Is old ink safe to use?

[meremonkey]

I've got a few bottles of that that are about 10-12 years old and was wondering if they're still good to use. One is an Omas Tobacco brown, and another is Parker, I think. It's an interesting bottle and doesn't look like the current Parker Quink bottles. I don't have it here at work but it looks like a glass hockey puck with a tall black cylindrical cap with a slightly wider ring at the top.

 

The guy at the store told me ink only has about a 1 year life span. Was he just trying to sell me ink or is he right? He did mention it might only be safe for dip pens but I'd like to use it in my fountain pens.

 

Thanks

Edited February 21, 2008 by meremonkey

[watch72]

You have a very good question here. I kept a bottle of black Mont Blanc for about 8 or 9 years and I took it out a couple of months back and use it to fill the two pens (Parker and MB) I am currently using. The pens seem to write fine with no problem with the ink flow. I took a risk by using the old ink but I thought if it didn't turn out I can then flush it and use something new. I might have done something very stupid here and so, I too, would like to know what is the view on this.

 

[Ondina]

I found a couple of Montblanc ink bottles, about 20 year old, and have been using them without any problem..but that I'm running out of ink. Color and smell normal, no strange aspect. I would say it pretty safe if the ink presents no apparent modifications?. Please correct me if I'm wrong. The used and abused Fp's have had no complains so far.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Ondina

[twdpens]

The guy at the store told me ink only has about a 1 year life span. Was he just trying to sell me ink or is he right?

 

Yes, he was being a little, er, "over cautious" .

 

Ink of that age should be absolutely fine. However, you should check for sediment or mould (mold) growth first, just in case. Any sign of anything suspicious and you should throw the ink and re-use or recycle the bottle. Ink is cheap, pens usually aren't!

 

Martin

[meremonkey]

Thanks for the advice, I'll run some tests and report back.

[Kelly G]

I regularly use ink that is 60 years old - Parker Quink Permanent Blue Black and Royal Blue. I also have some Parker V-mail Black, but don't tend to use it, not because I'm worried about the quality of the ink, I simply prefer modern black inks. I've never had a problem with the Vintage Quink or Waterman inks I've used.

 

I have run across some vintage inks that are obviously not in good shape - off color, moldy smell, SITB (Slime in the Bottle); usually these have been previously opened bottles and colors other than Black, Blue, or Blue Black.

 

Vintage ink has a strong smell, particularly Waterman, that isn't a problem. It is the biocide used to keep the nasty stuff from growing. You can readily distinguish the difference between that and "sour" ink. The biocide typically has a smell of phenol. Note: don't spend a lot of time sniffing old ink as phenol is a suspected carcinogen.

 

Bottom line is: if the old ink doesn't have sediment, slime, or a foul odor, it's probably ok to use - it is, after all, as the late Frank D. often pointed out, "just colored water".

[simonrob]

I've got a few bottles of that that are about 10-12 years old and was wondering if they're still good to use. One is an Omas Tobacco brown, and another is Parker, I think. It's an interesting bottle and doesn't look like the current Parker Quink bottles. I don't have it here at work but it looks like a glass hockey puck with a tall black cylindrical cap with a slightly wider ring at the top.

 

The guy at the store told me ink only has about a 1 year life span. Was he just trying to sell me ink or is he right? He did mention it might only be safe for dip pens but I'd like to use it in my fountain pens.

 

Thanks

 

Your Parker sounds like Penman, which, as you will read elsewhere, has detractors (see, e.g., the comments at pendemonium.com) whose opinions have nothing to do with the age of the ink and everything to do with properties the ink had from the day it was made.

 

Forget what the guy at the store said.... In my experience, ink lasts well, at least provided it's kept in the dark at fairly stable temperatures and is kept free from contaminates. I'm still using a bottle of Waterman blue-black from the mid 1990s, which seems every bit as good as it ever was (and is a far superior colour to the blue-black they make now) and have recently bought bottles of vintage ink that are more than 50 years old which seem as good as new (and, in the case of Waterman blue-black, even better than the 1990s vintage). Provided you don't find any of the flaws mentioned by others, don't worry about it (I've had brand new bottles of ink with suspicious contents).

 

Simon

[Romeo Dog]

I've got some nifty bottles of ink from the 40s, but so far I've been unwilling to try the ink in any of my pens.

