Lubricants for ink

[J Solinger]

What is used as an additive lubricant for ink and are there side affects?

[Chrissy]

Side effects? Ink shouldn't be ingested.

I should imagine manufacturers use all sorts of lubricants in inks but I don't know what any specific ones are.

Edit: I have now found out that many FP users add a tiny amount of Kodak Photo Flo to make a very dry ink perform a little better. I don't know if it works or not.

[Neo]

If you mean side effects on the pen, perhaps some nib creep?

[Kukuzovac]

I don't know what is used in a production line, but if you want to lubricate inks on your own you can use dishwash detergent or glycerine. Just dip a toothpick in either and swirl back in the bottle of ink. Do this in very small steps because very little is needed to get big improvement.

[mhosea]

I don't actually know what is used in commercial inks. There are two different notions of "lubrication" that exist in the first place. One is meant to make the ink seem more lubricious when writing, and the other was meant to lubricate pistons. It is widely thought that the latter kind of inks are also more lubricious when writing, though I fear that this might be a placebo effect. The only inks I know of that are marketed as lubricating pistons are the Noodler's "Eel" inks. I simply do not know what Nathan Tardif uses that is supposed to accomplish the feat (nor am I convinced that it works that well in any piston pens I have, but it's not like I need my ink to do the job--I employ silicone grease for that task).

There are three things that are occasionally added by ink users to alter the way inks write:

1. Water. Adding water is probably the wrong way to go if you want to increase the lubricity of the ink. People normally add water to reduce drying time and feathering, rather, usually reducing lubricity as an unwanted side-effect. This is what you add when you think the manufacturer added too much of something else. Note that adding water decreases the concentration of the biocidal ingredients, so if you do not also add biocide with the water to compensate, you should prepare diluted inks in small quantities only.

2. Dish soap. The primary function of dish soap is to reduce surface tension, increasing ink flow. That is to say, it is a "surfactant". Dry inks feel less lubricious when writing because there isn't much ink between the tip and paper. Increasing the flow rate addresses this issue. A given dish soap may also have other additives that could increase lubricity more directly, but this may vary from product to product, and some ingredients will leave a residue, so dish soap is not the first choice for increasing the flow rate. For that matter, you probably weren't wanting to add soap or detergent per se, as this probably tends to cart away your piston lubrication over time, and of course soap is known to leave a residue when it combines with the salts found in tap water (which your ink maker may or may not have used). A better choice would be a product specifically formulated to reduce surface tension in water such as Kodak Photo-Flo. Note that when adding surfactants of any kind, the concentration needed is generally miniscule. Side-effects from adding surfactants are increased feathering and, when it is overdone, excessive ink flow.

3. Glycerin. Glycerin seems to affect the lubricity directly. I'm not sure if it helps reduce feathering or not, but I think it tends to increase drying time and to reduce water resistance in some cases. Whether or not glycerin increases the risk of biological growth in the ink is disputed, but here again, it seems prudent to prepare only small quantities of the modified ink at once, leaving the main bottle alone.

[jde]

According to Gerry Berg, who learned the trick from Nathan Tardiff, 3-4 drops of glycerin per fluid ounce of ink is all that's needed to create a lubricating ink. That amount isn't supposed to change the writing characteristics of the ink. Again, referring to what Gerry has said via FPN posts.

I haven't added the glycerin to a bottle of ink, but I do use the toothpick bit of glycerine to converter technique that Kukozovac mentions for dishwashing liquid. I've done this with an ink that was on the dryish side in a given pen. Yes, it helped make the ink flow better.

Some folks use glycerin in their ink to help keep their piston pens lubricated. (In fact, that's what Gerry's referring to as well.) A friend of mine with lots of Omas and Italian piston pens, uses glycerin in his ink to help lube the pistons. He told me that adding too much glycerin (presumably well over the amount recommended by Gerry above) has a kind of reverse effect in causing a piston to to feel dry. I can't find his exact quote, and mention it here as a caution.

As Mike (mhosea) indicates, water is a drying agent; it's not a lubricant.

Lots of people like the dishwashing liquid trick for lubricating ink, but I prefer the glycerin. Honestly, I found dishwashing liquid hard to control for the amount, even on a toothpick. I found the ink became tooooo flow-y.

Another option a lot of folks use is Photoflo. I hesitate to mention it because I haven't ever used it myself, having settled on glycerin. I don't know if there's a caution re. not using it in celluloid pens or something. The users of it swear by it, much like we all swear by the stuff that works for us. Do some searches to learn more about it.

P.S. If you don't know who Gerry or Nathan are: Gerry is a respected collector/restorer of Sheaffer vac-filling fountain pens. Nathan also has been a pen restorer, and he makes Noodler's Ink.

[Laura N]

Where does one buy liquid glycerin?

[mhosea]

He told me that adding too much glycerin (presumably well over the amount recommended by Gerry above) has a kind of reverse effect in causing a piston to to feel dry. I can't find his exact quote, and mention it here as a caution.


I don't know about low concentrations, but I can corroborate the issue with high concentrations from experience with syringes. There was tightness that seemed to be caused by swelling of the rubber piston heads. More is not better.

[mhosea]

There's a food grade of pure glycerin that might be in your grocery store. That should be fine. I got my pure glycerin USP from the cosmetics or lotions area of a drug store (CVS).

[jde]

There's a food grade of pure glycerin that might be in your grocery store. That should be fine. I got my pure glycerin USP from the cosmetics or lotions area of a drug store (CVS).

What he said.

I actually found mine in the pharmacy at a Meijer.

Wherever you go, if you can't find it, don't be afraid to ask. :cool:

[Hp_lubricants]

What is used as an additive lubricant for ink and are there side affects?

Some common additives used as lubricants in ink include silicone oil, polyethylene glycol, and various surfactants.

Silicone oil is often used as a lubricant in ink because it has a low surface tension and can help to reduce friction and improve the flow of the ink. However, if too much silicone oil is added to the ink, it can cause the ink to become too fluid and smudge easily. Additionally, some people may be allergic to silicone, so it's important to be aware of this potential side effect.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is another common lubricant used in ink. It is a water-soluble polymer that can help to reduce friction and improve ink flow. However, PEG can also affect the viscosity and drying time of the ink, which can result in smudging or bleeding.

Surfactants are compounds that can help to reduce the surface tension of the ink and improve flow. However, some surfactants can have negative side effects, such as causing the ink to foam or reducing its water resistance.

for more information on Lubricants www.hplubricantsdistributor.co.in

[junglejim]

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The AI on spam is getting much better.