Do You Store Your Inks In The Original Boxes Or Without It?

[Runnin_Ute]

If I have the boxes, I use them. Some of my inks didn't come with boxes. Like my first bottle of KWZI (IG Turquoise), a bottle of Noodler's Blue Eel that came to me as a PIF, my Blackstone inks for the most part don't have boxes - at least the 30 ml nalgene bottles. A few others. I need to figure out a better system/place though.

[JotterAddict62]

In boxes. How else would the display work?

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f239/Jotteraddict62/001_zpsniaprg2c.jpg

If you look at the photo icon you can see it is out of date. I just received more blue/black ink today so this photo is out of date now.

You can see that I need 4 bottles of royal blue, 2 bottles of brown and 3 of the black. Then where does the red go?

All bottles are full if you ask.

 

Ken

[inkstainedruth]

I'm like a lot of other people here. In boxes when the bottle comes with one (as just a little added UV protection, even though they're kept in storage boxes (rattan? fiber over cloth and cardboard storage boxes from IKEA, which they seem to have largely discontinued ). Two of the sort of standard 8-1/2 x 11" boxes fit on each shelf of the foldout bookcases I got at Pier 1. I'd like to get another of the larger sized boxes (think "bigger than a sweater box, but not as big as a 70 quart plastic storage bin") for old morning pages journals -- the but those seem not to be had at this point.

I'm not so good about samples, though, and way behind in re-organizing the sample vial trays (which -- in theory -- go in the same smaller size storage boxes, but only stack two high by two long).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[akrohn2010]

I guess I'm the odd one out...I don't use the boxes, but I do store all my ink in a drawer. The boxes are often too tall for the drawer, and limit how many bottles I can fit inside due to the extra space they take up. I don't think I can squeeze in another bottle, so I don't plan to buy new inks any time soon. If I particularly like a color and buy more than one bottle, I do keep the extra bottles in their boxes and sealed until it's time to begin using them. I suppose I could store those elsewhere to make room for more open bottles...

Youre not the odd one out now - I at least dont keep my boxes. I only have about a dozen inks, which live in the stationary drawer in our dining room antique drawer chest, along with my pens and paper and stationary. One day Ill pick up an antique secretary or writing desk - for now I just get a drawer in the cabinet above the china.

[FOUR X FOUR]

I used to store my ink in their boxes. Not any more. I just let the bottles sit on a shelf now

[Shaggy]

Most are in boxes for ease of storage. Two that I'm heavily using at the moment are out on my desk for enjoyment. I'm trying to empty two bottles this year (a small Iroshizuku Ajisai and a large Kon-peki).

[ENewton]

Youre not the odd one out now - I at least dont keep my boxes. I only have about a dozen inks, which live in the stationary drawer in our dining room antique drawer chest, along with my pens and paper and stationary. One day Ill pick up an antique secretary or writing desk - for now I just get a drawer in the cabinet above the china.

 

I take a similar approach. I have thirteen inks, of which twelve are in a drawer in my dining-room china cabinet. I have one ink bottle too tall to fit in the drawer. As for pens, about half are the drawer; purple pens and my cute little Duofold Jr. (despite not being purple) are on my desk.

[MHBru]

If it came in a box it's still in it

[amberleadavis]

Yes in the box as it protects from potential fading from light. Also in a cool, dry location is preferred by me.

 

 

I prefer to keep ink in the dark to slow down the change in colour. Those that are to tall too to fit in the drawer stay in their orignal boxes on a shelf. It is a little disapointing because the bottles are pretty.

 

 

I keep my inks in their original boxes, if any, for ease of stacking and to keep them out of the light. I can always appreciate the bottles when I fill a pen.

 

 

I didn't originally use boxes. But, now I do. They are easier to stack and are much more protected this way. Yes, the bottles can be pretty. I find that as I use an ink over and over, I do end up wearing out the box, so perhaps the boxes will disappear on some inks.

 

One bad thing I do is store the inks on the main floor of my house. I get extremely hot summers here, and I know heat isn't good for them.

 

 

I did a multi-year test with several inks in the bottle in direct sun in a window in Las Vegas.

