Octopus Neon Pink Ink - issues with ink?

[ailsadell]

Hi... I have been using several of my beautiful Yard O Led pens for a while now and have a few of the "pocket" ones in different styles.  I also use a "standard"  that I have a converter in and have been using the Octopus Neon Pink ink in it as I simply love the colour after searching high and low for a pink to my liking.

 

The pen wrote beautifully for a long while, but I have not used it in months.  I have come to use it again a few days ago and it would appear all the ink had dried up inside it, so I have left it soaking in hot water and managed to clear it yesterday.  The pen started writing lovely again, but this morning, I have come to use it and the same thing has happened.  I am now having to mess with the converter pushing ink through.  It is then flowing through quite fast, then going really thin to non existent after a fairly decent paragraph. 

 

I have ordered some Diamine nib cleaning fluid to see if that will help as when I am trying to "flush" the pen through using a spring converter (if thats what they are called?) there doesnt seem to be a free flow with just water like i would expect.  There is a lot of resistance in flushing.

 

I have also put the ink in a very cheap pen to test it and the same has happened to that.  The ink bottle itself has a lot of hard "bits" around the lid area, so I am wondering if that could be the issue inside the pens also?

 

I have "googled" the ink and seen on Reddit that others have had issues with the ink drying in such a short space of time in their pens too... but that is the only other mention I can find..

 

Are there others on here that know of any issues?  

 

It looks like I will have to ditch the ink for my fountain pens and look for some other pen to use it with.. maybe a dip pen?  I have ordered the Diamine Hope Pink ink with the cleaner so will wait for those to arrive and hope I havnt damaged my Yard O Led with the ink...

 

Any thoughts or help much appreciated.

 

[yazeh]

I'm sorry to hear about that. 

 

 

One should never use hot water to clean pens. Ideally use filtered water if you live in a place with hard water.  

 

The only way to know if your pen is truly clean, is to fill it with water, wrap the nib and feed with a tissue paper. If the tissue turns pink, (which I'm sure it is) you know what it means. Your feed, the section are still covered in pink dye. 

 

Pink inks are notorious stainers and are often times very difficult (read time-consuming) to clean. I'm guessing Octopus Neon is a highly saturated pink.  They need a lot of soaking and a pen cleaner, maybe even a nice soak in a pen jacuzzi (ultrasonic cleaner), i.e. if you have one, but a cleaning solution is perfect. Drop a bit in a tiny vial, fill the pen with it and let it soak. You'll see soon, all the pink dye coming out. 

 

The best way to avoid this again is to either use the pen regularly, or clean it, if you're not going to use it for some time or opt for a pen with a better seal. 

 

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

 

 

 

 

[ailsadell]

Thank you so much. I now have a bottle of nib cleaner and have cleaned it thoroughly and am using Diamine ink. Not quite as neon but it is a lovely colour. 
 

I will take on board about hot water but could I please ask the reason for that? Would that set an ink?  
 

I wish I still worked in the jewellery trade. We had fabulous ultrasonics that we used to clean everything from jewellery to glasses .. could have been very useful lol. 

[yazeh]

52 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

Thank you so much. I now have a bottle of nib cleaner and have cleaned it thoroughly and am using Diamine ink. Not quite as neon but it is a lovely colour. 

It is my understanding that Platinum Procyon has one of the best seals. Kawecos have had good seals in my experience. If you like Neon use another pen for it. Also on should be able to remove feed and nib. Many times, some inks need special pairing with specific pens. Dry pens need wet inks & vice-versa. Saturated, waterproof and iron gall fountain pen inks need pens that can be disassembled easily, yet with a good seal, etc.   

52 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

I will take on board about hot water but could I please ask the reason for that?

It is my understanding that it can warp the feed and or any plastic components in the section.  

52 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

Would that set an ink?  
 

See above.  

52 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

I wish I still worked in the jewellery trade. We had fabulous ultrasonics that we used to clean everything from jewellery to glasses .. could have been very useful lol. 

As I test and review a lot of inks, especially waterproof and IG, it has been a blessing to own one. However, with saturated inks one still needs to soak in a cleaning solution.  

[ailsadell]

Thank you. 
 

I believe Diamine make the ink for Yard O Led so I have been using that since. It does seem a little “thinner” than the Octopus ink but yes I have a very cheap set of pens from Amazon so I will use the neon in those. 
 

sorry for being stupid here … would you mind explaining how I would know what a saturated ink is as opposed to a water based on? Would it say on the bottle?  I am mainly using inks just to write with so I believe I am choosing regular “fountain pen inks” but not sure on the octopus one what that was. 

 

[yazeh]

8 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

Thank you. 
 

I believe Diamine make the ink for Yard O Led so I have been using that since. It does seem a little “thinner” than the Octopus ink but yes I have a very cheap set of pens from Amazon so I will use the neon in those. 

