Search the Community

Nearly 3 years ago I wrote a review for the newly-produced Blackstone Barrister Blue Ink - part of a new line of permanent inks made in Australia (you can find that review at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/311074-blackstone-barrister-blue-permanent-ink/). It was (and remains) a favourite of mine: a dark, strong blue that wrote well and stayed written no matter how much water you threw at the page! My recollection is that Kevin (the proprietor of Blackstone Inks and Just Write Pens) was not entirely happy with the ink, though - because whereas his black ink relied on a nano-pigment dye, the blue relied on a dye that had iron-gall like properties (though much less corrosive). Which meant that the blue started out darkish, and went almost black with time. Fast forward 18 months, and I found myself looking at a YouTube review of Barrister Blue, on fellow Aussie Mick L's YouTube channel (see link at bottom). Mick's sample looked substantially lighter - so I made enquiries and discovered that Blackstone had reformulated the ink using a newly-available blue nano-pigment. The ink was out of stock at the time, so it was many months later that I finally bought a new bottle - and many months more before a discussion on my old review thread prompted me to re-post. There is also now a Blue-Black ink available from Just Write Pens (www.justwrite.com.au) and (probably) other Blackstone distributors. It took me months to procure a bottle (it was out of stock for a long time), but I now have it, and will review it - another awesome ink. Below is a scan of the new formulation Blackstone Barrister Blue - very happy to answer questions. Disclaimer: I'm a long-time buyer from the JustWrite website, but purchased these inks at full price with my own funds. And a close-up of the Water Test: Mick L's YouTube review from October 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUK-GVIdFuo&t=192s

Members: Product Reviewed: Mont Blanc Permanent Blue – safety This is the second post detailing my experiences with the 8 types of permanent inkI have used with my pen collection over 2 years.The inkreviewed in this piece will be Mont Blanc Permanent Blue and the focus will be on fountain pen safety. The performance of this ink has been extensively reviewed since its introduction in 2013. Briefly, I have found that it conforms to ISO 12757-2 superbly. It IS waterproof, light fast and outer chemical resistant (have tried to erase lines of text with both alcohol and bleach to no avail). Montblanc Permanent Blue flows evenly, dries in reasonable time and exhibits no bleed-through or feathering when used on good paper. Examples of the latter include Cranes Crest 100% Cotton and Classic 100% Cotton. The color is what I would call quietly professional. It does not scream off the page like Private Reserve’s Lake Placid Blue but it conveys a sense of understated elegance suitable for a law, medical or government office. For Canadians, it is now VERY expensive (the Canadian dollar has sunk will the price of oil – och!). Until recently I would have given this product a high recommendation with the caveat that you MUST regularly clean your pen. However, an incident occurred which has shaken my faith in this product and has resulted in my not using it in any of my more expensive pens (e.g. Montblanc, Pelikan, Pilot, St Dupont, Dunhill). For approximately 1 year I used the Permanent Blue almost exclusively in the crown jewel of my collection, the Mont Blanc 147 Diplomat (about 15 years old). During this time it worked perfectly and I was happy with the product. However, with no warning, my 147 stopped writing. Just a reminder, replacement cost for this pen is approximately $1200 CAD so saying I was in a panic is a gross understatement. I know what you are going to say – “you did not maintain this pen correctly”. Let me explain in more detail. My friends have long written me off as a fountain pen fanatic and general weirdo when it comes to ink and paper. After all, what normal person would pay $100 CAD for a 500 page ream of Cranes Crest 100% cotton paper? Further proof of this “disease” (in their eyes) is my obsessive approach to pen cleaning. Specifically, every time I refill a fountain pen the following cleaning ritual is followed: 5 to 10 flushes with water, followed by 5 to 10 flushes with J.B.’s Perfect Pen Flush and final flushing with water until clear. I am seriously considering getting a supply of distilledwater to avoid possible lime scale contamination (eye rolling from my friends here) in my tap water. I also am constantly changing my pens to make sure that they are used on a regular basis. You get the picture – an obsessive who spends time and money to keep his pens clean.This is especially true of the 147 Diplomat. Given this routine it was my belief that the danger associated permanent inks would not be a problem especially if I used a Montblanc ink in a Montblanc pen. As stated above, two months ago I started having problems. Specifically, the 147 would stop writing with no warning. When this happened the first time I used my cleaning routine and adding more flushes with the trusty J.B.’s Perfect Pens Flush. Every time this was repeated it seemed to work at first but then the pen stopped writing. I failed to take into account the large of amount of “reserve” associated with the 147’s large nib. My cleaning routine, which had never failed before, was repeated SEVEN times with no apparent effect. I was beginning to panic when I read about the use of warm distilled water with soap as a cleaning approach. So I repeated my approach, but this time, as a last step, left my 147 soaking in soapy water for 24 hours. In the morning the water was discolored Permanent Blue giving the impression of a burst pipe. On closer inspection several small scaleswere resting on the bottom of the glass. Needless to say I was surprised and relieved. After a further thorough cleaning I reloaded my pen with Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue. I have had no further problems. CONCLUSION: I was shocked by the fact that, despite excellent care (in my opinion), a superb pen could develop a blockage from an ink manufactured by the same company. A friend noted that with all the cleanings, the scales could have been “loosened” and thus vulnerable to the reduced surface tension effect of the soap and water. I will have to do more investigation on this surface tension theory. This incident has shaken my confidence in the Montblanc Permanent Blue and Black products and I have restricted their use to the cheaper, throw away pens in my collection (e.g. Lamy, Rotring Art Pens). It is now my feeling that over long use, DESPITE proper cleaning procedures, this ink can still badly clog your pen.

