Is there any current research data on the gradual effects of Noodler's bulletproof inks on paper? Does anyone suspect they might begin to corrode paper in the long term? I am very curious that this question does not come up more often, since all the other permanent inks are either gradually corrosive or are far too gooey to be used in FP's (India inks).

Best,
Summer Greer

Noodler's inks are all supposed to be pH neutral, meaning they have good archival properties.

I wouldn't think that Noodler's inks would eat paper, although some of them will most likely still smear in in a couple hundred years...

Cheers,
Tom

This question does not come up often because according to sources, there is northing harmful or corrosive in Noodler's ink. Please read more about Noodler's ink here.

Some of it might smell a bit funny, and take a little longer to dry, but when you think of the sheer number of beautiful colours Noodler's is available in, I for one am more than willing to put up with any little inconveniences. Rest assured, the ink will not start eating through paper - as already stated, these inks are pH neutral and archival.

Relax, there is nothing to stress over.

You just wait for Noodler's-related cancer.

How "aggressive" are modern iron gall formulations though? I found this link regarding Iron Gall ink - at the bottom it says 'It will not however eat your paper; a myth which persists in some quarters. Tannic acid is not responsible for ‘eating holes’ in old manuscripts. This is untrue. The actually cause is a reaction between oxidised iron (II) sulphate and contaminates in the paper which in turn cause the structure of the supporting material to break down.' I'm not sure how accurate this is and it doesn't describe is whether these contaminants are still present in paper today.

I'm quite interested in this since Lamy Blue-Black is much more available in the UK than any of Noodler's offerings (the only sources are The Writing Desk and www.noodlers.co.uk. The latter carries a grand total of 4 inks - none of which are waterproof!).

Edited to clarify.

Considerably less "aggressive" than stuff from the good old bad old days, or even a homemade batch. It's all standarized ingredients and strengths.

Provided you write on an acid free paper, it's guranteed to last at least 100 years.

If you do a search for iron gall in the fora you'll see quite the discussion of this topic.

Your biggest concern is properly caring for a pen that you're using iron gall ink in.

Yes, that is the biggest concern. Iron gall ink will go permanent on almost any substrate...

Warm regards, Wim

Iron gall inks are commonly made from ferrous ammonium sulfate, and that chemical is prone to contamination with residual sulfuric acid which does indeed eat paper. Properly purifed, this is not an issue, and certainly modern inks are not subject to this issue.

However, iron gall ink has to be more acid than most modern aniline dye inks for the chemical reaction between the gallic (not tannic) acid and ferric iron to happen properly, and non-acid free paper will deteriorate faster, in all likelyhood, in the presence of iron gall ink. Buffered acid free paper will not.

Peter