White Ink Pen

[r1chard]

Hello again,

 

Could somebody please suggest a pen that has/uses white ink?

Would it be advisable to get a disposable pen or one that is converter or cartridge fed?

 

Thanks..

[djpyle]

Noodler's has a white ink called The Whiteness of the Whale that you could use in any pen you wanted. Personally, I think either a cream-colored Pilot Prera or one of the new white Pelikan M205s would be perfect. If you're looking for a cheaper pen, you might still be able to hunt down a white Lamy Safari.

[djpyle]

Huh. After posting, I did a little more reading on Whiteness. I didn't realize that it's mostly a mixing ink and that it doesn't really show up on its own.

 

I don't have a bottle myself and I've been under the impression this whole time that it would write like any normal ink. Can't believe I never came across that tidbit before now. Anyway, sorry for the misinformation. Depending on what you're going for, you might still be able to mix some Whiteness with another color to get a very light-colored ink.

[kushbaby]

There's another Noodlers ink - White Peacock - that is not meant so much as a mixing ink like the Whiteness of Whale, but a true White ink. JetPens (who also sells it) has posted some information and a writing sample on black paper here.

 

Edit: But it appears to be recommended for dip pens, not fountain pens.

Edited September 4, 2009 by kushbaby

[zquilts]

There are white inks taht are used with calligraphy pens - it works quite well ans a "white ink" rather than a mixing ink.

John Neal has several available. I have Dr.PHMartins and also a Speedball white

[r1chard]

There are white inks taht are used with calligraphy pens - it works quite well ans a "white ink" rather than a mixing ink.

John Neal has several available. I have Dr.PHMartins and also a Speedball white

 

Hi, Thanks. Can you refer me to a specific brand in that site?

 

Guys, thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it.

So far, what is clear to me is that there are white inks for dip pens (which doesn't apply to FP).

And FP requires a specific ink, not the ones used for dip pens, because it might cause clogging.

[ZeissIkon]

There are white inks taht are used with calligraphy pens - it works quite well ans a "white ink" rather than a mixing ink.

John Neal has several available. I have Dr.PHMartins and also a Speedball white

 

Hi, Thanks. Can you refer me to a specific brand in that site?

 

Guys, thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it.

So far, what is clear to me is that there are white inks for dip pens (which doesn't apply to FP).

And FP requires a specific ink, not the ones used for dip pens, because it might cause clogging.

 

Very correct. Don't use dip pen inks in a fountain pen, unless you really hate it and want to be sure you won't ever use it again. Unfortunately, Higgins sells at least one ink marked for fountain pens that is generally considered unsafe for fountain pens, so you also have to pay a little attention (I wouldn't put any Higgins ink in a fountain pen without careful research). Generally, the difference is that fountain pens won't tolerate a high particulate content or more than a trace of binders in the ink, both of which are very common in inks made for dip pens, calligraphy, etc.; inks for fountain pens use soluble dyes, with very few exceptions. And the reason there's no white ink for fountain pens (other than the aforementioned Whiteness of the Whale, which is used to lend a pastel quality to other inks) is because a dye is a light filter, not a reflector; it can only remove colors, not add them, so it can't make a white mark on a dark ground.

 

The brands they mentioned, Speedball and Dr. Ph. Martin's, ought to show up on that site (and on Dick Blick, and if you go in person, at Hobby Lobby stores).

[Zoe]

If you are just experimenting, you might also consider the Uniball pen with White ink.

 

I've tested about 3-4 different gel pens, and this one is the best and lasts the longest. It comes in different width nibs (F, B, etc.).

 

If you want to try dip pens, I like Koh-i-noor ink the best of the whites, Higgins second.

[Lachesis]

+1 on the Uniball pens.

 

I have a few black notebooks, and I find that these work very well, since I don't know if there has been a fountain-pen friendly, white ink yet. c:

 

Lachesis

[effrafax]

A good alternative is the Ackerman Pump pen (do a search for details). They are specially made to use a dip pen nib, with which you can use almost anything. A good example for white would be a white acrylic dip pen ink. They work really well, and are reasonably priced if you can get hold of them. Some people experience problems in that area!

 

Otherwise you could always use a gel pen <ducks for cover>. [Actually, I'll confess to having and using these occasionally.]

 

[Confession 2: I was another one disappointed that Whiteness of the Whale is primarily a mixing ink. It does, however, do that job really well.]

[ZeissIkon]

A good alternative is the Ackerman Pump pen (do a search for details). They are specially made to use a dip pen nib, with which you can use almost anything. A good example for white would be a white acrylic dip pen ink. They work really well, and are reasonably priced if you can get hold of them. Some people experience problems in that area!

 

That is in fact another good idea; the Ackerman is also (I've read) easily enough disassembled for thorough cleaning that you can use India inks in it, which opens the door for inks like Higgins Eternal and Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay, both of which are available in a bright, opaque white. Clean completely after using these shellac-bound inks, but if you do that, the Ackerman would be a fine choice (if you can get one).