I had no idea that this blue-black vintage ink was permanent. But I should have known as the ink looked saturated. I bought this ink a few years ago but mainly for the box and never used the ink. About 2 weeks ago I organized my inks and decided to us it. I filled my PenBBS 456 vacuum filler with it. It worked just fine until a few days ago when it had hard starts. Yesterday I could not get it to start so I pulled the plunger up a little bit when I pushed down on the plunger the pressure resistance caused the piston seal to pop off. I took the pen apart and found that the feed was all clogged up. I still have the feed soaking and will see if I can get a good pic of the feed. The ink is not marked as permanent so I just now decided to test it. Regular copy paper. I used the blue-black and the Pilot ink as control sample. Soak the paper in water: Added some foam antibacterial and washed it off: Let dry: Result: Montblanc vintage Blue-Black is permanent as all get out. So unlike me you now know, be careful which pen you use this ink with.

Hello , Just wondering if could help with some questions I'm having about the Noodler's American Aristocracy ink. I know there are 3 "flavors" possible, but thats not what I'm thinking about. I bought a few bottles to try in my Kuretake Brush pen. Never made it there for the project I was doing. I journal often and always use waterproof, archival, and, or, bulletproof/eternal inks. I like variety and have many shades of blue and black. I also have a couple greens. Anyways... I was thinking about using this ink to journal, but have never used non bulletproof, waterproof, inks before for this purpose. I know that just because inks may not be water proof/resistant, etc, doesn't mean they won't last a long time. All that to ask my question... Does anyone know if the Noodler's American Aristocracy ink would be an ok choice for Journaling or anything else that would require lasting a long time? Would this ink fade quickly, after just a few years? Is this a ink that UV would destroy? Etc. Etc. I've seen many tests done for inks in the other forums, but haven't seen this ink used for any tests. So, I'm reaching out to see what everyone thinks. I would love to fill up a pen and writing with this ink. I just dont want to use it. And then a few years down the road I open up my journal, or view a document, or project, and the ink is gone, faded, or generally illegible. Appreciate your thoughts.

