The Most Dangerous Ink

[tonybelding]

When I say "most dangerous ink", I do have some criteria. I don't count things like india ink or calligraphy ink that we all know aren't intended for fountain pens. I also don't count inks that are long out of production, like Parker Superchrome. It has to be something that's being made and sold today as fountain pen ink.

And the winner of this booby prize is: Private Reserve Candy Apple Red

Years ago when I was first getting into fountain pens, I got a bottle of this. The color was amazing, but it stained the converter in my Waterman Phileas, and it was extremely difficult to ever flush all the remnants out. For months afterwards, every time I flushed the pen I'd get traces of pink along with whatever color I'd been using. Eventually, after letting the bottle sit idle for a long time, its contents hardened into a cement-like crust that resisted all attempts to dissolve or rinse out.

And then PR discontinued the stuff. I wonder why?

Recently they brought it back. With years of FP experience under my belt, I felt ready to tackle this ink again. Surely it couldn't be as bad as I remember. Right? I procured a fresh bottle.

First, I have to say the color is stunning. It does for red what BSB does for blue. It's vibrant, it's eye-catching, and to me is actually quite pretty. (Way more attractive than BSB, IMHO.) It also writes well.

Just as I remembered, it's extremely difficult to fully clean out of a pen. I tested it in a Waterman L'Etalon, then flushed it -- quite thoroughly, I thought -- and later tested some OS "Accident" blue ink in the pen. Very soon the blue ink began turning a weird purple color, with streaks and shading as if the two colors couldn't quite mix completely. Then the ink flow (in this usually very wet writing pen) began to dry up. I flushed it and got out a lot of goop -- sort of slime or gel. Apparently the remaining traces of Candy Apple Red had reacted with the OS ink to make this stuff.

Then I opened up an Edison Nouveau Premeire that I'd had inked for a while with Candy Apple Red. I was shocked to find the metal collar on the converter had grown corrosion over large portions of its surface. Cleaning the corrosion off with metal polish revealed that something (fumes from the ink, I assume) had stripped the plating right off and eaten into the underlying metal.

And that's where things stand. I've used a lot of inks from a lot of different sources, but this one really takes the cake. I've had inks that were quirky before, that were high-maintenance in various ways, but never another that came anywhere near these problems.

Candy Apple Red is what PR call a "chromium ink", and they also produce colors called Hot Bubble Gum and Tangerine Dream. I would assume they have similar properties to Candy Apple Red, though I haven't sampled either of them. Also worth noting... Noodlers produced an ink that seems very similar, called Comanche Rouge, but it was only a single-year limited item, exclusive to Dromgoole's store in Houston. (All of these inks come with a warning against mixing.)

Will I dump my Candy Apple Red? Will I warn everyone against it? Will I demand that PR halt its production? umm... No, I wouldn't go quite that far. It's not an easy ink to find, and doubt too many are going to stumble into it without knowing what they're getting. I think it's possible to use this ink successfully if you are forewarned and follow some rules. So, here are the ones I suggest...

 

* Dedicated pen. You don't want to regularly swap this around in various pens that are used with other inks. (Note, though, I'm not saying your dedicated pen should be something super-cheap. Using a difficult ink in a shoddy pen is a recipe for frustration.)

 

* Make it pen you can easily disassemble, so that you can clean the parts.

 

* Use a sonic cleaner. If you're reading this, you probably ought to have one anyhow. They are not expensive, and they are amazing little gadgets that can be highly useful to anyone who messes with fountain pens very much.

 

* Only use this ink in refilled cartridges or in converters that you consider semi-disposable. (Most converters really should be considered semi-disposable anyhow, IMHO.)

I don't think corrosion of nibs is too likely to be a problem. Today's steel nibs are highly corrosion-resistant, and I didn't see any problem with the one on my Nouveau Premiere. However, a gold nib would be an even safer bet.

[proton007]

When the word 'Chromium' pops up, it should be an instant red flag.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you!

 

I saw it recently and restrained myself based on your prior experience.

[Algester]

If I will ever find myself with a very hard to clean ink and stains like hell they will probably go to my EDs since ED pens are more easier to clean... and I'm thinking going Indian route for that since its just the nib and feed and a punch block that includes the infamous BSB if I will ever like the ink...

