Inks That Cause Repairs.

[Shrimpi]

Or put another way. I have been using Noodlers Bullet Proof for two years from one of several bottles. I do not see any mold or such. I was once told not to use Noodlers, which Noodlers claims to be a lubricating ink, and therefore good for pens. I even do something worse. I use the same pens for weeks, only refilling the pen. I may not write a lot, but I refill the pen at least twice a week. Seems to work well for my Parker 51's, and similar model Hero Pens.

 

As I am about to start using a new Lamy 2000 EF, I though I would ask both about whether I should replace the inks I have. I have several bottles of different inks of different colors/manufacturers that are five years old.

 

Would the Pen Repair guys like to comment on inks in general.

 

I hope I have not posted this in the wrong place. It is more about repair issues than ink in terms of color, what to buy, which is what the ink forum seems about.

[Chrissy]

I believe that most members who come and comment on this thread will say that 5 years old is nothing for ink. I have inks that are much older than that and I don't worry about them unless they either start to smell odd or I see anything wrong with them.

 

Some highly saturated inks might potentially cause more damage, especially to steel nibs, than inks that are less saturated. By far the best way to keep your inks and your pens free of problems is to flush out your pens regularly rather than just re-inking them in the same ink without flushing water through the feed. It's good practice to do this, and will make your pens and maybe even your inks last longer.

[Shrimpi]

What do you mean by "saturated inks?" Is that color? Or which type of ink?

[Sinistral1]

I recently asked this question of my pen repair guy, and his answer was that some Noodlers can have a reaction with and to the rubber ink sacs in vintage lever and button fillers. So, even if you don't leave the ink in the pen other than to simply write with it, this chemical interaction basically turns the sac to mush and can be a real PITA to get out to repair it.

 

I think it's fair to say that Noodlers is not the only ink that does this sometimes, and that it is about the ingredients in the ink that, if in the right combination, cause the problem. Some inks stain like crazy and you don't want to put them in a demonstrator if you don't want to spend all your free time cleaning your pen to put a new ink in it.

 

At this point I throw in a plug for vintage BCHR eyedroppers - no sac, no lever, no button, no clear parts to stain, melt or otherwise cause trouble!

[demeter]

+ to Sinistral 1 comment about BCHR eyedroppers. Though they have their own idiosyncrasy - re blobbing out at the wrong time.

 

Andrew

[FarmBoy]

The debate on inks causing damage to pens is about as polarized an issue as there is. Many of the popular repair persons and many retailers recommend against certain boutique inks while others claim there is no problem.

The subject has a life of its own. Searching may turn up some heavily edited threads on the subject in the Inky Thoughts forum.

Best of luck, I'll have my popcorn and Scotch ready if I'm not working on pens tonight.

[French]

Best of luck, I'll have my popcorn and Scotch ready if I'm not working on pens tonight.

Popcorn and scotch, that is a unique combination. Maybe I will try that as I'm checking this thread after doing my evening chores.

 

Definitely a hot button topic here, but one that entertains and keeps the moderators alert.

 

French

[Sinistral1]

I did forget about the blob issue with eyedroppers. I just always keep them full or do something with them that if/when they blob, I can claim that it was part of the overall design. Works every time.

[Sinistral1]

After watching a foodie show about how bourbon is made, I'm now trying to find out if it is true that all whiskeys are bourbons but not all bourbons are whiskeys. I know that has nothing to go with scotch, but it got me to thinking about my bourbon vs whiskey question.

[French]

After watching a foodie show about how bourbon is made, I'm now trying to find out if it is true that all whiskeys are bourbons but not all bourbons are whiskeys. I know that has nothing to go with scotch, but it got me to thinking about my bourbon vs whiskey question.

I must have it backwards, I thought all Bourbon was whiskey, but not all whiskey is Bourbon.

 

To try to loosely bring this back to topic, I wonder if a Scotch or Bourbon based ink would cause repair.

 

French

[Sinistral1]

I need to start writing these important things down.

[FarmBoy]

I need to start writing these important things down.

Good use for a pen. What ink are you going to use.

 

Farmboy (who happens to be ducking under the table to avoid the splatter of rotten tomato)

[OcalaFlGuy]

It has taken a few years for me to come to the conclusion, but I genuinely believe heavily saturated inks aren't good for latex sacs, Especially with very lacking pen hygiene.

 

I'm not Totally convinced that extra pen flushing would help with the degradation of the sac with saturated ink but other than extra exercise to J-bars and such, it probably couldn't hurt.

 

This is from personal experience with predominantly the PR saturated Blues.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited November 15, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[Sinistral1]

I have way too many inks and hundreds of samples to chose from, but my favorites are Sailor medium greens with yellow tones, like Kingdom Note Tanna Japonensis (Evening Cicada). KWZI #27 Turquoise Iron Gall is very nice as well.