Hi all, I mostly use western 'F' nibs, but have recently bought two LAMY Z50 nibs in EF, and I want to find a 'permanent' black ink that will work well with them. For the last several years I have used Noodler's Black as my 'permanent' black ink - it is very black, and very permanent, and I have always found it to be very good. Its only 'flaw' was its penchant for nib-creep. In the last few months though, I suspect that the ink in my bottle (which has been open since 2014) may have 'denatured' or 'gone off'. I found that the aerometric Parker "51" in which I have always used my Noodler's Black would no longer write when I put the ink in to it. It seemed to have dried-out in the nib. I tried my ink in one of my new EF Z50 nibs, and the ink gave me its usual nib-creep. But, after sitting in the capped pen unused for only two hours, it had dried-out to the point that the nib wouldn't write. The nib does write with Parker Quink Blue, so I am fairly certain that my bottle of the ink has come to the end of its usable life. After seven years, I'm not complaining. Anyway, it occurred to me that my need to replace my Noodler's Black is actually an 'opportunity' for me to try a new ink 😀 So, I am now asking for your recommendations for a 'permanent' black ink; one that I will be able to use in my pens with 'F' (and now also 'EF') nibs. I live in the UK, so my options are: De Atramentis Dokumentus Black; Platinum Carbon Black; Rohrer & Klingner Document Black; Sailor Kiwa Guro (carbon nano-particle ink); Or, if none of those are likely to suit my needs, a fresh bottle of Noodler's Black. I have read the reviews of those inks on here, and have seen reports of disturbing nib-creep and clogging for the R&K ink, disturbing bleed-through for the De Atramentis ink, and conflicting accounts for the Sailor and Platinum inks. Several of my pens are NOT easy to clean (especially the "51", but also the Safaris), so I would like an ink that is fairly easy to clean out of a pen, and won't clog up/dry out in a pen very quickly. So, do any of you out there in FPN-land have experience of using these inks in pens with F/EF nibs? If so, which of these inks would you recommend to me? Would you actually recommend something else entirely? My thanks to you in advance for your answers 👍 Slàinte, M.

The following is a review of Platinum's Pigment Blue Ink (INKG-1500 #60). The ink comes in a nice squat glass bottle that is easy to dip a pen or syringe into. Through the bottle, the ink appears to have a deep purple hue. In my demonstrator, the slight purple hue is also evident. I purchased this ink because I needed a suspension of colored microparticles for a completely unrelated purpose. Having the remainder of this ink for fountain pen use was simply an added bonus! On to the ink... I have made comparisons using two pens that, in my hands, reflect a wet writer (Pelikan M200, fine nib) and a dry writer (Lamy Studio, fine nib). With a wetter writer, the ink goes down smoothly and dries a nice classic blue. It is not eye popping bright, but rather a more muted blue that borders on 'chalky' blue. In a drier writer, the ink appears more of a light blue. For me, it reminds me of the blue cartridge ink that I used as a school boy in the late 1970s -- though I have no idea what that ink was. Below is a writing sample from both pens on HP laserjet 24 lb paper. The dry time for this ink on HP laserjet 24 lb paper is a little on the long side. With the Pelikan, the ink took over 30 seconds to dry. With the drier Lamy, the ink dried between 20 and 30 seconds. On slick papers, you will want to be careful with this ink unless you don't care if it smears on your hands and clothes... On cheaper copier paper, the ink soaks in and dries very quickly. Below, I circled a dry time test using the juicy M200 -- the ink was fully dried by 5 seconds. I don't typically use cheap copier paper, but I was still very impressed with how little feathering I saw. Like many inks, the character of this ink on cheaper paper is largely lost for me. One of the suggested benefits of the pigment inks is the resistance to water, alcohol, etc. Below is a writing sample (Lamy Studio, fine nib) on HP laserjet 24 lb paper. The ink was allowed to dry for two hours before the water test. The right side of the paper was dipped in warm water for about 20 seconds -- long enough to fully saturate the right side of the paper. The left side remained dry as a comparison. During the soaking, there was no evidence of any ink lifting off the paper. After the soaking, I saw no difference between the water-treated writing sample and the dry control sample. In a separate test, I soaked a writing sample in 70% ethanol to determine the resistance of the ink to organic solvents such as would be common in a lab (or a bar fight). Ethanol also had no perceivable effect on this ink. In my experience, THIS INK IS PERMANENT. With pigment inks, there is a concern about clogging fountain pens. So far, I have had it in two pens for about 2 weeks and have yet to have problems with clogging. However, evidence of clogging might take considerably longer to appear -- I'll update after a few months use on this issue. For those interested in a well-behaved permanent blue ink, I would highly recommend Platinum's Pigment Blue. It's a great blue for when you are looking for a professional and nicely readable ink without retina-scorching color. While the pigment seems to be playing nicely with my pens so far, I don't plan to use this ink in my nicer pens until I have had more experience with any potential staining or clogging issues.

