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Moldy Ink

NathanGrimaud

By NathanGrimaud
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NathanGrimaud Near Mint

NathanGrimaud

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Hey everyone. I'm pretty sure i have mouldy ink. Below are the two worst cases, but there are signs of it in pretty much every bottle i own (9). I keep them in a wooden box on my desk that sits in front of a window. It spread during the early stages of my collecting (i think) when i was unaware of what moldy ink looked like and it spread due to me using the mold infested ink among pens which i then cleaned and filled with other inks. It is only really visible when i shine light in the bottle. My question is, can i salvage my collection or will i have to throw out almost $200 worth of ink. (Ink is expensive in Australia). Furthermore can someone confirm that this is in fact mold and how to tell the difference between mold in early stages and dust particles that have fallen into the bottle. I'll also say that my house is NOT mold ridden. Thanks in advance.

 

post-127467-0-35518400-1490246066_thumb.jpg post-127467-0-33483500-1490246186_thumb.jpg

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praxim Donor Pen

praxim

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I can not answer directly but think you will find it helpful to search for "phenol" here.

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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I don't think it looks that bad. It looks like settlement on the surface. Those small surface particles might blot off using a cotton bud. Or if you have a bottle that contains more than that I would recommend that you could try buying a pack of coffee filters, then filtering some of your inks. Wet the coffee filter papers first.

 

I assume this isn't blocking your pen feeds.

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NathanGrimaud Near Mint

NathanGrimaud

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I don't think it looks that bad. It looks like settlement on the surface. Those small surface particles might blot off using a cotton bud. Or if you have a bottle that contains more than that I would recommend that you could try buying a pack of coffee filters, then filtering some of your inks. Wet the coffee filter papers first.

 

I assume this isn't blocking your pen feeds.

If i filter it out, will it grow back?

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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If i filter it out, will it grow back?

 

Not necessarily. It depends what it is. If it is just detritus from your pen feeds it probably won't.

 

You will need to weigh up how badly it's affecting your pens writing qualities with how much it would cost you to throw it away and replace it.

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SamCapote Antique

SamCapote

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If i filter it out, will it grow back?

 

As Chrissy said, it is not absolutely clear that you are dealing with SITB (which includes fungal, bacterial, and other contaminants). If those particles are manufacturing pieces floating, removing them would have no consequences or recurrence.

 

Other than seeing a slimy string of goo pulling out of the bottle, the only certain way to confirm if you have a low grade fungal/bacterial infection is with a microscope.

 

If you want to be on the safe side and are willing to pour the bottle through a filter in a funnel, and return it back to original bottle, to make sure you have dealt with the possibility of fungal growth, you could add the amount of phenol I determined in this thread, see post #37 from when I had widespread contamination issues with multiple bottles/colors/shipments of DeAtramentis inks. The link to buy the Phenol for $8.45 is here, and will last you a lifetime. To avoid a mess when you transfer the ink (very hard to pour from a bottle without dribbling all over, unless you use a large coffee filter, but then you have to also get a new, unused coffee filter holder), I bought some 10ml disposable pipettes.

Edited by SamCapote

With the new FPN rules, now I REALLY don't know what to put in my signature.

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Please follow Sam's advice. He is the most knowledgeable of us on this topic.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NathanGrimaud Near Mint

NathanGrimaud

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As Chrissy said, it is not absolutely clear that you are dealing with SITB (which includes fungal, bacterial, and other contaminants). If those particles are manufacturing pieces floating, removing them would have no consequences or recurrence.

Other than seeing a slimy string of goo pulling out of the bottle, the only certain way to confirm if you have a low grade fungal/bacterial infection is with a microscope.

If you want to be on the safe side and are willing to pour the bottle through a filter in a funnel, and return it back to original bottle, to make sure you have dealt with the possibility of fungal growth, you could add the amount of phenol I determined in this thread, see post #37 from when I had widespread contamination issues with multiple bottles/colors/shipments of DeAtramentis inks. The link to buy the Phenol for $8.45 is here, and will last you a lifetime. To avoid a mess when you transfer the ink (very hard to pour from a bottle without dribbling all over, unless you use a large coffee filter, but then you have to also get a new, unused coffee filter holder), I bought some 10ml
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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Nath, this is what mold can look like:

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/album/Mold/slides/20151007_172147.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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This too is mold:

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140910_154808.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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This is NOT mold.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140829_122738.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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