Private Reserve Gloop

[Masque]

Three years ago I subscribed to Inkdrop, and over the coming following months or so I amassed rather a large number of samples; 75 or so. All were stored in cool, dark places, and they have been a treasure trove for my children as they discover their first fountain pen ink preferences.

 

Unfortunately, this past week we discovered that fully ¾ of the Private Reserve samples have formed gloopy, worm-like, slimy strands. None of the other inks have developed these mucousy ropes. Also this phenomenon seems to be limited to darker shades of inks - none of the PR samples which are transparent in the vial have developed any sediment or congealed mass.

Two questions, then:

 

1. What on Earth is this stuff?

2. Is there any point to keeping these? If something is growing within them, the last thing I want to do is contaminate a pen with any trace of it. I have bleached everything with which this ink has come into contact so far, and put them in a pile, one which I suspect I am likely soon to discard.

Thoughts? Help? Advice? Amusing uses for ink goblins?

[cattar]

1- SITB or S in the bottle.

 

2- Dump it, don't put it in a pen.

The ink got contaminated at some point.

[Barkingpig]

And unfortunately it is not only one brand of ink that can become a victim; I was making samples from bottles of orange inks to send a friend & found several victims from ANOTHER companies' bottles. Several of them were actually UNopened & had been stored in their boxes, but in two years had "gone bad."

 

I also purchased a newly released ink last year from a prominent ink company also recalled for same; yet had NEVER had any other bottles from them show issue, using some bottles of that maker's ink that were some more than 20 years old.

 

When I read recent review of a Private Reserve ink, Avocado, which I remembered enjoying, I ordered a bottle that was in fact "OLD stock," because it was in a certain sized bottle that had not been made in recent production, the ink arrived & was quite fine, despite it's age & also a darker color.

 

I think it is just something that can happen; we may never know why some inks become victims & others do not. (I would imagine samples might be more prone than bottles since there is less volume of ink to withstand the growth.)

[Parker51]

The problem is contamination and a lack of mold inhibitors. Some older inks have more mold inhibitor in them, some used mold inhibitors which work well, but are no longer used and some were simply prepared in facilities which controlled potential exposure to mold better. If the ink maker does not test all of their ingredients for contamination and does not test the chemicals it uses for mold inhibition to determine the concentration of the mold inhibitor problems can arise. I can easily imagine an ink maker that has been making ink for a long time without problems due to using pure ingredients and proper concentrations start to have problems if they change suppliers of those chemicals, or perhaps if the suppliers change what they are supplying, but don't tell their customers if they have never tested their supplies because they never had to before. And if supplies are bought through middle men, then there is even the possibility of counterfeit supplies missing the needed chemicals entirely, or having them at the wrong concentration.

[tonybelding]

PR was the only brand of ink that I ever got a brand new sealed bottle already heavily infested with mold. That's among the many other problems I've had with PR, which is why I never buy it anymore.

 

However, I do still have a pretty good supply of Private Reserve Invincible Black (original formula) that I will keep and use to the last drop. IMHO it's the best black ink ever made.

[ErrantSmudge]

I have around 35 bottles of ink in my collection, and the only brand which has developed mold in the bottle was Private Reserve, which has developed SITB in at least two of the ten bottles in my collection. A few months ago, I dumped a bottle of Orange Crush which developed slime in the bottle.

 

And another PR ink (I think it was a bottle of Spearmint, which is no longer in my collection) developed slime in the bottle which I didn't discover until I filled the most expensive pen in my collection with it. It nearly destroyed my pen. I was lucky to be able to clean the mold slime out of the nib, feed, section and converter and make the pen functional again.

 

I have eight bottles of Private Reserve in my collection that will not go anywhere near a pen that I care about. I don't know what to do with them. I would give them away as PIFs but I cannot do so in good conscience. I'm really disappointed, because PR ink has some of the best colors of anyone in the business. But I can't trust them anymore.

Edited January 23, 2017 by ErrantSmudge

[Buzz_130]

Consider yourself lucky that you only have samples. The vials should be tossed with their contents. Keep those inks away from your pens, and check your other inks from time to time.

 

Buzz

[Pentulant]

My understanding is this mold issue has increased a great deal since the owner's death several years ago. Fouled Pens and Vanness have stopped selling PR.

[lapis]

Others too, unfortunately, e.g. here in Germany.

[juulz]

PR Avocado tossed yesterday and pen cleaned... No more PR for me!

[amberleadavis]

Now, do be sure it isn't the surfactants but actual fungus.

 

If you have many bottles, you can add your own biocide. Check out this shoot out from Sam Capote.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/

[juulz]

Thank you so much for the link!

 

First I noticed some floating discoloration so I used a toothpick and was dismayed to pull up long droopy slime from the bottle edges. I've never seen a surfactant act/look like that (I used to work in an R&D lab). It seemed a lot like algae, actually. I will get some phenol or other biocide before I try the PR ink again and add it to the bottle when I first open it. In the meantime, I now have a reason to sample more greens!

[Witsius]

I was under the impression that SITB (slime in the bottle) and mold were different phenomena. Mold is obviously the organic substances of the ink going rancid. I thought SITB was due to some kind of chemical reaction between the dyes and other substances in the ink. Am I incorrect in my understanding?

 

At any rate, toss the offending ink. What ever the cause of the SITB, the ink can't be saved.

 

I know we all love to hoard ink, but I find it interesting that Pelikan's website, for example, says to buy ink in small quantities, and one should try to use up the ink within a year. That might be rather excessive, but I think it bears pointing out that one shouldn't expect ink to last forever.

 

I've had Noodler's ink change color on me, but the only ink I've had that has gone bad, as in I wouldn't risk putting it in a pen anymore, was Aurora blue. But I abused that ink. I would frequently refill an Esterbrook from that bottle by expelling the tiny bit of remaining ink back into the bottle when filling refilling, and I'm pretty sure I got some talc from resaccing that pen in the ink, which I'm sure gelled up and caused little globs to form. When I discovered the globs, I tossed the remaining ink.

[amberleadavis]

Parker, around here STIB is used indiscriminately. You are right to point out that phenol will NOT cure chemical reactions only organic icky stuff. Now, when you find that the ink gels, that is something that is fixable. Shake thoroughly.

 

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/C/H/CH-WATPOW4.jpg

[ParkerDuofold]

Now, do be sure it isn't the surfactants but actual fungus.

 

If you have many bottles, you can add your own biocide. Check out this shoot out from Sam Capote.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/

And if you want the "short form," check this out:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/317884-how-much-phenol-should-i-add/?do=findComment&comment=3773860

 

- Anthony