Hi, I am a fan of Camlin inks and have been using it since childhood. Recently I started using Noodler's Heart of darkness and have been loving its permanence. I would like to gift a similar ink to my mom for recording her journals. I am looking for a Permanent ink for that reason. Based on Youtube reviews it looks like Noodlers inks are too expensive on amazon.in and Pilot Black, Camlin "Permanent" Black and Parker Quink are all not permanent or even water proof at all. Are there any ink recommendations that 0. are waterproof? 1. are not too expensive 2. are available in India (preferably online orders) Thanks in advance.

I am very happy with the qualities of my De Atramentis Document Black, which I keep loaded for writing checks and addressing envelopes and the like. It only has one flaw, which is that it is black, the world's most boring color of ink (medium blue being right behind it). What are some permanent inks which are well-behaved, safe to keep in a pen for a month, and are interesting colors?

There is a passion in my DNA for ‘permanent’ fountain pen ink! Having used every product available, I have found all to be very good with ONE EXCEPTION. After 5 years of stubbornly refusing to admit that there is a problem, I have now concluded that Diamine Archival Registrar's Ink is not safe to use on a long-term basis. First a little background. I have 35 pens in my collection, so I have decided to associate specific inks with specific pens. This facilitates regular use and helps keep all my pens in ‘writing’ shape’. I routinely clean with tap water flushes with each fill up. This is followed-up with periodic ‘deep cleaning’ using distilled water and J. B.’s Perfect Pen Flush at least twice a year for all pens. Diamine Archival Registrar's ink was paired with my Lamy Scala (gold nib added). Like most people, I freely admit to being reluctant to acknowledge growing problems when it comes to my collection. However, I now realize that right from the get-go, the Lamy Scala was not a "smooth" writer. It always felt scratchy and it was sometimes difficult to get ink to paper. For the first couple of years I put that down to "breaking in" a new gold nib and kept using this combination. Also, when submersed in water and then dried, the ink appeared light when compared to other products (e.g. deAtramentis, Rohrer & Klingner, Private Reserve Invincible Black, Platinum Carbon). I am aware that this product is a traditional gall-based ink which requires strict cleaning of the pen using it. Therefore, I regularly (4 times a year) conducted a "deep clean" procedure, centered on the use of distilled water and J.B.'s Perfect Pen Flush. After this cleaning, writing was smoother, but it always reverted to the scratchy feel. I also had to frequently dip the nib into clean water in order to get ink flowing again. Of course, I chose to ignore it - must be a long breaking in period for the gold nib I thought. It got to the point that I blamed the Lamy Scala – I came to see the Lamy (even with the expensive gold nib addition) as a second-tier pen. In other words, OK but not great - what a mistake! I decided to investigate further (finally!) and read on the FPN that this ink was associated with ‘corrosion’ I checked my Scala and sure enough, corrosion had started to eat away the pen barrel near the nib. I then decided to try an experiment. Since my Lamy Studio was an excellent writer (it too had a gold nib added) I changed the ink in the Scala after a VERY thorough deep cleaning. I substituted Montblanc Mystery Black for the Diamine ink. The change was immediate and dramatic – like magic the smoothness of the Scala was equal to the Lamy Studio. What a difference! My confidence in this pen was immediately restored – clearly the ink had been the problem. I had been warned about the use of the Diamine Archival Registrar’s ink on several occasions which I chose to ignore. I tried to make this product work with a very good fountain pen for five years without great success. Not only did it not perform well but it seemly facilitated corrosion. For these reasons I would strongly recommend that FPN members NOT use this product under any circumstances.

