Care When Using Modern Iron-Gall Inks Like R & K Salix Or Registrar's In Lever And Button Fillers?

[senor47]

Many say that iron-galls should be rinsed out of pens so clogging won't occur, but what if I just intend to use Salix all the time? That means that I will be writing daily with a 20s Parker Duofold filled with Salix since my Parker Quink black and Pelikan Brilliant Black always smear over the simplest things; light drops of water, moisture in my hand, etc. Should rinsing the pen with water be part of my routine or no? If I do need to rinse with water every now and then, does it matter how deep the rinse is? :sac pens are a bit more difficult to rinse completely

 

Thank you

[rockspyder]

Modern I-G's are very gentle, very unlikely to cause problems even in older pens. Use common sense - if you will not be using a pen for more than a week or two, rather rinse it. Other than that, I usually rinse my pens with I-G inks every 3 months or so. My staple is MB midnight blue.

[DanielCoffey]

I tend to water-rinse my Swan Ebonite lever filler every few fills. I use Diamine Registrars exclusively in it and because the cap seals well with no breather holes, it does not dry out when stored for a couple of days.

 

Just give your pen a couple of water rinses, shake it reasonably dry while held in a paper towel and re-fill.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I would ensure the pen is scrupulously clean and in good nick before dedicating it to a 'higher maintenance' ink.

 

In reply to a similar question, (regarding use of Pilot tsuki-yo on a dedicated basis), I suggested use of an intermediate filler bottle, and at each filling rinse the nib with water then flush fill with ink. LINK

 

With some of the older pens the cap may not seal very well, so there may be a [minor] problem with daily start-up. To work around that quirk, you may choose to charge your pen at the start of the work day: the nib+feed are flooded with fresh ink.

 

At the first sign of unacceptable behaviour, I would cleanse the pen. That interval would then be your guideline for a maintenance timetable.

 

In the ESSRI Ink Review thread, Members are chiming-in with their experience of dedicated use of that I-G ink over an extended time. e.g. LINK 2

 

Please let us know how it goes.

 

Enjoy!

 

Bye,

S1

 

EDIT - as shown

Edited March 6, 2013 by Sandy1

[senor47]

Modern I-G's are very gentle, very unlikely to cause problems even in older pens. Use common sense - if you will not be using a pen for more than a week or two, rather rinse it. Other than that, I usually rinse my pens with I-G inks every 3 months or so. My staple is MB midnight blue.

 

 

Well I look at posts with different advice.

Many say to rinse every few days. Otherwise that spells trouble.

Other say to not let it dry in the pen.

Others say that if you use the ink only in the pen, then its fine.

Many more examples, but they are ususally the same and at times worded different such that it conflicts with others or just is unclear on what they really meant.

I read a post that if you use Noodlers you should rinse every week or two otherwise its bad, but what is bad about it?

I once left a Pelikan M200 filled with Noodler's Black for about a year, then I picked it up and wrote with it. :roflmho:

[Uncle Red]

Don't let it dry out and if it acts up then flush it. That's it. Sandy is right that the pen should be really clean first but modern IG inks are not a lot of trouble.

[senor47]

I tend to water-rinse my Swan Ebonite lever filler every few fills. I use Diamine Registrars exclusively in it and because the cap seals well with no breather holes, it does not dry out when stored for a couple of days.

 

Just give your pen a couple of water rinses, shake it reasonably dry while held in a paper towel and re-fill.

 

 

Lets say I fill her up with Salix, should I wait for the ink to run out, then rinse with water and fill her up again?

 

Or should I use the pen, at some random time empty her (into the bottle or sink?), then rinse her with water, then fill up again?

 

I do write daily. My Pelikan M200 usually runs out of ink in two to three days. There are times (twice a month or so) that she runs out of ink in five hours. Lots of writing; math, computer science stuff, doodling birds and scenes from movies next to my equations.

[rcarlisle]

I use R&K Salix exclusively in a Pilot 78G extra fine on a daily basis for my bookkeeping. I just refill it when the ink gets low and it never has given me a bit of trouble. Course is is not a vintage lever filler. I have decided to avoid putting it in one of my vintage pens.

[senor47]

I use R&K Salix exclusively in a Pilot 78G extra fine on a daily basis for my bookkeeping. I just refill it when the ink gets low and it never has given me a bit of trouble. Course is is not a vintage lever filler. I have decided to avoid putting it in one of my vintage pens.

 

That is one of the things. I love fountain pens, but not being able to use vintage pens freely to write away makes ballpoints seems better Inks like Waterman and Pelikan are nice, but not waterproof and that just makes it pointless since I need to record plenty of stuff. I wrote a page of HW, went to my car and it started raining (few clouds in the sky ). I looked at my page which I tried to keep covered; all giberish in black. :bonk:

 

To me a fountain pen is like a Italian sports car and a ballpoint is like a small Japanese car. The sports car is fast, elegant, smooth, etc while the little car is ok; it gets you where you need to go/write and its dependable/waterproof, won't leak and portable.

