PDA

View Full Version : Ok, I'll ask - Wet? versus Dry? Ink



cwent2
May 25th, 2013, 11:13 PM
Ok, my newbie status is showing, so I'll just put it out there. I recently received my TWSBI 580 which I ended up getting a Medium nib - Inked it with Borealis Black and it writes more like a broad nib. I changed to Private reserve velvet black - same result - Someone told me these inks were wet -

So the question is how does one know an ink is classified as having a "wet" or "dry" characteristic? I do not remember seeing any statements like this ink is wet or that one is dry in the write up at the venders ....

cw

Chemyst
May 25th, 2013, 11:32 PM
Someone told me these inks were wet -

So the question is how does one know an ink is classified as having a "wet" or "dry" characteristic? I do not remember seeing any statements like this ink is wet or that one is dry in the write up at the venders ....


This is a qualitative characteristic that people assign based on relative comparisions of how different inks flow in pens. There is no definitive scale that you can reference.

Manny
May 26th, 2013, 01:00 AM
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/0526130214_zpsc831e527.jpg

cedargirl
May 26th, 2013, 02:55 AM
I like wet inks, mostly. The only black that I have tried that I would call dry - if that is what you are after - is Parker Quink Black.

If you are new to FP inks, maybe start off with samples.

AndyT
May 26th, 2013, 06:10 AM
Manny, you're not the only one! I'm sure there's enough for both of us. :)

On the original subject, it might be as much a matter of the paper as the ink. Your lines may well be narrower on a well sized smooth paper than a more absorbent one. If you're happy to use an iron gall ink, that generally will tighten things up too without being "dry" ... Montblanc Midnight Blue (super stuff, and leans heavily towards the black rather than the blue) springs to mind. As for ink with restrained flow characteristics I'd go along with black Quink though I dislike it for exactly that reason; Pelikan 4001 is often said to be a dry writing range but I can't say I've noticed it in particular.

Manny
May 26th, 2013, 07:06 AM
On the original subject...


Oh yeah, right...I guess for me, Waterman Blue-Black is in the middle to dry range(?), and it seems to behave the same in all my pens - vintage, modern, fine to broad, flexible or firm.
Now I haven't tried as many as some, but of all the inks I've used, it is the most balanced for my writing style(s).

Sailor Kenshin
May 26th, 2013, 07:41 AM
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/0526130214_zpsc831e527.jpg

Naaah. I use it, too: an old bottle of The Real Thing, and I'm HOARDING it. :-p

cwent2
May 26th, 2013, 08:15 AM
I like wet inks, mostly. The only black that I have tried that I would call dry - if that is what you are after - is Parker Quink Black.

If you are new to FP inks, maybe start off with samples.

I guess it be just the combination of pen ink and paper, but in this particular instance the paper is southworth 24lb ivory and the ink is borealis black and the pen is TWSBI 580 with a medium nib the maybe it's the pen - but this thing is putting down enough so you can see a raised line of ink on this paper. So I tried Private Reserve Velvet black with basically the same result and was told these inks were wet.

I was trying to get a handle on what makes an ink be termed wet - yes its the flow but why.

AndyT
May 26th, 2013, 08:18 AM
Oh yeah, right...I guess for me, Waterman Blue-Black is in the middle to dry range(?), and it seems to behave the same in all my pens - vintage, modern, fine to broad, flexible or firm.
Now I haven't tried as many as some, but of all the inks I've used, it is the most balanced for my writing style(s).

I don't really know, but the flow always seems to be just right to me. And it's the only ink which ever gets into my vintage pens ... good job I like the colour.

One range which does strike me as generally on the wet side is Diamine. I once did a side by side comparison between Waterman black and Diamine Jet Black on a really cheap index card and the latter feathered and bled like crazy, so maybe there are some lubricants or surfactants in the mix. Not necessarily a bad thing of course, but not the ideal choice for filling in the crossword!

reprieve
May 26th, 2013, 08:36 AM
not the ideal choice for filling in the crossword!

I adore Diamine inks, but they most definitely do not work well on newsprint!!!

AndyT
May 26th, 2013, 08:41 AM
...this thing is putting down enough so you can see a raised line of ink on this paper. So I tried Private Reserve Velvet black with basically the same result and was told these inks were wet.

I was trying to get a handle on what makes an ink be termed wet - yes its the flow but why.

This is interesting. Rightly or wrongly I've always thought of the wetness of an ink more in terms of its interaction with the paper than the flow through the pen (which has a lot to do with the feed and the nib slit of course). That raised line is what I like - it's when the ink spreads and disappears rapidly into the surface that I start to think of it as excessively wet. A matter of surface tension, seemingly.

I wonder if a pigment ink like Platinum Carbon might behave itself better for you ... at least the TWSBI provides for easy cleaning so it could be worth a trying a sample.

AndyT
May 26th, 2013, 08:51 AM
I adore Diamine inks, but they most definitely do not work well on newsprint!!!

Wholeheartedly agreed! :) Supply of American ink is decidely erratic here (hmm ... wonder if my bottle of Shoreline Gold will ever turn up, it's been quite a while since I ordered it), so Diamine is a godsend for Brits in search of a wide range of colours.

john
June 1st, 2013, 01:45 PM
I like Diamine ink too. It is the ink which I can tame my Visconti dream touch broad nib.

Nonsensical
June 2nd, 2013, 02:23 AM
I like wet inks..but there are wet inks that flow well, but still keep a nice tight line. I find that Noodlers Black flows quite well, and is what I would classify as a "wetter" ink, but still makes most of pens write a thinner line than say, Diamine ink. Perhaps if you would be interested in trying some drier inks, such as R&K Salix, that might help as well. Yes, I know it's an iron gall ink, but your TWSBI 580 should handle it with no problems.

I like mango pudding
June 2nd, 2013, 10:32 AM
Manny, you're not the only one! I'm sure there's enough for both of us. :)

On the original subject, it might be as much a matter of the paper as the ink. Your lines may well be narrower on a well sized smooth paper than a more absorbent one. If you're happy to use an iron gall ink, that generally will tighten things up too without being "dry" ... Montblanc Midnight Blue (super stuff, and leans heavily towards the black rather than the blue) springs to mind. As for ink with restrained flow characteristics I'd go along with black Quink though I dislike it for exactly that reason; Pelikan 4001 is often said to be a dry writing range but I can't say I've noticed it in particular.

I find the MB midnight blue, which is actually their blue - black, to be quite dry. The Parker Quink blue seems to be a much wetter ink. I did find out that once I get the pen going, the MB ink flows fine and is less dry. I tend to suffer dry starts more with my MB ink than my Parker ink. Diamine for me, is in the middle, but I've only used it on one pen so far.

Nibbage imho, plays a big part of it.

cwent2
June 2nd, 2013, 10:51 AM
@I like mago pudding Nibbage imho, plays s big part of it

I am beginning to agree that changing the nib to a fine might just be the answer. The TWSBI 580 I got in a M nib. The ink flow is great. My "issue" seems to be the inability to use the office paper. Too cheap of a paper for the flow of ink. I am going to try a fine nib soon and will post the result.

Thank to all for taking the time to share your thoughts and opinions

they are most appreciated!

CWood