A bit over a month ago now (I think) I placed an order with Kevin from Just Write Pens (www.justwrite.com.au), and with my order received a sample vial of his latest 'Blackstone' branded ink. I've held off on publishing a review until now, because it didn't appear to be have been released yet - but I understand it's now available through Anderson Pens (and others?) in the US. Due to supply issues (of nalgene bottles) the ink is not yet available in Australia, but I'm hoping that will be rectified soon - I'm keen to order a bottle! Like Barrister Black, Barrister Blue is a 'permanent' ink - though as you'll see (when I get around to appending some pictures) it's not completely "bulletproof". A small amount of blue ink washes away in water, leaving a solid line of blue-grey ink. Unlike the 'Colours of Australia' inks (which are non-waterfast), Barrister Blue is a 'serious' ink rather than a vibrant colour. It's a dark blue, almost a blue-black, that tends to darken further as it dries. I've been really impressed with it, though: it doesn't seem to dry out at all in my pens (I've tried it in 3); it's well-lubricated and flows very nicely onto the page; and it's not prone to feather, bleed or spread. Highly recommend this for anyone who wants a permanent / *almost* completely colourfast blue ink. Without further ado, here's a photograph my ink review sheet: Here are two close-ups of the water test grid, both during the test... and after One last picture - here's a close-up of the cotton tip colour swatch:

De Atramentis Dokument Tinte Blau / Document Ink Blue Dear FPN friends, This time an ink review of a very special ink. De Atramentis Document Blue. This ink is mentioned for doctors, lawyers etc. and for all who need a permanent ink for official Documents To be qualified as a document ink the ink has to meet certain standards. The standard in Europe is ISO 12757-2. This means that the ink has to be lightfast and may not be influenced by any outer influences. To show you the resilience of the inks I have poured several aggressive Fluids over it and… Nothing happened. It is like if the ink was carved in stone…. Amazing… It is not only bulletproof but also bombproof … I believe the ink even survives a nuclear accident or bomb attack (sorry for not testing that ) The ink is extremely lightfast. This is tested and certified with the Woll-Skala, wool scale in English. This may sound peculiar, but isn’t that strange on second glance. In history quite often the same pigments used for Dyeing wool where used for inks as well. The Woll-Skala reaches from 1 not lightfast over 5 extremely lightfast to 8 extreme lightfast. The ink “of course” is WS 8. There are other resilient inks like inks based on iron gall or soot. The problem is that iron gall inks are very aggressive to both paper and nib. (the paper of old Dutch documents from the golden age are often eaten away partially by the ink) Both iron gall and soot inks may also clog the feed of your fountain pen. The De Atramentis inks are, as far as I understand, made with nano-particles. According to the noble Fountain Pen King Sire Richard of Binderheart. Nano-particle inks can be safely used in Fountain pens. I always have one Fountain Pen filled with the ink for work and flush it once every 2 months… No problem at all Down here are the technical specs (as suggested by Ann Finley 2007) points 1-5 1 = Bad : 5= Excellent Fountain Pens: Sheaffer Targa F, “online Best Writer 0,8 Italic, Lamy Joy 1,5 Itaic Paper: Leonardo Ringbuch,average quality school note book made in Austria Drying time: Quicker than a camel’s bottom during a desert stroll points 5 Flow: like a Hippie on LSD points: 5 Wetness: very wet still drying fast points 5 Lubrication: very smooth points: 5 Bleeding: medium on average quality paper with ‘normal’ nib points: 3 Shading: almost none points: 1 Waterproof: what do you think points 5000000 Package: bottles only Points: 3 Availabilty: EU Excellent points: 5 USA/ASIA ??? Quality: Handmade everlasting points 5 A very good dark blue ink, it is a bit too dark for my taste. Funnily the dark blue obiously even darker but I find the colour nicer. Shading is absent. Verdict: a very nice bombproof ink for all official purposes. Next time; De Atramentis dark blue. I will ask Dr Jansen for some technical specs and ask him why the ink probably survives all mankind… Have fun

