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Iron Gall Problem - Help Needed Please.

Stompie

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Stompie

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I have 2 iron gall inks that I am struggling with, Walkers and Diamine Registrars.

I have had them for some years now but, in the past week, no matter what nib I use the ink suddenly gushes off the nib.

 

I have put on new nibs, used different nibs including Italic nibs but, not even flexing the nib and the ink gushes off.

 

I have added Gum Arabic to the inks but still the problem persists.

In fact, the ink is now about 50% Gum Arabic!

 

What can I do to solve this issue? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

Edit:: These are dip nibs I use Iron Gall for, not fountain pens.

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Ron Z Museum Piece

Ron Z

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What kind of pen? Is this a dip pen or a fountain pen? It sounds like a dip pen. But if a fountain pen....

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Cyber6 Donor Pen

Cyber6

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Gum Arabic and Fountain Pens don't go together.

 

Gum arabic is used for dip pen nibs, for calligraphy inks.

 

 

 

I have personally never had issues with my IG inks (beside getting darker in the bottle).. so I will say your inks are dead. Not sure if something fell on it, but it looks like they have lost the ink properties to flow properly (without gushing).

 

 

I don't think you can save them. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

 

 

 

 

C.

 

 

 

I have 2 iron gall inks that I am struggling with, Walkers and Diamine Registrars.

I have had them for some years now but, in the past week, no matter what nib I use the ink suddenly gushes off the nib.

 

I have put on new nibs, used different nibs including Italic nibs but, not even flexing the nib and the ink gushes off.

 

I have added Gum Arabic to the inks but still the problem persists.

In fact, the ink is now about 50% Gum Arabic!

 

What can I do to solve this issue? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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eharriett Collectors Item

eharriett

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OK, so I'm a frequent user of Diamine Registrar's ink. I haven't encountered what you are talking about, but I can probably assist with diagnosis. I'd start with the answer to Ron's question: what kind of nib are we talking about? And dip pen or fountain? Need more specifics there.

 

My next question involves the filling of the pen (or dipping). How do you fill -- does you dip and fill, or do you remove from an eyedropper or syringe and fill that way? And how cleaned out are the pens before you do fill? This is unusually important with IG inks as they tend to leave residue over time which can affect ink flow (usually, making it flow less, not more, but it helps to know.

 

Next has to do with storage. How is the relative humidity of where you store your ink? I don't know too much of the weather in the UK area, except people complain it rains a lot, like it does in the Pacific Northwest. When I lived in Oregon, humidity certainly added a little bit of "lubrication" to almost everything I owned.

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Stompie Collectors Item

Stompie

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These are dip nibs I am using.

 

Principle and Esterbrook 358 nibs. I even tried a Nikko G and got the same result.

 

No issue with humidity. Ink is kept in sealed bottles inside a cabinet or desk unit. I have no problem with humidity or damp here in my place.

 

Last night I used a Drawing Pen nib and the ink seemed to work fine but as soon as I go back to the Principle or Esterbrook, the gushing starts again.

 

It is just those two inks. I have no issue with Blots Iron Gall or Higgins, just the Diamine and Walkers. And despite all the Gum Arabic, they just do not thicken up. Perhaps I should just throw them out and start with fresh ink :)

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eharriett Collectors Item

eharriett

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Not familiar with a Principle nib. But I am familiar with an Esterbrook nib. I'd be surprised if this happened with iron gall ink, but can you see if the fins on the feed are all right? Any blocks or missing fins that might cause it to gush out more? If the hole for the Estie nib not decayed?

 

These would be considerations for IG inks. Esterbrook nibs are steel and might decay because of that specific ink unless you keep them real clean, real often. Those would be my next things to check. I'll let the pros chime in with more, but I'm really careful with that IG ink and steel nibs.

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Stompie Collectors Item

Stompie

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Not familiar with a Principle nib. But I am familiar with an Esterbrook nib. I'd be surprised if this happened with iron gall ink, but can you see if the fins on the feed are all right? Any blocks or missing fins that might cause it to gush out more? If the hole for the Estie nib not decayed?

 

These would be considerations for IG inks. Esterbrook nibs are steel and might decay because of that specific ink unless you keep them real clean, real often. Those would be my next things to check. I'll let the pros chime in with more, but I'm really careful with that IG ink and steel nibs.

 

These are dip pen nibs so no fins or feed as such.

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JakobS Collectors Item

JakobS

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Probably the easiest solution is to buy fresh ink, it could simply be that the inks have met their shelf life (iron precipitated out of the mixture) before it could be used up.

FP Ink Orphanage-Is an ink not working with your pens, not the color you're looking for, is never to see the light of day again?!! If this is you, and the ink is in fine condition otherwise, don't dump it down the sink, or throw it into the trash, send it to me (payment can be negotiated), and I will provide it a nice safe home with love, and a decent meal of paper! Please PM me!<span style='color: #000080'>For Sale:</span> TBA

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dave321 Near Mint

dave321

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I find KWZ iron gall inks, with their modern formulation, to work very well in fountain pens.

 

the highest level of iron gall is in their BLUE-BLACK, whilst lower levels are found in their other Blues/black, and other colours also.

 

the colour change (to black) and permanence are remarkable

 

I am not talking about their standard non iron gall range of inks.

 

you might also consider the Platinum range of classic (iron gall) inks available in 6 colurs

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Uncial Antique

Uncial

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That sounds quite odd. I usually use toothpaste but maybe passing through a flame if they have a stubborn coating? I must confess, I try to avoid the flame technique but I've noticed Brause are especially stubborn. I guess it's because they are sitting in drawers longer these days than in the past so they probably want to ensure a long shelf life.

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