Hazards To Mixing Fp Inks?

[NewPenMan]

I have some inks which are..sort of left over..a squirt of this, a drop of that. some I think would make a nice 3rd color together.

 

Are there risks to pens which are filled with frankeninks?

 

Most of what I have is noodler's..might be a little waterman blue-black. none of the noodler's inks are warden/waterfast..just "regular"

 

thanks!

Edited November 20, 2015 by NewPenMan

[Algester]

I would say stick to the same brand if noodler's stick with noodler's when mixing, Asian inks with Asian inks, european with european inks, unless your truly feeling adventurous, I once mixed Tokiwa-Matsu with a drop of Rouge Hematite (Cigar?) and Cerise with Shigure (L'Amant?)

[langere]

Heavily saturated inks such as Noodler's might present some problems if mixed; for example, some of the colors might precipitate in your pen. The fear I have is that when I want to mix inks is that the color turns into a mishmash that is basically gray and not very interesting compared to the original colors. But, hey, experimenting is not bad, especially if you do it outside of a fountain pen first.

 

Erick

[mike.jane]

I say one should not fear experimenting (and in the processes getting down and messy) with inks.

Really, what's the wortst that can happen?

Mix your inks by the drop. That's easily done and even if you don't like the result, all you've wasted arelike 6,7 drops of ink.

Use an inexpensive pen or dip pen for your experiments. Will the pen later be dirty with all kinds of ink mix-a-rama? Yes. Will you just clean it easily and no one's the wiser? Yes.

Document all your mixing and test often, it's part of the 'scientific process'.

 

Once you found a recipe you like, it might be a good idea to let your mixturesit for a while (maybe days) to see if there would be any ill side effects (separation for example).

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I agree with the replies from other Members.

 

There are unknowns, so it is very important to take the time to determine if the blend you've conjured exposes your pens to risk of a nasty clean-up, if not taking it to bits for restoration, or if it runs amok - hunting it down.*

 

As such, even after scrupulous safety trials, I shy away from using an 'iffy' blend in pens that cannot be cleaned-up with ease. (I doubt my Pelikan M640 Sahara, Sheaffer PFM or Montblanc 149 will ever see a blended ink.)

 

Over time I have become more adventurous in blending inks, yet I remain quite strict about safety of the blends.

 

In very general terms, we deal with pH of the inks (dyes behave and misbehave according to pH), the combination of individual dyes in each ink and the family of inks: simple aniline dye, iron-gall, cellulose reactive, nano particle.

 

Some marketing/manufacturing Co.s have given the green light for intermingling their inks, yet others, such as J Herbin, forbid such.

 

Sauve qui peut, but as always, let us share our inky mis/adventures.

 

Bye,

S1

 

* https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/266589-inky-t-o-d-ink-mixing-mad-scientist-v-safety-inspector/?p=2992759

Edited November 20, 2015 by Sandy1

[pbk31]

Noodlersink.com has a pdf file that gives a very good comparison of the qualities of Noodler's inks. There are warnings about not mixing Bay State inks with other Noodler's inks all over the internet. That said, I have concocted a Raw Sienna from Noodler's Red Black, Noodler's Yellow and Noodler's Black that I have not found a match for anywhere!

 

Get some sample vials (10 ml) and a syringe with a blunt needle. Many pen suppliers on the net have such things and they are relatively inexpensive. Only mix a few drops at a time. Test with a dip pen on your choice of paper. Dip pens insure full saturation of the ink on the paper. Writing and a small thumbnail monotone sketch once you have a mixture you like. Let set for a week or two, then take your spritzer bottle and soak the sample writing/drawing. Observe what happens and what the final result is once it dries again. I reccommend testing all your favorite inks on all your favorite papers in this manner. You will be in for some surprises!

 

I do nature journaling with pen and ink and watercolor sketches. I require that writing and the basic sketch will survive a dunk in the duck pond. I can always recolor the sketch if necessary as long as the pertinant details survive. Many Noodler's inks will wash out but they leave a permanent artifact behind leaving any text still perfectly readable. This type of testing is the only way to know how your inks are going to behave under adverse or artistic demands.