And now for something completely different - De Atramentis Document ink Cartridges De Atramentis Document ink Black De Atramentis Document Ink in…. Cartridges Well I guess like most Fountain Pen fans I love bottled ink. Bottled inks are available in a vast array of colours As an extra bonus the bottle is a private joy for the Fountain Pen writer and is a beautiful reminiscence to the golden age of Fountain Pen writing. And maybe not un important the price per ml. is usually lower But what if you own a smaller Fountain Pen like these down here https://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/webstore/main/fountain-pens-c-1.html I own 2 Kaweco Sport Fountain Pens. Nice and small so that they will easily fit in your pants pockets. The down side is that they are to small to for normal converters. In that case an ink cartridge brings a lot of ease and it is as practical as a small fountain pen can be. And... It keeps your fingers clean, or at least mine since I am quite a clumsy idiot 😉 De Atramentis Document Ink Black The ink is smooth writing wet yet fast drying ink De Atramentis was one of the first ink manufactures to bring out a Non-IG permanent ink on the market. I have more than once tested the permanency of those inks. My most recent review was the one down here De Atramentis Document Inks Revisited - The 2018 Collection https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/341246-de-atramentis-document-inks-revisited-the-2018-collection/ One Colour…. To start with? As far as I know, De Atramentis is doing a Henry Ford with it’s ink cartridges "Available ink any colour as long is it black." But just as Henry Ford later delivered more colours, I believe that Dr J will do so too. Not only Dr J already produces more than 250 inks, he is always keen on satisfying this clients wishes. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/322431-de-atramentis-comparison-of-all-standard-inks/ Making a black ink that is truly black is quite a difficult thing to make if the ink should not only be truly black but als be perfectly safe for Fountain Pens at the same time. Judging from my (non scientific) comparison up here. The De Atramentis Document Ink seem to be the blackest ink shortly followed by the De Atra Black and that other sensational black: Sailor Jentle Black btw. The De Atramentis Night Black seems to have a dark green hue down here are some of the technical specs (as suggested by Ann Finley 2007) (not copied in but for this ink) points 1-5 1 = 5= Fountain Pens: , Kaweco Calligrapy Classic Sport BB nib and 1,5 Italic nib Paper: Vleveka Classic Line Paper and ordinary copying paper Drying time Very fast less than 3 seconds points 5 Flow: very smooth points: 5 Lubrication: wet points: 5 Feathering : little points 4 Bleeding: nada points 5 Shading: very good points 4 Waterproof: Bomb Proof points 4 Package: Simple but elegant points 4 What Colour would you like in a Cartridge As mentioned before Dr J. produces over 250 inks. When he started producing Document ink he only started with Blue, Dark Blue and Black. Today, also inspired by the requests of some artists, he has extended the range quite impressively... This down here is the 2018 range It might be a nice Idea to mention the colours you would like to see in a cartridge, in your response to this topic. Although the packaging cost of cartridges are, relatively, more expensive per ml, it might inspire Dr J to produce the colours most mentioned, in cartridges For YOUR inspiration click the link down here to see the comparison of all standard inks, or be inspired by the document ink comparison above https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/322431-de-atramentis-comparison-of-all-standard-inks/ Availability Currently, as far as I know, these Cartridges are only available on the De Atramentis Webstore https://www.de-atramentis.com/Patronen/ But the fine stationery suppliers down here not only carry a lot of De Atramentis inks in there assortment… They also will go (almost) all the way to satisfy their customer… You might want to inform there La Couronne Du Comte I guess Dennis and Rik would even travel to the moon to get it for you (just pay them a million or 2 ) Well it is safe to say that they do almost everything to satisfy their customers… http://www.lacouronneducomte Bankers have Rothshield Ink lovers have the Goulet Pen Company. Rachel and Brian carry the almost* largest assortment of ink on earth an it's near surroundings http://www.gouletpens.com (*almost Dear Amberlea Davis carries the largest assortment in the universe but is not a seller Larry Post of Australia is a Great Supplier of Stationary and Artist Equipments. They carry a lot of De Atramentis Inks http://www.larrypost.com.au/ The same applies to Singapore based Arters of the utterly friendly Yitpeng and WeetekOng http://arters.com.sg Conclusion Although not being a great fan of cartridges and black inks, I must say that these Document black ink might be quite useful. First of all I do have some smaller Fountain pens and these cartridges, literally, fit in quite well. Cartridges are made for ease of use and that combined with a fast drying permanent ink is a good offer in my opinion…. Especially if this tempts Biro-Bast..ds to use the Noble Fountain Pen 😉

