Newbie Mixing Ink

[senate515]

I've never mixed ink before but I think I'm going to give it a shot. It's all because of an ink my father had around 35 years ago that I have fond memories of, it was black with a green undertone or so saturated green it came out black. I've tried the unusual suggestions of Zhivago etc. and I can't get black with green around the edges so I think I might just have to experiment. Any advice on where to start or inks that seem to mix well would be appreciated.

[Eclipse157]

Platinum makes a line of explicitly mixable inks (the Mix Free line), and so are Pilot inks for parallel pens. These last ones only come in cartridges so you'll need a syringe and a decanting vessel. I've also seen successful and pretty mixes done with Rohrer&Klingner fountain pen inks, Binder's Blurple is made with Waterman's, and at least one Parker Penman Sapphire clone was made from mixing Noodler's stuff, although I'd be more wary with the latter due to the quirky nature of everything Noodler's.

 

Go wild, but do be careful when it comes to filling your pens with mixtures. Leave the mixture alone for a few days to see if it's stable before feeding it to a pen.

[Tas]

Oh how marvellous . . . and exciting!

Choose the nearest green, from memory, and then a decent neutral black

I would start with accurate mixes of 1green : 5black, 2 : 5, 3 : 5, 4 : 5, 5 : 5 and then go back the other way 5green: 4black, 5 : 3, etc.

Make writing samples of each mix on your chosen paper - you may want to swab the mix too.

Best of luck - I'm sure you'll get close. Please share your results. We'd love to see them.

Keep your failed mixes in one bottle for another mixing experiment.

(If all else fails, buy yourself a bottle of my favourite sketching ink, KWZ Hunter Green)

http://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_kwzi_hunter_green_swatch.jpg

Edited February 21, 2020 by Tas

[senate515]

Thank you for the advice, I have KWZ Hunter green on order but I've done some experimenting in the mean time, I found the 3:2 Noodler's Zhivago to Monteverede Onyx met my needs. The Onyx is a very grey/black so I thought it would mix well compared to a complex black with purples and blues in it. After mixing several different combinations and seeing how they behave after a few days, as best as I can remember it here is what I was looking for, comes out black when writing but around the edges has green shading to it. I call it my Childhood Memories Schwartz Green, It's been between 3 and 4 decades so I'll use it for awhile and possibly adjust to adding more black down the road.

[senate515]

I was trying to attach other images with no luck but at the end of the day I have some success, I fear that this will lead me down a road I don't need, thank you for the encouragement

[Tas]

👋🏻👋🏻😀

So pleased you cracked it.

Thanks for letting us see your new ink.

Have fun.

[carlos.q]

I was trying to attach other images with no luck but at the end of the day I have some success, I fear that this will lead me down a road I don't need, thank you for the encouragement

 

Don't use the "attachment" button but rather the "Upload" tab at the top of the page:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/blog/2/entry-22-the-images-upload-tab-what-is-it-how-to-use-it/

 

It's not very intuitive but it works well with images up to 2mb in size. Just remember it's the BB code you have to copy from the Upload page to paste in your post.

[sansenri]

looks good

I play around some too

I have so much stock of Pelikan Royal blue that it's always the base for experiments...

this is a recent royal blue + viscont black experiment...

[sansenri]

PS pelikan 4001 seem ok to mix, perhaps I would avoid blue-black.

R&K are ok to mix, and also JH.

Edelstein I've done some mixes too.

Wateman I have not tried but it's clear they can be mixed.

Diamine you need to be more careful which inks you choose, I've mixed sapphire, majestic and bilberry without issues.

 

as advised mix in a separate container (reclosable vial, small jar, etc. glass is always best) and leave to decant, if it does not separate or precipitate it's usually quite safe to use.