mixing different color pelikan 4001 inks

[sjchun79]

i know its not recommended to mix different inks from different manufacturers.

 

but the sailor jentle ink seems to do fine when mixed with other sailor inks. no clogging. (i didn`t do it myself; i just read it from someone`s blog)

 

now i have a few bottles of pelikan 4001 inks. i`m not too happy with its black color, i`d like to mix it with a blue 4001 ink, or a purple one. to make a dark, yet not just simply black color.

 

is this OK? the local retailer of the faber castell ink strongly recommends to wash the fountain pen before using another color, even if the inks are from the same brand. if this applies the same with pelikan inks, i don`t want to risk it.

 

one more thing....mixing a bit of water with ink. is it ok?

Edited August 17, 2009 by sjchun79

[Nero]

Sailor inks have a basic pH while many other inks, like some Pelikans, have an acidic pH. You should not mix them. But Sailor has nothing against mixing their inks. I suppose that there is no problem with mixing the Pelikan inks you have. But don't do that in the pen. I put ink mixes in extra bottles and wait some time. I check that nothing precipitates at the bottom of the bottle or that the mixed ink looks bad in some way. If it looks ok, I use it.

[BobR]

I don't think there's any problem mixing Pelikan inks. The retailer told you to rinse between colors so that a new color doesn't mix with residue from the old and produce an unwanted color as a result. Feeds can hold a lot of residual ink and many of us routinely rinse when changing colors. Good luck with your experiments!

[Tweel]

In two separate reviews of Pelikan blue-black, ethernautrix says:

 

"I use Pelikan Blue-Black mixed with Pilot Black, about 9:1, and I get a wonderful dark blue-black that is more water resistant."

 

and Ondina says:

 

"Pelikan Blue Black is a classic and a beautiful color. For even darker shades mixing it with a bit of Pelikan Black gives very attractive, true old time looks. Many of my German friends use this BB /Black mix, don't ask me why, but is really lovely. And has good water resistance, too!"

 

Oh, and adding a little water to ink is usually OK. It will generally speed its drying (by absorption into the paper), but if you add too much the ink will feather.

 

-- Brian

Edited August 17, 2009 by Tweel

[sjchun79]

thank you all for the feedback.

[aloofy]

I tried mixing Pelikan Brilliant Brown and Black. I wanted somewhat more 'dark' brown and thought adding a bit black might make the color I wanted.

Like Nero said, I also mixed them in a little empty bottle, waited and saw until I got assured nothing 'bad' happens in the bottle.

The result is a lovely color.

I even mixed Pelikan Turquoise and Parker Quink Washable Blue, with the same successful result.

 

Pelikan ink is one of the most inexpensive and easily available ones around here, and they come in many colors; I also like Parker Quink, but they only come in Black and Blue-ish colors(Blue, Washable Blue, Blue-black). So I'm thinking of buying some more bottles of Pelikan 4001 ink and doing the same experience, to make various colors.

Edited August 18, 2009 by aloofy

[Mighty_Pir]

I use the Royal blue to tone down the turquoise. Also add it to the violet to make a version of Burple. Finally, add extra black and blue to blue black to make it less gray. No problems at all.

 

I have also mixed 4001 with Quink with no adverse effects. The Blue Quink is a much stronger blue than 4001 blue and gives a different effect.

 

Basically I would feel comfortable mixing Pelikan, Parker Quink and Waterman inks only.

[Chris]

I had a bottle of Pelican blue-black that was terrible - pale, watery stuff. So, in went the remains of a bottle Pelican blue (boring colour) plus a little Pelican black to give it some intensity. Now I had a dark greyish blue-black, so in went some Penman Sapphire to make it bluer. The end result was usable in terms of a colour I could live with and there were no problems at all over the year or so it took me to use up this mixture.

 

Chris

[matje]

no worries.

 

pelikan is a great ink for mixing. i regularly make my custom mixes of brown and black, green and brown, violet and black, blueblack and black, brown and violet, blue and green, turquoise and green etc. with the exception of pelikan BB and brilliant brown i find the blends much more interesting than their original stuff.

 

rohrer & klingner is also superb for mixing (except for their sepia ink) and have more original inks to choose from. my favorites are my orange blend (from morinda, fernambuk and helianthus), my deep red (from morinda, fernambuk and alt-bordeaux) and my brilliant blue (from blau permanent, blu mare and verdigris).

 

incidentally, during vacation in Japan this summer i found a pen magazine which presented the ph-levels of many well-known brands in one table. i didn't buy it but it seemed to show that as a general rule ALL japanese inks are concentrated at ph7-9, while most other inks vary between 2 and 7 with lots of variation even within the same brand of inks.

 

all the best/m

[Reene]

This is what I found on Pelikan's website just now about mixing their inks:

 

Q: Can the separate ink colours be mixed with each other to create new colours?

 

A: We do not recommend mixing different ink colours because the colours might fade due to of the different pH-values. Because of this fountain pens should be thouroughly rinsed with water before a change in ink colour.

 

http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US.CMS.displayCMS.62745./ink

 

So it sounds like it's not bad for the pens... but the ink color might fade after a while. Perplexing. I wonder if they mean over decades, or more quickly?

 

Well, I think I read something just now that explained what would make the colors fade...in a book on watercolor pigments, Szabo talks about Permanent Rose and how "It may be bleached by acids". So perhaps the low pH in some of the ink colors bleach out the higher pH ones and cause them to lose their color saturation. Now again, does this happen just at once, when we mix the inks, or over time, in the bottle, or on the paper?

People are saying they're getting nice colors from mixing inks, so perhaps it's okay?

 

I guess experimenting with it is the only way to find out. The main concern is that the ink doesn't gunk up and ruin the pen when mixing these different pH's.

I used to use analine dyes to color eggs, and orange was notorious for thicking and forming deposits when you added vinigar (an acid) to it! (usually adding vinegar helped the egg take the dye better). I used to have to use a coffee filter to get the gunk out. And it would keep forming even after that. Talk about chemical reactions.

 

So after reading all this and the differing pH's of the inks...it's making me a little leery about mixing the inks like I had planned to. I think the idea of using a separate bottle and watching the mix for a few days is definiely a very smart idea, even with inks from the same manufacturer, just to be on the safe side so as to not gunk up the pens.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Reene

[piembi]

There shouldn't be a problem with mixing Pelikan inks.

 

I am mixing and using frequently

• 1:1 Pelikan BB and RB
  
• 1:1 Pelikan BB and Rohrer & Klingner RB
  
• Diamine BB or Rohrer & Klingner Verdisgris with some drops of Pelikan Black
  
• various other inks with some drops of Pelikan Black - mainly reddish shades
  

So far no problems.

Edited July 12, 2011 by piembi

[Ipno Tizer]

You could always contact the manufacturer and see what they say. But remember they might try to put you off to cover their backsides incase you create a mix that damages an expensive pen.

 

Chris B.

[Reene]

I agree. It sounds safe from what everyone here is saying. I guess experimenting is the only way to find out for sure.

 

I just wish the ink companies would all say "Sure! Feel free to mix and match all our ink colors and any other brand together too!"

Lol...I'd sure feel a lot better!

 

 

 

-Irene