Jump to content

Just A Quick Question: How Do I Use An Ink Tablet?


AgnivaRoy

Recommended Posts

I recently acquired an antique ink tablet made in India. As this is the first time I have laid my eyes on it, I would like to ask you how to properly use it. I know I have to add it in water but how much water do I use? Also,could it pose any threat to the pen if I use it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 8
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • AgnivaRoy

    4

  • amberleadavis

    3

  • Pickwick

    1

  • Chrissy

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

It depends on the age of the tablet. I had some which had been made in the USA at the turn of the last century. The instructions recommended dropping one tablet into 1 ounce {approximately 28 grammes} of warm water, It did state that it was safe for a fountain pen. However when it was dissolved the color had somewhat faded.

 

With the one you have acquired depending on its age I would suggest starting with a third of the 1 ounce or 28 grammes and see how the color looks and writes with a dip pen. Usually these tablets are not recommended for use in modern fountain pens. Although I believe Waterman did make an ink tablet during World War one which could be placed in an eyedropper pen and filled with water then shaken up. Otherwise they were just a convenient way for travelers carrying dip pens.

They came as a boon, and a blessing to men,
The Pickwick, the Owl and the Waverley pen

Sincerely yours,

Pickwick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickwick, thank you for the detailed instructions.

 

Agniva, I've purchased some of these ... well more than 3 different kinds .... Not all of the tablets work well in fountainpens. So, 1. Choose an easy to clean pen. 2. Dilute this in a vial or sample container with very little HOT water. You can always add more water, but taking out water is not easy. Also hot water makes it much easier to mix. 3. Consider adding the tablet to another ink which already has antimicrobials and surfactants. If the tablet does not dissolve easily and instead looks like it is chunky, do not put it into a fountain pen. The chunks will clog your pen.

 

I hope that helps.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickwick, thank you for the detailed instructions.

 

Agniva, I've purchased some of these ... well more than 3 different kinds .... Not all of the tablets work well in fountainpens. So, 1. Choose an easy to clean pen. 2. Dilute this in a vial or sample container with very little HOT water. You can always add more water, but taking out water is not easy. Also hot water makes it much easier to mix. 3. Consider adding the tablet to another ink which already has antimicrobials and surfactants. If the tablet does not dissolve easily and instead looks like it is chunky, do not put it into a fountain pen. The chunks will clog your pen.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Do these contain basic similar ingredients to the packets of dye that you had a while ago?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's hard to say. Not all the batches of powered ink or the tablets are from the same country or time period, so I would doubt that the ingredients are the same, BUT it seems like ink was a fairly consistent process for hundreds of years.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends on the age of the tablet. I had some which had been made in the USA at the turn of the last century. The instructions recommended dropping one tablet into 1 ounce {approximately 28 grammes} of warm water, It did state that it was safe for a fountain pen. However when it was dissolved the color had somewhat faded.

 

With the one you have acquired depending on its age I would suggest starting with a third of the 1 ounce or 28 grammes and see how the color looks and writes with a dip pen. Usually these tablets are not recommended for use in modern fountain pens. Although I believe Waterman did make an ink tablet during World War one which could be placed in an eyedropper pen and filled with water then shaken up. Otherwise they were just a convenient way for travelers carrying dip pens.

I have a couple of eyedropper pens somewhere in the huge mess that my room is.

Let's see how it pans out.

Edited by AgnivaRoy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We look forward to seeing the results.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...