Generalized Ink Question

[vikingmedic]

So far I havent had much expierence with bottled ink so forgive any ignorance. Ive used the cartridge that came with my metropolitan and loved the black ink and finally found heart of darkness which I love using. I have added a Lamy Safari to the mix and got some samples from Goulet Pens. I used Diamine Oxblood and loved the color and when I went to change out to the Edgar Allen Poe I found it very light. I thought maybe I hadnt let my min and feed dry well enough so I cleaned it and dried it more thoroughly and again the ink is very light. So my question (finally got to it) is are fountain pen inks usually fairly light compared to color gel pens for example?

[LizEF]

So far I havent had much expierence with bottled ink so forgive any ignorance. Ive used the cartridge that came with my metropolitan and loved the black ink and finally found heart of darkness which I love using. I have added a Lamy Safari to the mix and got some samples from Goulet Pens. I used Diamine Oxblood and loved the color and when I went to change out to the Edgar Allen Poe I found it very light. I thought maybe I hadnt let my min and feed dry well enough so I cleaned it and dried it more thoroughly and again the ink is very light. So my question (finally got to it) is are fountain pen inks usually fairly light compared to color gel pens for example?

 

I don't think so. It just depends on the ink (and to a degree, the pen/nib - a dry nib will put down less ink, making it look paler).

[senzen]

It depends on the ink, the pen (nib and feed) and your own expectations; for instance for a long time I tried and eventually managed to get Kon Peki to look as a medium blue green, when in reality with most pens it does what it says on the tin (the colour shown on the box, which is darker). Some pens also evaporate more so that inks gradually come out darker, of the ones I have Parker Sonnets are the worst / best depending on your taste. In general screw cap pens seem to evaporate less quickly.

 

So if you like that ink darker just leave your Safari out on your desk and check if it isn't darker in a couple of days. There is also the possibility that when swapping inks and cleaning the pen there was some water left inside...

[amberleadavis]

It depends. (Yes, I am a lawyer).

 

 

Here are some gel pens from a fade test compared to FP inks.

 

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/115.jpg

 

And here is another set of inks that are really bright.

 

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/Subjects/slides/07-2012_10_29.jpg

[vikingmedic]

It depends on the ink, the pen (nib and feed) and your own expectations; for instance for a long time I tried and eventually managed to get Kon Peki to look as a medium blue green, when in reality with most pens it does what it says on the tin (the colour shown on the box, which is darker). Some pens also evaporate more so that inks gradually come out darker, of the ones I have Parker Sonnets are the worst / best depending on your taste. In general screw cap pens seem to evaporate less quickly.

 

So if you like that ink darker just leave your Safari out on your desk and check if it isn't darker in a couple of days. There is also the possibility that when swapping inks and cleaning the pen there was some water left inside...

I was wondering if maybe water in the pen might be an issue, because it almost looks watered down. I thought I dried it well. Would letting the pen sit for a bit help or should I clean it and let it sit out for a bit without ink?

[LizEF]

I was wondering if maybe water in the pen might be an issue, because it almost looks watered down. I thought I dried it well. Would letting the pen sit for a bit help or should I clean it and let it sit out for a bit without ink?

 

Yes, water in the pen or converter can dilute an ink. If it's in the feed, after writing a while, it will get pushed out by the ink and the ink will then look its normal color.

 

When I want a feed to be really dry, I do thermometer shakes until nothing is coming off (don't do this if you aren't willing to accept the risk that it slips out of your hand and ruins the nib) [ETA: I do this with the nib in my palm and the other end getting flicked], then I hold it in a paper towel to get all ink off the outside and wick it from the nib, and finally, I blow compressed air through it / across it as much as possible.

 

But mostly, when I clean a pen, I leave it out on a paper towel or rag to dry at least overnight and ink something else.

Edited October 24, 2018 by LizEF

[vikingmedic]

 

Yes, water in the pen or converter can dilute an ink. If it's in the feed, after writing a while, it will get pushed out by the ink and the ink will then look its normal color.

 

When I want a feed to be really dry, I do thermometer shakes until nothing is coming off (don't do this if you aren't willing to accept the risk that it slips out of your hand and ruins the nib) [ETA: I do this with the nib in my palm and the other end getting flicked], then I hold it in a paper towel to get all ink off the outside and wick it from the nib, and finally, I blow compressed air through it / across it as much as possible.

 

But mostly, when I clean a pen, I leave it out on a paper towel or rag to dry at least overnight and ink something else.

