"scientific" Test For Pens In The Lab

[ckpj99]

I'm a big fan of MAKE's blog. Today they posted an entry about a scientist who had a lab accident and apparently lost some handwritten notes. He tested 20 pens and 1 pencil, and admitted that this was more for fun that being comprehensive.

 

You can read the details and the results here - http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/11/study-tests-best-writing-instruments-for-lab-data.html - but it seems like he only tested ballpoints, gel pens, (and one pencil?).

 

I'd be interested to know if there is a (relatively) fast drying ink for FPs out there that will hold up to his tests: "Test conditions were soaking (water, ethanol, methanol, or acetone), erasing, and baking (while moistened with water)." Obviously the "bulletproof" inks would probably work, but aren't they usually slow drying?

 

Just a curious thought. Wouldn't mind leaving a comment, too!

[Scrawler]

Bullet proof inks are not slow drying. Two of the quickest drying inks I have are HoD (completely bulletproof) and Gamma Violet (if not actually bulletproof, it is very resistant). The Gamma is dry in 2 seconds, the HoD in 3.

[JefferyS]

My research partner always used India ink in an Osmiroid pen, and I just settled with a Bic ballpoint in black. I've never had a major disaster with lab notebooks, and wonder if the people who are having them might be a bit...careless. I never kept my bound lab notebooks next to running water in sinks, etc. All of that data recording was done at the end of the day, some distance from ethanol, xylene, toluene, benzene, acetone, etc. When I was done writing, the journal went up onto a bookshelf, out of harm's way.

 

But since you brought it up, I wonder what Darwin used in his journals. My first impulse is to say "sepia or iron gall", but I just don't know. Most organic dyes are susceptible to oxidation (bleaching), but that's what is wonderful about organic compounds...the ability to pass electrons from molecule to molecule.

 

This forum can be a bit Noodlercentric when it comes to archival inks. I'm thinking of getting some Diamine Registrar's ink, but wish it were a bit prettier.

 

 

 

[ckpj99]

Thanks for the bulletproof tip. I didn't know they were fast drying.

 

Jeffery, I've always like Diamine inks. My local pen shop carries a huge variety of Diamine inks, and not a lot else. I enjoy them, and think they're not mentioned much. I'll see if they carry the Registrar's Ink.

 

I was really curious about the ethanol, methanol, and acetone, but I suppose oven cleaner is probably worse than all of that.

[ANM]

I heard a story that a ship sank in the Atlantic. 70 years later a salvage crew recovered the ships log. The captain had kept it with India ink. The water was cold so the paper was preserved and the writing was still legible. Never put India ink in a fountain pen though.

[raging.dragon]

Any noodler's bulletproof ink should pass those tests. Most or all of the eternal inks would also pass these tests. Some of their warden inks would definetly pass, while the rest would arguably pass - they're supposed to remain legible but tend to run alot when tested for water resistance.

 

Private Reserve Invincible should pass the tests.

 

And so should any iron gall ink.

Edited November 6, 2011 by raging.dragon

[andybiotic]

I've never even gave it any thoughts... even though I had experiences getting my lab notes smeared by plain water... May be I should invest in a fountain pen dedicated for lab books and use only Noodler's bulletproof ink...

 

Any lab rats here mind sharing what pen(s) they use for those tiny lab writings? preferably something that writes smoothly in extra-fine points, and is rugged for knocking around and could withstand chemical spills?

[Uncle Red]

I tested Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin, Bad Belted Kingfisher, Bad Blue Heron, Diamine Registrar's Ink, Platinum Pigmented Blue, Sailor Pigmented Blue-Black and Invincible Aqua Blue at various times. They were soaked in hot water, hot soapy water, 1:10 ammonia solution and 1:10 bleach solution.

 

Invincible Aqua Blue held up the best but looked like (bleep) on cheap paper. The line spread a lot and feathered. I did not like the color. It looked nicer on Clairefontaine paper and really good on a credit card receipt. It stained everything and was hard to flush. It ignored everything I soaked it in.

