Inkwell Cleaning Questions

[calamus]

When I use an inkwell with a porcelain insert, I fill it with an eyedropper at the start of each writing session. At the end of the session I empty the ink back into the stock bottle with the eyedropper. The reason to do this somewhat tedious procedure is that you can fill the insert to the precise depth for a uniform dip, given variations in length for different nibs.

I've considered doing the same, except that I worry about contaminating the original bottle of ink. I may pour the unused ink into a different bottle for re-use, though. That's kind of silly because when I do use it again it might be contaminated anyway, but at least the rest of the bottle will be relatively pristine.

Maybe you could ask a woodchuck for me? The gophers out here don't even use fountain pens, let alone dip pens.

I already give Charles most of the non-permanent ink I get at flea markets. This is appropriate considering the temporary residence of Charles here.

I don't worry about contamination because the ink is contaminated as soon as I take the lid off of a bottle anyway. I learned in a microbiology course that anything that is not red hot has bacteria and mold spores in/on it. A properly formulated ink should contain a growth inhibitor that makes the issue moot.

It's probably foolishness, but I'm more concerned abut chemical contamination and possible reactions that might occur.