Permanent Inks

[rafizip]

Looking for some input on the permanent, waterproof inks. I need something that I can comfortable write with and drop into the postal service without it becoming smeared or runny.

thanks

[FPFan]

Platinum Carbon Black! Is the only one I know of that once dry doesn't budge!

[welch]

Vintage Sheaffer Skrip or Parker Quink. People used them when there was no ballpoint alternative and many more people wrote letters.

[carlos.q]

If you only need waterproof for addressing envelopes you should try the old candle trick. Write the address with whatever ink you like and then rub a candle over the writing. The wax will prevent the ink from running.

 

If you really need a waterproof ink I can recommend Noodler's black and MB Permanent blue. The MB shades nicely.

[Intensity]

Sailor Nano-pigment Sei Boku "blue-black". Behaves great in pens, very permanent, performs well on all papers I've used it with, and as a bonus has some sheen on less absorbent papers.

[akrohn2010]

+1 for Noodlers Black. I use it to address all my envelopes or anything I have to protect from weather/handling.

[ErrantSmudge]

Another good waterproof ink from Noodler's is Heart of Darkness. It is a quicker dry than Noodler's Black and I also use it for envelopes or anything that might see weather.

Edited May 23, 2018 by ErrantSmudge

[lapis]

MB's Permanent Blue and MB's Permanent Black.

[pararis]

Jet Pens has done the best research I've seen on this, having tested 500 different inks...

 

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/waterproof-fountain-pen-inks/pt/829

[inkstainedruth]

Another vote for Heart of Darkness. Like ErrantSmudge, I prefer it over Noodler's Black (which can smudge if a lot of ink goes down on the page because any part that isn't actually touching the paper will NOT be "bulletproof" -- i.e., cellulose-reactive.

Noodler's Kung Te Cheng is pretty much *everything* proof -- and the color is really unique, but it doesn't always behave well. I also really like Noodler's El Lawrence, which is dark enough to be professional looking but also slightly subversive because it *isn't* black (it really DOES look like used motor oil...). Still trying to make up my mind about Noodler's Luck of the Draw LE (from this year's Baltimore/Washington Pen Show), which is a little greener tinged than El Lawrence

If you need a waterproof ink and can get away with something that is a little crazier than the standard black/blue/blue-black, Noodler's Park Red is also really waterproof.

If you want it for a vintage pen, and are concerned about what ink you put in it, try to find a bottle of vintage Quink Microfilm Black (I have a bottle of vintage Skrip Black but haven't gotten around to trying it yet).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dcwaites]

1) Pilot Blue, Blue-Black and Black - all nice standard inks that are quite waterproof when dry

2) Koh-i-noor Document Blue and Document Black - one of the cheapest inks out there, and Document-certifed to boot.

3) Noodler's Black and Heart of Darkness, both very similar bulletproof black inks, with HOD being a bit wetter (and better for drier pens) and Black better for wetter pens or poorer quality papers and envelopes

4) Any of the Carbon inks - Platinum Carbon, Sailor Kiwaguro, Pelikan Fount India

5) Any of the other pigmented FP inks - Platinum Pigment Blue, Sailor Sei-Boku Blue-Black

6) Any of the iron-gall based inks - Diamine Registrar's, Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registrar's, KWZI IG inks

 

Note all permanent inks have to dry well before they show they are permanent. Spilling coffee on still-wet ink will move pretty well any of the above inks if they haven't dried yet.

[rafizip]

Thanks everyone, great suggestions.

 

Another one for you, I've noticed recently the paper on my checks now seems to absorb the ink more and in turn causes the pen stroke to become much wider and messy. Since I can't change the paper, are there any inks that handle this type of paper better??

Thanks,

[displacermoose]

Thanks everyone, great suggestions.

 

Another one for you, I've noticed recently the paper on my checks now seems to absorb the ink more and in turn causes the pen stroke to become much wider and messy. Since I can't change the paper, are there any inks that handle this type of paper better??

Thanks,

I've found that all three of the Sailor nano-pigment inks behave very well on terrible paper. I've only been using Souten for a couple of days (thus far I love it), but Sei-boku (blue) and Kiwa-guro (black) are both always in a pen for use on the lowest-bidder junk copy paper at work. There are also iron gall inks (Scabiosa is an interesting purple), and Heart of Darkness, Lexington Gray, and #41 Brown all from Noodlers. The Brown is probably the most inclined to feather, but the others will hold up to pretty much anything better than a paper towel.

[TennesseeTrash]

I've been enjoying Graf Von Faber-Castell midnight blue. It's supposed to be waterproof, smudge-proof and several other things-proof. Some of the other colors have these characteristics, but some don't. It seems like the lighter colors are not waterproof.

[AndyYNWA]

Sailor Nano-pigment Sei Boku "blue-black". Behaves great in pens, very permanent, performs well on all papers I've used it with, and as a bonus has some sheen on less absorbent papers.

This!

[A Smug Dill]

I've found that all three of the Sailor nano-pigment inks behave very well on terrible paper. I've only been using Souten for a couple of days (thus far I love it), but Sei-boku (blue) and Kiwa-guro (black) are both always in a pen for use on the lowest-bidder junk copy paper at work.

Did you mean souboku instead of souten? The latter is a Sailor Jentle (dye) ink in the Shikisai (now Shikiori) range.

[Brandywine]

I've been enjoying Graf Von Faber-Castell midnight blue. It's supposed to be waterproof, smudge-proof and several other things-proof. Some of the other colors have these characteristics, but some don't. It seems like the lighter colors are not waterproof.

 

Most of the GvFC inks are promoted "document proof" (at least here in Germany);

that is not the same as "water proof".

Water will wash away most of the beautiful colours and leave only a thin thread of some pink colour left.

So it is still possible to read what was written and the thin rest is "permanent".

This can be seen in several of the ink reviews here.

 

That remaing tiny thread is enough to call it "document proof", but I would not call this "water proof"

[TennesseeTrash]

Thanks for the clarification. Ive been fortunate enough not to have had any of my writing tested for waterproofness with that ink

[displacermoose]

Did you mean souboku instead of souten? The latter is a Sailor Jentle (dye) ink in the Shikisai (now Shikiori) range.

Indeed yes. Sorry about that.

[aurore]

 

Most of the GvFC inks are promoted "document proof" (at least here in Germany);

that is not the same as "water proof".

Water will wash away most of the beautiful colours and leave only a thin thread of some pink colour left.

So it is still possible to read what was written and the thin rest is "permanent".

This can be seen in several of the ink reviews here.

 

That remaing tiny thread is enough to call it "document proof", but I would not call this "water proof"

 

Beside this GvFC document proof inks are very UV resistant. For exemple Pilot blue-black (which is not declared water proof by the manufacturer but actually almost behaves in such way) resists water better than GvFC, butthe the UV in a sunny window makes it light grey very soon. While GvFC Cobalt Blue and Midnight have been very solid in my UV sunny window test despite both become a kind of a very nice blue instead of their original colours. And despite this resistance GvFC inks are very easy to clean FULLY with a plain water, unlike nanopigment inks and other permanent inks.

Edited September 23, 2018 by aurore