Low Maintenance Inks

[pranav.bhatnagar]

Most of the dye-based inks that are sold by companies that also make pens are ‘low-maintenance’ inks that shouldn’t clog inside pens (unless you leave them inside a locked car in the desert).

I stress ‘dye-based’ because some pen companies also sell iron-gall inks. Those are often not ‘low-maintenance’.

 

Also, any ink that is sold as ‘washable blue’ (& e.g. Parker Quink also sell a ‘washable black’ in cartridges) will be as easy to wash out of a pen as it is to wash out of clothing.

 

 

My go-to recommendation for folks getting started with FPs is Diamine. There is a large range of colors, they are well-behaved, and the cartridges are international, so they appeal to the widest range of users.

 

The only one that has given me "trouble" is Oxblood - it writes fine, I just get a little bit of ooze/crust on one of my pens if it sits for awhile (it cleans up with no issue). The only one I have ever avoided is Pumpkin, because twice when I picked up a bottle at the store, there were lava lamp-like chunks of precipitate floating around in there. Nope.

 

 

Among different colours, blue seems lowest maintenance to me

Pelikan Royal blue 4001

Waterman Blue

Aurora Blue

Caran d'Ache Blue Sky

JH Eclat de Saphir

 

Royal blue 4001 you can even let dry in your pen, it will just wash away with water even after years (tested...)

 

 

Pelikan 4001 inks, particularly Brilliant Black, Royal Blue, and Blue-Black. 4001 Blue-Black has a small amount of iron gall in it but it has never caused me any problems in my pens, and it is a really nice, deep blue color that dries a little darker. The Black is a very good, dark black with great properties.

 

After 35 years of using a fountain pen daily, and having tried many brands of inks, I have concluded that the Pelikan 4001 inks are best for me and are very low maintenance.

 

Rumpole

 

 

thank you guys for your responses. Appreciate it.

[pranav.bhatnagar]

 

Fully second (and have some additions):

 

 

• Very low maintenance = Herbin regulars, i.e. not 1670s; Pelikan 4001 (except old formulation Brillant Black) and most Edelstein; Skrip; Rohrer & Klingner (except Dokumentus); Lamy (the standard ones); Waterman, Octopus, Pilot Iroshizuku, any esrasable Royal Blue from a European producer (they are too many to mention), Visconti, Aurora and Stipula.
• Low maintenance = Most De Atramentis (not all document inks); CdA; most Diamines. Here too, I'd include most Montblancs, most Private Reserve (except Baystate Blue), most Colorverse, Graf von Faber Carell.
• High maintenance: Not a brand in general, but more or less all brands have one or more "black sheep", i.e. inks that are problematic if left drying in a pen.

 

 

 

My go-to recommendation for folks getting started with FPs is Diamine. There is a large range of colors, they are well-behaved, and the cartridges are international, so they appeal to the widest range of users.

 

The only one that has given me "trouble" is Oxblood - it writes fine, I just get a little bit of ooze/crust on one of my pens if it sits for awhile (it cleans up with no issue). The only one I have ever avoided is Pumpkin, because twice when I picked up a bottle at the store, there were lava lamp-like chunks of precipitate floating around in there. Nope.

 

 

I try to use nothing by low maintenance inks. I want an ink that does not clog my pen and also cleans up easily. As a result, I tend to prefer less saturated inks such as Waterman inks, many of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks, many of the L'Artisan Pastelier Callifolio inks and most of the Stipula Calamo inks. Of the J. Herbin inks, the only one I have had good luck with is Eclat de Saphir.

 

Most of the Diamine inks that I have are relatively low maintenance, as are most DeAtramentis, Sailor Manyo, Montegrappa and Visconti inks.

 

Some of the newer inks (well, new to me at least) including Troublemaker, Vinta and Krishna can be problematic, particularly the high sheening inks and highly saturated inks. The absolute worst ink to clean out of a pen is Troublemaker Grapevine. I purchased a bottle and haven't had the heart to dump it down the drain yet. I recently used it in a Platinum Preppy and it is completely stained in spite of extensively cleaning with a number of different things.

 

 

Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue is so low maintenance that I had seen pens left over for a year or more with a cartridge inside that went completely dry. Looking at the empty cartrdidge shows how little residuals this ink leaves, and some of these pen were turned back to life simply by installing a new cartridge and giving them a couple shakes. The first half page was a little saturated, and then writing went back to normal.

 

On the other side, Diamine regular inks are generally low maintenance. But, when a manufacturer has so wide a range, exceptions might pop up. I experienced the old blue-black formulation. It was so pen clogging that I got tired of keeping the section of a dried pen under the faucet and still seeing tinted water coming out. I installed a converter filled with clean water and I could go on for 5-6 refills with the pen writing almost the same way that it was filled with regular ink.

