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Ink Not Flowing Properly


circlepattern

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I currently have a black Hero ink (pigmented) I got in China, some real cheap stuff. I figured black inks doesn't need to be too fancy and got a bottle to try out. It definitely have starting problem, this stuff is VERY black, not a hint of grey, so maybe dilution required?

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From Richard Binder's site: Inks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly....

 

BAD: Certain manufacturers of artists’ inks and paints, such as Winsor & Newton, market some of their calligraphy inks as being suitable for fountain pens. Don’t believe it. Calligraphy inks are pigmented; that is, they derive their color not from dissolved dyes but instead from finely ground solid matter — like paint. In theory, the pigment in these inks is so fine that it will remain in suspension under the impetus of Brownian motion in the liquid component of the ink. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. In a calligrapher’s dip pen any separation of solid components is not a problem because the nib is easy to remove and clean and because there is no feed with hidden passages to clog. http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/feeds/stipula.jpg But as the ink passes through the very fine fissures of a fountain pen’s feed and the slit of the nib, pigment particles come in contact with the walls of these passages and are attracted to the surfaces. A layer of pigment builds up and will inevitably clog the feed, the nib, or both. The modern plastic feed shown here illustrates the myriad nooks and crannies into which ink can find its way before drying out to clog the works.

Note, however, that a new type of ink has appeared in the past few years. Called nanoparticle ink, it contains pigment — but the pigment is much more finely ground than in traditional calligraphy inks; so finely ground, in fact, that Brownian motion can easily keep it suspended. In general, nanoparticle inks can be considered safe for fountain pens, but I rate them as high-maintenance inks (see below) because the very existence of particulate matter brings with it more risk of clogging than is present with inks that are true solutions.

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/care/india_ink.pnghttp://www.richardspens.com/images/pixel.gifThere are other inks, less obviously troublesome, that you should avoid. Right at the top of this list is inkjet-printer ink. This stuff might seem appealing; refills are inexpensive, and the colors — especially the ones rated for 70 years or longer — are remarkably permanent. But there are some very bad things in inkjet ink. It frequently uses pigment, not dye, for color, and there are also particulate resins for better adhesion. Various glycols (diethylene, alkylene, etc.) enhance penetration; these substances can exacerbate bleeding and feathering in a fountain pen. They also retard evaporation, making the ink take longer to dry on the paper.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Yeah, I've definitely heard that pigmented inks are bad, that's why I got some cheap 616 and 308 to try them out, the 308 is with the conventional nib and 616 a super tiny point. What strikes me as funny is 616 with the EF writes with no problem while the broad nibbled 308 requires a quite a bit of coaxing to get started, I just want to "fix" my ink so that it will flow in the 308 better, and I did read something about diluting, I have some decent diamine/noodlers coming, but I just wanted to get my current cheap ink working, just for the sake of future references if I have to do this again.

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Diluting won't really help. It's a problem with the particle size. Just think of it as trying to get a basketball to flow through your kitchen sink's drain. Diluting the ink might reduce the concentration of "basketballs" per volume, but eventually one or more will get stuck. Not sure how you'll resolve that issue, unless you can take the feed out and clean it thoroughly. Put the Chinese made ink down, and step away from it :P

 

If you want a black "pigmented" ink stick with Platinum "Carbon Black" or Sailor Kiwa-Guro IMO.

 

Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for.

Imagination and memory are but one thing which for diverse reasons hath diverse names. -- T. Hobbes - Leviathan

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Diluting won't really help. It's a problem with the particle size. Just think of it as trying to get a basketball to flow through your kitchen sink's drain. Diluting the ink might reduce the concentration of "basketballs" per volume, but eventually one or more will get stuck. Not sure how you'll resolve that issue, unless you can take the feed out and clean it thoroughly. Put the Chinese made ink down, and step away from it :P

 

If you want a black "pigmented" ink stick with Platinum "Carbon Black" or Sailor Kiwa-Guro IMO.

 

Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for.

Nice comparison, The feed seems integrated into the 308, might just try to wash it out and try out the noodler or diamine and see if this problem gets any better.

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