Switching Between Inks And Ink Compatibility

[3nding]

Okay so this is a very broad question and I am sure sure many factors come into play but it is a practical question which I have been asking myself for a while. What is the compatibility between inks and does switching between inks of different brands without flushing the pen cause problems.

 

Now I know that if I switch colour it is a lot better to flush the pen but my question is more about changing between brands for the "same" colour.

 

Let's say I have something like a Pilot Metropolitan with a converter loaded with say Waterman Intense Black or Sheaffer Skrip Black and in the middle of a lecture while taking notes, I run out of ink and I take the converter out and pop a Pilot Namiki Black cartridge in there. Could that, depending on the brands of inks used, damage the pen?

 

PS: If there's already a detailed thread about this, I will gladly look at it. I just wasn't able to find this specific information. I'm still a noob on here.

Edited February 25, 2017 by 3nding

[eharriett]

Theoretically, due to the ph of different inks, one might react with another in the feed. However you'll have a more significant issue with the fact that the remaining residue in the feed will still be there mixing with your new color for a couple pages. You'll be doing a little bit of writing before that clears out and you get the complete new color.

 

But don't sweat it too much. My whole reason for enjoying fountain pens is the ability to vary my colors frequently.

[NinthSphere]

A broad question with a vague answer: it depends. I've not done much ink mixing, least of all those two in particular, but this thread is worth a look through. Chemistry experiments are usually best done in a sample vial so you can see obvious problems rather than in a pen.

Edited February 25, 2017 by NinthSphere

[amberleadavis]

Somewhere around here Cyber6 show off some of our unapproved mixes when we switch out inks in the middle of a fill. The reasonable, socially responsible moderator urges you to ink appropriately, and not mix brands of ink. The mad scientist in me confesses that I mix ink inside the barrels of expensive (for me) pens and I get bored during the middle of ink fills and add other inks to the cartridges. For the first four years of using my pens, I would switch out ink brands.

 

So, the final answer, clean your pens periodically and if you find a mix that doesn't work, don't repeat it.

[OCArt]

You have some wonderful answers to your question, I can only add that switching inks without flushing will also add some contamination to the ink bottle. In most cases I doubt that there would be any harm but it is another factor to consider.

[Chrissy]

You have some wonderful answers to your question, I can only add that switching inks without flushing will also add some contamination to the ink bottle. In most cases I doubt that there would be any harm but it is another factor to consider.

 

I'm sure you're right there and I'm pretty careful about not contaminating some of my ink bottles.

[Noihvo]

[Buzz_130]

Mixing different brands of ink could be interesting. Remember Japanese inks tend to be alkaline, and your other ones are Western. I don't have pH information for Waterman or Sheaffer, but you should use caution.

 

On a curiosity level, I'd wonder what you would do with an empty converter in the middle of class? There's a residue of ink in the converter, and you'd have some ink around the lip of the converter. I can see a mess developing because you'd want to save that converter.

 

Maybe some other changes would be useful. If you are concerned about running out of ink in class, you can fill your Metro up every night. Make sure you have a full tank of gas for the day's work. Second is to carry another pen. I carry two fountain pens in my sleeve pocket for this exact reason (I rotate my pens, so I don't fill them up every night). And horror of horrors, that extra pen could be a gel or other backup.

 

Buzz

[3nding]

Theoretically, due to the ph of different inks, one might react with another in the feed. However you'll have a more significant issue with the fact that the remaining residue in the feed will still be there mixing with your new color for a couple pages. You'll be doing a little bit of writing before that clears out and you get the complete new color.

 

But don't sweat it too much. My whole reason for enjoying fountain pens is the ability to vary my colors frequently.

 

That's a good tip. I keep getting afraid that I might ruin an expensive pen when I get one by not being careful enough, but then again what is the point of buying such a pen if you're just afraid of breaking it all the time.

 

A broad question with a vague answer: it depends. I've not done much ink mixing, least of all those two in particular, but this thread is worth a look through. Chemistry experiments are usually best done in a sample vial so you can see obvious problems rather than in a pen.

 

I will probably try it out in a cheap Chinese pen. Closest thing I can get to a test in a real life scenario without too much harm done if it goes wrong.

 

Somewhere around here Cyber6 show off some of our unapproved mixes when we switch out inks in the middle of a fill. The reasonable, socially responsible moderator urges you to ink appropriately, and not mix brands of ink. The mad scientist in me confesses that I mix ink inside the barrels of expensive (for me) pens and I get bored during the middle of ink fills and add other inks to the cartridges. For the first four years of using my pens, I would switch out ink brands.

 

So, the final answer, clean your pens periodically and if you find a mix that doesn't work, don't repeat it.

 

I have to agree with the mad scientist in you, although I might try it on cheaper pens first just to make sure. Luckily I am very thorough in cleaning my pens.

