Diamine Registrar's Ink

[politovski]

hey,

so, another iron gall ink, this one a sample from goulet pens. i obviously have more experience now with the essri, but this is another intriguing one.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/12449096264_4bc829b010_c.jpg

 

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/12448741893_d261b78e30_c.jpg

 

enjoyable to use, but a bit finicky at times: very light sometimes and dark others. not sure why, as both times the ink was rather wet. oh well. enjoy.

-p

[perrins57]

I may be stating the blooming obvious and in danger of "trying to teach my grandmother" etc (pls forgive if this is the case)but are you shaking/stirring the ink before filling the pen? Iron gall ink requires more mixing the regular dye inks. I get very consistent results from using with dip pens and in a vintage Summit 125. Having said that both bottles I have used (30ml & 100) have been much more black than blue, even before the ink oxidizes. Some reviewers seem to show sample of Diamine Registrars looking quite blue initially. Don't know if the recipe has changed or if its just a result of the dip pens and the Summit writing so wet?

[RudyR]

I may be stating the blooming obvious and in danger of "trying to teach my grandmother" etc (pls forgive if this is the case)but are you shaking/stirring the ink before filling the pen? Iron gall ink requires more mixing the regular dye inks. I get very consistent results from using with dip pens and in a vintage Summit 125. Having said that both bottles I have used (30ml & 100) have been much more black than blue, even before the ink oxidizes. Some reviewers seem to show sample of Diamine Registrars looking quite blue initially. Don't know if the recipe has changed or if its just a result of the dip pens and the Summit writing so wet?

 

Negative, uh uh, do not shake iron gall inks. You may be sucking up iron particles that might have precipitated out and could clog your feed. If you do shake the bottle, let it settle for a while before charging your pen. This is not an issue for dip pens but is for fountain pens.

 

The more extensive reviews of Iron Gall inks show that its the paper that seems to cause variances with how the ink reacts. By the way, I as a rule, do not click on links so if you could post pictures, it might be more helpful.

Edited February 11, 2014 by RudyR

[politovski]

sorry,

don't have enough space on here to do the pictures justice. the guidelines call for smaller photos and more compact, and that is not always helpful. so, my flickr account will support them. i can assure you they are just pictures. as for shaking, i have not really noticed much of a difference with shaking and not with the iron gall. what seems to matter more is how long the pen has set out and how wet the line is (heavily bleached papers also seem to make a difference.)

-p

[perrins57]

I'm using my iron gall on a daily basis, shaking it daily I don't think there's much chance of particles separating out. But yes, if registrars ink is left to settle for a long time people do report deposits coating the bottle, and I wouldn't want to loosen them and put them in a fountain pen.

[perrins57]

Try also Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa purple/black iron gall. Not as crisp as Registrars, but much nicer shading. Love it in my vintage Summit 125.

[BMG]

I've got a sample of this but have yet to try it out. Truth be told, I'm a bit nervous (and probably erroneously so) to use it in my old pens...

[tmenyc]

No need to be nervous...it's been around a long time and didn't hurt those pens...

I've used it with success in my wet Sheaffers and Parkers, all from the 30-50's. It needs a wetter pen, for sure. Just clean it out really well when you rotate, and try to use that pen every day when there's IG in it so the nib stays good and wet.

Tim

[politovski]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/12449096264_4bc829b010.jpg

 

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/12448741893_d261b78e30.jpg

 

alright, photos uploaded.

[BMG]

No need to be nervous...it's been around a long time and didn't hurt those pens...

I've used it with success in my wet Sheaffers and Parkers, all from the 30-50's. It needs a wetter pen, for sure. Just clean it out really well when you rotate, and try to use that pen every day when there's IG in it so the nib stays good and wet.

Tim

 

Thanks for your comment, Tim. My concern was more for any effect it might have on steel parts, as I had read somewhere that it might. I've got an old MB with a steel nib that I was thinking of when I bought the sample. It's a very wet writer and I thought the ink might help tame the pen's flow. Just haven't tried it yet.

[tinta]

Commenting on "Rudy's" post:

 

..........I never shake my Registrar's, old MB Midnight Blue, Salix or Scabiosa, but I do have to agitate my Akkerman # 10, by turning that nifty bottle upside down every time I fill a pen.

Would this much shaking of the Akkerman IG ink cause a problem in my pens?

[RudyR]

Commenting on "Rudy's" post:

 

..........I never shake my Registrar's, old MB Midnight Blue, Salix or Scabiosa, but I do have to agitate my Akkerman # 10, by turning that nifty bottle upside down every time I fill a pen.

Would this much shaking of the Akkerman IG ink cause a problem in my pens?

 

Good point. If it gets old, I would be more cautious when loading up a pen. Montblanc Midnight Blue seems to have a sort of "Best to use before" date of 3 years. After that, I would be on the lookout for hints of sludge building on the bottom. Could be the same for your Akkerman. If it does cause problems a simple soaking of the section, nib and feed in vinegar will dissolve the iron precipitates that could clog said pen in he future. Montblanc has a built in safety dam to help keep sediments out of the charging tank, although this probably wasn't in mind when they designed the bottle.

 

Remember, most of these old formula inks were probably supposed to be used within the year of purchase, which would have been possible back in the days when we used to write more.

 

I'm sure there will be more people better versed on ink chemistry than I but this is what I have gathered through the forum.

[CS388]

Bit late to the party on this one, but wondering about shaking the bottle.

 

Started using Diamine Registrar's a couple of months ago - and am happy with it, although my nibs get a bit mucky and flushing has to be a more regular experience than I'm used to (using Montblanc meisterstuck pens).

 

But, if I go a few days between fills, the ink will have seperated with a substantial amount of 'solids' in the bottom of the bottle. I always shake it before filling, as I assume that the 'solids' are an essential part of the IG mix? It doesn't take much, just a few quick inversions and the ink is one single solution again.

 

The main advantage I've seen with this ink is the lack of bleed-through on my (useless) Moleskine paper. I started buying it to replace the old Montblanc BlueBlack ink (also an IG ink, now discontinued).

As I said, I'm happy with it, but I don't feel it's the end of my quest and I'll probably keep experimenting, rather than permanently switching to it.

 

Thanks.

[Goudy]

My understanding is that if you shake a bottle of iron gall which has separated into a sediment, it's a bit like shaking a snow globe: all the bits will float around for a while but then settle at the bottom of the bottle again - or inside your pen if you've filled it in the meantime.

[the_gasman]

Diamine registrar's ink is my favourite and most used ink. It is my default ink for work. I need a waterproof ink with permanence: I can run water from a tap over the paper as soon as I have written and the writing is undisturbed. I am using it in a Lamy Vista with a medium nib. If it runs too dry, I prime the nib by twisting the converter plunger (with the nib upwards) until a bead of ink appears through the feed. I am extremely tempted to start using it at work with a Conway Stewart 28 that yields a river of ink to the page. I might be the perfect marriage to tame both the dryness of the ink and the wetness of the CS28 nib.

 

As with all my inks I always invert the bottle a couple of times before refilling my pen. No science behind it, just habit.

 

Cheers, David.

 

http://eudemonia.co.uk/fp/registrars.jpg

Edited May 2, 2015 by the_gasman

[amberleadavis]

How do you like the Miquel Ruis paper?

[the_gasman]

http://eudemonia.co.uk/fp/cs28&regsink.jpg