Iron Gall Ink And Kaweco Al Sport

[drwright]

Hello!

 

I have a Kaweco AL Sport on its way to me, and was planning to ink it up with my current favorite ink when it arrives (Akkerman #10 Iron Gall). As long as I practice normal iron-gall ink pen maintenance (frequent cleaning), should I have any issues with corrosion? No ink should get on the barrel, but the ink will likely be in contact with the interior and end of the section.

 

Thanks!

Dan

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

No worries - you're not Slim Pickens. http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3357313792/nm0001620?ref_=nm_ov_ph

 

If the metal is indeed aluminium, not a base metal, then it should be fair sailing. The pen might acquire a patina, but no damage.*

 

I-G inks are most well suited to daily writers: Use pens loaded with I-G inks on a daily basis, cap the pen when not writing, rinse the nib+feed [and cap internals] before and after filling, and keep the reservoir topped-up.

 

Enjoy!

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

* My rotring 600 that is paired with I-G inks, and used in the field for extended periods, has a minor 'haze' on the section. I can't be bothered to see if a dilute acetic acid will remove the haze.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Sandy1

[Biber]

On a not unrelated note, I have come to be of the opinion (bolstered by modest research into the subject) that metal pens (one piece bodies such as the Sport and the Lilliput), with the exception of those made from ferrous metals (ie.,iron metals that will rust: steel etc) could be effectively used as eyedropper pens within certain parameters, namely ink ph. However I have not done this with a metal pen and therefore have no direct evidence that this is possible without ill effect. But think about it - aluminum has been used for canteens and drinking vessels for decades, and as I understand it within a certain ph range corrosion is inhibited: brass and copper have been used in plumbing for centuries and, I would surmize, would also posess a natural resistance to corrosion withing certain ph ranges.

 

Again, I have not tried this. Perhaps I or someone else will. It would be interesting to see at what point corrosion does occur and under what conditions. This would of course then lead to discussions about the useful and practical lifespans of pens etc.

 

Some food for thought anyway.

[Ron Z]

 

 

Again, I have not tried this. Perhaps I or someone else will. It would be interesting to see at what point corrosion does occur and under what conditions.

 

I understand your point, but disagree. Given the corrosion of metal, and aluminum parts in particular from contact with ink that I see on a daily basis, I would not put ink directly in an aluminum barrel. Even if coated with silicone grease I would expect the threads to corrode at some point, making it a real joy to take apart... or not if the pen is set aside with ink in it and the ink wicks into the threads.

 

These pens have steel nibs, so they can corrode on the under side when iron gall inks are used. The nibs screw into the sections of the sport, the nib and feed encased in a plastic sleeve with a piercing tube part of the inside end. If cartridges are used, or if the converter is filled off the pen, the aluminum won't be directly exposed to ink.

 

If you use bottled ink and want to dip the converter into the pen, I would apply thread sealant to the nib end of the collar to keep from wicking up between the section and collar.

[erpe]

I am not sure how strong the IG content in the Akkerman ink is but I put Rohrer & Klinger Salix in my Al-sport quite regularly and did not experience any problems so far.

[Biber]

Untreated aluminum naturally forms an oxidation layer that effectively prevents further oxidation. This layer is resistant to corrosion within a ph range of 4-9, which would include a good many modern inks (tables showing ph levels of fountain pen ink are readily available). you're probably right with regard to threads, as that's where abbrasion of the oxidation layer would likely occur, thus compromising its corrosion resistance at that point. I can imagine the greater concern would be the section and barrel "welding" together as the oxidation layer reforms between them. Galling as well. But regularly reapplying silicone grease would be part of good pen hygene.

 

Given the common practice of regular pen rotation among many fp users these days, I would dare to suggest that using a metal (aluminum, brass or copper) pen as an eye dropper pen isn't as dangerous as some would have us believe especially when exercising good pen hygene practices. Again, as I said above, I have not tried this. Perhaps I or someone else will and It would be interesting to see at what point corrosion does occur and under what conditions. Then we can d to discuss the useful and practical lifespans of pens etc. Of course the usual caveats apply- do at your own risk, ymmv etc.

 

BTW - I remember a while back someone did an experiment with leaving a modern IG ink in a modern pen for an extended period without flushing etc. I wonder what came of that.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Biber

[Ron Z]

BTW - I remember a while back someone did an experiment with leaving a modern IG ink in a modern pen for an extended period without flushing etc. I wonder what came of that.

 

I don't know. I don't remember that. I used to use vintage Parker permanent royal blue in everything. I changed to Pelikan blue because I can buy it by the liter, so was much cheaper to use. I found that the IG inks caused pitting on a number of modern nibs. Sometimes on the underside, sometimes in the slit or under the section. Nothing on the vintage pens, but on moderns. Never of course with 14K nibs.

 

I regularly encounter Parker Vac fillers that are corroded - threads, cone, inside between the thread bushing and cone. Two today with severe corrosion, one so bad that it had to be tossed. The thread bushing is of course anodized, the cone isn't. The natural oxidation layer, at least in these cases, does not prevent further corrosion.

[HamFist]

My grandpa recently gave me his Carandache FP that was filled with soviet iron gall ink, it sat like that for over 20 years.

The iron gall leaked out and built up a hard scale like a horde of miniature barnacles around the nib and the section.

After much soaking the nib was back to the golden shiny self with no sings of any damage. The gold plating on the resing section was stripped though but there did not appear to be any pitting. Sorry no steel or aluminum involved just gold nib and plastic/resin.

[aeba]

Edit: Basically I agree with Zorn.

 

If used with syringe refilled cartridges, nib is the only thing which should be in contact with ink. On cartridge side mouth of the cartridge is enveloped with plastic from the nib-unit, so as long as the cartridge (or converter) doesn't fall out of the nipple, there's no ink in barrel. Section is protected by feed sleeve in the unit. Cap is protected by plastic inner cap.

 

But things happen...

 

Just dunked the whole section in to a glass of water for 7 minutes or so, and inner walls of the section is dry. Now, this isn't a "because aeba said so" thing but only a quick test.