Akkerman Iron Gall Ink Is Bad For Pens?

[jandrese]

So, I've developed a crush on iron gall inks. I have several now, and all have seemed totally fountain pen safe. I'm not afraid to use them in any of my pens no matter how expensive.

 

Anyway, my latest ink acquisition is Akkerman's IJzer-Galnoten bl/zw (blue-black iron gall). The bottle is lovely, the color and color shift upon oxidation beautiful, and unlike most other iron galls it is not a dry writing ink. I received the ink right before going on a business trip. Since I was going to China I did not want to bring an expensive pen, but I wanted a large ink capacity. Thus, I chose one of my Noodler's Ahab pens, the clear demonstrator fitted with an aftermarket medium steel nib. Previously, that pen wrote wonderfully with Diamine Ancient Copper so I thought everything would be great.

 

However...like the literary Ahab the pen is flawed and physically damaged. Flawed because it does not take well to air pressure changes. I had ink all up in the cap with each flight. Thank goodness I chose the demonstrator and could see the problem before I got permanent ink all over myself! And damaged because when I got home and cleaned out the pen there were several problems discovered. First, ink permanently (I think) stained the plastic, especially on threaded sections. Soaking in Simple Green had little effect on the stain. Maybe bleach will help. Maybe ammonia. In the syringe part of the filling mechanism the staining is less severe probably because it is physically scoured by the plunger. Second, the plunger was almost stuck in place. I could only move it by force with pliers and a punch! Thank goodness the Ahab can be field stripped by the end user! When I finally removed the plunger I could see that the plunger and O-ring were totally gunked up with ink. Third, the gunk was also stuck in parts of the ebonite feed, which could explain the inconsistent ink flow I experienced writing with the pen.

 

What happened?

 

Option 1: The acidity of the ink attacked the cheap plastic and O-ring in the Ahab. Possible.

 

Option 2: The phenol preservative (you can smell it) attacked the cheap plastic and O-ring in the Ahab. Possible, probably less likely than 1.

 

Option 3: Some combination of 1 and 2.

 

Option 4: Some other ink ingredient reacted with cheap plastic and O-ring in the Ahab. Possible.

 

I'm conflicted now. I really like the color of the ink and I want to use it, but I'm afraid to put it in another pen, especially if it has any value, and the more so if it's not a demonstrator.

 

Anyone else experience problems with this ink?

[Laura N]

I'm almost sure someone else had a problem with Diamine Blue Black and this same pen.

 

I don't think it's the ink, I think it's the pen.

[lapis]

Yup, I used this ink in a whole handful of pens and never found any problems at all. W/a, see my review. Thanks for saying that you, too, find this ink wetter than other iron-gall inks. That is something which other members disputed. IMO this ink is not identical to Diamine's Registrar's Ink, again much to the chagrin of other members here. Summary: this ink is not bad for pens. If you have any problems with this ink, then, IMO it's due to the pen you used (not wanting to mention any certain pen brand here).

 

Mike

[lapis]

I don't think it's the ink, I think it's the pen.

Laura, http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu264/peli46/Kiss.png

[wallylynn]

I used Registrars's ink in my Nib Creaper demonstrator for two weeks. It didn't stain, but there was the black iron precipitate that needed swabbing out.

[Uncle Red]

Some thoughts

1) Start flushing with vineger before trying bleach. Don't bother with ammonia.

2) How well did you flush the previous ink? Common dye based inks and IG inks don't mix.

3) Was the pen topped off before flying? It sounds like it was but it's best to ask.

4)If any ink componant had attacked the O-Ring or plastic you would see pitting.

5) I've found in trying out Pharmacist's IG inks that the lubrication in my converters seems to vanish. I had a lot of trouble moving a couple of them. A little silicon grease fixed my pens up just fine.

[jandrese]

Thanks for all yalls responses. I tend to think it is a problem with the pen too. Gonna try another pen and see how it goes.

 

Lapis: thanks for linking your good review. Indeed, it was your review that turned me on to this ink in the first place!

[nostalgic]

Not sure it was the pen rather than the ink. Could have been a bad combination of the two.

 

I'm been using a different iron-gall ink, R&K Salix, in my Noodler's Konrad (a smaller version of the Ahab) for 2-3 weeks, and have had no problems whatsoever. In fact it's been a real pleasure to use as my every-day writer.

 

I've been conscientious about flushing the pen every time I fill it, and I was careful to use a light mix of soap and water to clean the inside of the pen before the first filling.

[atypical]

Iron gall inks can be surprisingly difficult to remove from certain plastics.

Mechanical cleaning, if possible of course, seems to work best.

Alternatively, try using a weak organic acid, e.g. citric or acetic acid, instead of alkaline solutions.

 

Whereas phenol can indeed dissolve plastics, the concentration in inks is probably too low to do damage.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Member pharmacist mentions a four-step cleansing process to deal with I-G residuals & dyes: Post № 271 and subsequent.

 

I do wonder if all the DAC was cleansed from the pen: Some are experiencing goop/crud when using DAC, LINK, so there may be 'something' about DAC that makes it especially important to cleanse the pen thoroughly before switching to/from DAC and I-G ink. :hmm1:

 

Bye,

S1