Musing On The Old Trench Pens And Ink Tablets.

[Flaxmoore]

Back during World War 1, Parker among others made what were called Trench pens, eyedroppers that used tablets of ink with water. Made it so the soldier in question didn't have to carry liquid ink, just a tin of tablets and fill the pen with water, which was easy in the perpetually-damp trenches.

 

I fly a lot for work, and liquid ink always carries a risk of leaks and spills.

 

Does anyone make dry ink or ink tablets? I've heard of powdered ink for making a bottle's worth, but how about just enough for an eyedropper fill?

[Tas]

Our boss, amberleedavis, made some investigations into this area by buying some old powdered ink on eBay. I did the same. My attempts with Websters (I think) wasnt too successful. Very lumpy and watery. Nice colour though.

[gistar]

I have a vial of Visconti tablets I found in ebay few years ago. That's the only time I saw something like this and I am glad I got them. With the exception of a few Indian eyedroppers most other pen barrels are a bit smaller in diameter than needed, and for the couple I used I dissolved them in a Visconti Travelling Inkwell. Nice black and decent behaviour as I remember but a cartridge is more convenient unless you have an eyedropper pen.

[PaulS]

at some point in this exercise, you're going to need the ink in liquid form - having to decant the liquid into your e.d. pen has the potential to be messy, and I'd have thought bottles these days were made to remain safely sealed. I'd suggest a later cartridge pen, and break the seal only when you need to write, though that's not your point of course if you really want to use your e.d.

 

Sorry I can't help with a source of tablets - probably unlikely there's any call for them now, but what is needed is some form of solid carrier that can absorb lots of liquid ink, and which can then revert to the black stuff as and when they're mixed with water.

 

In fact f.ps. designed specifically for this purpose continued to be made a lot later than the e.d. W.W. I period you mention ……………. I've a London made lever fill De La Rue f.p. called the Pellet Ink Pen, which the books say was made c. 1940. The barrel consists of two separate compartments - one for water and the other for the ink pellets - sadly my pen no longer contains any pellets.

 

Sorry this is unhelpful.

[Flaxmoore]

at some point in this exercise, you're going to need the ink in liquid form - having to decant the liquid into your e.d. pen has the potential to be messy, and I'd have thought bottles these days were made to remain safely sealed.

 

Actually, not so much. The idea is to get enough ink to use when I'm on the ground, dump it before I fly, refill when I hit the ground. Powder or pellets fit the bill.

[Corona688]

Tablets were a silly gimmick IMO -- a tiny pill lacks the surface area to efficiently dissolve, they were always bound to have these problems.

 

I bet it's possible to make little cardboard tubes into eyedropper pen "cartridges". Soak in concentrated ink then let dry. To use, dump one in your section then fill with water. The ink will dissolve fast, and you might be able to stretch it out a few refills if you don't mind it getting lighter.

[DipIt]

It doesn't address the problem but as a data point: I found some long dried out Parker cartridges that appeared to have no vestige of liquid. Injecting water to the same level and shaking produced an entirely useable end result.

[Karmachanic]

I fly a lot for work, and liquid ink always carries a risk of leaks and spills.

 

 

Pen with a shut-off valve? 823, Conid, Koloro ...

 

add: V700R

Edited September 8, 2018 by Karmachanic

[Flaxmoore]

 

Pen with a shut-off valve? 823, Conid, Koloro ...

 

add: V700R

 

Good idea, but never again on the TWSBI. Only parts I haven't replaced are the plunger mechanism and nib. The thing is fragile as can be.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Flaxmoore

[Karmachanic]

Conids are sturdy, as is the Koloro. I have no experience with the Pilot 823, but it gets rave reviews.

[amberleadavis]

Don't tell anyone, ha ha, but I've considered experimenting with an eyedropper pen, the dye tablets from Easter Egg dyes and the ink dilution fluid from De Atramentis.

 

Come to think of it, Flax, you feel up to trying it? I can supply dye and some dilution material.... though come to think of it, what about using some liquid soap as your base? Since you are dumping it out fairly quickly you don't have to worry about all the surfactants and biocides. Just be sure to dry your pen out.

