Fountain Pen In Labs?

[PDW]

In my undergrad days (too long ago to remember) I used a Rotring technical pen with black drawing ink. The notebook and its contents survived without problems water, solvents, and using the notebook to beat out a small fire when the bottom of a pear-shaped flask dropped out as i was heating it with a microburner.

 

I like fine nibs, and the 0.3mm technical pen nib worked for me.

[Reevers]

I work in a aerospace test centre, not quite the same as a wet lab, but for what its worth I still use my FPs exclusively. Whether on the test floor, in the office, at conferences or auditing Universities/suppliers.

 

I'm sure you'll find a pen-ink combo that works for you.

 

For daily general use and note taking I'll generally use my TWSBI 580s with any ink, Rohrer Klingner Alt Goldgrün, Omas Grey, Diamine Green...

If I have a meeting with a senior or I'm visiting a supplier and I don't want to look too flash then I'll use my Lamy Al Star with something like Pelikan Blue-Black

[jmccarty3]

I can recommend a couple of inks. Noodler's Black Eel is about as bulletproof as you can get. Sailor nano black dries with a very attractive matte finish, and if you find it not flowing very well, you can put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the bottle. Either of these should serve you well in a lab. Have some blotter paper handy if you need it.

[bijou3owl]

I'm a graduate student in a marine biology lab, where we have four rooms full of salt water tanks. I went through somewhat of a quest to find the perfect ink for my lab notebooks and animal care sheets (your standard sub-par office printer paper). All of the following inks were used in a Lamy Joy outfitted with a F nib, and pretty soaked in salt water (as in, a gloved hand went into the tank, came out soaking, and things needed to be immediately written down).

 

At best can be called Water-Resistant (lots of splotching on the page, but writing still legible)
Noodler’s Bad Belted Kingfisher
Noodler’s Hunter
Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
Noodler’s Bad Black Moccasin

Highly Water-Resistant, but still some splotching
Noodler’s El Lawrence
Noodler’s X-Feather

Waterproof
Noodler’s Violet Vote
Noodler’s Bad Green Gator
Noodler’s Kung-Te-Cheng
Noodler’s #41 Brown
Noodler’s Polar Brown
Noodler’s Black
Noodler’s Black Eel
Noodler’s Heart of Darkness

FWIW, I ended up with Noodler's Black.

Edited July 2, 2015 by bijou3owl

[LisaN]

Bijou, I have yet to start on that sweater in your profile picture. Love the color choices on yours.

Edited July 3, 2015 by LisaN

[bijou3owl]

Thanks! I'm insanely proud of it. Though I can't take credit for color selection (it was a kit).

[Davros]

I work in a wet lab and use fountain pens almost all the time. I use a variety of inks for non-permanent notes (checking off lists, drafts of papers, editing, etc) and waterfast/lightfast/ethanol fast inks for permanent notes. Totally workable.