Ink Storage

[Needhelp]

Ive heard of things like "dont store your inks near sunlight and etc.." so i was wondering my room has a window that faces away from the sun like maybe when it rises the window is to the right of the sun facing the right side and and light does enter but not direct sunlight. Also the windows are like the outside it is dark and inside out we can see clearly. So is it safe to keep ink on my desk or i shouldnt do it and just keep it inside?

[Chrissy]

Most room windows are going to get some sunlight, but I don't store any of my inks on my desk. I store them inside my desk drawers or inside boxes in a North facing room

[Connly33]

From what i understand, the thing you want to avoid is UV light, that can break down the dyes, and excessive warmth that will promote evaporation and mold growth, as long as the inks are in relative dark, not in sunlight. And stay cool i'm pretty sure you are okay. I know a few people that just leave there favorite ink out on the desk out of the box, and i imagine for an often used ink that would be okay if you plan on finishing the bottle within a couple years and its not in direct sunlight. I really want to display my bottle of Iroshizuku but i wouldn't want to risk leaving it on my desk all the time.

 

I keep my small collection in a shelf that faces away from the window, and where it stays fairly cool.

[AL01]

Ive heard of things like "dont store your inks near sunlight and etc.." so i was wondering my room has a window that faces away from the sun like maybe when it rises the window is to the right of the sun facing the right side and and light does enter but not direct sunlight. Also the windows are like the outside it is dark and inside out we can see clearly. So is it safe to keep ink on my desk or i shouldnt do it and just keep it inside?

 

 

Jus' keep 'em in a desk drawer or something like that. You could keep them out, but keep in mind that the majority of elements in ink is water. Kinda like maple syrup. (No, don't put it in the fridge, the ink bottles, I mean. )

[macaddicted]

UV is a killer, and it's amazing how it bounces (reflects) around a room. The best way to store is in darkness. Some people use boxes, others drawers, but away from exposure to light. That being said it assumes that you're not using the ink quickly. If it's your everyday ink that is used up in a matter of months you have less to worry about if the ink is out of direct light.

[evyxmsj]

I wonder how bad UV/sunlight exposure really is for ink in bottles. Are we being overkill and worried about something that would take decades to have any noticeable effect?

 

I'm a bit less sceptical about the mold growth, living in a damp country. Evaporation problems would be a welcome change.

[Arkanabar]

I keep my inks in a cardboard box.

 

Far worse than the UV light is adjacent plant life. Plants do not grow in soil that is dead; it must be chock full of various micro-organisms. These can infect and destroy ink.

[amberleadavis]

I keep my inks in a cardboard box.

 

Far worse than the UV light is adjacent plant life. Plants do not grow in soil that is dead; it must be chock full of various micro-organisms. These can infect and destroy ink.

I completely agree with you!! The one ink that got infected was next to a flowering plant.

 

As you will find out if you do some searches, I have done tests by putting bottles of ink in direct sunlight. Surprisingly, ink does not really fade in the bottle. It can fade like crazy once on the paper.

 

Personally, I store my inks out to view. Here is a thread about how many of us "store" our inks. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/230595-how-do-you-display-your-inks/page-1

 

Here were my inks in 2013.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Potions_Cabinet/slides/2013-06-05-Cabinet2.JPG

[praxim]

Plain glass cuts UV-B and UV-C but not UV-A. In the case of ink in a bottle there are a couple of glass layers between sun and ink anyway. Laminated glass cuts the lot.

 

UVA along with the rest of the light is not reflected in the same form except by bright or shiny surfaces. It warms the surface and effectively shifts to re-radiating warmer colours and infra-red (e.g. hot car).

 

I agree with not warming the ink to bateria-comfort levels nor keeping ink near sources of said bacteria. I keep mine in drawers anyway, I have no displays.

[TheYellowHobbit]

I have one of these for all my inks, which keeps them away from sunlight quite nicely.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10251045/

[Sasha Royale]

Putting the bottle of ink into the desk drawer will solve the issue. Or don't. It's your ink.