 

Platinum Pigmented Blue and Sailor Pigmented Blue-Black were lightened by the ammonia but ignored everything else. They looked good on all the papers I tried them on, no feathering. They wrote very well on cc receipts. I was not fond of the Sailor's color but I am using up the Platinum in a pocket pen.

 

Of the Noodler's the BBM held up the best, leaving a very black line after the soak tests. It is the ink I use to label other tests. The BBK and BBH lost more of their ink and the remaining lines were fainter. BBH was more effected by the ammonia and BBK by the bleach but both were heavily effected by the chemicals and left only pale lines. I like the BBH color a lot. All three perform well on all papers tested. The BBH and BBK look alike on some papers but very different on others. They dry slowly and do not work well on cc receipts for me. Since they are designed to smear I don't think they are appropriate for a lab but I work in a cubical.

 

Diamine Registrar's Ink is my favorite. I love the color. It performs well on all papers including a cc receipt. The blue dye washes out easily but the black line was only removed by bleach; there was a very faint, yellow line left but it didn't show up when xeroxed.

[JLT]

My research partner always used India ink in an Osmiroid pen, and I just settled with a Bic ballpoint in black. I've never had a major disaster with lab notebooks, and wonder if the people who are having them might be a bit...careless. I never kept my bound lab notebooks next to running water in sinks, etc. All of that data recording was done at the end of the day, some distance from ethanol, xylene, toluene, benzene, acetone, etc. When I was done writing, the journal went up onto a bookshelf, out of harm's way.

 

But since you brought it up, I wonder what Darwin used in his journals. My first impulse is to say "sepia or iron gall", but I just don't know. Most organic dyes are susceptible to oxidation (bleaching), but that's what is wonderful about organic compounds...the ability to pass electrons from molecule to molecule.

 

This forum can be a bit Noodlercentric when it comes to archival inks. I'm thinking of getting some Diamine Registrar's ink, but wish it were a bit prettier.

 

 

 

You may want to read Sandy1's review of Ecclesiastical Stationery Stores Registrar's Ink and see if the appearance is more suited to you. I bought a couple of bottles and I'm very pleased with its performance and appearance. It shades beautifully, especially in finer nibs, and it is as paper-indifferent as Noodler's Black. Well, almost . . .

[JefferyS]

@JLT

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll search for that article. I hope that "Ecclesiastical" is one of those words we can use in a search string. ;-)

 

 

"You may want to read Sandy1's review of Ecclesiastical Stationery Stores Registrar's Ink and see if the appearance is more suited to you. I bought a couple of bottles and I'm very pleased with its performance and appearance. It shades beautifully, especially in finer nibs, and it is as paper-indifferent as Noodler's Black. Well, almost . . . "

[JefferyS]

Ecclesiastical Stationery Stores Registrar's Ink - Can't seem to find it on the 'web, except in the UK. Did you get yours in the states?

[JLT]

Ecclesiastical Stationery Stores Registrar's Ink - Can't seem to find it on the 'web, except in the UK. Did you get yours in the states?

 

Jeffrey,

 

I ordered successfully from the website in the UK. The folks at ESS turned the order around promptly and the order was delivered nine days after submission. That's better than the USPS can manage from California to Massachusetts . . .

[JefferyS]

Ecclesiastical Stationery Stores Registrar's Ink - Can't seem to find it on the 'web, except in the UK. Did you get yours in the states?

 

Jeffrey,

 

I ordered successfully from the website in the UK. The folks at ESS turned the order around promptly and the order was delivered nine days after submission. That's better than the USPS can manage from California to Massachusetts . . .

The postage doesn't seem to be THAT much more than it would be for delivery in the UK. I'll get two bottles.

 

Thanks much!

 

Jeffery

 

 

[Grendel]

I'd be interested to know if there is a (relatively) fast drying ink for FPs out there that will hold up to his tests: "Test conditions were soaking (water, ethanol, methanol, or acetone), erasing, and baking (while moistened with water)." Obviously the "bulletproof" inks would probably work, but aren't they usually slow drying?

