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Freshness Of Ink...


stevekolt

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yep, I want to know this too.

Long term effect on pen internal anatomy as well as on the written document.

I have a dry Parker Vector. I can fill it's convertor/syringe with ink, but it stops writing/ goes dry after a few strokes. I am wondering what do I do with it.

 

Apologies Steve, if you felt I've barged into your thread..

BR,

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I don't believe it's a worrisome factor. As long as it looks and smells OK I regularly use Montblanc ink that is past it's use buy date in my Montblanc pens. I also use old inks in other pen brands.

 

If ink is so old that it has some signs of evaporation, then distilled water can be added to top it up.

 

Bear in mind that all it was originally was a powdered dye to which water, and some other additives were added. Yes you could be watering down the additives slightly, but not enough to worry about too much.

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I have a dry Parker Vector. I can fill it's convertor/syringe with ink, but it stops writing/ goes dry after a few strokes. I am wondering what do I do with it.

Vectors are horrible. Have a few originals from BiTD when they were the then latest & greatest, but my FPs always wrote dry like dust (fed on Quink)... one of the few models where I used the pencil & rollerball more than the FPs!

 

Only redemption by later Frontier & Sonnet FPs brought me back to Parker.

 

Although with what I know these days... might be an idea to dig up the Vectors and try flossing and nib tuning, then trying a wetter ink :) maybe even buy one of the new ones that are still being sold today.

 

But like I need more pens... :P

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Freshness of ink...is this really a factor?

No negatives from my side. :)

 

I store ink bottles in their paper boxes and out of sunlight, no change over years & decades even.

 

Have had some bottles evaporate due to lousy cap seal, it may dry up to 30-50% of original volume... I've just topped up with hot water and even microwaved the uncapped bottle just to make sure everything's nicely cooked... and it still writes like ink :D

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Freshness of ink...is this really a factor?

No. Even if it's an ink which is years/decades old, and well kept, it should "work" fine. If a pen stops writing/ goes dry after a few strokes, it can of course be the pen, but it can also be the ink which has too little lubrication. Such ignition problems can be solved by adding very little surfactant like in the form of a washing detergent or as said above, by some dilution. Even the oldest inks still around such as our beloved Sheaffer "well-top" bottles made in U. S .A. write just as good today as they did then.

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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Hi Chrissy, Tamiya and others :)
I have a Parker Quink from 2014, and have just received a Parker Frontier FP (fine nib).
I also have Pelikan Turquoise ink on the way (next Monday) and another fountain pen.
I am sorely tempted to try the new pen with the old ink, but am not sure if I should.
I also have the Pilot Namiki black ink cartridges.
Do I try out either of them? And once I get the new ink how do I clean up the old ink (parker/pilot) off the new ones?
With Warm Regards,

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Vectors are horrible. Have a few originals from BiTD when they were the then latest & greatest, but my FPs always wrote dry like dust (fed on Quink)... one of the few models where I used the pencil & rollerball more than the FPs!

 

Which is weird because mine are great! I only have one that writes dry (the red one -- even the other Vectors that have F nibs are good). Mind you, except for the multicolor one that looks like a Mondrian painting, mine are all UK made (that Mondrian looking one is actually US made, and it was NOS still in the blister pack). And I often put IG inks in them, and those tend to be drier inks than some....

Back on topic. As far as I'm concerned, the only "old" inks to not use are the ones that have developed SITB. I have some bottles of vintage Quink (from the 1940s) and Skrip (probably from the 1950s, because at least one of the the yellow box bottles has directions on filling a Snorkel from their inkwell top :rolleyes:). And they're fine. Okay, the one bottle of what might be Quink Permanent Brown has some sediment in the bottom....

As for the MB inks I have, which probably have "use-by" dates (one bottle of Lavender Purple and one bottle of Leo Tolstoy LE) I suspect the dates will be way expired by the time I get around finishing the contents. And as long as there's no SITB, I figure I'm good....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Hi Chrissy, Tamiya and others :)

I have a Parker Quink from 2014, and have just received a Parker Frontier FP (fine nib).

I also have Pelikan Turquoise ink on the way (next Monday) and another fountain pen.

I am sorely tempted to try the new pen with the old ink, but am not sure if I should.

I also have the Pilot Namiki black ink cartridges.

Do I try out either of them? And once I get the new ink how do I clean up the old ink (parker/pilot) off the new ones?

With Warm Regards,

 

You might have Parker Quink Permanent Turquoise ink if that's an old bottle. If the ink is fine with no mouldy smell nor any particles floating about inside it then it should be safe to use in either one of your pens.

 

To clean out your pen you need to flush it several times in clean tap water until the water runs clear. Or for a really good soak and clean, you can use a proprietary pen flush or make your own from recipes that can easily be found on FPN.

 

In the event that your Parker Turquoise is the permanent version, then that will take a bit more effort to clean out of your pen, so I would recommend some pen flush before refilling with a different colour.

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Hi Chrissy, everyone 😃

 

Old ink - Parker quink blue

New ink - Pelikan turquoise. - on the way.