[alkman]

Being a big fan of Ph. Martin's Bombay White, I would second that, however I wonder how Noodler's Peacock would fare with an Ackerman pen. I've been contemplating purchasing one of these pens for a while, and this combination might be perfect. The pigment in the Peacock ink is titanium oxide, while I am not sure what it is in the Bombay white. Any ideas or thoughts?

[ZeissIkon]

Being a big fan of Ph. Martin's Bombay White, I would second that, however I wonder how Noodler's Peacock would fare with an Ackerman pen. I've been contemplating purchasing one of these pens for a while, and this combination might be perfect. The pigment in the Peacock ink is titanium oxide, while I am not sure what it is in the Bombay white. Any ideas or thoughts?

 

There are really only three common white pigments in broad use: titanium oxide is the new kid on the block, and is eating everyone else's lunch because of permanence, opacity, and the bright, neutral white color. Lead oxide, "white lead" is actually yellowish, toxic, darkens over time (especially in cities, where sulfur in the air can react with the pigment and produce dark gray lead sulfate); it's almost gone, found only in a few "old timey" artists' oil colors. Zinc oxide has never really caught on as a pigment except in a few water colors; it's whiter than white lead, but darkens even more readily with time. Lead oxide was the primary white pigment for centuries, until "titanium white" came on the scene.

 

All that, in order to say that Higgins and Bombay white are almost certainly titanium oxide based as well -- but being formulated like India ink, are a known quantity for pen use, and can be depended on to be waterproof once dry (I don't know if Peacock is or not). I agree, there's no good reason I know of that Peacock White couldn't be used in an Ackerman (or, for that matter, any of the three in my Osmiroid piston filler, which has a friction fitted nib instead of screw-in, and can be readily disassembled for complete cleaning).

[Anton Emdin]

+1 for the Ackerman if you want a nibbed pen.

[encephalartos]

Being a big fan of Ph. Martin's Bombay White, I would second that, however I wonder how Noodler's Peacock would fare with an Ackerman pen. I've been contemplating purchasing one of these pens for a while, and this combination might be perfect. The pigment in the Peacock ink is titanium oxide, while I am not sure what it is in the Bombay white. Any ideas or thoughts?

 

There are really only three common white pigments in broad use: titanium oxide is the new kid on the block, and is eating everyone else's lunch because of permanence, opacity, and the bright, neutral white color. Lead oxide, "white lead" is actually yellowish, toxic, darkens over time (especially in cities, where sulfur in the air can react with the pigment and produce dark gray lead sulfate); it's almost gone, found only in a few "old timey" artists' oil colors. Zinc oxide has never really caught on as a pigment except in a few water colors; it's whiter than white lead, but darkens even more readily with time. Lead oxide was the primary white pigment for centuries, until "titanium white" came on the scene.

 

 

+1 on the list of white pigments. Zinc oxide is also the zinc white of oil colors. Besides the Noodlers White

Peacock, in which the JetPens article says shake for a GOOD FIVE MINUTES, there are liquid acrylic paints

or acrylic inks available. Check one of the art supply catalogs like Daniel Smith. Winsor & Newton used to

make liquid acrylics, but I don't know if they still do. They were in small bottles like ink bottles with eye

droppers. The acrylics DO NOT need five minutes of agitation. That seems to me like a very long time to

be constantly agitating anything... Acrylic inks can be used in dip pens and some artists use them in

stylographic (technical) pens, but I'd say immediate & thorough cleaning is needed. (Acrylic is NOT

water soluble when it dries.)

[ZeissIkon]

(Acrylic is NOT

water soluble when it dries.)

 

Not only that, dried acrylic (unlike shellac binder in India inks) isn't dissolved by technical pen cleaners like Rapid-O-Eze; your only hope, if that stuff dries in a pen, is disassembly and scraping/scrubbing (a treatment likely to change the way a fountain pen writes). Acrylic inks apparently work well in (some) dip pens, though.

[effrafax]

Just a note: remember that if you use an acrylic or other dip pen ink in the Ackerman, you cannot treat it like a fountain pen. It needs to be cleaned thoroughly after use. It will clog the feed on the Ackerman just as well as on a standard fountain pen. Thankfully the Ackerman is easy to take apart to clean.

 

And I'm not speaking from personal experience here! Thankfully.

[wvbeetlebug]

+1 on the Uniball. This is what I use in my scrapbooking and card making.

[r1chard]

I'd probably try the Uniballpen Signo Broad,

as suggested for first time experiment.

 

I was thinking of buying from jetpens.com,

any other recommended online store, that ships to Canada?

[Anton Emdin]

By the way, I withdraw my recommendation for the Ackerman pen. Not because of the pen itself, but their service is so shocking these days that I wouldn't advise anyone to deal with them. Hopefully this will change, but I know of too many others that have had trouble, too.