Results - Does Ink Fade In The Bottle?

[amberleadavis]

So, after much discussion, I thought it was time to actually test my working hypothesis.

 

Now, in fairness, some inks seem to disintegrate even when they are kept in dark boxes, and this little test did not account for those inks.

 

Many FPNers insist that ink bottles be kept in the boxes and away from light. I've argued that ink should be kept away from direct light, but indirect light was not harmful. Most FPNers state that ink will break down when exposed to heat. My experience was somewhat different, I had ink in a caboose without air conditioning or heat for more than a decade and didn't find any problems.

 

So, here was the test, I took several liquid ink samples, I put them in my office window for more than 7 months (March-October) in the direct sun during the Las Vegas summer. The hottest day on record was this summer at a whopping 117. I chose some inks known to be fade resistant and others known to be faders. In prior tests, I found that inks that were diluted or washed were prone to fading or fading faster, so I also included some diluted inks. I also used plastic and glass containers.

 

What this experiment will NOT reveal is the effect of cold on ink. As you may know, in the three decades that I've had ink in the caboose or the months these inks have been in my window, we have had no snow in my area of town. (Other parts of town had a few inches a few years ago.)

[amberleadavis]

So, on 3/15/2013 here were the inks when put to paper.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/All/slides/2013-03-15_all_01.JPG

 

 

[Joepie]

That is quite interesting an experiment, I'm curious how this pans out. I do hope that the ink holds up, as I've collected 20 bottles of Iroshizuku and J.Herbin in the past 2 months. And seriously eyeballing some Akkermans'...

[amberleadavis]

The first light purple is "waste" ink, meaning inks that I had flushed from my pens. Thus the ink is heavily diluted. The inks were the purples and blues I had used from the beginning of the year through March.

 

I left this ink in the window sill in an open stein.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Waste_B/slides/2013-03-15_WB_01.JPG

 

[amberleadavis]

The next stripe was a little Noodler's Luxury Blue (known to be fade resistant). I used a paint brush to swipe a little from the lid of an ink sample.

 

Then, another swipe of the other purple diluted ink.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Waste_A/slides/2013-03-15_WA_03.JPG

 

 

 

[amberleadavis]

Then a swish or two of KTC which was already evaporated. KTC in all my experiments has been fade proof.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/KTC/slides/2013-03-15_KTC_01.JPG

[amberleadavis]

The brown was a mix of Akkerman #22 and Pelikan Edelstein Amber.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Brown/slides/2013-03-15_brown_01.JPG

 

[amberleadavis]

Then, I put full bottles of vintage Pelikan Blue, and vintage Carters blue black into the window.

 

The bottle of Carters was decanted from a large bottle. Both inks were chosen because they had retained the color, but over time, they had developed "chunks" and were no longer fountain pen friendly.

[amberleadavis]

On 10/25/2013 at 3:06 AM, Joepie said:

That is quite interesting an experiment, I'm curious how this pans out. I do hope that the ink holds up, as I've collected 20 bottles of Iroshizuku and J.Herbin in the past 2 months. And seriously eyeballing some Akkermans'...

 

 

Well, you will be glad to know that your inks are quite safe.

 

Here is how I display mine.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Potions_Cabinet/slides/2013-08-08_ink_2.jpg

 

 

[amberleadavis]

So, you can see lots of pictures at my website.

 

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/All/slides/2013-10-21_all_01.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

Before you think the Pelikan faded, the lighter swipes are because the brush was wet (I dried it before the center strokes).

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/All/slides/2013-10-21_all_03.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The Luxury Blue didn't fade either, just remember it was heavily concentrated, so I had to add water to the vial.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/All/slides/2013-10-21_all_04.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The brown inks did not fade at all.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Brown/slides/2013-10-21_all_02.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

Also, that bottle on the brown ink was nicely air tight!

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Brown/slides/2013-10-21-brown_05.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The Carters did not fade and does not appear to be any more chunky.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Carters/slides/20131021_130839.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The plastic vials evaporated. The KTC can probably be reconstituted. I made the sample with a wet brush along the ridges of the lid.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/KTC/slides/2013-10-21-ktc_01.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The Luxury Blue looked like this before I added water.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Lux/slides/2013-10-21-lux_04.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

I added water the the Luxury Blue (as I explained above). The outer swipes are more heavily diluted and the inner swipe is from the cap.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Lux/slides/2013-10-21-lux_06.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

The Pelikan ink held up to the light, but the label had trouble.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2013-Window/Pelikan/slides/20131021_132658.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

In conclusion, I think the biggest concern about vintage inks will be the quality of the container. If it isn't truly air tight, I think the ink will evaporate and ink concentration will need better mixing than concentrated orange juice.

 

I can't say if the Carter's ink faded, but I've been told that color appears about right.

 

I think the Pelikan ink has changed color, and this is the one ink that I think caused problems for me with my pens. I think this one was a victim of heat. It was in the caboose for more than 20 years, but it was in a dark drawer. Nevertheless, the caboose was HOT (summer days are almost all above 100 F). I don't think the light made a dang bit of difference.

 

So, I would say ... Display your ink, but don't let it freeze or get too hot.