What is the difference between Fountain Pen Ink and Stamp Ink?

[Peter Robins]

What is the difference between Fountain Pen Ink and Stamp Ink?

(Stamp Ink = Endorsing Ink, etc., of course water based)

 

For many years I am using both Fountain Pen Ink and Stamp Ink in my cheaper pens, and they seem to be OK.

If you ask "Why?" - just because I have unlimited suply of Stamp Inks for free.

Hence the question - "what is the difference, and is there any possible damage to the pen?"

 

For me there is no problem using (water based) Stamp Ink, but I want to hear your opinion, experience and knowledge.

[HDoug]

I have unlimited suply of Stamp Inks for free.

 

Wow, I guess you could ink this up!

 

http://homepage.mac.com/hdougmatsuoka/images/pen/freestamp.jpg

 

 

But seriously, it's an interesting question. You haven't experienced any problems with your pens after using stamp ink? For the rest of us who must pay for inks, is stamp ink more economical? Waterproof? Available in various colors?

 

Show us some samples. This subject bears some careful examination. Thanks for posting your question.

 

Doug

 

[Ernst Bitterman]

I would have some qualms about flow and subsequent cleaning. The viscosity of stamp ink doesn't seem quite right, at very least.

[Format]

Stamp ink is dull, lifeless and flat.

 

Needs heavy dilution and not all stamp inks are water soluble.

 

Not worth any economies made

[jbn10161]

You might direct the question to Diamine. They make both.

[Mighty_Pir]

I have been using ecoline liquid watercolor in one of my cheapo dollar demonstrators for the last few years with no ill effects, however, that does not mean that I am ready to load it into one of my better pens!!!

[Peter Robins]

To HDoug

Probably I ought to write - for the purpose of writing with FP practically unlimited; it is not absolutely unlimited of course.

 

The pens are 12 years old and worked almost all that time on Stamp Ink.

They were disassembled about 4-5 times. There was no serious clogging, since they are in regular use.

But I think this ink can clogg, if the pen is not used for longer periods of time.

 

Here is some example writing (with some errors ):

The ink used is the same, some lilac-blue.

Here are the pens:

 

If they were not in use I should picture them disassembled.

 

 

 

To Ernst Bitterman

 

That is right.

And that is why I use Stamp Ink only in my cheaper pens.

They are very easy to disassemble and clean.

I can not suggest using Stamp Ink in fountain pens, that are expensive and/or hard to disassemble.

[inkcoffee]

You might direct the question to Diamine. They make both.

 

 

or Private reserve, they do too.

[HDoug]

Peter, thanks for posting the pic. That's a great looking ink! It looks similar to Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng which is one of my favorites. And the pens look very nice for "cheap" pens. Have you tried conventional fountain pen inks? I'm wondering how they compare with stamp ink in terms of flow and feel. Again, thanks for posting.

 

Doug

[ralphawilson]

Funny, because I recently tried fountain pen ink in a dried up old stamp pad and it just didn't work at all--my rubber stamp did not pick up any color from it. I assumed that most rubber stamp ink must be stickier or thicker.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I've recently found that a little bit of water added to a stamp pad that seems to be giving out works as well as adding ink. This was done with an old stamp pad that I use which has been re-inked many times over the years, so I'm sure that there's a lot of dried out ink waiting to be rehydrated and put to use at the bottom of it.

 

In some of my ink tests in the past I stamped the date on with stamp pad ink, I think it's Carter's that I use, and soaked the paper in water. After the more rigorous soak tests the stamp pad ink was gone. But just a little bit of cold water leaves most of the stamp pad ink there.

 

I can't put my finger on exactly why but I don't think I'd want to use stamp pad ink in one of my fountain pens. I just have an intuitive feeling that it wouldn't work out well.

[Peter Robins]

To Arthur

Im not so concerned about that, since I use this pen-ink combination for writing drafts.

 

To jbn10161 and inkcoffee

Thanks, will ask them.

 

To HDoug

These pens work with small standard cartridges. I refill them this way:

But cartridges wear out and some of them even develop cracks. When there is need to exchange them, I buy Schneider Royal Blue 6603, similar to these:

Schneider® 600 Refill Ink Cartridges - Standard International size

This Stamp Ink (compared to Schneider Royal Blue) is more viscous, but dries faster and once dried up, it is waterproof. But it is not buletproof, since it dissolves in ethanol. On paper it is almost impossible to dissolve all this ink, but nevertheless it starts to dissolve. So I use ethanol to clean my fingers and the pens.

It is easier to write on hard paper with extra fine nib, using Schneider Royal Blue. For the broad nibed pen there is almost no difference between these two inks. Except that Schneider Royal Blue gives slightly broader lines.

 

I really do not know the price of the pens, since I have got all them as gifts.