Blue 1, trying to make inks that don’t corrode G nib and blue pumpkin

[piano]

Hi everybody,

I’d like to share my experiments and some discoveries.

I use alkaline inks for flex G nib or blue pumpkin with eyedropper fountain pens. Miraculously, Iroshizuku always starts fast and shows needle sharp.

Also I add drops of an alkaline booster into acidic inks or food color DIY inks which works, but it isn’t always reliable.

 

This time I added sprinkles of lye directly into a diluted Herbin EOC (pH 2-4), approx.

1mg into 20ml. The color was light sky blue. Overnight, it lost color, and turned to a transparent brown. When I shook it, foam appeared….assuming it was due to the alkaline base mixing with lubricant. Lye should be a tiny addition, less than 0.5%?

It was like drinking blue wine, then pee is this color shock ⊂(・﹏・⊂)

 

I experimented with adding food coloring to this colorless EOC. The next day, I found it only worked with red and yellow, but not with green or purple. I was stunned when these new inks inherited the beautiful shimmery effects of Herbin. It was a good way to recolor ink.

 

Now I had some questions about dye colors.………

Is Emerald of Chivo blue actually Indigo Carmine, Blue 2 ?  or something else? 

Not Blue1, I can confirm!

 

Brilliant blue FCF Blue 1 is okay with lye. And creates a golden sheen. But Blue1 is banned in France and Germany. So far, it seems like French, German and UK’s blue inks are mostly acidic, and will corrode G nibs. 

 

French, German, UK blue vs Japanese blue

https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/Inks-Report-on-the-pH-of-More-than-60-Inks.html

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/339505-some-ink-ph-levels-available-in-japan-but-only-a-selected-222-few/

I think the Japanese mag’s list pH meter accuracy is +-1. 

 

Blue 1 inks are probably already alkaline.

FD&C Red Yellow dyes are probably lye compatible and become G nib friendly. 

A pilot 350ml BB is blue 1 and so far is mixable..Can create an alkaline purple, olive shades. I don’t know about green dye. Food one was not good.

 

Also I’ve mixed a bunch of these alkaline inks and DIY iron gall ink, and the grayish ink became like Sailor’s Yurameku. This ink’s IG color stays next day, which is still a permanent black mixed ink. It’s a good recycling of IG ink. Don’t know the pH yet.

I installed a speedball’s stub nib 3mm & a feeder. Despite of no perfect fit, the eyedropper works easily, and can use any inks. Blue steel is not too sensitive like G nib.

Is anyone interested in lye testing?  Be cautious when using lye.   Thanks for reading.  ~emi

[piano]

Update,

The blended IG ink had a pH 8.5. IG ink can be alkaline, but is not as permanent.  Hope Gnib x IG without corrosion.

Ink makers blend from a limited number of dyes by calculation of dye characteristics and the resulting ink’s total behavior. So I buy good inks, then with cheap nibs, ink DIY is worth to try….dyes widely used are these:

Blue 1, 2 

Red 3, 40, 33 

Orange B

Yellow 5, 6 

Green 5, 8 

Some appear own sheen. Blue 1 has golden sheen. 

My favorite dye is 106 ↓

[piano]

Afterwards alkaline iron gall ink,

I washed away the ink doodles. The black stains remained. As it’s 50% IG, G nib safe of pH 8.5 I am happy so far as an hobby experience.

 

Not recipe, but suggestions for eyedroppers w/G

As seeing the characteristics of each dye, the sheen inks means just more opaque. 

Shimmery inks are a different story since the glitter is aluminum and can cause reactions, leading to problems like leaks or blobs on top of clogging.

I use eyedroppers with iroshizuku and was able to finish the last drop of ink without burping. I enjoy shimmery ink by adding a bit of fine glitter into a barrel of Iroshizuku, not into a bottle.

 

The safest choice:

pale, translucent, normal, opaque, or sheen inks by established ink makers.

Better to avoid:

shimmery, fragranced, dye-based permanent,  or yellowish opaque ink.

 

Btw, I am not a Pilot ambassador \(^o^)/ also love R&K sketchINK.

 

[amberleadavis]

Well, I enjoy seeing your results!