I only recently started using Waterman's red, in my date book for important items, etc, and when school starts again I'll probably want to use it as an editing ink. But a recent post by Deirdre pointing to a Pentrace thread on the potential problems with red ink in a piston filler is making me think twice.

I'm not especially worried about staining, and it is a Waterman ink, which people seem to generally regard as safe. I'd like to use it in a Pelikan 150, which if nothing else can be easily cleaned since you can remove the nib. I did stop using it in a Pelikan GO just because it seemed hard to clean. However, I wouldn't want to contend with a bunged-up piston, if that's a real possibility.

So, is there any sort of consensus on the safety of red inks? And if they're not safe - is there any reason to be worried about inks that contain red - PR Chocolat, Herbin Poussiere de Lune, and so on?

I don't see why all dyes that show visibly as red would have the same particular problem.

If you are concerned about red, you will probably have to do some chromatography on inks; a lot of different colors have red in them. Some black inks contain red.

Paddler

I've noticed my Parker 51 aerometric sac stains red when I use brown or reddish inks. But it washes out eventually. As for staining a view window, it's a possibility you may see a permanent stain, depending on the material and its state of age/decomposition.

I generally put red ink into C/C pens (i.e. Parker Sonnet) or old lever pens without ink view windows.

I did try to find the relevant Pentrace thread, but I think it was old enough to have disappeared. Someone seemed to have experienced corrosion of the nib from using red ink (don't know what kind) and a number of people posted that red ink was potentially damaging - something to do with the size of the dye particles - but this is not a topic I'm knowledgeable about, so I have no idea how true that is.

Again, staining isn't as much of a concern to me as the possibility of it making the piston stuck or stiff. I really don't want to get paranoid about what inks might contain red, either. Actually, I don't really even want to worry about it - but I am wondering if anyone has evidence that I should.

eta: I suppose I could stop worrying entirely by just using a CC filler as suggested above. I'd just like to know if it's necessary.

I'm planning on using some Waterman red in a Pilot Murex - surgical stainless and a converter seem to be about as bulletproof as you can get. I'd use it in a vac "51" fwiw as well, or really any pen without an ink level window or translucent body/section. I think Waterman red is about as benign as you're going to get but still can potentially stain - any of the purple red families can from my understanding...

I have three editing pens - all Pelikans and all red. The 625 has Swishmix Burgundy in it, the 200 red transparent has Noodler's Ottoman Rose (gorgeous!!!), and the 400 red stripe has MB's Bordeaux. All are very well-behaved, though the Swishmix may be a touch of a slow starter if I haven't used the pen in a while (a bad habit of mine since I edit in spurts).

When I'm editing my own work for revisions, I usually use the Swishmix because it's waterproof and I have a tendency to drink (Coffee, tea, or water! I swear! ).

Darn Pentrace threads for scrolling off so quickly.

There was indeed a concern about using red inks in piston fillers, and I'm sorry that I can't remember all the details, but it had something to do with the way the fluorescent green dye used to brighten the red left residue, and the residue created the sticking of the piston.