 

He wrote about it in his conclusions:

 

If you are a fountain pen addict like I am (see my favorite pen, if you’re curious), you can use your pen in the laboratory if you buy yourself Bulletproof Black ink from Noodler’s. I haven’t tested it extensively, but it seems to be fabulous, and is actually guaranteed to be permanent until the End of Days.

[ssbbg]

I'm a big fan of MAKE's blog. Today they posted an entry about a scientist who had a lab accident and apparently lost some handwritten notes. He tested 20 pens and 1 pencil, and admitted that this was more for fun that being comprehensive.

 

You can read the details and the results here - http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/11/study-tests-best-writing-instruments-for-lab-data.html - but it seems like he only tested ballpoints, gel pens, (and one pencil?).

 

I'd be interested to know if there is a (relatively) fast drying ink for FPs out there that will hold up to his tests: "Test conditions were soaking (water, ethanol, methanol, or acetone), erasing, and baking (while moistened with water)." Obviously the "bulletproof" inks would probably work, but aren't they usually slow drying?

 

Just a curious thought. Wouldn't mind leaving a comment, too!

 

 

I use noodler's inks in lab- especially bad green gator and polar blue. I played around with various solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone, THF, and something chlorinated- dichloromethane or chloroform) and the writing held up well. I found the ink fast drying in lab notebooks, but slow on labels (avery computer address labels, used on our samples). I also did some biology work, so I regularly sprayed labels with 70% ethanol/water, and did sonication in water for hours (this may be close to "baking" as the sonicator dramatically heats the water). The ink held up well, but there was a bit of haloing- I think the labels we used are coated so it is harder to get cellulose binding (that noodlers uses for "bulletproof").

 

I've said before (about pens/notebooks in lab) in my experience the mostly likely solvent exposure is water, not some exotic solvent. I don't think this is necessarily a matter of careless (as was suggested by someone else in thread) - our lab requires that notes be taken in "real-time"- so the notebook is on the bench/ near the hood/ whatever. Taking notes on a piece of paper and recopying them in to the lab notebook later is specifically disallowed, though a lot of people do it because it keeps the notebook cleaner and neater. My work involved a lot of note taking in low light conditions- you don't necessarily see if your coworker flooded the lab bench in those circumstances.

 

I read some article by a scientist about Noodler's bulletproof ink for lab use... that is what got me in to fountain pens, so I like this topic a lot.

 

Have fun in lab!

Louise

[LedZepGirl]

I always used FPs in the lab at school, but then again I never had any serious lab accidents. I spilled some water on my notebook and ink (printing ink for printing presses) but nothing bad ever happened. I always tended to keep my notebook away from where I was working just because I didn't want anything extra laying on the bench.

[Chrontius]

I've never even gave it any thoughts... even though I had experiences getting my lab notes smeared by plain water... May be I should invest in a fountain pen dedicated for lab books and use only Noodler's bulletproof ink...

 

Any lab rats here mind sharing what pen(s) they use for those tiny lab writings? preferably something that writes smoothly in extra-fine points, and is rugged for knocking around and could withstand chemical spills?

 

I use a Hero 001 with omnidirectional manifold nib; it's on the fine side, and the body, cap, and section are all (coated) metal - most splashes and spills should cause no more than superficial damage, and it's a $3 pen, anyway. I also considered the Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen - all anodized aluminum, and a lot of it. $30, however, and funds were tight at the start of the semester. It's undoubtedly the better knock around pen, and takes rollerball cartridges with a section swap, but I just couldn't justify it at the time.

 

Filling it is Noodler's Legal Lapis; I wanted a bulletproof blue-black, but it's not really - it's more of a green-black. I like it, however. I've also used Montblanc Midnight Blue, and tested them on paper chromatography using mixed organic solvent solutions -- neither moved or discolored or feathered. Both are quite water resistant, as well.

 

My lab notebook usually lives in a lab coat pocket with a spare pair of nitrile gloves. It's got some fingerprints in some dye we made, some polycyclic carbon powder smudges, and some dog-eared and otherwise abused page edges, but no serious mishaps yet.