Have You Ever Had A Bottled Ink Fade?

[amberleadavis]

Do you personally have any experience with bottled ink fading when left sitting out? Personally, I'm no convinced you need to keep bottles inside the boxes and locked away.

Yes, we have become dragons, hoarding our beloved inks. Many FPNers recommend that ink be kept "in the dark" away from "harmful light" *. In my experience, most writings cannot withstand limited exposure to sunlight, and very few writings can withstand prolonged exposure to the sun**. However, none of my bottled inks have ever faded. Now, I admit that I haven't put any of my bottles on the window sill of the caboose and seen if it would fade (and I may yet try that experiment), but I've left bottles of Skrip and Mont Blanc ink out in the open - on my desk (in the caboose) - for DECADES and neither brand has faded. Once applied to paper, Skrip and MB writings are prone to fading, but of the 7 bottles of ink, I purchased in the early 1990s, and pulled out last year, Not a single bottle of ink faded. If the ink did not fade in the bottle, in the non-climate controlled caboose, in the Nevada desert, how necessary is it for anyone to really hide their ink in humidors?

 

So, show me that your ink faded when exposed to light. Tell me that you personally experienced the phenomena. I'm listening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Surprisingly, few FPNers are concerned about ink fading after it has been used.

** I say "writings" to distinguish between the ink that is still unused in a bottle compared ("ink") to ink that has been applied to paper ("writings").

[KCat]

I have had browns and reds fall apart but red dyes are susceptible to degradation regardless of light exposure. Have never noticed any other ink fade in the bottle BUT I also never keep any of my inks in the light and *presume* that what is on the shelf in most stores cycles through regularly these days.

[amberleadavis]

I have had browns and reds fall apart but red dyes are susceptible to degradation regardless of light exposure. Have never noticed any other ink fade in the bottle BUT I also never keep any of my inks in the light and *presume* that what is on the shelf in most stores cycles through regularly these days.

 

Do you remember what inks they were? And do you think they would have degraded anyway?

[psfred]

There are several inks that have been known to change in the bottle with age, mostly older Private Reserve inks (Copperburst was one, I think, couple orange and pink ones).

 

This was not necessarily due to like exposure.

 

However, I can attest that several inks fade very badly on paper! Quink Washable Blue will simply vanish in a week of sunlight, even indirect, and Skrip Peacock isn't much better, although much prettier when fresh.

 

I keep my inks in the dark mostly out of convenience -- they live in a desk drawer where I can keep them under control. Never had noticeable fading in the bottle, but then I don't leave them in the window except in a box. Certainly the Sheaffer Jet Black from 1984 isn't any lighter than it was then, nor is the Quink Black from 1977 -- they were "prefaded" when I got them!

 

Peter

[Gcouch]

I've never once had a bottle of inkl fade on me. All of mine sit in the open on my desk, but I suppose it could happen though.

[mrcharlie]

Of all the old ink I've purchased, I've had two bottles, one Sanford 32 oz bottle of Royal Blue with the top of the box folded into the box so it was open all the time, and one Sheaffer's 2 oz bottle with missing label and box (it was either Washable Black or Permanent Jet Black), where the dye was clearly degraded to the point they weren't worth using. The Sanford Penit ink in particular looked like a dark blue liquid, but had hardly any color on paper. I do not know for sure it was UV that was the cause of the degradation, but I have other Sheaffer's bottles as old as the 1940s that are still good and have seen comments from others of using old Sanford Penit cube bottles with satisfaction. So, I can't say for sure I know it was the light and not some exposure to some chemical or breakdown of the dye just due to time ...

 

Stipula claims their bottles block UV, which I assume they wouldn't bother saying if it weren't a potential problem.

 

It seems like you could buy an $8.50 bottle of Sheaffer Blue (or Pelikan; something both cheap and known to fade and Pelikan fades really fast) and put it unboxed on a window sill for a month and see what happens as an affordable test.

 

I found this page on protecting Art from UV damage to be interesting.

 

Protecting Art From UV Light

Edited January 15, 2013 by mrcharlie

[amberleadavis]

I'm still holding to the position that unless someone can show me that their bottle of ink faded because of light .... then it isn't an issue. Since I haven't been able to destroy it in 20 Las Vegas summers without AC - I don't think that the inks in the potions cabinet are in any danger of fading.

 

(However, one Pelikan bottle that I took with me across country and was NEVER exposed to light degraded).

Edited January 15, 2013 by amberleadavis

[mrcharlie]

It seems like you could buy an $8.50 bottle of Sheaffer Blue (or Pelikan; something both cheap and known to fade and Pelikan fades really fast) and put it unboxed on a window sill for a month and see what happens as an affordable test.