Octopus has many lines. These inks are highlighters. Their Neon webpage also  states: 

"These inks are not only stylish but also document-proof: waterproof, lightfast and abrasion-resistant.  "

Here is the culprit. You're using a waterproof pigment ink in pink. 

You have a perfect storm combo. 

First a Document ink, These inks use pigments. If your pen is not well-sealed they will clog your feed, through evaporation. Hence the clogging. 

Then you have a pink dye. Pink, reds and purples are notoriously difficult to clean. Sheaffer's Skrip Red or Herbin's Rose Cyclamen will need a pen cleaner, and they are "normal" fountain pen inks.

If you ink hop like most of us, you'll soon see the same with Hope Pink.  

I have stained sample plastic bottles of pink, red, orange Octopus  write and draw line.   

8 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

sorry for being stupid here …

Asking a question is not stupid, is intelligent. We live in an era of a multitude of colours, ink types and shades. Trust me it can be confusing.  

Not all fountain pens are suited for all inks, as I said above. It's a combination of nib, wetness, the feed of the pen that will or will not work.  

8 minutes ago, ailsadell said:

 

would you mind explaining how I would know what a saturated ink is as opposed to a water based on? Would it say on the bottle?  I am mainly using inks just to write with so I believe I am choosing regular “fountain pen inks” but not sure on the octopus one what that was. 

 

You're using a waterproof / document ink with a pink dye. Waterproof inks need well-sealed pens. You can always check reviews here or on the web before buying an ink. You can find colours close to what you like here: https://inkswatch.com/ink.html?inkId=69

And if possible buy samples before hand. This way you can test different inks and see which one suits you and your pen. 

[ailsadell]

Now that makes sense as I can see what it has done to the pen. 
 

I am really considering cleaning out my YOL pens (I have several with different colour inks in) and keeping them in their boxes for best as I really don’t want to damage them. It will be a shame as I do love using them but I am not a letter writer and they are only used for “doodling” … I have some sheaffer targer slim pens that I generally use day to day though saying that after recent nib replacement on that I think I may have isssues with the converter as I am getting ink in the barrel. I am not sure if it’s the seal between the two or the ink bag. Currently looking at options for that. 

[yazeh]

It really comes down to your own comfort level and risk tolerance. I use a lot of permanent inks myself, but I keep them in a few cheaper, easy-to-clean pens.

For me, pens are tools. I mostly sketch and doodle with them, and it feels a bit sad when a pen isn’t used because of the wrong ink pairing.

If you stick to well-behaved dye-based inks like Diamine, or many other regular fountain pen brands, you should be perfectly fine.

And if I may say, take this as part of the journey. Exploring pens and inks involves a bit of trial and error, but that’s also part of the fun. In a world that is increasingly digital, there is something deeply satisfying about putting ink to paper, especially with a pen you love and an ink that suits it.

[boilermaker1975]

17 minutes ago, yazeh said:

It really comes down to your own comfort level and risk tolerance. I use a lot of permanent inks myself, but I keep them in a few cheaper, easy-to-clean pens.

For me, pens are tools. I mostly sketch and doodle with them, and it feels a bit sad when a pen isn’t used because of the wrong ink pairing.

If you stick to well-behaved dye-based inks like Diamine, or many other regular fountain pen brands, you should be perfectly fine.

And if I may say, take this as part of the journey. Exploring pens and inks involves a bit of trial and error, but that’s also part of the fun. In a world that is increasingly digital, there is something deeply satisfying about putting ink to paper, especially with a pen you love and an ink that suits it.

 

👍

[kestrel]

15 hours ago, ailsadell said:

sorry for being stupid here … 

 

Definitely NO stupid.  This is curiosity at its finest.  Your curiosity led to questions.  The questions led to enlightenment.

No question that is asked in a search for information is stupid.  A lot of people (including me) are reading your questions with the resulting answers and learning something.

Check out the ink reviews at:  https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/forum/35-ink-reviews/.  There are a lot of very informative reviews and some extraordinarily creative ones.  @yazehand @LizEF come to mind.  

 

Yazeh's comment, "And if I may say, take this as part of the journey. Exploring pens and inks involves a bit of trial and error, but that’s also part of the fun. In a world that is increasingly digital, there is something deeply satisfying about putting ink to paper, especially with a pen you love and an ink that suits it," needs to be pinned somewhere prominent.

Enjoy the journey.

 

[yazeh]

@boilermaker1975 & @kestrel 🙏

[Sailor Kenshin]

@yazeh: Really wonderful primer for newbies.  I wish I'd known all this at the start.  👏🏻

[yazeh]

8 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@yazeh: Really wonderful primer for newbies.  I wish I'd known all this at the start.  👏🏻

 😊 🙏