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Anybody Knows Nib Crystals?

HoneyCake

By HoneyCake
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HoneyCake Dipped Only

HoneyCake

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Hello all.

 

I heard some inks make nib crystals.

 

Does someone know about this phenomenon?

 

I can't find it here.

 

If that phenomenon happens to my fountain pen, the only solution is to throw it and buy a new pen?

 

Thx🙂

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Uncial Antique

Uncial

Posted
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Some inks dry and crystalise on the nib. It can happen with lots of different inks and is sometimes called 'ink crud', but tends to be highly saturated ones like Diamine's Ancient Copper.

It washes away with water and does not harm to the nib.

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JefferyS Antique

JefferyS

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A few really saturated inks (like Diamine Pumpkin) will cause nib creep, crystalizing on the nib. Same with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses. I just wipe it off with a Kleenex.

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

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A Smug Dill Museum Piece

A Smug Dill

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Same with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses.

 

 

Thanks for the warning! I wasn't aware of that, and was actually contemplating buying a bottle of it.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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HoneyCake Dipped Only

HoneyCake

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Some inks dry and crystalise on the nib. It can happen with lots of different inks and is sometimes called 'ink crud', but tends to be highly saturated ones like Diamine's Ancient Copper.

It washes away with water and does not harm to the nib.

Thx for your explanation😀😀😀

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HoneyCake Dipped Only

HoneyCake

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A few really saturated inks (like Diamine Pumpkin) will cause nib creep, crystalizing on the nib. Same with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses. I just wipe it off with a Kleenex.

Oops. I bought the Diamine pumpkin today😅 Thx for your kind explanation!!

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JefferyS Antique

JefferyS

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Oops. I bought the Diamine pumpkin today Thx for your kind explanation!!

 

I like Diamine Pumpkin, but it is so highly saturated, just a litter water evaporation will lead to crystal formation. I believe the old chemists used to call supersaturated solutions "glacial". If they added any more of the chemical to the water, it would not go into solution. Photographers and science labs all have some glacial acetic acid (vinegar).

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

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JefferyS Antique

JefferyS

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Thanks for the warning! I wasn't aware of that, and was actually contemplating buying a bottle of it.

 

It isn't problematic...it just wipes right off, though it can look sort of scary when you see it. I've never had a pen misbehave due to nib creep and crystallization. And BSAR is worth it.

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

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BaronWulfraed Collectors Item

BaronWulfraed

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Parker Quink Red (in cartridges) had been my exemplar for crud build-up (there may still be a touch of red in the crevices of my 45, even though I've not used the ink in years). Not only did it coagulate around the base of the nib/feed, but the rough surface it formed would carry more ink via capillary action to the new edges to build up more...

 

Diamine Ancient Copper is the new exemplar.

 

I've only seen it happen with reds and oranges -- but don't recall ever seeing a pink do it (Levenger Pinkly when I used it; I need a few more days to see if Taccia Momo will do it)

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AntiqueApprentice Near Mint

AntiqueApprentice

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Hi

I have found that a couple of the Blackstone inks don this, the worst one in particular being the Golden Wattle Yellow.

Yes, a quick clean with a rag seems to do the trick.

Cheers

AA

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corniche Antique

corniche

Posted
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It isn't problematic...it just wipes right off, though it can look sort of scary when you see it. I've never had a pen misbehave due to nib creep and crystallization. And BSAR is worth it.

True.

 

Warm colored dyes, (reds, oranges, yellows and some browns), are the most prone to this - its just the nature of the beast.

 

The crystals are 100% miscible with plain water.

 

 

Sean :)

https://www.catholicscomehome.org/

 

"Every one therefore that shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father Who is in Heaven." - MT. 10:32

"Any society that will give up liberty to gain security deserves neither and will lose both." - Ben Franklin

Thank you Our Lady of Prompt Succor & St. Jude.

 

 

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Runnin_Ute Museum Piece

Runnin_Ute

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I have Diamine Ancient Copper in a pen now. I haven't seen it do it on any of the pens I have used it in. Ever.

Edited by Runnin_Ute

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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corniche Antique

corniche

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Posted

Diamine Grape.

Hi Fuzzy Bear,

 

Looking at the swabs for it, I'm not surprised; looks like it has the aforementioned troublesome red dyes in it.

 

Sean :)

https://www.catholicscomehome.org/

 

"Every one therefore that shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father Who is in Heaven." - MT. 10:32

"Any society that will give up liberty to gain security deserves neither and will lose both." - Ben Franklin

Thank you Our Lady of Prompt Succor & St. Jude.

 

 

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