I asked my wife for an inkwell for Christmas. She bought a very nice wooden pen holder/stand with a built in compartment that flips up and contains an ink pot. It is very beautiful. My question relates to the ink pot. It does not have a lid but is a small, open crucible. The compartment holding the ink pot is not air tight. Is it safe to store ink in the ink pot for any period of time? Also, is this something intended for dip pens rather than fountain pens? OK, that is two questions, so anyone who is inconvenienced will receive a full refund.

When I first started collecting fountain pens, I went out and purchased a silver plated inkwell with a a non-sealing lid. I put some ink in it and a week later all I had left from the ink was a gooey mess!

My guess is this ink well, like mine, is for show or for use with a dip pen. However, if it doesn't seal, your ink won't last very long at all.

Bryan

Bryan,

Thanks for sharing your experience. It will save me some ink and gives me an excuse to look for an inkwell that seals and will fit into the pen holder.

Bill

An unsealed inkwell sounds like an easy way to get dirty ink; hair and dust may not be as problematic for dip pens, but they can cause a lot of trouble in a fountain pen's feed, as can mold and fungus. It may not always be incredibly elegant, but the best way to refill a fountain pen is straight from the ink bottle.

Jeff,

I think you are right. What I will probably end up doing is using the ink pot when the ink gets low in the Noodler's bottles. Because the Noodler's bottles are so tall and narrow, it gets difficult to fill from them once they are less than 2/3 full, especially if you have a button or lever filler. So when the ink gets low, I will just pour it into the ink pot and fill it from there. Another example of a stylophile going to great lengths to find a "need" for something pen-related. Yes, I need another pen in case the Brady Bunch visits and they need to borrow a fountain pen at once.

Bill