). It also happens to ESSR Registrars and Akkermann no. 10. It happens to a much lesser degree or not al all with R&K Salix which has a much lower concentration of iron-gall.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Oldane

[KBeezie]

I live in Williston, North Dakota. "Polar" Blue freezes. Just for the hell of it I left a bottle out at -18F (windchill -24F) to kind of simulate what happens if you leave your pen in the car outside at -30F or so. In the morning it was, for all intents and purposes, solidified. Just a tiny amount of liquid that produced a couple of drops when bottle was inverted. I took photos with my phone, just haven't uploaded them.

It stayed solid long enough that I could scare our paralegal by bringing the bottle in, inverting it over her desk, and opening it. Forgot how long it ultimately took at room temperature to return to a liquid state.

 

IMO, Noodler's "Polar" stuff is just marketing hype for "chalky ink."

 

It's not designed to work below -10F, it keeps liquid above -10F which is pretty damn good compared to most water based inks.

[Icywolfe]

Apparently the first polar inks were "'freeze proof' to -114° F, but the reformulated Polar inks made from 2006 and later have a faster dry time." Screw dry time. I want freeze resistance.

 

 

I need heat resistance. I saw my fountain pen become a "fountain." It's 98-100 degrees here. I would trade places with anybody for some snow.

[mark e]

Well, Williston gets its water from the Missouri River. If you've ever seen the Missouri River, it's not any better looking than the Mississippi. Over the last couple of years there have been two basic failures of the water treatment system, and who knows how many smaller issues (you can tell by the massive increase in chlorine in the water). Technically, the plant uses ammonia, chlorine, and UV treatment on the water (ideally). When we had flood conditions, you could literally taste the "mud" flavor in the water. The most recent failure was the one where water flow exceeded treatment capacity. There has also been extensive work done on the water supply system in town (don't ask what kind of piping the removed in places...). Most recently, we had a water system failure in my apartment building, and when water was restored, boy was it nasty looking.

What I can't figure out is, some inks seem to have serious issues. Others seem to not have them. This is despite being stored in roughly the same location, and for the most part having the same pens in them. Just really, overall, quite frustrated.

 

So far: Diamine Sherwood Green; Diamine Registrar's Ink; Noodler's KTC; Noodler's QSH; Noodler's Borealis Black; Noodler's BSiAR; and Pelikan M205 Duo all showed definite signs of contamination. I tossed my Diamine Poppy Red because I definitely knew it was cross-contaminated by BsiAR and/or QSH.

 

I am highly suspect of my bottle of Noodler's YotGP as it massively thickened up, feels "grainy," and has developed reddish colored matter in it. Also highly suspect of my Noodler's Blue Ghost, as it's got wispy material in it.

And, to top it off... today, my M400 unscrewed itself in my shirt pocket without me knowing it, and laid down a considerable quantity of ink. Starting to think that the universe is trying to tell me something.

 

 

 

yaknow, it took me a while to put this together, but uhhhh.....i kept asking myself 'why is he going on about the water and the water problems in williston, ND, WTH does that have to do with anything'

 

and then the light bulb flickered....williston, ND, is pretty much ground zero for fracking and the end of the environment and safe water in ND as we used to know it....the reason the water sucks and all your water pipes are breaking is because the ground under your feet (what's left of it) is being pumped full of benzene and dozens of other toxic chemicals in order to frack the natgas and shale oil out of it-----that 'mud' and 'chlorine' you're tasting in the water?.....it aint mud and chlorine, my friend....not only do i advise that you not dilute any of your inks or rinse any of your pens with the local water, it is my sincere recommendation that, if at all possible, you get the hell outta ND as soon as possible....i think you'll find that your ink and pen problems disappear immediately

 

oh, all except for that M400 leaving ink all over your shirt business.....that's a pelikan thang, they all unsrew themselves....one of the last enduring mysteries of the universe

Edited September 17, 2014 by mark e

[mark e]

anyway, yeah, that is probably what the universe is trying to tell you, seeks advice....good luck

[SeeksAdvice]

 

 

 

yaknow, it took me a while to put this together, but uhhhh.....i kept asking myself 'why is he going on about the water and the water problems in williston, ND, WTH does that have to do with anything'

 

and then the light bulb flickered....williston, ND, is pretty much ground zero for fracking and the end of the environment and safe water in ND as we used to know it....the reason the water sucks and all your water pipes are breaking is because the ground under your feet (what's left of it) is being pumped full of benzene and dozens of other toxic chemicals in order to frack the natgas and shale oil out of it-----that 'mud' and 'chlorine' you're tasting in the water?.....it aint mud and chlorine, my friend....not only do i advise that you not dilute any of your inks or rinse any of your pens with the local water, it is my sincere recommendation that, if at all possible, you get the hell outta ND as soon as possible....i think you'll find that your ink and pen problems disappear immediately

 

oh, all except for that M400 leaving ink all over your shirt business.....that's a pelikan thang, they all unsrew themselves....one of the last enduring mysteries of the universe

 

Well, Williston was incorporated roughly around the turn of the 20th century. The infrastructure in some places hasn't been touched in decades. The piping that was being replaced looked just like all other really old cast iron water piping that had started to go (well, and one set of really old pipe that really looked like lead). While during the flood year, we had oil well issues downstream of the water treatment plant, there weren't any that I can think of upstream of it. I really doubt that it's the fracking activity that is the source of the issues with regard to the pens.

[amberleadavis]

Seeks, this is scary. That many inks going bad..... I wouldn't drink the water or cook with it.

 

While being part of the powdered ink testing process, I learned something about the biocides.

 

The biocides are not intended to wipe out all contaminates. Turns out that rapid mold growth in the ink was an indicator of environmental contamination. Just opening the ink in a building that has bad mold growth may cause the ink to get mold. The chemist and biologists just gave me a more detailed explanation, but that was the take away message.

 

It's time to do call in a mold specialist for the building. If you have mold in the building, the ink going bad may literally be a life saver.

[mark e]

i'm with amberlea---it's the mold and the water---the only thing all of your different brands of inks have in common is that you rinse your pens in the water, and contaminate your inks with the residue in the pens, be it frackwater or mold---i also live in a very old old town, and we arent having all the water and waterpipe issues that williston is having, because we Arent Having The Griound Beneath Our Feet Constantly Being Rearranged By Hydraulic Fracturing Of The Bedrock---the quickest way to eliminate your pen and ink problems is to dump the bad ink, and invest in pen flush and all the distilled water you can find at the grocery store, but something tells me the distilled water supply is scarce/overpriced

 

other than that, unless you can convince amberlea to travel to ND and go all erin brockovich on williston and the fracking industry, i would avoid drinking the water and breathing the air, and my previous advice would also still apply