 

 

Thank you all.. very detailed and descriptive. Will be very useful for many of them.

[Arkanabar]

 

Fully second (and have some additions):

 

 

• Very low maintenance = Herbin regulars, i.e. not 1670s; Pelikan 4001 (except old formulation Brillant Black) and most Edelstein; Skrip; Rohrer & Klingner (except Dokumentus); Lamy (the standard ones); Waterman, Octopus, Pilot Iroshizuku, any esrasable Royal Blue from a European producer (they are too many to mention), Visconti, Aurora and Stipula.
• Low maintenance = Most De Atramentis (not all document inks); CdA; most Diamines. Here too, I'd include most Montblancs, most Private Reserve (except Baystate Blue), most Colorverse, Graf von Faber Carell.
• High maintenance: Not a brand in general, but more or less all brands have one or more "black sheep", i.e. inks that are problematic if left drying in a pen.

 

 

Private Reserve inks are noted for their very high dye load. This is the first time I've seen them described as low-maintenance. I have never used a PR ink, but my understanding is that they do not rinse clear from pens with ease.

 

Baystate Blue is not a PR product; it's a Noodler's product. And it will do horrible things to any ink with which it is mixed, aside from other Noodler's Baystate inks. Most people who can't live without the color of BSB devote a pen to its use.

 

Yes, that was a one-time issue many years ago.... H. checked it out, admitted it, and then renewed all charges and voilà, problem gone.

 

+1. The EU required them to use larger particles of dye in the mixing process, and they did not know they needed to re-engineer their production process until after the issue was brought to their attention. Any J. Herbin not left on a shelf somewhere from 2012-2014 ought to be fine.

 

I haven't used it myself, but I am assured that Pilot's Blue-Black is a fuss-free ink with excellent behavior.

[Estycollector]

Waterman comes to mind.

[Phormula]

Sorry for the wrong attribution.

 

Well, I use several Private Reserve and last year I did the acid test. Due to a serious health issue I was hospitalised for two months, following by recovery. Almost all my fountain pens and Visconti travel inkwells have been sitting for 9 months half empty. Knowing the chore in front of me I postponed the recovery until I was at home due to covid lockdown. It took me two days, but at the end I had first hand experiece of the goods, the bads and the ugly. One Visconti inkwell took a week to be cleaned. Saturation is not what makes the difference, it is solubility of the dies once they have dried.

[aurore]

I believe it very much depends on the maintenance itself. For instance Visconti Blue has been reported by many as a staining ink, while in my experience it is easy flush with a plain water after a day or two, but not after a longer period of time. Surprisingly well works R K Salix or Pelikan 4001 IG Blue-Black if a mild solution of vinegar is used to flush, while if one lets it to dry inside the pen it is an unbelievable pain then.
There are some troublesome inks, but in general it is all about the regularity of maintenance imho

Edited June 2, 2020 by aurore

[bone215]

Sheaffer Blue

Pilot Blue

Parker Quink blue black

Pilot iro shin kai & tsuki-yo

Sailor Jentle Blue black & miruai

[flyingfox]

All Sailor ink I have used are very well-behaved and low maintenance. Same for J. Herbin and Diamine ink (NOT the sparkly ones, they can be hard to clean out.)

[Arkanabar]

I don't know about ALL Diamine (conventional) inks. There are complaints about Grape.

[bayindirh]

I don't know about ALL Diamine (conventional) inks. There are complaints about Grape.

I think they're addressed as they surface. There are reports about Oxblood too, but my bottle is tame as a graciously sleeping ox in my Lamy safari.

[ENewton]

I think they're addressed as they surface. There are reports about Oxblood too, but my bottle is tame as a graciously sleeping ox in my Lamy safari.

 

Lest someone think all complaints about Grape can be quickly and easily discredited:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/232730-diamine-grape/?do=findComment&comment=3011331

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/324270-is-all-diamine-dry-or-just-diamine-grape/?do=findComment&comment=4168493

[bayindirh]

 

Lest someone think all complaints about Grape can be quickly and easily discredited:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/232730-diamine-grape/?do=findComment&comment=3011331

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/324270-is-all-diamine-dry-or-just-diamine-grape/?do=findComment&comment=4168493

Actually my intention was to just share my experience with another allegedly problematic ink. I didn't use grape and it may be one of the more problematic inks around. I won't object.

 

Inks got reformulated all the time due to plethora of reasons. Also chemistry is a weird thing. Not everything (in color and behavior) is easy it seems.