 

The bottled inks did evaporate, but they did not fade.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/254849-results-does-ink-fade-in-the-bottle/?hl=fade

 

As for me, I display my inks, it is easier to pick out which color.

 

http://heismylawyer.com/2018-2/Potions/slides/2018-06-02_Potions_Cabinet-32.jpg

[catbert]

I did a multi-year test with several inks in the bottle in direct sun in a window in Las Vegas.

 

The bottled inks did evaporate, but they did not fade.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/254849-results-does-ink-fade-in-the-bottle/?hl=fade

 

As for me, I display my inks, it is easier to pick out which color.

 

http://heismylawyer.com/2018-2/Potions/slides/2018-06-02_Potions_Cabinet-32.jpg

 

Good to know — thanks.

For me, ease of stacking still comes first. (And some bottles are ugly.)

 

Post #51 in the linked thread is not entirely reassuring: "Some inks may degrade, I've only done a handful."

[amberleadavis]

 

Good to know — thanks.

For me, ease of stacking still comes first. (And some bottles are ugly.)

 

Post #51 in the linked thread is not entirely reassuring: "Some inks may degrade, I've only done a handful."

 

 

Those inks that degraded were kept in cool dark areas. The inks were Pelikan blue, Pelikan black, Pelikan blue-black and Carter Blue Black.

[cattar]

Sailor inks in their boxes. Other inks generally not.

Why? Because the Sailor boxes make me smile. And opening them every week is like opening presents. (Yes, I like those inks.)

[catbert]

Those inks that degraded were kept in cool dark areas. The inks were Pelikan blue, Pelikan black, Pelikan blue-black and Carter Blue Black.

 

Interesting. My experience with Pelikan blue-black is similar, though the deterioration—different rates in different bottles—took decades. Perhaps exposure accelerates it? (Post #50, to which #51 was the response, asked about manufacturers' warnings to avoid it.)

 

Nevertheless, the small sample size is the worrying part. In the interests of using my inks for as long as possible, I will continue to store them boxed in a cool dark place and hope to minimize any accidental discoveries about chemical instability.

 

And, as cattar says, unboxing an ink to refill a pen is like opening a present every time.

[Silmaeween]

I store them in their boxes and in a drawer... They are easier to find when I want a specific color. As soon as I have my samples I will open a binder with swatches to be able to see the differences between inks.

[pen_master]

I store my inks in a small greenhouse out in my backyard. I figure the warmth and light will enhance them.

 

Okay, just joking. I have no need of the boxes as I have so few bottles. I put them in a cabinet with no light. Also, I like the look of the bottles, so why cover them up.

[PAKMAN]

Tossed all my boxes, the inks all sit on a shelf of a lawyers case.

[WaskiSquirrel]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did a multi-year test with several inks in the bottle in direct sun in a window in Las Vegas.

 

The bottled inks did evaporate, but they did not fade.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/254849-results-does-ink-fade-in-the-bottle/?hl=fade

 

As for me, I display my inks, it is easier to pick out which color.

 

 

 

 

Good to know. My inks only get direct sun for about a minute for a few days right around summer solstice when the sun is setting. On the other hand, the boxes are handy for stacking, or one of those awkward moments when you knock the ink off the shelf...

[monquito]

I save the boxes separately in case I have occasion to mail the bottle. The only ones I store in the boxes are Iroshizuku because the boxes are almost as pretty as the bottles. All bottles are in a drawer anyway so I think they are protected enough. Before I got into pens I learned with perfume bottles to just enjoy them as a private pleasure -- another substance vulnerable to light that is frustratingly packaged in containers clearly meant for display.

[rluka]

Box made them easier to stack and save the surface area in the cupboard

[Braxfield]

I'm surprised no-one has admitted to an ink cellar.

 

I like the phrase, "I'm trying to finish x bottles this year...". Acquiring one more is such a guilty pleasure, and then the resolution wanes.

 

For my part, I keep a small selection on a dark shelf behind me. Some in the box, some not--it has to be a deserving box. I keep one large bottle of Akkerman on the desk in front of me, and one or two others for company. But no more than that because... well, because I'm trying to finish two bottles this year. Or one bottle. this year and...

 

The problem with finishing them is what to do with the empties. Generally that shouldn't matter, but I confess there are two that I will always regret losing.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Braxfield