Fountain Pen India Ink?

[loudkenny]

I was gifted this ink over the holidays.

 

Is this ink even safe in a fountain pen? I thought putting india ink in a fountain pen would ruin it.

 

Not slammin', just askin'.

 

ken

[rafapa]

I believe Pelikan has a fountain pen indian ink.

[Harlequin]

I've wondered that myself. Not only the ones labeled "Fountain Pen Ink", but the other just plain "non waterproof" India ink that Higgin has.

[loudkenny]

When I got this, I had a mental picture of putting this in my 51 and welding the poor pen's innards permanently shut or something...

 

ken

[mhphoto]

It can be used in fountain pens, but I doubt it should be used in fountain pens, at least in ones you can't take down to its components completely to clean. "Fountain Pen Safe" probably means it doesn't have any shellac, or other dangerous-to-fountain-pens binders. That's just my guess though. But India inks get their color from pigments, not dyes like most every other FP ink, so there's still a clogging risk if it's not cleaned between every fill. Higgins makes great inks though. Higgins eternal is one of my favorite calligraphy inks.

[lapis]

Do NOT use Higgin's India Ink in a FP (unless of course you want to ruin your pen...).

As said above, you can use Pelikan's India Ink -- denoted "Fount India" -- in a FP but you'll have to fill it into a new bottle for a piston filler, or squirt some into a converter or cartridge.

 

Mike

[laureat]

Pelikan Fount India: drawing ink for fountainpen.

Black Opaque-lightfast. (typing whats on the bottle)

 

I guess you can use this particular ink in a fountainpen. It's in a special ink and you have to take care:

 

An Indian Ink style drawing ink for use in fountain pens. Normal indian ink is not suitable for use in fountain pens as it will clog up the delicate feed systems. This deep black pigment ink offers similar waterproof and lightfast properties to traditional Indian Ink, but is safe to use in standard fountain pens*. 30ml plastic bottle. Ink left on the surface of the paper will still wash along with a wet brush - for line work that won't move when adding a colour layer, we'd recommend Platinum Carbon Black ink. * However, it is strongly recommended that pens are flushed out after use. Storage of pens containing pigmented ink runs a high risk of clogging the feed.

 

So any other brand of Fount India......I wouldn't dare to fill my pen with it.

[rwilsonedn]

Some questions I'd ask myself ...

1. Higgins is a respected maker of dip-pen and brush inks. Just how many types of fountain pens did they try this ink in before they concluded it is safe?

2. Just what do they mean by "India"? Is this a really dark dye-based ink without shellac in it, or is it an ink based on suspended particulate matter with or without binding agents? If there are particles in the ink, no matter how fine, there is the potential for trouble.

3. Dip-pen users, like brush users, clean their tools after each use. Does Higgins assume that you will flush your fountain pen after each use, or after some unspecified amount of time, in order to keep the ink fountain-pen-friendly? If so, do you intend to do that, every time?

4. If the pen clogs, are you comfortable disassembling it and cleaning it? Do you have an ultrasonic cleaner? Do you think Higgins would pay for repair or replacement of your pen if you are unable to get it working?

 

ron

[tknechtel]

I recently tried Aurora's black ink in one of my pens, and that certainly seemed as black as I could ask for.

[Frank C]

Years ago, Pelikan or Fahrney's offered a bottle of "Pelikan Fount India" Ink along with some of their pens. I used it for awhile in my M800. Soon, the piston became sticky, and then just stuck. I called up the US distributor, I don't think it was Chartpak at that time. I told them of my problem and they had me send the pen to them. They also said not to use that ink in a fountain pen. I protested that the ink came from Pelikan with the pen and that it said "Fount" in the name. They reiterated, don't use that ink in a fountain pen. They replaced the pen at no charge. I have fed it a steady diet of Pelikan 4001 Black ink ever since without any complaints. I agree with mhphoto, I wouldn't use fountain pen India ink in any pens I cared about.

 

I just went back to the ink cabinet to check on the spelling of the name. I picked up the bottle and gave it a shake out of habit. It felt empty. It's been twenty years after all. After getting the lid off and prying up the plastic seal, I could see a film of small black particles coating the inside of the bottle. The clear glass bottle is entirely opaque with the black residue. I may try to revive it with some distilled water, and try it with a dip pen, who knows?

 

If you want really dark black ink, I agree with the suggestion of Aurora Black. I also like Sailor kiwo-gura black and Platinum Carbon Black.

[fiberdrunk]

I've used Higgins Fountain Pen India and Pelikan Fount India in fountain pens, no problem. I do tend to use cheap pens (like Platinum Preppys) or fountain pens with nib feeds that can be taken apart completely for cleaning, such as the Rotring ArtPen, Pilot 78G, Pilot Parallel, Osmiroid India Ink Fountain Pen, etc. They're both very nice permanent inks. Just match them to a suitable fountain pen and you'll be fine. I haven't ruined a pen yet.

Edited January 11, 2013 by fiberdrunk