Ink And Distilled Water Mix

[Charles Skinner]

I have a new ink that I like, but think it can be improved by mixing 3/4 ink and 1/4 distilled water. I like that the resulting color better. This there anything "wrong" with doing this? Is it harmful to pens? Will it fade quicker over time, say in ten years? C. S.

[Tasmith]

I have a bottle of Montblanc Permanent Blue that was behaving horribly in my pens by drying in the nib and feed after only a few minutes uncapped and hard starting when first using the pens. Watching the ink slosh around in the ink widows it seemed a bit thick to me when compared to my other inks.

 

I recently added six drops of distilled water to the 60ml bottle and the ink is now behaving very well.

 

Can't imaging a small amount or even a larger amount of distilled water as in you case causing any problems now in the pen or in the future for fading as the ink is just a bit thinner in the pen and the distilled water evaporates soon after writing. All the other properties of the ink should still be intact.

 

I was going to use diluted Photo-flo to thin the MB Permanent Blue, but wasn't sure if the Photo-flo would cause the same problems you're concerned with using distilled water.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Tasmith

[mivox]

Adding water could change the ink properties... but I do it to Noodler's Navy, because I think it's gorgeous when it's diluted.

 

Maybe just use a bulletproof ink without dilution, for anything you want to still be around in 10 years? Or if you are diluting a permanent/bulletproof ink, do a soak test after the diluted ink dries, just to see how it holds up?

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

It can take a bit of fussing about experimentation to get a pen+ink+paper humming along.

 

I see no obvious problem with dilution of most inks. Some inks have pH that is not so neutral, so I would keep the batch size small, just in case the distilled water changes the pH to an extent that the dye/s become unhappy.

e.g. ESSRI is pH 2, so some practitioners might choose to dilute it with a fluid that is pH 2, but the question is 'What chemical to use to shift the pH?'

 

> My Rough Guide to dilution at Post 23 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/218161-need-help-selecting-my-first-japanese-pens/?p=2315439

> And Post 2 includes links to some of my prior Topics on dilution https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/240697-dilution-noodlers-f-p-n-van-gogh-starry-night-blue/?p=2610595

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 27, 2016 by Sandy1

[Tasmith]

Adding water could change the ink properties... but I do it to Noodler's Navy, because I think it's gorgeous when it's diluted.

 

Maybe just use a bulletproof ink without dilution, for anything you want to still be around in 10 years? Or if you are diluting a permanent/bulletproof ink, do a soak test after the diluted ink dries, just to see how it holds up?

Soak test. After a half an hour in tap water.

 

 

 

Correction, One drop of distilled water per 10 ml of ink. Six drops in a 60 ml bottle.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Tasmith

[mivox]

I wonder at what dilution the water would affect the permanence on that ink (if ever)? It sure doesn't at that amount!

[Noihvo]

[KKay]

I don't think it would hurt in small batches. I would worry about using too much water in a large batch. (just in case it made the ink vulnerable to mold etc...)

[amberleadavis]

Charles, check out the comparisons that Adam did when he diluted inks. They are amazing. Sandy1 also has some great explanations about diluting. Remember, dilute in batches, not the entire bottle.

[ac12]

I dilute my Noodler's Liberty's Elysium at 5 parts LE : 1 part water.

I do this in an ink vial, so I limit the ink that is at risk of a screw up.

[Arkanabar]

I dilute Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin 1:1 with water in a sample vial for my penitential ink. It goes from something featherocious that is fiendishly difficult to wash out of a pen when it dries up to a tolerably well-behaved not-too-dark black that I am willing to load into cheap or free Indian eyedroppers.

 

ETA: I also have added water to a bottle of Noodler's Red-Black (a mix of original Red and original Black, as far as anyone knows) that smudged something awful, maybe around 5+-1:1. As far as I can tell, while the color is different and the smudging is no longer an issue, it hasn't affected the bulletproof qualities of the Noodler's Black.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Arkanabar

[Randal6393]

Hmmm ... Reminds me of the threads on diluting ink, especially Noodler's. Recommend searching the threads on this subject if you have any questions about mixing a bit of water into the ink.

 

Short notes on water and ink: 1. Water evaporates, some inks are so highly saturated they need an occasional drop of water added in order to maintain the character that is desired in the ink. Notably, old Skrip cartridges and Noodler inks showed thick, gummy performance and did not dry well. Add a bit of water and performance is much better.

2. Color and hue may be improved by adding water, shading in the ink may be more apparent if a few drops of water are added.

3. Many diluters recommend using a test vial and adding a drop or two at a time to get the mix right. (Your pipette/syringe is your best friend here.)

4. Always remember, it's easier to add more water but a bear to take it back out.

 

Experiments on, enjoy,