[Sandy1]

I tend to water-rinse my Swan Ebonite lever filler every few fills. I use Diamine Registrars exclusively in it and because the cap seals well with no breather holes, it does not dry out when stored for a couple of days.

 

Just give your pen a couple of water rinses, shake it reasonably dry while held in a paper towel and re-fill.

 

 

Lets say I fill her up with Salix, should I wait for the ink to run out, then rinse with water and fill her up again?

 

Or should I use the pen, at some random time empty her (into the bottle or sink?), then rinse her with water, then fill up again?

 

I do write daily. My Pelikan M200 usually runs out of ink in two to three days. There are times (twice a month or so) that she runs out of ink in five hours. Lots of writing; math, computer science stuff, doodling birds and scenes from movies next to my equations.

Hi,

 

I suggest rinsing the nib with water, then charging the pen at the start of the day. As the pen has rather low capacity, I wouldn't be surprised that you'll need to charge the pen twice a day. That is a highly significant difference in use compared to those who leave ink in idle pens.

 

I see no reason to dump the ink that's in the pen - its mostly the ink that was filled within the last day or so, and hasn't become concentrated/saturated, which is also off-set by the bit of water carried forward when the nib is rinsed before filling.

 

If you just want a highly water resistant low maintenance all-rounder, kindly consider Pilot Blue Black.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited March 7, 2013 by Sandy1

[Uncle Red]

I keep Salix in my TWSBI 540 and it's been fine. I don't need to charge the nib at all.

 

Quit overthinking it and load the pen and see how it performs.

[plunksna]

I have been using iron-gall inks as my main ink for the last 6 years or so. There is a lot of hysteria about them. Hopefully my comments will help clear up some of the concerns.

 

I do a lot of writing. My Lamy 2000 with EF nib is refilled once a week. My MB 149 (which holds a LOT of ink) with a fine nib lasts about 4 days.

 

1) All of the iron-gall inks I have used have always rinsed out very easily.

2) I aim to rinse my pen about once per month. I do so when the ink has run out. I prefer to give it a good rinse and let it dry overnight before refilling.

3) At the end of a month the inside of the hood area on the Lamy 2000 is covered in blue-black stuff, it always rinses out easily

4) A few years ago I had an accident and was away from work for 2 months. All that time my Lamy lay on my desk about 1/3 full of iron-gall ink. When I returned it wrote straight away, no start-up issues, no dryness, just worked perfectly. I used it until the ink ran out, it rinsed out just as easily as normal. I could find so signs of any deposits in the pen.

5) I was in a remote part of Africa for 6 months during which time I used Scabiosa iron-gall ink in a Waterman pen. During the 6 months I never rinsed the pen, we had no water to do so. The bottle had hard crusty bits around the rim (combination of dust and oxidation?) I just kept using it. Back in civilization the pen rinsed out in a few seconds. Absolutely no issues.

 

So stop worrying. Use the ink, and rinse the pen once a month or so. If the pen starts to run dry then rinse it more thoroughly.

[senor47]

I have been using iron-gall inks as my main ink for the last 6 years or so. There is a lot of hysteria about them. Hopefully my comments will help clear up some of the concerns.

 

I do a lot of writing. My Lamy 2000 with EF nib is refilled once a week. My MB 149 (which holds a LOT of ink) with a fine nib lasts about 4 days.

 

1) All of the iron-gall inks I have used have always rinsed out very easily.

2) I aim to rinse my pen about once per month. I do so when the ink has run out. I prefer to give it a good rinse and let it dry overnight before refilling.

3) At the end of a month the inside of the hood area on the Lamy 2000 is covered in blue-black stuff, it always rinses out easily

4) A few years ago I had an accident and was away from work for 2 months. All that time my Lamy lay on my desk about 1/3 full of iron-gall ink. When I returned it wrote straight away, no start-up issues, no dryness, just worked perfectly. I used it until the ink ran out, it rinsed out just as easily as normal. I could find so signs of any deposits in the pen.

5) I was in a remote part of Africa for 6 months during which time I used Scabiosa iron-gall ink in a Waterman pen. During the 6 months I never rinsed the pen, we had no water to do so. The bottle had hard crusty bits around the rim (combination of dust and oxidation?) I just kept using it. Back in civilization the pen rinsed out in a few seconds. Absolutely no issues.

 

So stop worrying. Use the ink, and rinse the pen once a month or so. If the pen starts to run dry then rinse it more thoroughly.

 

 

I understand, but the thing is that the pen I want to use it in is not modern. Its from the 1920s; a button-filler. I am concerned on how the sac will deal with the ink. Also the sacs are a bit more difficult to wash out so I may leave some ink inside the sac and I have no idea how that will turn out.

[SeeksAdvice]

I use R&K Salix exclusively in a Pilot 78G extra fine on a daily basis for my bookkeeping. I just refill it when the ink gets low and it never has given me a bit of trouble. Course is is not a vintage lever filler. I have decided to avoid putting it in one of my vintage pens.

