Need A Recommendation For Inexpensive Pen That Can Sit For Long Periods With Iron Gall Ink

[eharriett]

I need to get a couple of pens that can sit in various places around the house for when I need to write checks, address envelopes, and just otherwise write something permenant. I have a bottle of Diamine Registrar's that I like to use for these things, the problem is DR is Iron gall and I'm concerned about it sitting for long periods and corroding a pen. I had previously solved this problem by keeping the ink in a couple Esterbrook Dip-less inkwells and just washing out the sedment every couple months. But a problem has come up: cats.

 

I am not kidding: one cat started nuzzling the point of the desk pen to where she knocked the pen out of its holder once and knocked over the holder a second time (no damage to the pen, holder, or ink spill, fortunately). And one of the other holders -- I swear this is true -- one of the cats is attracted to the smell of the Diamine Registrars and is trying to lick it!!!

 

So I need a couple self - contained, and preferably cheap pens that I can just fill with this ink and let it sit for a very long period of time without worrying about it corroding away.

 

Aside from the feline complications, has anyone solved this iron gall problem and what inexpensive pen do you use for it?

[calvin_0]

wing sung 698? my 698 inked up for months and have no problems... if you want cheaper, maybe a platinum preppy or pilot kakuno?

[Mech-for-i]

iron gall ink eating up nibs and metallic component is indeed true if you are talking vintage era pens and ink, by ta I mean pre war years. Time flies ... todays iron gall ink and pen are much different; even Diamine's .... they are not that strong as opposed to real vintage ink formula and they are formulated mostly to be used as normal ink in any of todays contemporary models. I use them all the time and had at least a couple of pens inked always with them. And other than making sure I do regularly clean the pens there really is no need for anything extra. And this is for my both Steel & Gold nib.

 

I personally use C/C filler as the converter hold enough but not too much ink and I would not worry about waste of ink on my monthly clean up of the pen ( which y then usually I need to think about refilling anyway ). you want to be looking for pen that had practically zero metal component in the ink flow chain ( except the nib ) but fortunately may and most of todays fountain pen are just that ...

 

if you hop over to the Chinese Founain Pen section on this forum, I suppose you can discover for yourself loads of different pen in this category that can be had with very economically mean. Jinhao 992 ( solid color version ) seems not a bad one to start. if you prefer quick draw snap cap, Hero's new 616 Plus and compatriot Wing Sung 613 both look promising.

[keybers]

I have been impressed with the not-drying-up time of a Jinhao Y5 that I bought a while ago. I have left it unused for up to 2 weeks, and though the ink inside evaporates a bit (noticeable by it becoming darker), it still writes right away, and I think this is a rather respectable timeframe for a snap cap (and it snaps on with a very satisfying click). You can search for Jinhao Y5 on aliexpress, it's less than 3 dollars (and there is a sale coming up in 2 days, where the couple listings where I now checked it out will be down to $2.39.

 

Another recommendation is around $12. I bought a Wing Sung 618 on eBay at the end of December, so I first inked it up around mid-January of this year and put just a little bit of silicone grease on the threads of the piston-end. Since I have tons of pens, and since this is a piston-filler with serious capacity, this pen is _still_ on its first fill (from January!!!), and there is _zero_ noticeable evaporation (i.e. the ink has not gotten darker) even now, at the freaking end of August!!!

Edited August 25, 2018 by keybers

[keybers]

 

...Hero's new 616 Plus ...

 

I don't see Hero 616 being any different than Hero 329 (which I own), and that thing dries out after sitting unused for 4-5 days tops. More like 2 days. It has to be used every day.

Edited August 25, 2018 by keybers

[Bo Bo Olson]

Factory made IG ink is much weaker than homemade or antique IG ink, so if you clean your pen once a month or 6 weeks, should be good enough.

There is no need to be more paranoid. Unless you have the old ink.....even then Pelikan or MB which had BB inks that were stronger than now, spoke of cleaning a pen every 3 months.

[DasKaltblut]

Preppys are the best at not drying out!

[Tas]

Preppys are the best at not drying out!

Easily one of the best. I have 5 loaded with different colours on my desk all the time. Some I dont use for weeks on end. Never an issue. Incredible pens and Im a fan of their nibs too.

[Mech-for-i]

 

I don't see Hero 616 being any different than Hero 329 (which I own), and that thing dries out after sitting unused for 4-5 days tops. More like 2 days. It has to be used every day.

 

I got a chuckle every time I got this kind of comment ... they look the same, they feel the same so they must be the same .... well sorry that's not the case .. the 329 ( and its derivatives 33X series .. though design and work on same principles & primary mechanics, was not a single bit the same as the 616 and none of their parts interchange. The 616 Plus, a new 2018 pen though look and feel exactly like the old 616 was a totally different pen inside, different nib, different feed, and different filling system ( there is a thread of the inner working of these in the Chinese Fountain Pen section on this forum if one are interested ) and again most of the parts do not interchange.

