I just tried PR Tanzanite, and wanted to discuss my observations so I may generalize to other chat I see here.

Although it does not spread out so much that I can't write in my regular size, it seems to be so wet that I can't retrace my path and must lift rather than writing cursive properly. Is that a typical sign of a "wet" ink or pen?

I have a pen that dries out, even when I'm writing. I've only tried Noodler's ink in it. If it doesn't like this stuff, then the problem is the pen itself and I can't expect anything to work, right?

--John

-- I've had a few pens that I thought were useless until I found the right ink to use in them.

(An example is an Ebay cheapie that wrote so wet that it blobbed periodically, but then I noticed that Noodler's eternal inks were not blobbing in them, and in fact the pen was making them look more saturated -- you know how they can be a bit powdery)....


-- Another twist on that paradigm is having an ink that you think is useless -- until you find the right pen for it.

(Example: I felt that Swishmix Burgundy was a let-down because it was quite pale, despite being a dark brick red, and that the "quick-drying" component caused it to up in a pen if it was not used within 24 hrs... but after putting it in enough pens, I found a pen that must have a good cap-seal, and thus it never dries out; plus the pen is very wet.)


-- And please be aware that you can make an ink more dry by diluting it with water. Although this will dilute the color, it will also dilute the detergent in the ink, which is what causes it to be "wet". Some super-saturated inks actually wind up without any color change after being diluted 1:1 with water!!

Does that mean I can make a slow ink wetter by adding some Triton X-100 concentrate?

--John

I would only add a detergent that has been approved by reputable pen repair folks. I think there is a commercial one you can buy from Tryphon. And some people have recommended dipping a toothpick into dilute dish soap or something like that... you'll have to dig up some threads on that. Triton might be okay, but I would avoid it, since there will be scant reports on here regarding what it might do to your pen innards.

Captured from an earlier post:

"Try adding a small amount of Tryphon "Inksafe" to the ink. Go to http://www.tryphon.it/catalogo.htm and then use your browser function (Ctrl+F) to search for "Inksafe."

I've never used it myself, but other have said it works. And unlike off-the-shelf detergents, it's designed for use in fountain pens.


I added a couple drops of "bio grade" dish detergent to 20 ml of water and then added about 1/4 or 1/2 drop of this soapy solution to a converter full of ink for each of the "troubled" pens. In almost all cases the flow improved dramatically! I'm not talking a little change, I'm talking "Whoa, what a difference!".

Try this:

1. fill the chamber say 1/4 or 1/2 full but leave the nib wet with ink.

2. invert the pen so you can see the ink pooled on the nib. Rotate the piston ever so gently so you can see it suck the pooled in in from the nib. STOP as soon as you've almost sucked all the pooled ink in.

3. add that 1/2 drop of soapy water*** to the nib. Seriously, 1/2 drop is more than enough.

4. repeat #2 so you suck the soapy water in.

5. tip the pen gently from inverted to tail-up and back a few times to mix up the ink and soapy business.

6. turn the piston until you've forced most of the air out of the chamber. Seat the piston driver and you're done.

7. dry off the nib and let the pen sit for a bit.

Now try writing. If you experience is anything like mine you'll see the difference immediately: that Noodler's will _flow_ if the
some clarification: it's a drop of detergent to about 20cc of water which is something like a 1:500 solution, give or take. So 1/2 drop of that is approx 1/1000th of a drop of detergent."

But what do you think they put in hand and dish soap?

Somebody does Western blots.

I hadn't thought of using it, but it would probably work well.

There are levels of 'wet' to inks as well- but you're on the right track figuring out which pen likes which ink.

As for the pen it might be something that a good rinse would help

What are Western Blots?

I've used Triton-X100 in my chemistry lab at work. If you go this route, proceed with caution... in it's stock form it is an extremely concentrated surfactant and I'm not sure how you could do this without significantly overusing it.

Good luck.

Brent

I put 5ml X100 in bottle of distilled water, and then squirt a bit of that into a cup of water. The result is about right to mimic ink's flow, when polishing the nib. Plain water does not wet the nib like that.

So, a drop of that final solution would be the right range to add to ink without changing its properties much other than diluting the color. A drop of my "working concentrate" to a bottle would be the right range.

--John

P.S. if anyone wants some in a KCat vial I can treat just like my inks in a trade.