 

That is one of the things. I love fountain pens, but not being able to use vintage pens freely to write away makes ballpoints seems better Inks like Waterman and Pelikan are nice, but not waterproof and that just makes it pointless since I need to record plenty of stuff. I wrote a page of HW, went to my car and it started raining (few clouds in the sky ). I looked at my page which I tried to keep covered; all giberish in black. :bonk:

 

To me a fountain pen is like a Italian sports car and a ballpoint is like a small Japanese car. The sports car is fast, elegant, smooth, etc while the little car is ok; it gets you where you need to go/write and its dependable/waterproof, won't leak and portable.

 

 

Haha at ballpoints, etc. not leaking. Once I got some good pen/ink combinations together, I've been "Smurfed" more times by the rollerballs at the office than my FP's. Still have issues with my Noodler's rollerball, doesn't like to be stored tip down. If you forget it in a pants pocket, the inside of the cap will be coated in ink :/

[plunksna]

 

I understand, but the thing is that the pen I want to use it in is not modern. Its from the 1920s; a button-filler. I am concerned on how the sac will deal with the ink. Also the sacs are a bit more difficult to wash out so I may leave some ink inside the sac and I have no idea how that will turn out.

 

Iron gall inks should be better to use than some of the modern inks. They rinse out very easily, so should clean out of the sac better than most inks. Remember iron gall inks were common back in the 20's so the pen would have been designed with them in mind. I would be far more worried about using some of the highly saturated inks available these days which would stain the sac.

 

However at the end of the day it is what you are comfortable with.

[mhosea]

Well I look at posts with different advice.

Many say to rinse every few days. Otherwise that spells trouble.

Other say to not let it dry in the pen.

Others say that if you use the ink only in the pen, then its fine.

 

Honestly, I have no idea. My understanding is that fear of corrosion is probably an out-dated concern. My experience with ESSRI has been OK in the pen. It's a dry-writing ink, which ultimately doesn't suit me, but it did nothing to the pens I used it in. However, there was one curiosity that concerned and annoyed me from a cleaning perspective. Before I got the ink, I cleaned out a sample vial, including using a sequence of solvents (bleach, alcohol, vinegar) in separate steps before finally a thorough water rinse, then dry. When I got the ink, I transferred 5ml of it to the vial. I used about half of it over the next couple of months, but by the end of that time, the vial was coated on the inside with an opaque layer, a precipitate that was not water soluble. I was able to clean it out, but it wasn't that easy. I'd like to understand why that happened and if for some reason it wouldn't happen in the pen, but since I think the ink is too dry-writing, I don't feel a burning need to get to the bottom of it. If I need waterproof, I have a few Noodler's choices with that property that I like better both in color and performance.

Edited March 8, 2013 by mhosea

[jgrasty]

I use iron-gall inks in all my vintage Waterman, Conklin, and Wahl lever pens without issue. Just make sure never to allow the ink to dry in the pen, and give the pen a thorough flush once in a while, and you'll be good to go. This is a good practice for all fountain pen inks, not just iron-gall.

[Tinjapan]

I use iron-gall inks in all my vintage Waterman, Conklin, and Wahl lever pens without issue. Just make sure never to allow the ink to dry in the pen, and give the pen a thorough flush once in a while, and you'll be good to go. This is a good practice for all fountain pen inks, not just iron-gall.

 

 

I am very recently the proud owner of three vintage Conklin Crescent Fillers. I see that you use IG inks in your Conklins. May I ask you which inks you would be comfortable using in such pens and which you would not?

 

Please respond out of thread if that would be better to avoid problems.

 

T

[jgrasty]

I use iron-gall inks in all my vintage Waterman, Conklin, and Wahl lever pens without issue. Just make sure never to allow the ink to dry in the pen, and give the pen a thorough flush once in a while, and you'll be good to go. This is a good practice for all fountain pen inks, not just iron-gall.

 

 

I am very recently the proud owner of three vintage Conklin Crescent Fillers. I see that you use IG inks in your Conklins. May I ask you which inks you would be comfortable using in such pens and which you would not?

 

Please respond out of thread if that would be better to avoid problems.

 

T

 

I've used all of these without issue in my vintage Conklins (and other vintage Waterman, Wahl, etc.):

 

• Rohrer & Klingner Salix (my favorite)
  
• Rohrer & Klingner Salix
  
• Montblanc Blue-Black
  
• Lamy Blue-Black (old formula)
  
• Diamine Registrar's Ink
  

 

Here are four of these using a Conklin Endura:

 

http://bettygrastymd.com/jgrasty/wp-content/uploads/four-iron-gall-inks.jpg

 

The only inks I would avoid in vintage flex are Noodler's Baystate series, because they can stain. Other Noodler's inks like Apache Sunset, Tiananmen, Black Swan in Australian Roses / English Roses, etc. are fabulous in vintage flex.

Edited March 19, 2013 by jgrasty

[kwzi]

Iron in ink slowly oxidised and it precipitates as complex with tannic acid - this is if the sediment is black. If precipitate is brown or light brown, then there are few more explenations, most of them would be connected to the presence of tannin and reactions it slowly undergoes, but all of the side products would be soluble in warm water with few drops of detergent.