The Smell Of Ink.

[dizzypen]

My sample of Caran d'Ache Grand Canyon Brown is now green and smells of ammonia. Pretty safe to say it's no more good. I'm just wondering if there's something wrong with the sample, or if there is a consistent problem with Grand Canyon Brown. I've had this sample for almost a year.

[SamCapote]

Someone should invent an ink to commemorate Al Pacino's classic "Scent of a Woman."

[khymeera]

 

The handful of Noodler's inks I have all seem to smell faintly like citrus (or pizza crust, but that's another thread).

 

 

I don't know about the pizza crust, but I really like the smell of Noodler's ink. It has that hint of citrus and something else that I can't put my finger on. Its one of the small things that make writing with a fountain pen really pleasurable.

[79spitfire]

Someone should invent an ink to commemorate Al Pacino's classic "Scent of a Woman."

 

Like the line from Le Miserables? "Lovely ladies, smell them in the air!"

 

 

You could call it... oh never mind...

[_ jm _]

 

I don't know about the pizza crust, but I really like the smell of Noodler's ink. It has that hint of citrus and something else that I can't put my finger on. Its one of the small things that make writing with a fountain pen really pleasurable.

 

When I opened a bottle of Bulletproof Black I thought I could smell almonds.

[wallylynn]

I'm told that is you make iron gall inks with cypress galls instead of oak, the resulting ink smells of cypress resin.

I'm on my way to making pokeberry ink. I uncapped it up today and it smells like fruity wine. So tempted to taste it...

[BayBee]

Someone should invent an ink to commemorate Al Pacino's classic "Scent of a Woman."

 

It has to be invisible, so only visually challenged can use it. They might be able to read their messages with their noses.

 

It makes me thinking - is it possible for a blind person to destinguish and recognize letters written by a scented ink? If yes, they can develop a smell-based vision.

 

Just imagine a brand new marketing compain for smelly inks.

[wallylynn]

It makes me thinking - is it possible for a blind person to destinguish and recognize letters written by a scented ink? If yes, they can develop a smell-based vision.

You mean like:

"apple bubblegum carrot dirt earwax..." that's a bit tedious.

 

I do remember a star trek (voyager?) novel where they met a civilization that had scent and pheromones as a large part of their "language". Even the computers emitted smells.

[SamCapote]

Speaking of the smell of ink, how many are old enough to remember the intoxicating smell of mimeograph machine ink? Here's a video to bring back memories.

[79spitfire]

Speaking of the smell of ink, how many are old enough to remember the intoxicating smell of mimeograph machine ink? Here's a video to bring back memories.

ohhh, brings back memories... used to run the machine... WHEEEEEEE!!! :blink:

[RockFL]

My collection is not very large, and I've not noticed much in the way of scent on these inks:

 

Parker Penman Ebony and Sapphire both smell a bit like oil-based interior paint, with just a little bit of floweriness to them. Not strong or unpleasant odors at all.....had to get (carefully) close to the bottles. Not bad considering that these were purchased in the mid 1990's and were just recently brought out of the basement to be used again. Colors are still beautiful!

 

Lamy Black and Red both remind me of the scent of those Bic crystal ballpoints we always bought in a multi-pack at the start of every school year....sort of chemically, plasticky. These are not strong odors, either....only noticeable when close to the bottles. Not sure why I remember the scent of those ballpoints!

[KateGladstone]

Speaking of the smell of ink, how many are old enough to remember the intoxicating smell of mimeograph machine ink? Here's a video to bring back memories.

ohhh, brings back memories... used to run the machine... WHEEEEEEE!!! :blink:

 

I have memories, too -- more tactile than olfactory memories, because I am seriously allergic to mimeograph ink, especially when it is still damp (touching damp mimeograph papers makes my fingers grow large, painful blisters -- and very often the mimeographed pages were handed out while they were still damp).

[kathleen]

Speaking of the smell of ink, how many are old enough to remember the intoxicating smell of mimeograph machine ink? Here's a video to bring back memories.

ohhh, brings back memories... used to run the machine... WHEEEEEEE!!! :blink:

Thanks for the video link. Took me down Memory Lane. I could definitely demonstrate the workings of the mimeograph machine. I was employed, in the work/study program at my university, for all four years as an undergraduate. I was the secretary in the Science Education Center and typed for two professors. I ran all of the handouts for their classes, hundreds of copies every day.

When I began teaching in '73 I was running copies for my own class. Students often informed me, "Mrs. M. you have purple on your face".

[sallywally]

The smell was the best reason for having tests!

 

When I first began working with communications at The Ohio State University, a bunch of boxes full of thick, glossy annual reports were delivered to our floor. It was the writers among us who picked up copies of the report, opened them, and inhaled that new ink smell. We all agreed that we loved the smell of mimeographed paper in our youths.

[AlanE]

Wow, we are getting close to solvent abuse now........ :-)

[JMX]

Pelikan Royal Blue used to have a distinct metallic smell, at least from what I remember from my school days. The contemporary stuff probably doesn't smell anymore.

 

R&K Scabiosa has a funky smell that I like.

 

MB Racing Green also has a distinct smell that is not unpleasant.

 

All the other inks I have don't have a distinct smell.

 

 

[_ jm _]

Speaking of the smell of ink, how many are old enough to remember the intoxicating smell of mimeograph machine ink? Here's a video to bring back memories.

I don't recall the thick greasy ink used in the Gestetner or Rex Rotary stencil duplicators (similar to the one shown in the video) I operated as a teenager having a particularly strong smell. The smell was vaguely of grease and the ink was very difficult to get off your hands and clothing.

 

Are you sure you're not thinking of the fluid used in spirit duplicators of the type made by Banda and Ditto? Those machines didn't use liquid ink but transferred small amounts of waxy solid dye (usually purple, but sometimes pastel shades of pink, blue and green) from the master sheet to the copy by means of a solvent that seems to have been a mixture of alcohols, hence the heady vapour.

[BayBee]

It makes me thinking - is it possible for a blind person to destinguish and recognize letters written by a scented ink? If yes, they can develop a smell-based vision.

You mean like:

"apple bubblegum carrot dirt earwax..." that's a bit tedious.

 

I do remember a star trek (voyager?) novel where they met a civilization that had scent and pheromones as a large part of their "language". Even the computers emitted smells.

 

Interesting! But do you think it's possible to develop a space-distributed pattern recognition, like common letters or simple figures, just the way we see it, but not in colors, in smells? Then we might "see" with our nose.

 

I feel that different ink colors have different smells/tastes attached to them. And it's not related to inks per se, it's just my personal perseption. I think.

[Fuddlestack]

I have two Reforms full of Waterman's Washable Blue: the 1745 smells of it so strongly that I can smell it when it's in my shirt pocket with the cap on, but in the 110 it's almost undetectable. It also varies in intensity over a range of other pens where I have it loaded, but the 1745 takes the biscuit. I suppose it's due to feed structure.

[LostInThought]

I also don't like the smell of Sailor inks, so I don't use them very often. Noodler's Violet Vote has a really strong chemical smell, it always gives me a headache.