Reading that back, I should be clear that Pelikan Royal Blue fades really fast on paper; I haven't tested any other color of it.

[leod]

I have a Caran D'Ache Blue Night that turned gray but I am starting to like it, I have a vert empire sample that looks like it so the JH might also have faded.

[requiescat]

I live in Louisiana, so even though I keep the shades drawn, it gets pretty hot during...everytime that it isn't December or January, really. I had a bottle of Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux fade in a couple months from a nice, dusky burgundy-ish color to a wimpy lavender. I poured out the bottle and have switched to Diamine Merlot, and am hoping that one, too, won't fade when the weather gets hotter.

[amberleadavis]

I live in Louisiana, so even though I keep the shades drawn, it gets pretty hot during...everytime that it isn't December or January, really. I had a bottle of Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux fade in a couple months from a nice, dusky burgundy-ish color to a wimpy lavender. I poured out the bottle and have switched to Diamine Merlot, and am hoping that one, too, won't fade when the weather gets hotter.

Do you think it was because the R&K ink got hot or because it was exposed to light?

[requiescat]

I live in Louisiana, so even though I keep the shades drawn, it gets pretty hot during...everytime that it isn't December or January, really. I had a bottle of Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux fade in a couple months from a nice, dusky burgundy-ish color to a wimpy lavender. I poured out the bottle and have switched to Diamine Merlot, and am hoping that one, too, won't fade when the weather gets hotter.

Do you think it was because the R&K ink got hot or because it was exposed to light?

I can't tell--even with shades drawn, it gets pretty bright in that room. It could really have been either.

[amberleadavis]

hmm....

 

The caboose gets lots of light (and heat). Though the ink bottles were NOT in direct sun.

 

I'm keeping my eyes opened, but I'm sensing an experiment here.

[eherreid]

I had a bottle of PR Burgundy Mist that changed to an odd sort of brownish grey color, but I believe this was due to unstable dyes rather than exposure to light or heat. I have at various times kept inks out in view, but never in sunlight, and more often have stored them in a box or cabinet. I figure better safe than sorry. But I'm really curious as to the real answer to this question!

[mrcharlie]

The caboose gets lots of light (and heat). Though the ink bottles were NOT in direct sun.

 

I'm keeping my eyes opened, but I'm sensing an experiment here.

If the caboose is both sunlit and uncomfortably warm, you could put some inks known to fade on paper into small glass bottles (or the plastic sample vials if those don't block UV) in the caboose, but also in some other window in your home or office where the sunlight would get them but the heat would not be a factor, and in the caboose but in a box out of the light. This would help you to tell if any possible degredation was from the UV or from the heat, or maybe it needs both.

[amberleadavis]

The caboose gets lots of light (and heat). Though the ink bottles were NOT in direct sun.

 

I'm keeping my eyes opened, but I'm sensing an experiment here.

If the caboose is both sunlit and uncomfortably warm, you could put some inks known to fade on paper into small glass bottles (or the plastic sample vials if those don't block UV) in the caboose, but also in some other window in your home or office where the sunlight would get them but the heat would not be a factor, and in the caboose but in a box out of the light. This would help you to tell if any possible degredation was from the UV or from the heat, or maybe it needs both.

 

ok -- this summer it is

[amberleadavis]

I couldn't wait!

 

Using left over inks and small sample bottles, I started a mini experiment on the Ides of March.

 

Plastic vial - KTC - an ink known not to fade.

Plastic vial - Luxury Blue - an ink known not to fade.

Glass Bottle - brown inks - (inks with orange tones tend to fade)

2 giant glasses - ink waste water - purples.

 

I placed all but one of the glasses into my window sill next to my desk. The other glass is in the other window sill next to the printer.

 

I took pictures of everything but the luxury blue which I added later in the day.

[amberleadavis]

Glass one - all the blues and purples left over from cleaning my pens. Whenever I change out colors, I dump the left over ink into this glass. I also add the first two flushes of water from the pen to one of the two glasses.

 

The glass is left exposed and I am observing how much water / ink evaporates.

 

On 3/15/12, the glass (or should I say, "stein") looked like this ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/PICT2941_small.jpg

 

 

As of today, the liquid is at the 3.25" mark - so it's lost a lot of volume in a mere 4 days.

[amberleadavis]

Here are the brown inks - no waste water. Just inks that I dumped out of pens because the color didn't motivate me.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/PICT2949.JPG

 

[amberleadavis]

This plastic vial is IMO not air tight. The KTC has thickened inside the tub. I also show this as a sample of how inks can stain the plastic. The swatch next to it is using a paint brush.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/PICT2953.JPG