Youtube movie: writing with archival Iron Gall Blue-Black ink

[pharmacist]

Just something else for those who wants to experience those good old times when writing used to be with a dip pen and ink well.

To fully enjoy the movie, please press the HD button to see how the bluish writing of the ink is turning into an indelible black.
This is the ink which granddad was using in school and produces very permanent writings which will last for centuries when the paper is made of acid-free cotton fibres. On acid/bleach free paper the process of turning into black sometimes can take days to complete, but on the video I use cheap bleach containing paper which dramatically speeds up the oxidation process of the ink and completes in minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsejeoOsMA

Somebody interested in using this ink in printer cartridges :/?

 

[qwertydude]

Except Iron Gall ink will disintergrate paper and stain them with rust and ruin fountain pens. It's real use is pretty much relegated to vellum, and not "art" vellum which is just think paper, I'm talking real animal skin vellum.

 

[pharmacist]

The only "normal" paper which can support iron gall ink for centuries is high quality cotton fibre acid-free paper (used for banknotes). Normal paper made from wood fibers and containing a lot of acid will be completely desintegrated after several decennia and becomes brittle.

So not all papers will support it, as I've mentioned. Unfortunately these high quality papers or real parchment (vellum) are/is very expensive...

I like the very writing qualities of this ink, because the lines are very sharp and after a few days it becomes as dark/black as ebony and it will not run from the paper when wet, like all normal fountain pen ink, I've experienced/used before. Sadly the ink will last longer than the cheap paper it supports it....

 

[qwertydude]

Have you tried Noodlers Ink? Their black is absolutely pitch black, and a neutral black at that. I actually water mine down just a tad and add a drop of dish soap because I find it is just so saturated that on some dense papers it behaves somewhat like iron gall's and dries very slowly, bad because I'm left handed and it will smear like crazy while I wait between writing lines unless I wait like 5 minutes between lines which is just too long for most tasks. Also watering it down helps it flow better through some of the pens I write with and cuts down on nib creep. But Noodlers is as permanent as it gets since it will bind completely with the paper and nothing will remove it short of destroying the paper. Plus it's ph neutral so the ink itself won't cause the paper to self destruct. I bought a lifetime supply of my favorite colors because as much as I love the ink I'm afraid for Noodler's because it's an American company and seems there are just fewer and fewer American companies left standing weathering this recession. There was kinda a supply scare a while ago when the recession hit, my normal favorite vendors just didn't have much stock left of Noodlers so I went around and bought up the colors I like and were interested in. And then a huge supply of black.

 

[on30trainman]

qwertydude,
You must be one of those lefthanders who scrunches his hand into a ball and drags it over your previous writing. I am also a lefthander but hold my pencil/pen in the "normal" manner - no smearing for me. Those nuns wouldn't let me write like that.

Steve W.

 

[qwertydude]

"Normal" for a left hander, which is the mirror of right handed including the opposite tilt for the letters, means you'll drag your hand through fresh writing. With fountain pens you'll always smear unless you're writing on newsprint but you'll still get black ink over your hands especially from dots like periods, commas and i's. I keep my forearm and hand pretty much straight so that the pen moves sideways relative to the pen, not with a crunched hand and bent wrist trying to pull the pen in the same motion as a righty. It's completely natural and not conducive to cramping with the only caveat being ball points write like crap and rollerballs tear through paper. Fountain pens are the only pens that write smoothly and reliably. It's why I use them.

 

[pharmacist]

I've never tried Noodler's ink, but from what I've read on the net it seems to be a pretty good writing ink and making very tenacious marks on paper.

I've once tried the home brewed iron gall ink in my Mont Blanc fountain pen, but it doesn't flow as well as aspected. Despite its very limpid nature and good flow it tends to dry very fast inside the pen, so after while I have to give a screw on the ink piston, to keep the ink flowing.

Was my pen ruined ? Fortunately the pen was made of gold and materials that could resist the acid in the ink. In fact the original Mont Blanc blue-black ink contains iron gall, so I was pretty sure my pen could withstand it. Warning: any attempt of using this ink in your own fountain pen is at your own risk !!!

The original Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black vintage ink (Tinte fr Fllfederhalter, Eisengallustinte) was the de facto ink during the late 1900's and used in millions of gold fountain pens, without any harmful effects.

 

[qwertydude]

Watch out with those classic Mont Blanc inks cause it is true the older Mont Blanc pens could take the acid but newer ones which are usually only gold plated unless you've got a top of the line one, but if not they are susceptible to pitting and corrosion. Make sure yours is solid gold, 14k or better not just gold plated or eventually the acid will burn through any micro-cracks in the plating and wear out and corrode the steel in the nib.

I highly recommend Noodlers because not only is truly permanent on paper but absolutely will not stain plastic parts on pens, and with a drop of dish soap boy does it flow! I had trouble in some pens with it not wetting the fins and nib and after a drop of soap in a couple ounces of ink it flows great and keeps the pen clean. It works so well that even if the pen dries out from not being used I can literally just rinse the old ink out with just water and the pen is like new with no trouble at all from clogging. If you've never tried it you'll be converted the moment you use it.