 

Back to the drying out, well the 329 use a different inner cap vs the 616 and a different cap design overall ... but that's beyond the point ... these kind of slip on cap, whether its Parker or Hero, Waterman or Pilot .. I've had them all and seen so many times that the problem is in how the cap are being used ... most people think they put on the cap and it slip on secure then its a done deal, well hmmm ... not for these slip on cap, even with the clutch one need to made a gentle but firm push on the cap when capping to made sure you actually made a seal between the inner cap and the hood / section; else even if the cap sit secured its only sitting secured ( by the clutch usually ) and the nib is still open to drying as no seal had been fashioned between the inner cap and the hood.

 

My Hero 330 usually sit on my home desk pen tray and inked with IG ink and frequently I left it for a week or more without any writing and it still write with first moment nib to the paper. If you practice proper capping and still the nib dry out then its time to consider working the cap itself, I've found that this apply to all clutch / slip on cap again whether its vintage Parker or new Hero.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mech-for-i

[Mech-for-i]

....

 

Aside from the feline complications, has anyone solved this iron gall problem and what inexpensive pen do you use for it?

 

I do, also had cats in the house and can relay ..... every time I am out with the ink bottle I had to made sure they are locked out of the study ... and my desk dip pen set now had to sit in a ( closed ) cabinet. I've lost count how many time I walk into my study and found that my pens on the tray or stand resting somewhere else and of course when grilled none of them admit to any

[Honeybadgers]

preppy would be good but it's clear pen, which means light, which is a bad thing for iron galls.

 

wing sung 601 gets my vote. it's a tight, great seal, NEVER dries out, has an ink window that is covered by the cap when capped, and the IG won't eat it. They're also very reliably made with superb quality control and cost under $15.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[bob_hayden]

I have owned many dozens of fountain pens. Voted least likely to dry out is the Pelikan M200, but second best have been the colorful cheap plastic pens made by Reform in the 1980s and sold in the US under the A&W label. Speerbob on eBay has some of these NOS in loud prints for $5-10. I can't speak to iron gall issues particularly other than that I have never had problems with modern iron gall inks.

[Randal6393]

The pens that I use that seem to never dry out are the Wing Sung 3008 -- very easy to clean and uses Lamy slip-on nibs, the Pilot Prera -- easy to clean and a very neat, attractive little pen, the Noodler Creapers, Konrads, and Ahabs -- a bit finicky but adjustable. Best of luck,

[SoulSamurai]

Noodler Creapers, Konrads, and Ahabs

Really? I love the Noodler's Creaper, but my Noodler's resin pens are very vulnerable to drying out (the acrylic and ebonite pens are much better, making me think it's a material thing rather than a construction thing); so much so that I simply don't use them. I'm surprised your experience has been so different to mine! Edited September 3, 2018 by SoulSamurai

[TSherbs]

Preppys are the best at not drying out!

Yes, but they crack just sitting still. I prefer the Plaisir: same seal mechanism, same nib, no cracking.

[php2316]

Preppy.

NEVER dries out.

Very inexpensive.

[Corona688]

iron gall ink eating up nibs and metallic component is indeed true if you are talking vintage era pens and ink, by ta I mean pre war years. Time flies ... todays iron gall ink and pen are much different; even Diamine's .... they are not that strong as opposed to real vintage ink formula and they are formulated mostly to be used as normal ink in any of todays contemporary models.

 

Vintage inks used sulfuric acid to preserve the ferrous sulfate.

 

Modern inks use Mohr's Salt, Ammonium Iron Sulfate, which needs no acid to protect it, it oxidizes rather reluctantly.

[Randal6393]

Really? I love the Noodler's Creaper, but my Noodler's resin pens are very vulnerable to drying out (the acrylic and ebonite pens are much better, making me think it's a material thing rather than a construction thing); so much so that I simply don't use them. I'm surprised your experience has been so different to mine!

Hmmmm ... I have a half-dozen each of my Konrads and another half-dozen Ahabs. Yeah, I have retired one or two for drying out. Until I realized that adjusting the feed-to-nib distance had a lot to do with the flow rate. Right now, I have 20 pens inked, most inked at least two weeks ago. All will write upon being picked up and without any problems. Six Konrads (one ebonite, one acrylic), one Ahab, six Wing Sung 3008's, one TWSBI, and two Bexleys. And a few other oddball pens. So I guess my mileage is pretty good.

 

Best of luck,

[Honeybadgers]

The pens that I use that seem to never dry out are the Wing Sung 3008 -- very easy to clean and uses Lamy slip-on nibs, the Pilot Prera -- easy to clean and a very neat, attractive little pen, the Noodler Creapers, Konrads, and Ahabs -- a bit finicky but adjustable. Best of luck,

 

Noodlers are not pens that are good for long term storage. they will evaporate through the pores of the resin itself. They have huge ink supplies which masks it, but set a charlie aside for two months and it will lose 20-50% of its ink.

[wallylynn]

My experience also has Nooder's evaporating right through the plastic resin. The nibs don't dry out, so they do write. But the ink gets darker and darker every day as the ink concentrates. It was actually a good thing for my iron gall ink because I found it to be too pale when fresh. (On the other hand, KTC dried up into a sludge that I needed to dig out with a toothpick.)

 

I've used IG in my lamy vista for months at a time, until I lost it.