 

You have some wonderful answers to your question, I can only add that switching inks without flushing will also add some contamination to the ink bottle. In most cases I doubt that there would be any harm but it is another factor to consider.

 

That's a very good point. The ink swap would really be an "emergency" or longer time than expected spent outside the house type of thing. I would definitely clean my pen afterwards before dipping into an ink bottle.

 

Mixing different brands of ink could be interesting. Remember Japanese inks tend to be alkaline, and your other ones are Western. I don't have pH information for Waterman or Sheaffer, but you should use caution.

 

On a curiosity level, I'd wonder what you would do with an empty converter in the middle of class? There's a residue of ink in the converter, and you'd have some ink around the lip of the converter. I can see a mess developing because you'd want to save that converter.

 

I will try to find out as much as I can about that. I only thought about being water-based vs not water-based but pH is also an important factor.

 

As for swapping the converter; I always have a spare cartridge in an empty pill bottle in my backpack so I would just put the converter in there. It fits just right as not be squeezed in there but not move around too much either.

------

 

Hi Noihvo,

 

That's also a very good point. I try to research my inks well before I buy them to make sure they don't harm the pens. I have read some horror stories on here about certain inks ruining pens or just being really high maintenance. So far I have only bought inks made by big pen manufacturers because there seems to be more info out there about them.

 

 

Thanks for all the great advice guys!

[Arkanabar]

There are a couple mixes you will really want to avoid. Most important is not to mix any of Noodler's Baystate colors with any non-Baystate color, by anyone.

If you find yourself in possession of any Parker "51" or Superchrome ink, I would avoid using it. That stuff is pretty rough on pens, especially when mixed with other inks.

I also would avoid mixing iron-gall inks with others, just because they work differently. Most inks use dyes. Iron gall inks contain a solution that oxidizes into a water-insoluble dark grey solid.

[3nding]

For now I only have Waterman Intense Black in bottle, Aurora Black in bottle and cartridges (on the way), Pilot Namiki Black in cartridges and J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage in bottle. My girlfriend has some Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black in bottle form and my father gave me an old bottle of Pelikan Royal Blue which I am not sure of it still good or not. From what I have read all of those inks (except the Pelikan because it might not be good anymore) are pretty safe, but I will still experiment on cheap pens first.

 

Also about Noodler's ink. I have read very contradictory information so I want to make sure. Some people seem to swear by Noodler's Bulletproof Black while other's say that it is high maintenance and that you might want to avoid using it in some pens. Richard Binder especially seemed to recommended avoiding Noodler's ink. The Bulletproof Black seems pretty practical but I wanted to get a somewhat clearer answer on the question. So what do you all think?

[Arkanabar]

IMX, Noodler's original Black is prone to smudging (a coworker had a sample of it). Heart of Darkness is probably a better bet. It always rinsed off of every plastic surface I encountered without any issue at all. It is, as far as anyone can tell, absolutely everything-proof, and it appears to be better behaved than original Black. If I needed a bottle of black ink, Heart of Darkness is what I'd get.

 

I regularly use dilute Noodler's Red-Black in my Pelikan M200. As far as I can tell, it's a mix of original Red and original Black, though probably at a ratio of at least 8 red to 1 black, and possibly as high as 20:1; you'd have to either ask Nathan Tardif, or re-create it yourself. I dilute it to correct Sometimes the black leaves sediment or residue in the feed that I have to soak heavily for a couple days before I can shake it loose. But that's generally after at least a few months without a rinse.

 

ETA: Lots of people happily use Noodler's Black in all kinds of pens without reporting any issues. I haven't encountered anything that couldn't be cleaned out with patience. My M200 is my favorite pen, and Red-Black is the ink I use in it most.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Arkanabar

[3nding]

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IMX, Noodler's original Black is prone to smudging (a coworker had a sample of it). Heart of Darkness is probably a better bet. It always rinsed off of every plastic surface I encountered without any issue at all. It is, as far as anyone can tell, absolutely everything-proof, and it appears to be better behaved than original Black. If I needed a bottle of black ink, Heart of Darkness is what I'd get.

 

I regularly use dilute Noodler's Red-Black in my Pelikan M200. As far as I can tell, it's a mix of original Red and original Black, though probably at a ratio of at least 8 red to 1 black, and possibly as high as 20:1; you'd have to either ask Nathan Tardif, or re-create it yourself. I dilute it to correct Sometimes the black leaves sediment or residue in the feed that I have to soak heavily for a couple days before I can shake it loose. But that's generally after at least a few months without a rinse.

 

ETA: Lots of people happily use Noodler's Black in all kinds of pens without reporting any issues. I haven't encountered anything that couldn't be cleaned out with patience. My M200 is my favorite pen, and Red-Black is the ink I use in it most.

I will definitely be buying a bottle of Noodler's Heart of Darkness as soon as I am done with one of my current black bottles, I really just needed to be reassured I think.