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Just discovered the world of iron gall inks and I like it. I need waterproof black (or very dark) ink on occasions and though I have used Noodler's bulletproof and De Atramentis among others, nothing beats iron gall ink for character. The problem of course is the flow. I use it with a Lamy Studio pen. The first few pages were brilliant. The following less so. I think this ink needs a very wet pen - and a pen resistant to clogging. Maybe an older pen. Would you have any suggestion for a suitable pen? (Also not expensive pen as I would not dare using iron gall ink with my Pelikans or Omas!)

INK : DIAMINE REGISTRARS INK - IRON GALL
PAPER : Piccolo Press 160gsm, Oyster, LaidPEN : Swan Ebonite with Degussa Flex Nib by Eckiethump Having reviewed Diamine Registrars Ink when I was using it in my modern Onoto Magna 261 pen last year, I wanted to show you what the ink can look like from a pen of the period when iron gall inks were in very common use. There is one difference that is immediately apparent between my Onoto and this older pen... the rate of flow. Generally speaking, working grade pens of the period (1920-30s) had relatively simple feeds made of Ebonite or similar materials with a straight-forward ink channel to the nib. They delivered their ink quickly and were resilient to clogging. As you are probably aware, Iron Gall inks tend to be thought of as "high maintenance" and "dry" because they are very likely to dump precipitate inside the pen as they age. This precipitate accumulates and can be tricky to remove thoroughly, especially from a modern pen with a modern feed. A modern feed has channels and fins often manufactured to microscopic tolerances. Dump a load of particles in these feeds and you are looking at dry starting, skipping and poor flow - even after a wash. Older pens with simple feeds can be cleaned much more easily. There are far fewer nooks and crannies for the iron precipitate to hide and build up. When I submitted my Registrars Ink review last year, I noticed that the flow was reasonable and the ink felt somewhat dry under the nib. Hardly surprising given that it was being delivered by a modern feed designed with modern inks in mind. The ink came out as a low saturation mid-blue and oxidised to a grey-black. Now let's have a look at how it performs from a high flow Ebonite feed and a semi-flex nib... http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowTitle.jpg This is the ink, paper and pen combination I shall be using for this demonstration. Having finished my first 30ml glass bottle a few months ago, I ordered a plastic 100ml tank from Diamine to act as a stock bottle and decanted a portion into the cleaned glass bottle as a working supply. I tend to also use a 5ml sample bottle as a filling supply for the current pen. When I get down to the last portion I discard it, wash the sample bottle and refill from the glass bottle which is allowed to settle undisturbed. The paper is my preferred letter writing paper from Piccolo Press in Scotland. It weighs in at 160gsm which is a good solid writing paper thickness. It has a hard surface on which ink will deliver crisp lines and is a Laid finish in Oyster colour. While it can feel a little rough under an un-tipped nib, if the ink flows well that will offset the sensation. The pen was assembled for me by Eckiethump from a Swan Ebonite body, Swan Ebonite feed and a Degussa flex nib given to me by Bo Bo Olsen. It holds around 1ml and is a sac-filler. While the feed and nib could easily be removed for cleaning, in the past year I have had no need to do so. A simple warm water wash and rinse has been more than enough to deal with almost a year's use exclusively with Iron Gall. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowNib.jpg You will have to ask Bo Bo Olsen about the specifics of the nib he sent me but it is a steel long-tined flex nib with no tipping material. Under light pressure it delivers a line that I would guess is somewhere between an XF or F. Regular writing pressure averages around a M with downstrokes spreading to a B or BB. I do not apply excessive pressure to get more flex - I am more than happy with the variation in line-width that I am able to get. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowFeed.jpg The Ebonite feed does not have the modern advances to deal with changes of pressure or temperature. It is simply designed to reliably deliver a good supply of ink to a flex nib which as you will know can demand a lot from a feed. Despite allowing the pen to lie for a couple of days I never have hard starts or skips and even under rapid writing I do not get rail-roading. It delivers a lot of ink to the paper on demand. It just works. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowStrokeWet.jpg Using this pen on unbleached paper, the Diamine Registrars flows a rich mid-navy, darkens to deep navy in seconds and goes black by the time the ink is dry. It is hard to capture the iron gall colour change because it happens so quickly. As you can see, this ink is clearly still very wet and it is practically black. Remember this is unbleached paper too. On copy paper with optical brighteners it blackens much more quickly - in seconds usually. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowStrokeDry.jpg By the time the ink is dry, the downstrokes are already completely black. Despite the heavy delivery of ink, the Registrars does not smudge under a dry finger. If you allow a little moisture to make contact, the blue which is still present does move of course but this is expected behaviour from any modern iron gall. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/RegistrarsHighFlow/RegistrarsHighFlowMacro.jpg This shot was taken less than a minute from writing. Note how the heavier lines are totally black and only the lighter strokes show any of the blue colour. I re-examined this piece of paper after an hour and the blue cast was gone, replaced by a deep grey. Even under this heavy delivery, the Diamine Registrars ink delivers sharp, crisp lines. It does not feather or bleed through anything. I use this pen on UK Prescriptions which are wafer-thin and even make biro show through. I use it on Government forms because it doesn't bleed through. I use it on envelopes because it is waterproof. Now I don't have any other Iron Galls to compare this against at the moment but I would predict this... put ESSRI, Scabiosa, Salix, MB Midnight or Urkundentinte in a high-flow Ebonite feed and you will see a whole new depth of colour that you just don't get from a modern pen. You will also get the added side-benefit that these feeds are incredibly easy to clean. And to the folks who keep asking "Will Iron Gall inks corrode your pen?"... I have been keeping Registrars in this pen for almost a year now and it is still in perfect (for its age) condition. No visible corrosion, no accelerated wear. It just works. If I ever wear it out, I will simply obtain a new steel nib and pay someone to set it up for me again.