Inks That Clog Up Pens

[Charles Skinner]

I have been told that some inks can clog up a pen. Just why does this happen? How can I be sure that the inks I am using now will not clog up my pens? I know that people are told not to "bad mouth" any certain ink on this site.. I have two different inks of the same brand. One clogs my pens and I no longer use it. The other ink, by the same brand, does not seem to clog up my pens. Why? How can a learn about "bad ink" if I can not ask a question while using the brand name of the ink?

 

C. S.

[brunico]

How can a learn about "bad ink" if I can not ask a question while using the brand name of the ink?

 

With great difficulty. Which is why the rule is rather different from the one you're imposing on yourself. Don't slag off an entire brand, and you'll be fine.

 

The quickest route to clogging is to buy pens with caps that aren't airtight and leave them inked in a drawer for ages. Or leave the cap off, as I once did. Most inks will do for this purpose. Never had any build-up that a good dose of tap water couldn't shift.

[ac12]

As brunico said, it is not as simple as one may think.

 

Example, I had Cross/Pelikan black ink in my Parker Classic. If I did not use the pen for a few days, the ink would start to dry in the feed, and it was a pain to get the ink ink moving again. It was clogged. I've had to use the USC to clean out the feed a couple of times. So I switched to Waterman ink in that pen.

BUT I use the same ink in a few other pens just fine thank you. So I would not ban that ink just because it did not work in one pen. And Pelikan ink is a generally accepted GOOD ink.

 

If you are referring to Noodler's ink. The problem is, there are LOTS of inks in that brand, and they have a wide range of characteristics. IOW experience with one specific ink does not mean another ink will behave the same. So you cannot make a blanket statement about the brand, you need to get down to the specific ink.

 

If you want to try a certain ink, why not ask about it? Remember you have to get down to the specific ink, not just the brand. But be aware that the pen and paper that the commenting person used has an effect on the review/comments, and if you don't have the same pen and paper, you may get a totally different experience. Heck even with the same pen, his pen and your pen may write differently, making a comparison difficult.

[ScienceChick]

It's work looking up reviews for inks, as well. Characteristic behaviors (as well as anomalous ones) are often noted in the review.

 

If you don't like the way an ink behaves in a pen, try it in another. You may be very surprised at the results

[Intellidepth]

Why?

 

Ingredients, some of which can be the dyes or pigments themselves, and some of which can be additives. For example, if you search FPN re inky threads for certain reddish/orange based inks, there are a number from different brands that each exhibit a tendency to crystallise on the nib/feed system. I personally dislike J Herbin Rouge Hematite in my fp's for this reason - it occurred over a matter of hours for me making my pen temporarily unuseable and therefore frustrating. Yet it is a specially prized ink by many others here. It flushed out just fine. I have other J Herbin inks with different formulations that I never have an issue with.

 

What are the specific inks?

[dcwaites]

Generally, if you use a pen every day, it shouldn't clog up if it is a proper fountain pen ink.

Art inks, like India inks with gum arabic, will clog your pen up.

 

Sometimes a particular ink will cause problems with a particular pen. There are no problems with asking on the FPN about that. For example I find that Noodler's Kung Te Cheng would clog the nib (just the nib, not the rest of the pen) of a particular Platinum Preppy I was using it in. The problem was that the nib tines just touched. After opening up the tines so there was a tiny little microscopic gap, the problem went away.

 

Don't be shy, ask questions honestly, and you will get honest answers.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

In broad terms clogging happens when:

- a non-FP ink is used (as mentioned by Member dcwaites),

- if there is an interaction between inky residue in a pen and the recently filled 'new' ink,

- if one does not match their pen maintenance and hygiene practice to the pen+ink combo.

 

As such, I generally consider that inks don't clog pens, rather that people clog pens. And that by sharing our experience and knowledge, clogged pens can be avoided.

 

It also seems that many new FP users start their adventure with simple c/c filler pens and quite benign inks, which tolerate a low level of maintenance. When/If that maintenance practice is carried forward to pens and inks that are more demanding, problems can be encountered.

 

For my part, when I do an Ink Review, I mention pen clean-up, which can range from Aurora Blue which was very fast to clean-up, to the persistent Noodler's Massachusetts 54^th, where I prattled on about handling and clean-up.

 

FP users have a broad array of inks available, and new types / formulations are coming to market. e.g. Montblanc introduced 'permanent' inks, and Herbin stayed the course of their 1670 Rouge Hematite to offer two other 1670 inks with particulate bling.

 

FP users also have a broad choice of pens with different ink handling systems as well, from the simple eyedropper, to the complex Sheaffer Snorkel; and FP makers are introducing new systems, such as the Conid Bulkfiller, and the Visconti high vacuum double reservoir power filler^*.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

* Visconti advises those who use that system "Once a year flush your pen with cold water...", which might be OK if using Visconti inks, but to me that seems inappropriate for higher maintenance inks. http://www.visconti.it/en/tecnique/use-and-maintenance/double-reservoir-power-filler/

Edited March 22, 2015 by Sandy1

[TSherbs]

Hi,

 

In broad terms clogging happens when:

- a non-FP ink is used (as mentioned by Member dcwaites),

- if there is an interaction between inky residue in a pen and the recently filled 'new' ink,

- if one does not match their pen maintenance and hygiene practice to the pen+ink combo.

 

As such, I generally consider that inks don't clog pens, rather that people clog pens. And that by sharing our experience and knowledge, clogged pens can be avoided.

 

It also seems that many new FP users start their adventure with simple c/c filler pens and quite benign inks, which tolerate a low level of maintenance. When/If that maintenance practice is carried forward to pens and inks that are more demanding, problems can be encountered.

