What makes it "safety pen ink"?

[SLinkster]

What makes an ink "safety pen ink"? 

 

My research suggests any ink containing gum Arabic probably qualifies. Beyond that I'm mystified.

 

I believe I read here on FPN that Noodler's Whaleman's Sepia (a fave of mine and I should probably buy at least one more bottle before it's gone forever) was developed for the Noodler's Boston safety pen. Whether this is true or not, it is the only ink I've ever had in my Boston safety pen, quite coincidentally.

 

I was searching for something else when I found a shop offering four Noodler's inks - three sample-only sizes, one 4.5oz bottle - described specifically as "for use ONLY with Noodler's Boston safety pen or dip pens." (Emphasis not mine.) I cannot find any info about these inks on the Noodler's website or anywhere else that might explain the safety pen restriction.

 

I don't need a dissertation, but an executive summary would be most welcome! 

 

[amberleadavis]

As the owner of only two safety pens, I'm not the ultimate authority.  I'll ask @Ron Z @HalloweenHJB @mhguda and @tringle who have all used safety pens to chime in. @Gloucesterman was the person who acquired my Boston Safety pen for me.

 

For what it is worth, I think you can use ink pen in a safety pen, but not all inks are safe for fountain pens.  For example, I adore KTC @inkstainedruth will tell you all about it BUT it is advertised as not for use in all fountain pens.

[SLinkster]

17 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

For what it is worth, I think you can use any pen in a safety pen, but not all inks are safe for fountain pens.

Yep, I'd agree. I'm mostly curious about why any ink would be called out as being specifically for safety pens but in the long term I'll do what I do and deal with any adverse consequences. As usual 😜

[txomsy]

Methinks the denomination is by exclusion, not that they are developed specifically for safety pens, but rather that they are not safe for normal pens, but may be used in safety ones.

[inkstainedruth]

On 9/2/2023 at 4:01 PM, amberleadavis said:

For example, I adore KTC @inkstainedruth will tell you all about it BUT it is advertised as not for use in all fountain pens.

And when I bought *my* Noodler's Boston Safety pen, I had high hopes for being able to use KTC in it, but it didn't work particularly well in that pen either.   The only ink that I've tried that worked really well, was Noodler's Luck of the Draw, which was IIRC an LE ink for the Baltimore-Washington Pen Show a few years ago, and I didn't like the color all that much.  

I think I've read that some of the "special" Noodler's inks (don't recall the name of the line, but were 4 oz. bottles that IIRC were mostly named for various New England people/places/historical figures & events) were supposed to work well in the Safety pens, but I don't have any of those -- not sure if the Winston Churchill ink is technically part of that line.

As for KTC?  The only pen that I've gotten it to work remotely well in is a Noodler's Charlie eyedropper -- and only for short amounts of time, and only when diluted about 20% with distilled water.  (I have a bad feeling I'm going to have to just dump the contents of that pen currently, since it's stopped writing, even after dipping the nib in distilled water).  I tried Vanness White Lightning one time, but it diluted the color (a LOT); have a sample someone gave me of Photo-Flo, but haven't tried it.  Also been wondering what would happen with a drop of Blue Ghost added (since that *shouldn't* change the color) but haven't tried that.

Of course I keep looking for a better behaved substitute (at least color-wise) to KTC, and have yet to find an ink remotely close....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Arkanabar]

I would not use inks with gum arabic in a conventional fountain pen.  While it is water soluble, I can imagine it drying out and blocking a feed channel, because it's a food substance.  These days, "safety" pens have retractable nibs, and the gum arabic might stay in solution.

[PJohnP]

8 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

And when I bought *my* Noodler's Boston Safety pen, I had high hopes for being able to use KTC in it, but it didn't work particularly well in that pen either.   ...

 

Of course I keep looking for a better behaved substitute (at least color-wise) to KTC, and have yet to find an ink remotely close....

 

 

KTC is another ink that I've only had success with when I "adulterated" it with distilled water and Photo-flo.  Once I did this with 30% distilled water dilution and Photo-flo, it worked pretty well, but...  I did have to make sure that I didn't leave a pen with that ink "idle" for a prolonged period, or it would be at best a "hard-starter".  To be clear, this was used in modern Pelikans and Shaeffers (40's era plunger-fill MilClips).  I found that if I were to be leaving a pen "idle", I needed to clean the pen thoroughly.   I can't speak  for any other types of pens.

 

I'll also add that that my experiments did not yield consistent good results with a 20% dilution of KTC, even with enhanced Photo-flo addition...  The ink was frequently, but not always, a hard-starter at 20% dilution.  30% dilution seemed to be the "sweet spot" for dilution with my tests on those pens.  More dilution that that had poor drying times and didn't have the characteristic colour of KTC.  And I believe, Ruth, that the colour was a major driving factor for your use of that ink ?

 

YMMV (or L/100km in Canada)...

 

 

John P.

[inkstainedruth]

Yup, the color WAS a major driving factor.  I keep trying inks that might be close in color (if not in permanence), but haven't had much luck in that.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: And of course diluting the ink (at least with White Lightning) has also changed the color. 

[PJohnP]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

Yup, the color WAS a major driving factor.  I keep trying inks that might be close in color (if not in permanence), but haven't had much luck in that.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: And of course diluting the ink (at least with White Lightning) has also changed the color. 

