Major Ink Evaporation Issue In Omas Ogiva Alba

[odd_soul]

Hi everyone. I've been having a huge ink evaporation issue in my Omas Ogiva Alba. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

I tend to have more than 10 pens inked at one time, and use a different one each day in rotation. So it's normal for my pens to go 10+ days in between uses. All of the other pens I use seem to be OK with this, but after the first time I inked up my Ogiva Alba, the ink evaporated over half of its volume before I used it again!

 

When I cleaned it out, I noticed that some ink had gotten behind the piston seal, so thinking that was part of the problem, I put some silicone grease in there, and it helped on the second filling, and ink seemed to evaporate more slowly. However, it still evaporated MUCH faster than any of my other pens, and I kept having to add water to it to reconstitute the ink. I had left it with the ink chamber about halfway full, and the next time I went to use it, it had dried up completely!

 

Is there anything else I can do to get this to stop happening? What are your thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[Dr.Grace]

I'm seeing something similar with an older Ogiva Vision I just received, so I'd also be interested in any replies.

[gerigo]

There are pens where the ink will evaporate and there are those that don't. It might have to do with the material, the design of the components or even the way the pen was designed.

 

I have been traveling for a month with the same set of pens. During this time, I have been on airplanes every week.

 

My Franklin Christoph 20 still writes extremely well and has had no evaporation issue. And you think it would because there is a hole in the cap to allow the cap to be pulled off.

 

My Visconti Opera Typhoon has completely dried up within the first week, and was unusable through the trip. I was disappointed because I know there is a inner cap within the pen cap that is supposed to prevent evaporation.

 

The other pen that joined the party midway through is the Firma Qube. It had a magnetic cap that is easy to pull off and barely on. Within the first flight it took, it went to full to half empty and the ink from a mid warm grey (J Herbin Cacao Du Brasil) to black.

 

To finish off the story, I came back to pens that were filled and not emptied before the trip. My OMAS milord which was filled with Iroshizuku Tsukushi, is now a black ink with a beautiful green sheen!

 

I don't know you can do anything about it.

[Dr.Grace]

It could be that the feed is designed for a high rate of ink/air exchange. Maybe you just have to plan to use these pens frequently. I'm more worried about eventual leaks in the piston seal, which doesn't seem to be designed as well as it should be, for such an expensive pen.

[unigami]

These pens are made from cotton resin, am I correct?

 

I have the same exact problem with all of my Noodler's pens that are made of vegetal resin.

Over a period of two weeks, half of the ink will evaporate.

 

I believe that this type of material naturally absorbs the water in the ink compartment and then allows it to evaporate off the surface of the pen.

 

I've ordered some air-tight storage tubes that are manufactured for keeping cigars fresh.

I'm going to store one of my Konrads in there for a couple weeks, fully loaded with ink, and compare it to one that is stored in open air.

 

 

[Dr.Grace]

Yes, I had the same problem with Noodler's pens, but I assumed it had to do with the generous air exchange through the feed, which is designed to keep up with the flex nibs.

[odd_soul]

It could be that the feed is designed for a high rate of ink/air exchange. Maybe you just have to plan to use these pens frequently. I'm more worried about eventual leaks in the piston seal, which doesn't seem to be designed as well as it should be, for such an expensive pen.

That's a good point that I did not consider. It is a very wet writing pen. But yea, I too am concerned about the ink behind the seal, especially for the price point of the pen. I will have to see how the silicone grease application held even though it did not stop the evaporation.

[odd_soul]

These pens are made from cotton resin, am I correct?

 

I have the same exact problem with all of my Noodler's pens that are made of vegetal resin.

Over a period of two weeks, half of the ink will evaporate.

 

That's a good point. I have had the same experience with my Noodler's Ahab as well. I had considered the material as the cause, but wasn't sure.

[stevesurf]

Yes, I find this as well with the Ogiva Alba and even more so with the lower capacity 360, both cotton resin. I just simply have to pen flush more often

[Precise]

I discuss a 360 drying out here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/300067-omas-360-drying-out/

 

But I'm not sure there's any evaporation. There have been issues with getting air back into the reservoir to fill the space left as ink is used. This is a work in progress.

 

Alan

[Geert Jan]

I do see ink levels dropping pretty quickly as well, but put that down to a combination of it being a it being a pretty wet writer and on of my favourites. If I hold it nib down the ink doesn't drip out on its own, but put it on apiece of tissue paper and the thing is empty in minutes (much faster than the others). Perhaps some parts in the pen absorb ink (ebonite feed maybe?): It takes me ages to get the last bits of blue ink out (seems OK after a day regular flushing, but leave it empty overnight I get fresh blob of blue if I flush again with water).

 

What I am worried about is the piston seal. I agree with earlier posters that this part of the pen doesn't seem to be on par with what to expect in this price range.

 

The original poster mentioned applying silicone grease. I'm very curious how to get that far. Could you explain how you got that close tot the piston, please?

 

Geert Jan