[Phormula]

All Sailor ink I have used are very well-behaved and low maintenance...

 

I had big troubles with Blue-Black a dozen years ago, but I have been told it has been reformulated.

All my Diamine blues (Misty, Kensington, Presidential, Eau de Nil, China, Royal, ...) are well behaved and never gave me troubles.

When a company has an extensive range, it is difficult to generalize.

[Margana]

Waterman Mysterious Blue and Pilot Blue Black. I use both for testing pens and have never been disappointed.

[Brianm_14]

Skrip is always a safe and fairly-priced, reliable choice, and the red is very nice and well-behaved unlike many other reds. It has long been one of my two standard reds for correcting college essays. The other is Diamine Oxblood, which is fine if used in a pen (such as a Platinum) which is resistant to drying out between uses. I also always rinse with water between refills with Oxblood, something which is unnecessary with Skrip Red.

 

Waterman inks are worry-free as well.

 

Pilot blue and blue-black in the large bottles are both economical and very safe. Use them with confidence. I find them an economical choice for filling the inkwells of my Esterbrook dipless desk pens; just add a few drops of distilled water every other week to allow for evaporative losses.

[Brianm_14]

First some remarks from experience with inks, then some suggestions and questions about pens. (Sorry for the overlap in posts; I couldn't see my initial post here when I wrote my second, later and more detailed post.)

 

Shrip is always wonderfully safe, especially their red. Reds and colors such as violets and purples can be saturated and quite troublesome in any brand, but not Skrip. Plus it is a lovely red. I'd rate it a standout.

 

Waterman seems safe across the board, and like Skrip, economically priced. That's refreshing!

 

The large bottles of Pilot blue and blue-black are a great deal, and the inks are very well-behaved. I have the red as well, but cannot address the wuestion of whether or not it is a trouble-free ink. I do use these pilot inks in my inkwells for Esterbrook dipless pens, adding a few drops of distilled water every other week to make up for any evaporation, and rinsing the pens briefly at the same time. Given that experience, I'd say the Pilot inks are remarkably trouble-free. But I can only attest to the blue and blue-black in ordinary fountain pens.

 

Diamine Oxblood is an ink I use extensively in grading university student essays. It makes my points stand out, such as about sloppy grammar, terrible spelling, failure to proofread, or a lack of sound reasoning. This ink gives me me no problems whatsoever, but. . . I also only use it in Platinum fountain pens such as the 3776 which seal tightly.

 

Indeed, I misplaced one 3667 pen, filled with Oxblood, for nearly three years after a household move. The pen wrote perfectly at the first try when it was finally found and we had our joyous reunion! So I 'd say Oxblood simply needs a little special care in order to be trouble-free.

 

Which leads me to a point: some of the trouble isn't always with the ink, it can very well be with the pen! If you want low maintenance, pick a good pen and ink combination. Some pens tend to dry out more quickly, leave thickened, sluggish ink in the nib and feed if not used at least every second or third day, and some pens just resist simple cleaning with water. All too often in such circumstances, the user is quick to blame the ink.

 

Personally, I find my Platinums (all of the models which are provided with the slip seal against drying), TWSBI Ecos, Pelikans, a Rotring, and a couple of mid-range Pilots to be completely satisfactory in this respect. A few Moonman pens have been surpringly dependable as well, but not across the board of their models -the eyedroppers seem to be the best. Any ink is safe in them. For the most part clean up, even for switching inks, has proven easy because nothing has dried up in the pen.

 

So I wonder how much of the question lies in the inks, and how much in the pens?

Edited June 23, 2020 by Brianm-14-FRMS

[stephenchin]

Brianm makes a critical point above about the importance of finding compatible ink for each of your pens.

 

Vintage (and heritage) inks were designed for vintage pens with much better-flowing ebonite feeds, and so are generally much drier and less saturated; and certainly more acidic than alkaline inks like Iroshizuku. Modern plastic feeds need more help in the lubrication department and are more sensitive to set up; and many modern nibs are not hand-finished or tested--as the best vintage ones were at the factory--and so run the gamut from too dry to too wet. Some of your problems may be nib problems, not ink problems! And ink cannot always completely compensate for those. But finding the right ink can make your pen write and feel much better.

 

I second what everyone has said about Waterman Serenity Blue and Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue: have used them for 10++ years with no issues in any pens, vintage or modern.

 

However, I would caution about blanket pronouncement that entire lines of any ink are safe: I've had red and purple inks from 'safe' manufacturers stain celluloid after even one use; and I've had two different latex sacs (in different pens) fail after very limited use of Diamine Monaco Red (flushing pen several times after each use with water). It's easy to find examples on here of people with even modern acrylic or other plastic pens asking for help about their badly-stained pens which resist all efforts at cleaning.