 

You can still buy tablets from India. Your choice of colors is Black or Blue-black.

[VRI39C]

 

Good idea, but never again on the TWSBI. Only parts I haven't replaced are the plunger mechanism and nib. The thing is fragile as can be.

 

 

 

Pen with a shut-off valve? 823, Conid, Koloro ...

 

add: V700R

 

Completely agree about the TWSBI for travel. All of mine developed cracks. I picked up a first production run Conid CAISO Kingsize, that was specifically engineered for air travel. CAISO = Cap Activated Ink Shut Off. A simple but elegant solution to the dangers of cabin pressure and air expansion that leads to messy pens during flight. But pretty much any pen with an ink shut works great.

[Flaxmoore]

Don't tell anyone, ha ha, but I've considered experimenting with an eyedropper pen, the dye tablets from Easter Egg dyes and the ink dilution fluid from De Atramentis.

 

Come to think of it, Flax, you feel up to trying it? I can supply dye and some dilution material.... though come to think of it, what about using some liquid soap as your base? Since you are dumping it out fairly quickly you don't have to worry about all the surfactants and biocides. Just be sure to dry your pen out.

 

You can still buy tablets from India. Your choice of colors is Black or Blue-black.

I’d be in, got an Ahab that is my “what the heel, this might be cool” test pen.

[evyxmsj]

Id be in, got an Ahab that is my what the heel, this might be cool test pen.

😆

[Flaxmoore]

In the name of all holy, what the (bleep) happened with that post? I must have written it on my ipad- that thing often ignores apostrophes.

[amberleadavis]

Flax has decided to try it. We will see if Flax like it!

 

[AreBeeBee]

Regarding inked FPs and airplanes — I recently flew with two loaded pens, a 1945 Vacumatic and a 1970s Pelikan 120. Ink in both was 1960s vintage blue-black Quink.

 

Filled both as full as possible before leaving, they stayed upright in my pocket, and I saw no leaks. That is until I took out the Vac and used it in flight. Inky fingers soon ensued, and the shirt got a stain that's there forever because the ink is permanent.

 

No problems at all with the Pelikan — but I didn't try using it in flight, either, after the Vac bloodge. (There's only so much bloodge I'll risk as an experiment.) When the Pelikan reached the ground and I went to use it — no problems.

 

So this test reinforces what I've read elsewhere: if you fly with a fountain pen, either empty it or load it fully. In the latter case, leave it upright the whole flight and don't try to use it at altitude, even in a pressurized cabin. (That's why you have a vintage Jotter with you also.)

 

As to the shirt, my wife says, "Wear it with pride."

Edited September 22, 2018 by AreBeeBee

[hari317]

Back during World War 1, Parker among others made what were called Trench pens, eyedroppers that used tablets of ink with water. Made it so the soldier in question didn't have to carry liquid ink, just a tin of tablets and fill the pen with water, which was easy in the perpetually-damp trenches.

 

I fly a lot for work, and liquid ink always carries a risk of leaks and spills.

 

Does anyone make dry ink or ink tablets? I've heard of powdered ink for making a bottle's worth, but how about just enough for an eyedropper fill?

the problem is that even if you made just enough ink for one fill of the pen's barrel, the trench pen could still leak into the cap when you fly, especially if the pen is not stored vertically during the voyage. So investigate the possibility of purchasing a modern pen with a ink shut off valve that fills in the ED mode like the Danitrios, some pricey Namikis or there is a new Taiwanese company opus88 iirc that makes cheaper ones.

 

a well restored vintage waterman's safety would also do the job perfectly and be bulletprrof in performance, I used to use one quite regularly.

Edited September 26, 2018 by hari317

[amberleadavis]

I think Flax is going to fill it and dump out the extra before flying.... but Flax, let us know about your Inksperience.

[Flaxmoore]

I think Flax is going to fill it and dump out the extra before flying.... but Flax, let us know about your Inksperience.

 

You are entirely correct. The goal is to make enough to work for one day. So far, I'm pondering ideas for surfactants. Mouthwash, shampoo, shave gel come readily to mind.