Fountain Pens Well Suited For Iron Gall Inks

[Boniface]

I was thinking about buying a pen that I could dedicate to iron gall inks (as if I needed a reason!). I would want a pen as impervious as possible to the dangers of iron gall. Thus the pen should have a gold nib, no exposed metal parts, or other parts that iron gall can ravage, and be easy to clean.

 

Edison or Franklin-Christoph seem to be good contenders. The Edison Menlo pump filler is neat, but the latex in the pump mechanism may be vulnerable. The Franklin-Christoph 02 is what I'm now leaning towards because I like that its threads are out of the way, it meets the above criteria, and I can order it with a broad stub nib.

 

What do you think? What pen would you choose to be your iron gall specialist?

[Runnin_Ute]

I just finished a fill of KWZI IG Turquoise in my late 90's Lamy Al Star. I currently don't have a pen with an IG ink in it. But have used TWSBI 580 and other easy to clean pens as well.

[Runnin_Ute]

Really the only pen I don't put an IG ink in is my P51 Special. And not because I don't think it won't handle it.Because the collected is so big they are a pain to clean.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I wrote a bit about my ideas for matching pens to I-G inks in this Post https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266828-diamine-registrars-ink-and-other-modern-iron-galls/?p=2997172

 

As these things go, a Pilot Plumix is as suitable as a Montblanc 149.

 

I apologize for not mentioning that I load I-G into only those early Snorkies with the 14K tube. (My PFM keeps whining about not going dancing till dawn with Salix.)

 

There was a recent Topic about a gold-plated nib having a problem which was attributed to I-G ink, so that is worthy of a read. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301794-attack-of-the-nib-eater/

 

Bye,

S1

Edited April 29, 2016 by Sandy1

[Perdendosi]

Pilot Metropolitan.

If the ink ravages the pen, I'm only out 13 bucks! :-)

(Right now, I have a Met with a fine tip loaded with KWG IG Red. It's the perfect editing pen!)

[Uncle Red]

Any vintage pen sutible to a businessman from the 40's or earlier probably had Iron Gall ink in it all the time. Some pens are easier to flush if you like to change inks. Try the Jinhao 530.

[Mr.Rene]

Parker 51, Parker 45 or Lamy Safari..all are work horses...

Regards,

[the_gasman]

For a few months my daily work pen, for use with Diamine registrar's ink, was a Conway Stewart 28 with a tight-fitting, but uncemented, sac and without shellac on the section/barrel interface. I kept everything free of adhesive so that I could periodically remove the sac to perform a thorough flush through with a bulb syringe. It was all very convenient and easy but I changed to using a Lamy Vista, not from fear of ink damage but rather because of the ever-lurking danger of dropping a vintage pen onto its nib or sitting on the pen or the many other regrettable misfortunes that can befall valued pens.

 

I have also had a Platinum Cool, Platinum Preppy, and Parker 45s in extended use with ferrogallic ink without having any problems (apart from the inevitable inky fingers -- hey, that's not a problem; more of a badge of office!).

 

Cheers,

David.

[ink-syringe]

Platinum 3776

Comes apart for easy cleaning.

Platinum sells IG ink (an excellent and overlooked one imo) and carbon inks so their pens are made to handle it the hard stuff.

Parker 45. It laughs at your silly Ig inks. IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?

You could probably fill it with Hydrochloric acid and it well okay maybe not ...

[ENewton]

I have been using Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa in a Platinum Balance pen, with a gold-plated nib, for about a year with no ill effects, but maybe a year is not enough time to be able to see damage.

[inkstainedruth]

I use IG inks in my Parker Vectors. Steel nibs and all. I just use good pen maintenance practices between fills (because I also use those pens as general testing pens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[mhpr262]

I have been using Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa in a Platinum Balance pen, with a gold-plated nib, for about a year with no ill effects, but maybe a year is not enough time to be able to see damage.

 

I have also been using the Scabiosa in a cheap Diplomat Magnum (probably meant for schoolchildren, now out of production) for some monts now and so far I have not noticed anything wrong with it. It works as well as ever, even if I let it sit for a week or three.

[Tas]

 

Platinum 3776

Comes apart for easy cleaning.

Platinum sells IG ink (an excellent and overlooked one imo) and carbon inks so their pens are made to handle it the hard stuff.

Parker 45. It laughs at your silly Ig inks. IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?

You could probably fill it with Hydrochloric acid and it well okay maybe not ...

 

 

Yep, well said.

I've not thought about it until now but my P45s have never batted an eyelid at anything . . . apart from Parker Penman Mocha

[Bo Bo Olson]

As Sandy mentioned needing a gold tubed Snorkel as the only pen that can not use IG inks.

That is more I would believe at how hard it is to clean out the Snorkel and there would be no reason to take a risk.

A risk I do not see for Lever, Piston or CC pens.

 

In a time of common IG ink use, when the instruction papers showed a prop plane for flying instructions....all was said was clean the pen every 3 months.

Both MB and Pelikan had IG blue black inks.

 

I'm sure Parker and Sheafer and English Standford did too....their surviving ink an IG BB, we now know it as ESSR.

When stainless steel nibs came in..late '30's? 40's...corrosion stopped if one used the pen, and cleaned it regularly. It is letting it plastic rust in the back of the drawer for a generation or so is what is dangerous.

 

I buy cheap old pens that have sat for ages.....piston pens mostly, if the dried ink comes out in the first pen full of water in a nice cloud...it was Pelikan Royal Blue and cleans up fast.

If it comes out more stringy and a dark blue...it was a Blue Black....and will take 4-5 times as long to clean out than the easy to clean out Pelikan Royal Blue.

Remember if you stick you full pen in the back of the drawer for a generation or two, use only Pelikan ....well any Royal Blue would do.

 

(Yes I have seen corrosion on WW2 war nibs (3 for sure or 4?), that were not as stainless as hoped....but those nibs sat there gunked up for 60 or more years.)

 

Many go OCD and freak out if IG ink is in their pen for a week...or two.

 

IMO if you clean your pen every month you will be lots safer than the 1950's instructions of every three months.

[Buzz_130]

I've now used IG inks from Diamine and KWZ Inks in a Parker "51", Parker 45, Esterbrook J, and Visconti HS. I've deliberately used 2XXX nibs in the Estie as a worse-case scenario for IG inks, and I'm pleasantly surprised that this range of pens churns right through these inks without issue.

 

I haven't put these inks into a Parker Vac or "51" Vac, Sheaffer Snorkel, or any other pen that takes some specialized work to repair. I have too many other inks to use to take that risk.

 

This week alone, I've been using Diamine Registrars in a Sheaffer and KWZI IG Blue #5 in an Esterbrook J. Both do very well on office paper.

 

Buzz

[Ego Id Veto]

I'm currently carrying a Parker 51 inked with Rohrer & Klingner Salix (that I added some surfactant to in order to make it a bit more free flowing), and a Waterman 54 inked with Diamine Registrar's ink.

 

Iron gall inks were much more common in those days, especially the days of the Waterman 54. In addition, the Parker 51 was built to handle Superchrome ink, which is far more corrosive than any iron gall!

 

In fact, I have found vintage pens of the early 20th century are great for IG inks, with their super wet ebonite feeds being easily tempered by the dryness of the IG, the simplicity of their feed construction meaning they're easy to clean out if the ink decides to precipitate, and the lack of metal parts (aside from the corrosion-proof gold nib) means there's nothing for the ink to gobble up!

Edited May 1, 2016 by Ego Id Veto