 

Old pens

- parker vector medium nib (writes fine now- just rinsed it nicely with cold followed by hot water)

- Pilot Metropolitan Animal print - medium nib

New pens

- Parker frontier fine nib- on my desk

- 'Oculus' with medium nib - available on amazon.in -on the way.

 

Now, I suppose I can use parker quink on the new pen, followed by the pelikan when it shows up right?

I was just wondering if Pelikan's ink is too acidic, or whether it would form a corrosive mixture with ang residual quink in the pens. So any suggestions when changing inks is welcome.

 

Sorry for the newbie q's

 

Btw, the vector is quite smooth now, and seeing that it wad a medium nib its already too thivk a line stroke for me. I tried dis-assembly of tje vector but gave up.. Too stiff. It was then I thought of rinsing with hot water. (to expand the metal grip, so i could pull out the feeder and nib). Just rinsed it with cold water to clean up the ink.

 

Best,

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Hi everyone 😃

sorry, this was a repeated post same as above.

 

Deleted entirely and replaced with this.

 

Best regards

Edited by nmp
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I regularly use vintage Parker Quink Permanent Blue Black from the 1940's with no problems. Then again, I've had "new" ink go bad with SITB within a few months; although that is a rare problem. I've also used a fair amount of vintage Waterman's and Sheaffer inks - all with no problems.

 

I think "fresh" is not the issue with poor performing inks.

May we live, not by our fears but by our hopes; not by our words but by our deeds; not by our disappointments but by our dreams.

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Thanks people. :)

 

I am already seeing benefits of joining. I got my long given up Parker Vector to work.

Since the new ink (Turqouise) is lighter tone than my present (Parker Blue), I think I should wait for the new ink to come along and try it only in the new pens.

 

Best regards,

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Freshness of ink...is this really a factor?

 

No. Even if it's an ink which is years/decades old, and well kept, it should "work" fine.

 

Iron gall ink will go bad after a time due to the oxidation of the iron from ferrous (Fe2+) to ferric (Fe3+) iron. The latter one is insoluble to water.

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Pelikan has a turquoise? hmmm... thanks for reminding me... bought a rainbow of brandnew 4001s last year, shoved them into some nook & havent opened any yet. Probably be a turquoise amongst that 8 or so bottles. :)

 

Only caveat is all the 4001s I've got currently opened (black, red, brown, green) they're all pretty dry inks, they feel dryer than even Quink. I use 4001 in pens that love laying down a gush of ink, dry ink games the flow somewhat.

 

Whereas I also have most of Watermans lineup, their ink feels more lubricated than Quink and is nicer in pens which aren't that wet so the smooth ink compensates.

 

 

Watermans SouthSea/Inspired blue is a favourite turquoise, Lamy is nice too as is Iroshizuku AmaIro. Robert Oster has a few new offerings too which I've yet to fully exercise... I should go crack that Pelikan stash too,

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Darned, no such luck. Accrding to my shopping records, the 2oz bottles of 4001 I snaffled are:-

 

Brilliant black

Royal blue

Brilliant brown

Brilliant green

Blue black

Brilliant red

 

so I'm missing Turquoise & supposedly there's a newer Dark Green too :(

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Only caveat is all the 4001s I've got currently opened (black, red, brown, green) they're all pretty dry inks, they feel dryer than even Quink. I use 4001 in pens that love laying down a gush of ink, dry ink games the flow somewhat.

Yes, Pelikan is probably the best example of a dry ink. There are other dry inks out there, but Pelikan is the brand most often cited here.

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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Ohh great.. I love this forum.. Here I am, having given in to the temptation of loading teh Parker Frontier with the Quink, and using it and wondering why am I getting so wet a stroke - almost like the stokes of a water color laden brush.

 

I sooo thank my stars for having chosen the Pelikan!

 

Yes, Pelikan is probably the best example of a dry ink. There are other dry inks out there, but Pelikan is the brand most often cited here.

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Darned, no such luck. Accrding to my shopping records, the 2oz bottles of 4001 I snaffled are:-

 

Brilliant black

Royal blue

Brilliant brown

Brilliant green

Blue black

Brilliant red

 

so I'm missing Turquoise & supposedly there's a newer Dark Green too :(

 

 

Pelikan has a turquoise? hmmm... thanks for reminding me... bought a rainbow of brandnew 4001s last year, shoved them into some nook & havent opened any yet. Probably be a turquoise amongst that 8 or so bottles. :)

 

Only caveat is all the 4001s I've got currently opened (black, red, brown, green) they're all pretty dry inks, they feel dryer than even Quink. I use 4001 in pens that love laying down a gush of ink, dry ink games the flow somewhat.

 

Whereas I also have most of Watermans lineup, their ink feels more lubricated than Quink and is nicer in pens which aren't that wet so the smooth ink compensates.

 

 

Watermans SouthSea/Inspired blue is a favourite turquoise, Lamy is nice too as is Iroshizuku AmaIro. Robert Oster has a few new offerings too which I've yet to fully exercise... I should go crack that Pelikan stash too,

Tamiya you owe it to yourself to try that turquoise ... ;)

Edited by nmp
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