 

Oh, and I wouldn't throw a rotten tomato for your cheekiness - I would tie your shoelaces together and yell something like "Squirrel!" whilst looking out the farm house window toward the barn.

[SteveE]

Totally tangential thought:

 

This thread is one reason why I still keep a bunch of cartridge/converter pens. You can fill them with almost any ink and no matter what happens, they can be scrubbed and put back into service with no great effort or loss. I've had sacs turn to goo with even the "best" inks (think Waterman), but I've never dissolved a converter.

 

Some of the reported sac failures are, I'm sure, due to the fabled defective batch(es) of sacs that hit the market a few years ago. The rest of the failures (some even in my own pens) are simply inconveniences (albeit sometimes colorful ones).

[pajaro]

I don't use the saturated or boutique inks much any more, since I ran out of Noodler's Nightshade and Sequoia. I used to buy them from a now defunct source, and now I use Montblanc Violet and Racing Green to mix with other stuff to get the shade I want.

 

Someone didn't like Parker black Quink. I started using another black and by cracky, they were right. Everything works better with the other black.

 

I have bottles of ancient 1960s Sheaffer blue black that write perfectly in sac and C/C pens. I think all ink is pot luck affair. Many repairers recommend against certain inks, sometimes citing instances of damaged pens where some inks have been used. They think this is absolute proof of the cause being the ink. Is this logically sound, though? Are these anecdotes repeatable? Does it pass the scientific test or not? Frankly, though, I don't give a . . .

[berlinairlift]

Just finished flushing an Esterbrook I had restored and filled with Private Reserve Black Cherry. I like the color yet I noticed that after a week it started to really dry out and not start. I don't believe the pen was damaged but it took a lot of flushing and even a trip to the ultrasonic to get all the ink out of the nib. Not the usual weekly cleaning routine.

 

I'm now using PR Chocolate in a Delta and keeping an eye on it.

[berlinairlift]

Many repairers recommend against certain inks, sometimes citing instances of damaged pens where some inks have been used. They think this is absolute proof of the cause being the ink. Is this logically sound, though? Are these anecdotes repeatable? Does it pass the scientific test or not? Frankly, though, I don't give a . . .

 

I spoke with a pen repair fellow and he stated he would only use Waterman Mysterious Blue. He did caution not to use PR inks. Of course I had to try them. I do like the Waterman though - just not all the time.

[dcwaites]

I sometimes think of it as the Policeman problem. Many police spend a lot of time dealing with young people who are off the rails, and can form the point of view that all young people should be drowned at birth. However, a wider look shows that most young people are decent, just a few that are objectionable.

 

It's the same with pens. Most of the pens that repairers see have been left to dry out and in the process that has damaged the pen. In many cases that ink that dried out was vintage Parker Quink Black (because it was so common) or (in the 1980s) Parker Penman Ebony. The conclusion is often formed that it was the ink that did the damage, not the neglect and drying out.

 

I have never had any problems with any of the problematical inks (including Parker Penman Ebony, BSB and the like) that did not involve neglect on my part.

 

Don't neglect your pens, use them regularly if they are inked up (at least a couple of times a week to keep the ink flowing) and don't let them dry out.

Flush when changing inks and before you put them in storage.

 

Some pens do dry out more quickly than others, like the original model Parker Sonnet from the 1980s, Hero 616 and so on. Recognise that and take extra care of those pens, no matter what ink is in them.

[FarmBoy]

I sometimes think of it as the Policeman problem. Many police spend a lot of time dealing with young people who are off the rails, and can form the point of view that all young people should be drowned at birth. However, a wider look shows that most young people are decent, just a few that are objectionable.

 

It's the same with pens. Most of the pens that repairers see have been left to dry out and in the process that has damaged the pen. In many cases that ink that dried out was vintage Parker Quink Black (because it was so common) or (in the 1980s) Parker Penman Ebony. The conclusion is often formed that it was the ink that did the damage, not the neglect and drying out.

 

I have never had any problems with any of the problematical inks (including Parker Penman Ebony, BSB and the like) that did not involve neglect on my part.

 

Don't neglect your pens, use them regularly if they are inked up (at least a couple of times a week to keep the ink flowing) and don't let them dry out.

Flush when changing inks and before you put them in storage.

 

Some pens do dry out more quickly than others, like the original model Parker Sonnet from the 1980s, Hero 616 and so on. Recognise that and take extra care of those pens, no matter what ink is in them.

Are you sure the problems you describe are not the fault of the restorer? I'm usually told that is where the problem starts...withe the seller or the restorer.

 

FarmBoy