MB Inks

[Titivillus]

My question: How does he figure out what brand of ink you used? Doesn't this just mean his warranty is void if he doesn't feel like honouring it?

 

I think that goes toward MB's warranty and any others that talk about damage caused by use of other ink. First off how can you prove that you've only used one brand of ink and conversely how can they prove that you haven't. Then what damage is caused by using another type of ink and what damage is because of the pen

 

Making it really easy to have a warranty and not living up to it with the out of saying you used another ink

 

[LDF]

My point is, if there are reputable sources like Rick Propas and Pelikan repair

who have found problems with inks like Noodler's permanent inks, I'm not taking

any risks using those inks, especially in my expensive pens and when there are

so many other safe choices.

 

 

[*david*]

My point is, if there are reputable sources like Rick Propas and Pelikan repair

who have found problems with inks like Noodler's permanent inks, I'm not taking

any risks using those inks, especially in my expensive pens and when there are

so many other safe choices.

There's nothing stopping you from making that decision, of course.

 

REGARDING INK ONLY, with major emphasis on the word "only": I have stopped considering Mr. Propas a reputable source of information about ink. I honestly believe he has done no research or testing on this, but is simply rejecting new ink out-of-hand because it's unfamiliar.

[Titivillus]

My point is, if there are reputable sources like Rick Propas and Pelikan repair

who have found problems with inks like Noodler's permanent inks.

 

 

I would love to have Rick Propas, Nathan Tardiff, the Pelikan repair person, Farney's repairer and any other people put down in one thread their data and experiences with both Private Reserve and Noodlers and pens. I would really like to know what the back story is around this.

 

If there is proof then I'd like to see it so I could gauge the risk for my pens.

 

 

Kurt

 

 

[DrPJM1]

Thanks David and Ray for clearing things up. But as Tytyvyllus stated: how can MB prove the pen has suffered ink damage, and that damage was caused by non-MB ink?

[acolythe]

I appreiate all the opinions but I am getting more and more confused. Are Noodler's inks safe or not? If not, why are private reserve inks safe?

What do the pen repair independents say?

b

[*david*]

I appreiate all the opinions but I am getting more and more confused. Are Noodler's inks safe or not? If not, why are private reserve inks safe?

No ink is "truly safe". If you allow any ink to dry repeatedly inside your pen without cleaning, eventually it will clog.

 

Some old inks from decades ago (including one made by Parker) were terribly corrosive, and pretty much dissolved pens on contact. Happily, no ink you will come across is going to do that.

 

In the end, you must just accept that there can never be a straight answer to this question, because ink "safety" is relative. If you have a truly precious pen, don't write with it, period. If your pens are good but not precious, use a good ink, keep your pen clean, and don't worry.

[KCat]

David hit on what I believe about modern FP inks. It is also what makes it very difficult for Rick or anyone else to make accurate claims about the dangers of PR or Noodler's. I've said this before, I'm sure that people who have used these inks (and Parker Penman) have allowed these highly saturated inks to sit in their pens for long periods of time without re-inking or the occasional flushing. I'm equally certain that some of these people when asked "Good Lord, What did you do to this pen?" the befuddled answer was "I just used some PR/Noodler's/Penman ink in it?" "Did you rinse it out?" "Uh. Sure."

 

Some would argue (including Mr. Dubiel years ago) that a "good" ink never requires flushing and that a good ink would never damage a pen. I know he took that line with me. I'm not a pen restore/repair person but I have repaired and restored a few pens. I have spent hours flushing ink out of vintage pens. I would be willing to bet that in most cases, "good" (WM, Quink, Sheaffer) inks were used in these pens. I've cleaned corroded nibs in these pens and given up trying to get the years and years of ink residue out of some vintage caps. No amount of scrubbing or ammonia-water soaks would get out the layers upon layers of ink. I doubt that many if any of these cases were caused by "bad" ink and that all these problems were caused by people who stuffed an inked pen into a drawer or box and forgot about it for weeks, months or years.

 

I have had WM Violet stain a pen sac, so how "good" is it by comparison to Noodler's or PR? In this case, I suggest it is not the brand, but the dye needed to create purple ink. Purples and reds tend to have the worst reputations when it comes staining and there are pens that might be more prone to staining so that should be taken into consideration regardless of the brand you choose.

 

Opposite to the experiences of some people, I've used Parker Penman Emerald (a "bad" ink by some accounts) in a Pelikan 200 for several years. That's the only ink I've had in that pen in that time and I got lazy and didn't flush as often as I recommend (probably every 2 months is acceptable for most modern pens.) In fact, I probably went an entire year without flushing the pen and even let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks at a time without use. Not only does it always start up immediately but it has never clogged, pitted, stained or otherwise damaged my pen. Since I have gone through several bottles of Penman, I don't believe I just got lucky with a "safe" bottle.

 

I'm not discounting the experiences of repair people - I'm just not sure that they are getting the full story when they get a crudded up pen. I did leave a PR ink in a pen for a several weeks and it *did* crud up that pen and was repaired for me. I did fess up. It was Burgundy Mist ink. I've complained about this ink before. It's highly saturated and it is a brownish red ink and I've just had trouble with red inks in general. I've used many other PR inks with no problems at all. So I'm back to my belief that reds/purples can be problematic but that it is not brand-dependent.

 

David said it - there's no straight answer here except that you accept the risks to any pen when you ink it.

 

The rest of us can only go by our personal experiences. I would never use PR BM ink again, but I use PR DC Blue, Sherwood, Naples, Black Magic Blue, etc. without reservation.

[acolythe]

Thank you K Cat for a good summary

b

[Lloyd]

The MB inks in particular are, in my opinion, washed-out in color and, except for the blue-black, easily washed out when in contact with moisture after drying.

Try MB British Racing Green. It has quite good water-resistance and a nice strong color.

[LDF]

Thanks David and Ray for clearing things up. But as Tytyvyllus stated: how can MB prove the pen has suffered ink damage, and that damage was caused by non-MB ink?

 

Perhaps if they find a colour that MB doesn't make? :embarrassed_smile:

[Garageboy]

Farhney's house brand ink is PR, no?