[caspirin]

My favorite ink is a bottle of green Quink from the 40's that has caused no problems at all. I would guess that it depends on whether solids have crystalized in the ink over the years. Look for sludge on the bottom of the bottle.

 

caspirin

[Roger W.]

I use only 50+ year old skrip (several bottles of the stuff) works great.

 

Roger W.

[meremonkey]

Your Parker sounds like Penman, which, as you will read elsewhere, has detractors (see, e.g., the comments at pendemonium.com) whose opinions have nothing to do with the age of the ink and everything to do with properties the ink had from the day it was made.

 

Your right it is Penman, I'll have to check out pendemonium for those reviews.

[Eternally Noodling]

I have 1880s carmines that are still flawless. Most blue-black inks did not age as well (prior to about 1950). Some dyes age better than others....akin to a merlot and burgundy vrs. champagne and beer.

 

Safe? Fountain pens are too "expensive"? Fountain pens can be very affordable - indeed, extremely competitive values...fountain pens are not the exclusive playground of the rich. I hate this idea that pens can't be USED....really USED UNTIL THEY WEAR OUT - and are somehow the restricted domain of the "upper class"! They may still have class structure in some parts of the world, but it still rubs me the wrong way in all its forms.

 

I hope there is somebody out there who finds our hobby enjoyable after being introduced to it through the free fountain pens enclosed with those dropper bottles....and then proceeds to try old inks, new inks...any ink that pleases them!

[Deirdre]

I hope there is somebody out there who finds our hobby enjoyable after being introduced to it through the free fountain pens enclosed with those dropper bottles....and then proceeds to try old inks, new inks...any ink that pleases them!

My mother immediately absconded with the Preppy that came with my Year of the Golden Pig. In fact, she hovered over me from the time I started opening the box simply because I told her she'd like what was inside. It's not a traditional fountain pen, but it's a start.

 

I don't have any vintage inks -- all the ink I have is minty fresh.

[Paddler]

I buy vintage Skrip and Quink at flea markets all the time. Just check for sludge and little floating islands. If those are not there and the ink smells like ink, you are good to go.

 

Paddler

 

[tinneyp]

I was surprised when I found I was not subscribed to this thread. I think I wrote a reply and then found a similar reply and did not post the reply.

 

My concern seems to be a problem with old Pelikan ink. At the time this thread was active (last February) I had bought some new Waterman and Pelikan ink but decided with a couple of colors I would use the old first.

 

Also at that time I did toss a bottle of Pelikan Black due to a strong smell of mold or mildew.

 

Today I decided to again try a different ink in my extra-fine Lamy Al-Star. Originally I wanted this pen to have a violet / purple ink. But both the Waterman Purple and the Omas Violet would work the first day and then would appear to dry out. This required forcing ink into the nib using the plunger.

 

Today I cleaned the pen and decided to use my decade old bottle of Pelikan Blue-black only to wonder whay the pen appeared to be filled with black.

 

Perhaps I should shake my ink more before filling, but I am sure I always rinse my pens and then start with the plunger down, fill the pen, flush the pen and then fill. So I know that this is not a case of mixed inks. But in any case the older Blue-Black appears very black compared to the new, if not totally black.

 

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/tinneyp/PelikanBlue-Blackcompare.jpg

 

I cannot get myself to throw the bottle away yet, but I will probably have to. There is only a little ink left and it is obviously not the original color.

 

[LedZepGirl]

So far all of my experiments with old inks have been sucessful, nothing bad has happened and some of these inks are more than 40 years old. I always have old Skrip in one of my pens and nothing has happened to it.

[Viseguy]

My mother immediately absconded with the Preppy that came with my Year of the Golden Pig. In fact, she hovered over me from the time I started opening the box simply because I told her she'd like what was inside. It's not a traditional fountain pen, but it's a start.

It's a great pen for FP "proselytizing" because it always works! The red one that came with my bottle of Nikita gets used maybe once every week or two (if that much), but it always writes the first time, every time -- much better than a Bic!

[Judybug]

I use only 50+ year old skrip (several bottles of the stuff) works great.

 

Roger W.

 

I'm using my mother's 50-60 year old Sheaffer Skrip Peacock Blue with no problems.

 

Judybug