 

Altering fountain pen ink has some problems, to be sure.  I would judge my adulterations kept the colour to a fair match but not a perfect degree...   I didn't use White Lightning for my adulterations, I would add.

[Runnin_Ute]

The Pelikan highlighter ink - which comes in a 30 ml bottle, says specifically to NOT use it in any pen but the Pelikan M205 DUO which is made to go with it - and matches the ink. Something about that ink allegedly will damage other pens. But I have successfully used other inks in that pen.

[mhguda]

My Boston Safety pen - a gift from Amberlea! - is mostly dedicated to Diamine Shimmering Seas, an ink with fine glitter in it.

It's the only pen that took it in stride.

[wallylynn]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:58 PM, inkstainedruth said:

And when I bought *my* Noodler's Boston Safety pen, I had high hopes for being able to use KTC in it, but it didn't work particularly well in that pen either.  

Aw. I have KTC in my Boston safety for the past few months and it's still OK. But I rarely write so it's just capped and sealed...

 

I had KTC in a noodler's ahab. That solidified into paste. Had to dig it out with a toothpick. But when I filled the barrel with water (ala eyedropper) with KTC in the tank, that worked to the last drop if I remember correctly.

[inkstainedruth]

3 hours ago, wallylynn said:

I had KTC in a noodler's ahab. That solidified into paste. Had to dig it out with a toothpick. But when I filled the barrel with water (ala eyedropper) with KTC in the tank, that worked to the last drop if I remember correctly.

Interesting.  Was it a resin Ahab?  I've never tried one because they seemed a little large for my hand (I have a bunch of the resin FPCs and several resin Konrads -- plus one acrylic one -- and five Charlies, and the Boston Safety pen).  I've got KTC in one of the Charlies at the moment (diluted about 20% with distilled water), and it worked fine at first but then got clog on me.  Soaking the nib and feed in distilled water worked for a while but then didn't....  So I guess I'm going to have to dump the contents down the drain, and soak the nib and feed really well for a while to get it cleaned out.  Really had high hopes for the Safety and KTC, but it didn't work well as a combo for me.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Safety pen? 

[wallylynn]

3 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Interesting.  Was it a resin Ahab?  I've never tried one because they seemed a little large for my hand

Yes, the resin ahab. My experience with the resin pens (creaper, konrad, ahab) is that they're very porus and Dry up fast. I have a Charlie, but not filled it, that's like a lifetime of ink for me that'll just dry up. Haven't tried the older preppy that came with the large noodler's.

 

My theory is the barrel water acts as a sacrifice that evaporates first, saving the ink, and if the ink is too concentrated it'll absorb a little too.

 

Although I don't use it (because I no longer write much), the fat ahab was more comfortable to me. I have a tight death grip using skinny pens. My hand was more relaxed with the ahab. The barrel is fat, but the grip (section?) is about the same as the konrad, minus the little lip.

[wallylynn]

1 hour ago, Mark from Yorkshire said:

Safety pen? 

 

[txomsy]

5 hours ago, wallylynn said:

Yes, the resin ahab. My experience with the resin pens (creaper, konrad, ahab) is that they're very porus and Dry up fast. I have a Charlie, but not filled it, that's like a lifetime of ink for me that'll just dry up. Haven't tried the older preppy that came with the large noodler's.

 

That's my experience too. What I have been doing with the Chalies is I varnish them with transparent lacquer. This greatly reduces evaporation, but does not totally cure it (I need to experiment with different kinds of varnish -or even shellac- to find which one, if any, works best).

 

That's easy with the Charlie, but I expect it to be less with the Creeper piston filler or the Ahab converter.

[SLinkster]

8 hours ago, wallylynn said:

My experience with the resin pens (creaper, konrad, ahab) is that they're very porus and Dry up fast. I have a Charlie, but not filled it, that's like a lifetime of ink for me that'll just dry up.

 

I have x-feather in a Charlie. It's an endless ink supply - whenever the ink gets sludgy I add a few drops of distilled water, give it a shake, and write on. I can't remember the last time I added ink... 

 

2 hours ago, txomsy said:

Chalies is I varnish them with transparent lacquer. This greatly reduces evaporation

 

Hm. What about something like Danish oil? I've found it to be quite durable and waterproof on kit furniture. And it will certainly smell better than a basic Charlie, no? 

[wallylynn]

6 hours ago, txomsy said:

. What I have been doing with the Chalies is I varnish them with transparent lacquer.

Interesting, I hadn't expected that to work. Maybe I can start carrying my reaper again

[Bo Bo Olson]

I didn't find anything on Safety pen inks, so used Pelikan 4001 Blue Black.

The Fendomatic, is just a semi-flex so I Probally used a 4001 ink...found out I didn't mark that pen down in my index card box.

My 'pre '24 MB Safety Pen has 4001 BB. It though has a #6 Simplo Weak Kneed Wet Noodle nib, so outside of Noodlers which is a foreign expensive ink here in Germany, what Euro ink would be suggested....No MB, gouging priced inks.

 

With permission of Peanboard.de my German Fendomatic '30's made in Milan 18k rolled gold. Mine has a slightly different chasing.

My MB Safety pen. The snake clip is 950 Parisian silver with emerald eyes, made by a local jeweler.  That clip is heavy affecting the balance.

the nib, before a new gasket and restoration.