 

Be very careful to keep everything clean to avoid contaminating a large bottle of ink. Go forth, have fun, and share some pictures of your work.

 

I have a 4x6 inch card file of every watercolor pigment I use. I run a washover the full card, paint a 1 inch circle of pure pigment, and fill the rest of the card with a sketch of some type. All filed by pigment number so the blues, reds, earth tones, yellows etc are all with others of the same colors. It makes for an amazing reference! My inks are next once I have worked out a format.

 

Go for it!

Edited November 20, 2015 by pbk31

[inkstainedruth]

There was a thread a couple of years ago where someone tried to make her "perfect" blue black -- Noodler's Bay State Blue and Noodler's black. She posted photos. It wasn't pretty. Believe the bad press or not about BSB. But absolutely DO believe it when they say don't mix the Baystate inks with other [i.e., non-Baystate series] inks. The Baystate Series inks are alkaline. I don't know whether mixing other high pH inks would be safe or not; definitely let the mix sit in a vial for a few days at least before you know what the chemical reaction will be.... Certainly let *any* mix sit before putting it into even a cheap pen.

The BSB/Noodler's Black mix? It didn't -- there would be blue for part of a line and black for another part). And then came out of the poor woman's pen in chunks.... Literally. Like I said -- it wasn't pretty.... I felt so bad for her -- and even more so for whatever the pen was that she used.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[white_lotus]

The most common ink brands cost somewhere in the $0.25/ml range. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. A typical converter holds 0.75 ml, so $0.19 worth of ink (again, more or less). A quarter of a converter fill is a mere nickel's worth of ink. A dribble, or drab of ink, is probably all of a penny, or less.

 

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to try and save them or mix them, so you can have a feeling of virtuous frugality, because it's of so little monetary value.

 

While the traditional "big names" of pens may only have a few basic, uninteresting colors in their line-up these days, brands such as Diamine, Noodler's, Private Reserve, J. Herbin, DeAtramentis, Pelikan, Sailor, Pilot/Namiki, all have many many excellent inks. The Goulet web site has nearly 600 inks available. Surely just the right ink is somewhere within the available selections.

 

For me, there is absolutely no reason to go mixing inks. It's just a waste of time that keeps you from doing the important activity of writing. Sorry if this heretical opinion offends all those who mix inks. I think I'll empty some pens and load up some Sailors.

[JefferyS]

If you are really feeling like an alchemist, Platinum sells a set of mixable inks (see below). I never wanted to fuss that much, and Diamine makes just about every color and shade I could wish for. The only mixed ink I use is Binder Burgundy, which is a pretty well tested mixture of inks.

 

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/ink/images/platinum_mixfree-01x650.jpg

[amberleadavis]

BTW, be sure to check out this Inky TOD.

 

Experimenting and "In Theory"

Inky T O D - Ink Mixing - Mad Scientist V. Safety Inspector
http://www.fountainp...fety-inspector/

[Sasha Royale]

I am very cowardly. I would resist doing it. However, if adventurous curiosity overwhelms me, I would use one of the inexpensive "bargain" pens from Ebay. Not a bad idea to keep at least one of such around for these experiments.

[DrDebG]

O.K., I must admit that I have mixed inks. (Whew! That's over!)

 

Actually, it was recently. Using a syringe, I had filled a converter with what I had left over of Faber Castell Cobalt Blue and then filled the rest of the converter with Sailor Jentle Nioi-sumire. Then I put the nib on it. And guess what?

 

The pen didn't blow up!

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

OH, but do check out the thread ...Ink Mixes that Didn't work.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223444-ink-mixes-that-didnt-work/

[Parker51]

I have a Private Reserve Mixing kit and have long mixed them.

I also use a lot of Vintage Ink which I do not mix, I also never discard it, instead I use the pen until it is empty. I can bring myself to use eighty year old ink, but not throw it away.

[DrDebG]

OH, but do check out the thread ...Ink Mixes that Didn't work.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223444-ink-mixes-that-didnt-work/

 

I hate to say this, but if you want a good laugh (at the expense of our dear fellow FPNers), you should read some of these. I was joking about my pen not blowing up, but I think others have had experiences similar to this.

[amberleadavis]

Oh, yes, it is a little schadenfreude to read those posts.