Inks: Pigmented, Dye, Gall, etc. What Are Their General Characteristics?

[Armstrong]

With all the different types of inks out there, what are their general characteristics? Pen safe or not, color fastness, light exposure fading, water resistance, staining and so on. I don't know enough to ask all the appropriate questions. Of course fountain pens are central to the issue but we need not limit ourselves to them alone as the focus is on inks and their characteristics. For instance we might include India ink. It would be nice if as a result of this discussion we could have or make an entry for the library as a resource for newbie's like me.

[mhosea]

I didn't respond to this immediately because it's rather a lot of work just to get started. An oft-referred to source is Richard Binder's page on inks (http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/care/inks.htm). I'm not sure I agree with everything he says. I might score things differently, would score things differently, I guess, since I don't rate Waterman inks very highly. But he does explain the various concerns. I do quibble about clogging, as I find this concern is made irrelevant by good pen hygiene. That is to say, if you can't be bothered to clean your pens properly between inks, and at least a few times a year even if you don't change inks, then you should probably stick to inks that are as watery as you can tolerate. Otherwise, "clogging" is just something that makes you hate the ink and clean the pen. That does happen.

[Armstrong]

Sorry, I wasn't online this weekend much. I have to agree about the clogging issue. I use Noodler's inks almost exclusively because I like highly saturated inks. I have used others, but they didn't 'excite' me. But, you can only fill a piston filler a few times before you will see a reduction in flow with saturated inks. It is immediately corrected with a good flush. Of course assuming a well behaved nib and feed.

Didn't see that page I'll give it look over. I still think a discussion of the ink types, their characteristics and lessons learned would be a valuable resource for fountain pen newbies.

[Armstrong]

Can't say I agree with everything on that ink page. Like I said I use Noodler's heavily. I leave it in pens for very long periods of time. I use it in demonstrators because demonstrators are my favorite pens. I even use 'bullet proof' inks in demonstrators. It hasn't caused me a problem other than needing to clean between refills more frequently. I use the 'bullet proof' line of inks more than any other. So, I can only attribute the problem he states more to the users than the ink. Now, when I get an ink I do pay attention to its attributes and purpose, which is only prudent in any purchase for any purpose. But all my pens, except a very few (at this point) are newer plastics. Yes I said plastic and not resin lol. That bit of advertisement mummery always gets my goat. Would I use Noodler's or Noodler's bullet proof in a vintage pen, yes. It has been very well behaved for me. But, like any ink, I would consider how it might affect materials or cause staining. Celluloid is something I will probably avoid, too high maintenance for my tastes. But, that is a subjective personal choice on all levels.

[stub]

FYI, That small light colored serif font is a little hard to read on screen.