Edited June 5, 2014 by Algester

[SamCapote]

Thanks for the heads up. Pretty amazing detrimental effects you describe.

[wetnoodlepens]

Looks like this ink rivals even the other world-famous ink.

[amberleadavis]

Tony, I pulled out my Comanche Rouge just because you made me think of it. I love this ink. Thank you for warning us not to mix and write.

[Gloucesterman]

Although I have noticed no ill effects from the bottle I have posted in the classifieds, I will offer it for free to anyone who wants it- just pay postage and it's yours. PM me and let me know if you are interested.

[spotted and speckled]

What was the name of the copper ink that grew fur on the nibs when you left it in the pen more than a week? That one would have gotten my vote, but your red sounds pretty awful.

[kestrel]

What was the name of the copper ink that grew fur on the nibs when you left it in the pen more than a week? That one would have gotten my vote, but your red sounds pretty awful.

A couple of the reddish inks grow "fur" on nibs. I have seen it produced by Diamine Ancient Copper and J. Herbin Rouge Hematite. In both cases a simple rinse under lightly running tap water washed it right off and I still enjoy using both inks (especially ancient copper). The fur is the result of a highly saturated ink evaporating on the nib and feed so there is no permanent damage.

 

The OP is describing exfoliation corrosion that caused permanent damage to a pen by flaking the plating off. Thanks for the heads up.

[raging.dragon]

When the word 'Chromium' pops up, it should be an instant red flag.

 

Ruby red!

[raging.dragon]

A couple of the reddish inks grow "fur" on nibs. I have seen it produced by Diamine Ancient Copper and J. Herbin Rouge Hematite. In both cases a simple rinse under lightly running tap water washed it right off and I still enjoy using both inks (especially ancient copper). The fur is the result of a highly saturated ink evaporating on the nib and feed so there is no permanent damage.

 

The OP is describing exfoliation corrosion that caused permanent damage to a pen by flaking the plating off. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Several of the Diamine orange inks do this too.

[GUNGA GALUNGA]

Are there some inks that are harmful to a fountain pen. I notice my MBs say use Mon Blanc only. Is this so that make the money or are other inks bad. Or, some inks more fountain pen friendly than others

[Algester]

Are there some inks that are harmful to a fountain pen. I notice my MBs say use Mon Blanc only. Is this so that make the money or are other inks bad. Or, some inks more fountain pen friendly than others

only to make more money my good sir you can use other inks but also note that some inks will still stain and other will not so identifying staining inks will also help you decide where to ink those inks

[Bigeddie]

Are there some inks that are harmful to a fountain pen. I notice my MBs say use Mon Blanc only. Is this so that make the money or are other inks bad. Or, some inks more fountain pen friendly than others

 

The only really dangerous inks are those that don't say that they are for fountain pens (India ink for example). Inks which contain gum Arabic or shellac are bad news for fountain pens. There are some experimental threads around here were people have tried to put various things through their pens (wine, sea water), they come with a strong 'not recommended' warning.

 

I mix and match Montblanc inks and pens with other brands of inks and pens. I would add to Algester's comment that some inks stain some pens and will not stain others. I have used MB Black (old formula) in MB pens with no problems but others have said that MB Black has stained their non-MB pen. I would say that celluloid pens are probably more at risk from staining as an example, but plastics will have similar variations.

 

The general rule that I use for staining is that the more permanent and red an ink is, the more likely it is to stain. But I will always try an ink in something like a Lamy Vista before it goes into something more expensive like a Visconti Wall Street LE with a Celluloid ink window.

[FLZapped]

A couple of the reddish inks grow "fur" on nibs. I have seen it produced by Diamine Ancient Copper and J. Herbin Rouge Hematite. In both cases a simple rinse under lightly running tap water washed it right off and I still enjoy using both inks (especially ancient copper). The fur is the result of a highly saturated ink evaporating on the nib and feed so there is no permanent damage.

 

The OP is describing exfoliation corrosion that caused permanent damage to a pen by flaking the plating off. Thanks for the heads up.

 

 

Quink red grows crystals. They don't seem to harm anything, though, they dissolve when water is added.

Edited June 6, 2014 by FLZapped