Do I Need Iron Gall

[vojtahlad]

I think pigmented inks suit better this situation. Pelikan Fount India is an available and affordable candidate.

[SDM]

If you want Noodler's, Pure Pens have some: https://www.purepens.co.uk/

 

not a huge range, but some.

 

It's also worth considering what paper you're expecting to write on; IG inks behave well on even the worst paper, in my experience. Many inks don't.

 

Pelikan Blue/Black is ubiquitous, works well on cheap paper, and is quite water resistant (it has an IG component, I belive).

[amberleadavis]

Sandy has already pointed you in the right direction. Here are a couple of links:

 

This one was ten days.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/265201-inky-t-o-d-have-you-ever-had-an-ink-fade/?do=findComment&comment=2970729

 

Then a month and a half.

 

[amberleadavis]

Here are some of the fade tests:

 

Thanks to Arkanbar for compiling this list.

http://www.fountainp...-mark-overview/

http://www.fountainp...onth-fade-test/

http://www.fountainp...nten-and-other/

http://www.fountainp...e-2#entry637859

http://www.fountainp...tfastness-test/

http://www.fountainp...-faded-flowers/

http://www.fountainp...k-fade-testing/

http://www.fountainp...fastness-scans/

http://www.fountainp...mini-fade-test/

http://www.fountainp...term-fade-test/

http://imgur.com/fpngallery/0MzOR (Arkanbar)

http://www.fountainp...lass-fade-test/

http://www.fountainp...rn-usa-uv-test/

http://www.fountainp...tfastness-test/ (scroll)

http://www.fountainp...e-2#entry637859

http://www.fountainp...nten-and-other/

[amberleadavis]

And I feel that I should once more do a shout out to Noodler's KTC. We used this at our plant nursery and I'm confident that this ink will survive the Zombie apocalypse- I call it Armageddon Proof. KTC is water proof, light proof and dirt proof.

[Venemo]

If the requirement is that you want them to be readable for 2 years, then you don't necessarily need iron gall or any other special ink. Notes I wrote 4 years ago with plain simple inks (eg. Parker Black) are still very visible. However, if you want to protect your notes from accidental liquid spill and such, then I definitely suggest to use something better.

 

I like ESSRI very much and have been using it comfortably for a few years now without any issue. As long as you handle it with a little care, it should be OK for you too. Actually, ESSRI was the only ink for me which writes without any bleedthrough on even the worst kind of papers out there.

 

Other popular choices might be:

• Carbon ink (Platinum) ― also needs to be handled with care
• Pigmented inks (eg. Platinum, but other manufacturers make them too)
• De Atramentis Document Ink ― I'm not sure about their chemical composition, but they are also advertised to be permanent
• Inks that have a low iron gall content (eg. KWZ, or Pelikan Brilliant Black, etc.) ― usually these are more colorful, but still remain legible when you spill something on them

From the above, I have tried Platinum Carbon (which has carbon nano-particles) and Sepia (pigmented), KWZ IG inks (Green Gold and various others) and Pelikan Brilliant Black (which has a very low IG content), but my favourite remains ESSRI by far.

 

Here are some tips for dealing with ESSRI, generally true for any IG ink too:

• According to some people, you should keep it in the fridge as the IG content degrades more slowly that way.
• Do NOT immerse your pen into the big ESSRI bottle, instead spill some ESSRI into a smaller bottle and use that to fill your pens, so that the large bottle remains uncontaminated.
• Clean your pen between some refills more thoroughly than usual. (Good advice for any IG ink.)
• Do NOT use ESSRI with steel nibs that are non-stainless (such as a cheap dip pen). It will corrode those nibs and the corroded material will remain at the bottom of your ink bottle, prone to clog your other pens.
• If you filled your pen with ESSRI, do NOT leave that pen unused for longer periods of time. Write with it at least a few times every week.

Hope this helps!

[Arkanabar]

If you can get Pilot Blue-Black (or even Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black), you don't need iron gall. And not all IG inks (R&K's Salix and Scabiosa, for two) are able to stand up to long-term, direct sunlight. But if an IG ink tickles your fancy, go for it. They are noted for tolerating even the worst papers without feathering, ghosting, or strike-through.

[Venemo]

If you can get Pilot Blue-Black (or even Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black), you don't need iron gall. And not all IG inks (R&K's Salix and Scabiosa, for two) are able to stand up to long-term, direct sunlight. But if an IG ink tickles your fancy, go for it. They are noted for tolerating even the worst papers without feathering, ghosting, or strike-through.

 

Actually Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black does have some iron gall content although very low. (According to some topics on FPN at least.)

[amberleadavis]

And once again, we should point out that most inks will still look awesome in 2 years.