Ok. So the Safari Ill just do some writing to get the water worked out because I really think that might be the issue right now. And Ill do the overnight dry idea too.

 

And by inking a different pen Im taking that as I need more pens. Well, better tell the wife I need to spend more haha.

 

Thank you to everyone thats helped out with this

[LizEF]

And by inking a different pen Im taking that as I need more pens.

 

Well of course you do!

[amberleadavis]

Also the first fill on a new pen or converter can be problematic. Try cleaning out the pen and converter with a really good dishsoap (something with glycerin). Then refill.

[senzen]

I was wondering if maybe water in the pen might be an issue, because it almost looks watered down. I thought I dried it well. Would letting the pen sit for a bit help or should I clean it and let it sit out for a bit without ink?

 

Yes, absolutely, you can also get a bulb syringe, makes blowing water and air a lot faster. Since I don't have much patience I've grown used to disassembling those pens that are easy to, which is most of what I have, and just dry them, just make sure not to leave a lot of lint in it. Some people have a horror of dismantling pens, but if a certified klutz like me can do it, most people can.

 

Easy to disassemble nib and feed (they just pull out): Lamy Safari / Vista (x7), Muji aluminium (x4), Kaweco Sport, Parker 75 (don't take the nib away from the feed), Sonnet (screws in and out).

 

Finicky, wouldn't do it again: Sailor Pro Gear.

 

Integrated nib feed unit, wouldn't try: Pelikans.

 

Never tried, too chicken (and no need so far): Lamy Studio, Waterman Le Man 100.

[ErrantSmudge]

An easy way to get excess water out of a pen: Get a coffee cup, stuff a paper towel into it, then place the pen in the cup, nib against the towel. Wait an hour or so.

 

I used to do the thermometer shake, but it started making my wrist hurt so I decided to stop.

[inkstainedruth]

I do the same trick as Errant Smudge, except since my bathroom counter is fairly small (and I want to be able to drink out of my coffee mugs!) I use a cheap straight-sided holder for a votive candle (I use a separate one with very thick walls to flush pens in). I think both of them together cost me under $5 US.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[A Smug Dill]

Finicky, wouldn't do it again: Sailor Pro Gear.

I always found pulling out the friction-fit feeds and nibs out from Sailor pens relatively easy and safe, and that goes even for my Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black edition. (However, I'll admit I haven't tried doing that with my Sailor 1911 Large with a Naginata Concord nib.) I also like that Sailor converters can be fully disassembled for cleaning readily. (Platinum converters are equally easy to disassemble.)

 

I've found the Pilot friction-fit feeds and nibs to be more iffy.

[minddance]

Some inks are inherently light and/or have too much water in them.

 

And they have a light base colour. With dry pens, you might get only the light(est) base shade and probably 1-2 shades darker.

 

Choose the inks and pens and papers for the appearance you like

[Corona688]

Gel pens inherently write very thick and glossy. They also share all the standard ballpoint pen defects.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Corona688

[Brianm_14]

I think there has been a great deal of discussion, when the actual lightness/darkness of the ink could be quickly estimated by dipping the nib of the pen in question into the ink in question, and writing a bit. (I keep a dip pen or two handy for this very purpose). I think the OP simply has an ink in the Edgar Allen Poe that is too light for the OP's taste.

 

The answer to the question that was posed, is that one cannot generalize on differences between, e.g., fp and gel inks; it will all depend on the specific ink being used, as well as the pen and paper. The best reply was to show all those samples of inks (thanks to amberleadavis): QED.

[azbobcat]

I was wondering if maybe water in the pen might be an issue, because it almost looks watered down. I thought I dried it well. Would letting the pen sit for a bit help or should I clean it and let it sit out for a bit without ink?

Generally this was the reason I ended up acquiring several additional fountain pens: Once a filled pen ran out which I did not plan to refill with the same ink, or even if I had been using it for a while, but which had not been cleaned in a while, I would move it out of the rotation, and replaced it with a "clean" pen that had not seen use in a while. I them would clean the "old" pens, and take them out of service for a while to allow them to dry out. Normally I use to have a minimum of two pens inked, and sometimes a third or fourth pen as well. *MY* rule of thumb was to have 3 times as many pens as the maximum number of pens you may have inked at any given time. 3-4 pens inked = 9-12 total pens. One set in use, one set just cleaned and in need of "drying out", one set ready to be rotated in.

[amberleadavis]

Bobcat, sign up on my PIF for a pen and you can also try out a custom ground nib.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/340691-fountain-pen-with-custom-ground-nib/