 

For my part, when I do an Ink Review, I mention pen clean-up, which can range from Aurora Blue which was very fast to clean-up, to the persistent Noodler's Massachusetts 54^th, where I prattled on about handling and clean-up.

 

FP users have a broad array of inks available, and new types / formulations are coming to market. e.g. Montblanc introduced 'permanent' inks, and Herbin stayed the course of their 1670 Rouge Hematite to offer two other 1670 inks with particulate bling.

 

FP users also have a broad choice of pens with different ink handling systems as well, from the simple eyedropper, to the complex Sheaffer Snorkel; and FP makers are introducing new systems, such as the Conid Bulkfiller, and the Visconti high vacuum double reservoir power filler^*.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

* Visconti advises those who use that system "Once a year flush your pen with cold water...", which might be OK if using Visconti inks, but to me that seems inappropriate for higher maintenance inks. http://www.visconti.it/en/tecnique/use-and-maintenance/double-reservoir-power-filler/

well put

 

I get lazy with my cleaning regimen, and I sometimes pay the price with my Noodler's X-Feather. But it is *I* who clog the feeds, not the ink.

[Sandy1]

well put

 

I get lazy with my cleaning regimen, and I sometimes pay the price with my Noodler's X-Feather. But it is *I* who clog the feeds, not the ink.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

I was remiss not to mention that pens can continue to operate well with a [variable] load of inky residue, so one might 'get away' with less than ideal pen handling, and only come to realise that when problems are encountered. Sometimes one only knows there's a limit after exceeding it - oopsie!

 

Fingers crossed that one will notice degradation of pen performance before the situation becomes so extreme that a pen needs to be sent away for repair. As one who has rescued pens found in the wild, including Parker's 51s and 61s, DIY recovery from a clogged pen is often within reach, but is not always the case.

 

Bye,

S1

[aardvarkbark]

Not sure if it's same as 'clog up' but Diamine Ancient Copper and Ochre cause 'crud' to develop on the nib. Well documented in many posts. They require regular (daily) cleaning of the nib, but I don't know that they've clogged the feed, per se.

[Davros]

Not sure if it's same as 'clog up' but Diamine Ancient Copper and Ochre cause 'crud' to develop on the nib. Well documented in many posts. They require regular (daily) cleaning of the nib, but I don't know that they've clogged the feed, per se.

It's not the same thing. Those pens are totally usable - just require a wiping of the nib. (And the frequency varies a lot: I've never seen it on my pens, but there are other people who get it a lot. Probably a function of multiple factors - ink/humidity/pen/pen cap/nib/heat/etc.)

[Lou Erickson]

I have had problems with the famous Parker Penman Sapphire. Every pen I've put it in clogs to the point it won't write. Doesn't matter how well that pen usually flows, within a day - of intermittent use - it won't flow and won't write.

 

I rarely use the ink because it's such a hassle.

 

I'm so sorry I put it in that Snorkel... took forever to clean.

[ENewton]

I have also had an ink clog multiple clean, reliably flowing pens within a day of intermittent use. Now I use that ink only with dip pens.

 

Lou, would it be sacrilege in your mind to decant a little bit of Penman Sapphire into a sample vial and dilute it a bit? I have been thinking of doing that with my problem ink.

[tinta]

As all have said above, the human factor clogs more pens than the inks themselves.

My wife loves to use MB Royal Blue in her Safari.

I cleaned & filled her pen about a month & a half ago with MBRB fountain pen ink.

Even though she had her Safari securely capped, either lying on her desk or nib-up in a cup, the pen still became clogged from not being used for such a long time.

MBRB has never had any flow or clogging issues in any of my pens, because I tend to use up the ink in a reasonable amount of time (say, within two weeks), then thoroughly flush & dry the pen before inking it again.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have been told that some inks can clog up a pen. Just why does this happen? How can I be sure that the inks I am using now will not clog up my pens? I know that people are told not to "bad mouth" any certain ink on this site.. I have two different inks of the same brand. One clogs my pens and I no longer use it. The other ink, by the same brand, does not seem to clog up my pens. Why? How can a learn about "bad ink" if I can not ask a question while using the brand name of the ink?

 

C. S.

 

India ink. Don't.

[Lou Erickson]

I have also had an ink clog multiple clean, reliably flowing pens within a day of intermittent use. Now I use that ink only with dip pens.

 

Lou, would it be sacrilege in your mind to decant a little bit of Penman Sapphire into a sample vial and dilute it a bit? I have been thinking of doing that with my problem ink.

No, and it's an interesting idea. Next time I get a hankering to try it, I may add a little water to a sample.

 

I have to figure out how to get sheen to happen first.

[SeeksAdvice]

MB Permanent Blue. Love the concept. Hate the ink :/ Clogged a capped pen that hadn't been used for about 4 days to the point it wouldn't work.

Clogging usually occurs when the ink dries out and the dyes, pigments, chemicals (IG) deposit on the feed system. Pigmented inks can be a pain in this regard, because the pigment is suspended and not dissolved in water. IG oxidized components can be removed with a vinegar solution.

[Sandy1]

MB Permanent Blue. Love the concept. Hate the ink :/ Clogged a capped pen that hadn't been used for about 4 days to the point it wouldn't work.

Clogging usually occurs when the ink dries out and the dyes, pigments, chemicals (IG) deposit on the feed system. Pigmented inks can be a pain in this regard, because the pigment is suspended and not dissolved in water. IG oxidized components can be removed with a vinegar solution.

 

Hi,

 

Thank-you for making the distinction between a pen that has simply dried-out - no ink in the ink path downstream of the reservoir so might be easily restarted, perhaps by priming the nib+feed by dipping the nib in water; and a clogged pen that has sufficient inky residue to block the ink path, which needs to be cleaned prior to restarting the pen.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited March 31, 2015 by Sandy1