Are Any Of The Iroshizuku Inks Waterproof?

[Alohamora]

Not that I don't have enough ink already, but I'm tempted to try at least one Iro. Finding one (or more) that was semi- or completely waterproof would probably get me to push the order button.

[jBeckett]

It's saturated enough for it to stay legible but it's not water resistant at all. I imagine how legible depends on how absorbent your paper is.

[ville900]

I am using asa-gao which is not waterproof. A wet finger on the page and it will smear. But it is pretty resistant anyway.

[fuchsiaprincess]

None of them are water resistant at all.

[mholve]

None of them are water resistant at all.

+1

 

There's actually a pretty detailed thread somewhere on water-testing the Iroshizuku inks (the blue ones anyway, IIRC).

[Gobblecup]

None of them are water resistant at all.

+1

 

There's actually a pretty detailed thread somewhere on water-testing the Iroshizuku inks (the blue ones anyway, IIRC).

 

I'm also interested in trying some Iroshizuku, but I haven't been able o find anything definitive about Iroshizuku's water resistance by searching the forum. A thread from 2009 has several posts claiming certain colours were waster resistant. Now the above quote clearly makes a much different statement.

 

I would like to know, before buying any of this ink, the truth. If a link to a thread that is more definitive could be provide, or someone could post water tests here, I would be most obliged.

 

Thanks

Edited June 12, 2011 by Gobblecup

[SnowLeopard]

Unless the environment dictates...why r u concerned with water issues?...oh.. if u work outdoors, just put your stuff away...with impending precip... don't spill the drink on your stuff...or use it poolside or to address envelopes...whatever...I've found some blues to be "resistant" with certain papers...Iro inks are great in all categories...other brands claim waterproofness. I don't buy these for that ink quality...

Edited June 12, 2011 by SnowLeopard

[Thornton]

I ran samples of Fuyu-syogun, Kon-peki, and Tsuki-yo under the faucet for 30 seconds and all did quite well. Fuyu-syogun survived the best and Kon-peki the worst, but the latter was still legible after its soak.

[Gobblecup]

My reasons for desiring water resistance are my own reasons. I posted here to find out about the ink, and I thought I did that in a fairly reasonable (friendly even?) way. I did not post here to discuss why I want water resistance in inks. Nothing about this thread or my post in it had anything to do with opinion, nor philosophy, or "work environments". I just wanted to get some information on the inks actual performance when brought under the stresses of liquid.

[Gobblecup]

I ran samples of Fuyu-syogun, Kon-peki, and Tsuki-yo under the faucet for 30 seconds and all did quite well. Fuyu-syogun survived the best and Kon-peki the worst, but the latter was still legible after its soak.

 

Thanks for the information, so it seems the water resistance varies from colour to colour then. Pilot Blue, being the "lower end" ink from the same company, has excellent water resistance, so I was hoping that the high end would do at least OK. Again thanks for shedding a bit of light on this.

 

I have been eyeballing the colour "old man winter" especially myself...

Edited June 12, 2011 by Gobblecup

[mstone]

Unless the environment dictates...why r u concerned with water issues?...oh.. if u work outdoors, just put your stuff away...with impending precip... don't spill the drink on your stuff...or use it poolside or to address envelopes...whatever...I've found some blues to be "resistant" with certain papers...Iro inks are great in all categories...other brands claim waterproofness. I don't buy these for that ink quality...

 

who plans to have an accident? I suppose you don't wear a seatbelt either, just "don't run into anybody"?

[bluemagister]

Most inks that are "water resistant" smear horribly and leave just a ghost of the writing behind. None of the Iroshizuku inks have high water resistance, I think. They're pretty much food coloring and water.

[WendyNC]

I've never seen any claim that any of them have any water resistance. What I did just test (sorry, no scanner available) was Ku-Jaku in a medium wet 1.1 stub on Rhodia grid which I let dry for only 5 minutes (timed that). Heavy drops onto the page made an illegible pool of ink, but running the page under the tap for about 5 seconds left words I could read easily.

 

I'm guessing that with a more absorbent paper, more might be left. The trick would be to remove any ink that wanted to pool on the surface.

 

Other colors might work differently, but as much as I like the ink, it's not one I'd rely on if I needed any kind of serious water resistance.

[vickiehof]

I only have the Tsukushi. When I held a sample under running tap water, most the ink washed off but it still left enough ink on the paper (an index card) so it could be read easily. It didn't completely disappear.

[KCat]

I only have the Tsukushi. When I held a sample under running tap water, most the ink washed off but it still left enough ink on the paper (an index card) so it could be read easily. It didn't completely disappear.

 

I'd rather expect that from the brown and reds since red dye tends to be rather sticky in general. I'll have to look at yama-budo as well.

[Sam_I_Am]

As a watercolourist, I tested out "Old Man Winter" and in no way did I find it possible to use with any kind of wash. The lines feathered out to a glorious mess and the color pooled on top of the paper. Whereas the ink color is beautiful, resistant is NOT a word I would associate with these inks! I've tested one other but don't have the name with me. It was not resistant either.

[mstone]

I've never seen any claim that any of them have any water resistance. What I did just test (sorry, no scanner available) was Ku-Jaku in a medium wet 1.1 stub on Rhodia grid which I let dry for only 5 minutes (timed that). Heavy drops onto the page made an illegible pool of ink, but running the page under the tap for about 5 seconds left words I could read easily.

 

Exactly. If the failure mode you want to protect against is "left under a running tap", that's one thing. If it's "spilled a drink" or "flood left a pool of water" or any such disaster that doesn't rinse the page, that's quite another. I think reports are generally much too biased toward the running water tests, which gives a very misleading idea of real-world results.

[sidewinderwcc]

Unless the environment dictates...why r u concerned with water issues?...oh.. if u work outdoors, just put your stuff away...with impending precip... don't spill the drink on your stuff...or use it poolside or to address envelopes...whatever...I've found some blues to be "resistant" with certain papers...Iro inks are great in all categories...other brands claim waterproofness. I don't buy these for that ink quality...

 

Why does it matter his reasons for wanting waterproofness, and better yet, why must you be so combative in most of your posts?

 

To the op, I usually try to stick to inks that are waterproof as well, but grabbed some Iro inks anyways. I have Asa Gao, and although I would not call it even water resistant, on Staples Bagasse paper, enough of a trace is left behind to easily read after a smear and dunk test. However, I am sure with a good soaking it would be gone all together.

[Gobblecup]

Thanks for all the kind and informative responses to my post!

 

It seems (from plenty of testimony) that while they may not 'flee' the page like Waterman inks, Iroshizuku inks should not be purchased with water protection in mind. This is good to know, considering they can be quite an investment. Thanks all!

Edited June 13, 2011 by Gobblecup