Ink Mixing, No Problem Vs Don't Even Think About It Brands?

[Anne-Sophie]

 

I like to match ink and pen color.

 

Unfortunately, some ink colors are limited edition, others are almost right but a little mix would make them ideal.

 

What brands are ok to mix, which others are not?

 

This question was prompted by a talk where somebody said "don't mix ink colors" but failed to mention specific brands.

 

I re-read the "Ink for Newbie" thread and figured it had to do with ink pigment saturation.

 

But I'd like to know what kind of mix could potentially clog my fountain pens.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Anne-Sophie

[Charles Skinner]

I have mixed inks right smart, and have never had a problem. C. S.

[Tas]

Im the proud owner of nearly 750ml of a beautiful coloured, well behaved blue black ink. It is made up of all my failed mixes. No lumps, no clumps, no sediment.

 

Its made of dozens of brands and even more colours. It flows well and somehow doesnt feather.

 

My one rule has been to avoid the mixing of Iron Gal inks. These can and often do cause all kinds of mayhem.

 

Start in small batches and keep meticulous notes. Its a wonderful journey that really has no destination.

 

Good luck.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Tas

[inkstainedruth]

Another set to avoid mixing is the Noodler' Bay State Series -- except with each other. They are so different even from other Noodler's inks as far as the pH goes, that mixing them with other inks is just asking for trouble. A few years ago someone tried mixing Bay State Blue with Noodler's Black to get the "perfect" blue black ink. It wasn't. I saw the photos -- they weren't pretty.

What Tas said about starting in small batches is an excellent idea. I will add: mix the inks in a sample vial and don't put the mix into a pen until you see how the mix behaves.... (In the aforementioned example, the inks never really "mixed" (part of a line would be blue, part would be black, on the page). And then the ink solidified.... Like I said before. It wasn't a pretty site (I have no idea how the OP in that case flushed the pen, but I suspect that Rapid-o-Eze may have been needed.)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Corona688]

If you get artist inks those are intended for mixing (within the same brand), but aside from that there's no hard-and-fast rule.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Corona688

[dcwaites]

Mix a small batch.

Keep in a container for some time (Hours > Days)

check for precipitation, clumping, generation of new civilisations

If all clear, use in pen.

 

Check in the Ink Recipes section for recipes that worked.

[ENewton]

I believe that Rohrer and Klingner says one can mix any of their inks except Sepia.

[KLscribbler]

Another type of ink to avoid mixing is the nanopigmented types from Sailor and Platinum. I have found those inks to be very well behaved on their own, but they do not take kindly to mixing with any other ink.

[Chrissy]

I tend to mix ordinary dye & water based inks with each other across brands, but I avoid mixing any pigmented inks, De Atramentis inks or Noodler's inks with any other branded inks.

 

Always mix small amounts in vials first.

[praxim]

I started by following a rule of mixing within brands, entirely by mixing discards from pens, then noted that I had no dodgy brands so now have a mix of five inks within three brands, which is a beautiful dark green that I love, and for which I lack a recipe.

 

Take notes!

[Corona688]

Another type of ink to avoid mixing is the nanopigmented types from Sailor and Platinum. I have found those inks to be very well behaved on their own, but they do not take kindly to mixing with any other ink.

I can see why. Keeping those particles in suspension can be a tricky balance.

[Olya]

There are no rules in ink mixing, except some guidelines, and brands aren't what determine the success of ink mixes, but rather an ink's chemic make-up.

 

As said Noodler's Baystate line may never be mixed with any ink, incl other Noodler's, excpet within its own Baystate ink colours/ line. These are highly alkaline and won't react well with other inks due to their pH.

 

People say Japanese inks are alkaline, but if so only mildly, because I have successfully mixed several Japanese inks with Western inks, some of which are said to be acidic, others neutral.

 

Generally it was always said to never mix iron gall inks, but some people here have successfully mixed those (with dye inks - Japanese too). Though I guess that's because today's IGs are mild. Except Diamine's registrar's and ESSRI, those are stronger, so beware mixing.

 

Some have tried mixing pigment inks, but were not successful.

 

Again, there are only guidelines and previous "rules" ("never mix IGs") have been successfully ignored, and Japanese inks - Sailor & Pilot were the brands I tried - are very well mixable with some Pelikan, Parker, J Herbin, Diamine, and Monteverde inks, at least those I have and tried it with.

 

The only hard and fast rule is: mix whatever you want in a sample vial first, let it sit for a couple of days and check whether anything has formed - sediments, goops, particles - if not, you're good to go, if it has, dump the mix, it does not work.

Some inks react immediately, some after minutes, or even hours. 2 days is a very good gauge.

[Anne-Sophie]

 

Thank you all so much!

 

I am not new to fountain pen ink but, lately, more brands have been developed and existing ones have extended their range.

 

It is wonderful for the hobby, but I wondered if some of new brands have problems when mixed.

 

 

[Noihvo]

 

[displacermoose]

Let me second the notion that you should let it sit at least for a couple of days. I've not done much mixing, but one that I was very proud of at first was Noodler's #41 Brown with a couple drops of Heart of Darkness to make it darker while still being completely waterproof. It was great for a few days, but then got all grainy and gloppy. The problems were not immediately obvious.

 

The pen (a Prera) that was loaded with the mix ended up being fine--there were no problems cleaning it out--but I learned my lesson and now all mixes have an observation period. Of course with all the new inks on the market lately, many of them really cool, I'm feeling less and less the need to mix. Now I'm going to go stare at the mailbox to see if my Vanness order full of Colorverse will come faster that way.

[VivienR]

Successfully mixed Diamine with Sailor. Even in long-term, I didn't find any problem.

[Runnin_Ute]

I rarely mix inks, but when I have mixed, I have tried to observe the guidelines outlined above. I tried to make a blue black from a black and a blue, and was not successful. Even with a 5:1 blue to black it was to black. One was a wet ink, the other dry from same manufacturer. I think I still have the mixes somewhere. Probably ought to flush them as I haven't used them. Probably a year or more ago when I did it.

[MarcS]

i played with mixtures for a while. it was messy and fun, but i have concluded that any color i envision is out there already among the many, many brands and colors commercially available. we are truly blessed to have so many ink options available that the mad ink scientist in me has gone into retirement.

[Tas]

i played with mixtures for a while. it was messy and fun, but i have concluded that any color i envision is out there already among the many, many brands and colors commercially available. we are truly blessed to have so many ink options available that the mad ink scientist in me has gone into retirement.

 

I've been thinking that recently. I've not mixed anyhting for ages then just now, feeling really dissapointed with how Monteverde Black looks out of my EF LAmy Safari and how "meh" Parker Quink looks in my Conklin All American F, I poured one into the other (approx 1/2 and 1/2) and wow a dark blue black with tinges of red in the wash aways . . .

 

 

[mhguda]

Funny I mixed Parker washable black (half bottle) with washable blue (same) and got a similar result - a dark blue ink that I really like!