 

Iroshizuku inks may be low maintenance in many modern pens, but their highly basic (alkaline) composition likely make them dangerous for vintage celluloid and latex pens. Parker discontinued it's basic Superchrome ink for this reason, despite it's performance.

 

More saturation means deep and vibrant color on the page, but with an increased risk of staining and clogging. More glitter means more clogging. More permanence, and red and purple and some green pigments also bring higher risk of staining. IG offers permanence, but the high acidity can and will eat most metals, including non-gold nibs (I have experienced this even after using a manufacturer's own IG ink in it's own pen, with careful hygiene). And the iron can also clog feeds horribly if left to dry. Removal of dangerous/potentially carcinogenic additives/fungicides have made some heritage inks more prone to mold/fungus/gunk; and more prone to clogging. Small-batch independent inks have developed highly original colors (and exceptional permanence), but these inks are rarely time-tested or maker-tested--so you and your beloved pens may end up being the beta testers. Several of these inks have been recalled or reformulated because of problems, including problems with supposedly bullet-proof modern resins.

 

I love the ambition and originality of many Noodlers colors, and still use several. But many of the most beautiful and original end up frustrating their most ardent users to the point of abandonment. El Lawrence and Kung-te-Cheng spring to mind.

 

An easy rule of thumb? If you want to use some of these dazzling new inks, just don't use them in your rare, expensive, vintage or irreplaceable pens--use them in pens you wouldn't mind damaging. It's a bit like using nitrous in your engine: can it make you go faster? Yes. Do lots of people do it? Absolutely. Will it void your warranty? Probably. Will it blow up your engine? Not necessarily, and not the first time--if you're careful. But eventually, over time--yes. It will take it's toll. TANSTAAFL. And always maintain your pens, just as you would any delicate instrument. If you don't like to maintain your pen, use safer inks. Other ones will punish you for your lapses.

 

It's worth mentioning that a lot of long-term users end up returning to the safe and 'boring' old classic inks. They have endured for a reason: they perform wonderfully; don't damage pens; work in professional settings; and come in colors that may seem boring at first, but in the end, don't cloy or become tiresome. If such inks didn't exist--or ever went out of production--independent makers would be trying to replicate their hues. And experienced, long-term users would be hoarding them and bidding them up on ebay.

Edited July 12, 2020 by stephenchin

[SashK]

Pelikan 4001 and Rohrer and Klingner and Diamine, generally. But again, saturation does play its part on occasion. Sailor as well but again it depends on saturation and sheen. But all the above have never destroyed or stained any pen permanently. A few just require a little more cleaning detail. +15 minutes of additional time at the most.

 

Although you'll only know if you try. Some high saturation inks from the brands above clean out as fast and as easily as the low-sat inks. Some do not. Sherwood green was a surprise straggler.

 

It would also matter if you clean out your pens once a year or longer versus every other week or month. We all have our individual habits to consider. Having said that, some inks just play well in nearly any pen. The older pen makers blues are all a part of this group.

[essayfaire]

I believe it very much depends on the maintenance itself. For instance Visconti Blue has been reported by many as a staining ink, while in my experience it is easy flush with a plain water after a day or two, but not after a longer period of time. Surprisingly well works R K Salix or Pelikan 4001 IG Blue-Black if a mild solution of vinegar is used to flush, while if one lets it to dry inside the pen it is an unbelievable pain then.

There are some troublesome inks, but in general it is all about the regularity of maintenance imho

Interesting. I've found Visconti blue to be well-behaved, even in pens that aren't used all the time.

 

Other than that, I agree with most of the above recommendations but would add Sailor Jentle to the list, if you can get it before it disappears. I'm not sure if it's being discontinued worldwide or just in North America. I try to avoid inks that aren't low maintenance, but I also like high saturation, so I don't use Herbin and others that are too "watery" for my taste.

[aurore]

Interesting. I've found Visconti blue to be well-behaved, even in pens that aren't used all the time.

 

Other than that, I agree with most of the above recommendations but would add Sailor Jentle to the list, if you can get it before it disappears. I'm not sure if it's being discontinued worldwide or just in North America. I try to avoid inks that aren't low maintenance, but I also like high saturation, so I don't use Herbin and others that are too "watery" for my taste.

I must add Pilot Blue-Black. Yes, it stains. But all the stains disappear with a dish detergent solution soaking. Disappear fully. Rarely any inks behave that well, especially considering how water resistant it is on paper.

Edited July 12, 2020 by aurore