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The Safety Of Alcohol (In Ink)

vossad01

By vossad01
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vossad01 Rare

vossad01

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I have read mixed things on mixing alcohol with fountain pens. I have read that Alcohol should not be used when cleaning pens because it may react with and weaken parts. However, I read on Wikipedia that Quink ink achieved quick drying status by using alcohol. When I look on FPN for opinions on Quink ink, it appears to have a reputation of being a very safe ink.


Can anyone more knowledgeable shed some light on whether alcohol should be considered safe as a mixing ingredient or not not?

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JefferyS Antique

JefferyS

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I have read that it can damage celluloid barrels.

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

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Algester Donor Pen

Algester

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Alcohol will likely uhh fade the colors of celluloid barrels so they are not safe for Vintage pens however Alcohol being Alcohol how tough is the solution ratio against water could also be a factor so I think that's what Parker did as again they already made some experimental inks like the Solvent-X inks back in the days which was made by mixing alcohol and salicylic acid or so I have read

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Moshe ben David Vintage

Moshe ben David

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Alcohol will likely uhh fade the colors of celluloid barrels so they are not safe for Vintage pens however Alcohol being Alcohol how tough is the solution ratio against water could also be a factor so I think that's what Parker did as again they already made some experimental inks like the Solvent-X inks back in the days which was made by mixing alcohol and salicylic acid or so I have read

 

Well, if nothing else, those pens would recover from headaches really quick! And probably be well protected against heart failure! :lticaptd:

 

(for the unitiated -- salicyclic acid is the active component released when aspirin is metabolized. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrug)

 

You're welcome.

Moshe ben David

 

"Behold, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!"

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JeanManuel Extremely Rare

JeanManuel

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Well, if nothing else, those pens would recover from headaches really quick! And probably be well protected against heart failure! :lticaptd:

 

(for the unitiated -- salicyclic acid is the active component released when aspirin is metabolized. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrug)

 

You're welcome.

It is a traditional component of acne lotions... Have you seen the movie "braveheart"? :)

Everything is impermanent.

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Paddler Antique

Paddler

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It might depend on which alcohol you are talking about. "Alcohol" is a huge class of chemicals, ranging from methyl (wood) alcohol way on up through glycerin and beyond. Some of them are solid at room temperature.

 

I have tried methyl, ethyl, and isopropyl alcohols in ink and all they seem to do is to make it feather and bleed.

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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Moshe ben David Vintage

Moshe ben David

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It is a traditional component of acne lotions... Have you seen the movie "braveheart"? :)

 

lol. The only movie "Braveheart" has Mel Gibson being drawn and quartered. I will guess this is NOT the movie you are referring to? :rolleyes:

Moshe ben David

 

"Behold, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!"

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lapis Museum Piece

lapis

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Don't dive while inking.

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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JeanManuel Extremely Rare

JeanManuel

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It is a traditional component of acne lotions... Have you seen the movie "braveheart"? :)

 

 

lol. The only movie "Braveheart" has Mel Gibson being drawn and quartered. I will guess this is NOT the movie you are referring to? :rolleyes:

The part when their faces are painted in blue.

 

Edited by JeanManuel

Everything is impermanent.

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vossad01 Rare

vossad01

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Alcohol will likely uhh fade the colors of celluloid barrels so they are not safe for Vintage pens however Alcohol being Alcohol how tough is the solution ratio against water could also be a factor so I think that's what Parker did as again they already made some experimental inks like the Solvent-X inks back in the days which was made by mixing alcohol and salicylic acid or so I have read

Well, if nothing else, those pens would recover from headaches really quick! And probably be well protected against heart failure! :lticaptd:

 

(for the unitiated -- salicyclic acid is the active component released when aspirin is metabolized. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodrug)

 

You're welcome.

 

Here you had me looking into whether aspirin could be a useful for providing an ink additive. Looks like that is not the case. It does not look like there is a definitive answer to what Solv-X was, but what I found suggested it is likely in part Phenol (carbolic acid).

 

 

It might depend on which alcohol you are talking about. "Alcohol" is a huge class of chemicals, ranging from methyl (wood) alcohol way on up through glycerin and beyond. Some of them are solid at room temperature.

Good point! I had been thinking of isopropyl alcohol because of its accessibility from being sold as Rubbing Alcohol for use in cleaning and because that is what Quink is reported to use. I do recall reading about people mixing in alcoholic beverages in cheap pens as experiments though...

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Moshe ben David Vintage

Moshe ben David

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Here you had me looking into whether aspirin could be a useful for providing an ink additive. Looks like that is not the case. It does not look like there is a definitive answer to what Solv-X was, but what I found suggested it is likely in part Phenol (carbolic acid).

 

Snip:

 

Actually, the phenol makes some sense -- seems to me I've seen comments elsewhere on FPN of some inks having a phenolic smell.....

Moshe ben David

 

"Behold, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!"

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fledermaus89 Rare

fledermaus89

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I once mixed ink with perfume (which is ~90% alcohol, I believe ethanol) to make a perfumed ink, and the feed later became almost malleable but also very brittle, breaking in all the weak places when I tried to pull it out of the section. I will never do it again. I'm not sure what kind of plastic the feed was made out of, but it was not ebonite.

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Don't dive while inking.

 

 

Drinking is cheaper than inking.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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I once mixed ink with perfume (which is ~90% alcohol, I believe ethanol) to make a perfumed ink, and the feed later became almost malleable but also very brittle, breaking in all the weak places when I tried to pull it out of the section. I will never do it again. I'm not sure what kind of plastic the feed was made out of, but it was not ebonite.

 

 

scary

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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lapis Museum Piece

lapis

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Drinking is cheaper than inking.

Drinking what? Water?

 

Har har

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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