I have some ink mixes that are too free flowing in some pens. One of them is a mix with Swishers Glacier Blue in order to make it waterproof. Would adding a small portion of water (say 10-20%) reduce the feathering, or possibly it has the reverse affect?

Thanks for any advice.

Ron

I think thinning the ink with water is more likely to cause even freer flow and feathering.

Thanks, in reviewing some old posts, I think you may be right. However, then I came upon the following old post from Wim:

"If you want to try increase flow in pens, the thing to do is to reduce surface tension. That is not achieved by adding water: this only increases surface tension, and thus, reduces flow. What you need to do is add soap."

Maybe it depends on the ink? I may have to experiment.

Ron

Ok, you got me there. I don't have the answer, so experimenting may be in order.

Adding water may work. Inks are actually wetter than water; they have surfactants added. Adding water will make them dryer (up to the level of water), but it can throw off the mix and have unexpected effects. Nonetheless, it isn't an unfounded idea. Do it on a sample, see what happens.

Wim is correct. Adding water will result in more feathering, while increasing the surfactant will reduce it. At least, in most inks that I know.

Adding surfactant will increase the flow, thus make the pen write wetter and possibly more likely to feather.

However if you want to add water to decrease it, you might have to add a lot of water, which could ruin the ink anyway. You will need to experiment to find the right balance.

I've heard that adding water makes the ink dry faster in slow drying inks but don't know how it would affect feathering?! Try it and let us know!

my experience has been that it is completely dependent on the ink you start with.

A mix I made became stingy and difficult when I added water (trying to get more shading from the mix). But when I added water to another ink (I forget which now) it feathered and bled badly. I probably added about the same percentage in each case (10% max)

I haven't had problems with ink that flows too well, so I haven't tried this, but another possibility might be to add a little bit of extra humectant (I imagine glycerine would be the easiest to obtain for the "home user"). In part it's there to retard drying on the nib, but it also acts as a thickener.

-- Brian

I make my own ink using liquid toner ink as a base and heavily diluted, usually in a mix of 30/1000 ml. I add gycerol to the mix, maximum 5 ml. Then comes the refinement of allowing the mix to evaporate or further thinning. I never have a problem with feathering, some bleed thru on 78/80 gram paper but nothing on better quality writing paper.

If glycerol isnt easily available try 2 drops of shower gel to 30 mil of ink. Caution, choose a smell that you like because you will live the scent through every word!

Um, what's "shower gel?"

But wouldn't the shower gel contain some surfactant, which again would increase the flowing properties of the ink?