One thing I noticed having used a wide variety of inks is that the Peacock, DUX, and Hero inks can be very inexpensive but quite usable. Buying them in China, I was paying $1.50 to $2.00 USD per bottle. Shopping for fountain pen ink in China the color choices I saw were limited to black, blue, blue-black, and red. I've never seen green, purple, or pink other colors on sale there that wouldn't be usable for school and business purposes. The Chinese inks I've used tend to be dry-writing and permanent. What struck me about that was that when I purchased a bottle of made in the USA permanent Noodler's blue/black ink in New York City a few year's ago the price was $12.00 for a 1 oz bottle - permanent ink in other brands were priced higher. When I purchased a 50 ml (1.7 oz) bottle of Chinese brand DUX blue/black permanent ink, the cost was only $1.78. That was in China but one can purchase Chinese inks on Ebay for about $4.25 USD. That's still only about one third the cost of other permanent inks. Should members have the opportunity to visit China, you may want to bring back a supply of fountain pen ink. Pen ink is much more widely available there than in the USA. Also, take a chance on a bottle of Hero ink on Ebay. You may be pleasantly surprised by the quality.

Hello! I'm not sure this is the right place to ask this. If it's not, I apologise. I'm very new to FPN. Still figuring things out I suppose! Anyways, I want to get myself a Pilot CH91 or 92 for my birthday this month. I'm not actually looking to buy a 74, but I thought I'd put it in the title as well since it's a more popular pen than the 91 and 92, and it uses the same nib section. Like the title says: I'm looking for a permanent ink that flows well in any of the aforementioned pens. I currently don't have any inks that are even remotely waterproof (mostly Waterman and Pelikan 4001s). I'd like to have some permanent inks for daily carry. I'm currently looking at buying Noodler's Black, KWZ Iron Gall Mandarin and KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise. I'll probably put the Iron Galls in my Parker 45 mostly, and the Noodler's was the permanent ink I was thinking I'd get for the 92. However, I've heard people have had some flow issues with this ink. If anyone has tried the KWZ IGs in their Pilots, I'd also be interested in knowing your experiences. I'll definitely get a bottle of Pilot Blue Black as well, but it's not really permanent. Do you have any suggestions for a permanent ink that will flow well in a Pilot 74/91/92? Preferably a blue black or a black. Also, do you have any experience with KWZ IG and Noodler's Black in a Pilot? Would you say they are a good match? I'd be so grateful if you guys can help me find the right ink. I have no experience with either Pilot pens or permanent inks, and as you know there are so many inks to choose from. I just have no idea what to pick! Initially I just wanted to go with Noodler's, because it's both permanent and I think a wet ink, which I thought would go well with the drier Pilot. Thanks

Hi everyone, so I've read a bunch and researched and have narrowed things down but I'm still having difficulty so I'm hoping for some help. I've narrowed it down to (I think) Sailor Sei Boku, and Noodlers 54th Mass., Bad Blue Heron, Bad Belted Kingfisher. I've a few questions I can't seem to resolve after checking out as much as I can find about these inks. I'm looking for a waterproof, archival ink that is a blue black colour. These all seem to fit the bill, but there seems to be some differences of opinion and differences in test results on the waterproofness of the Noodlers Inks. It seems to be based on the cellulose content of the paper from what I can tell? Is there a way to figure out the cellulose content of a paper before buying it ? I've looked a bit online for the papers I have but haven't been able to figure it out (Strathmore 300 series Bristol ) Canson Sketch (the popular one on amazon - side note - decent paper for fountain pens in my opinion). I have some Tomoe River paper ordered about a month ago -should be here soon. So thoughts on: 1. The colour - I can't seem to find colour samples of them in the same photo - to eliminate different camera settings/ white balances etc.. I have Platinum Pigment Blue and love the colour when it's wet and dark, but not as much the more watery looking finished product. It's ok though but don't love it. I have a Diamine 1864 blue black that looks awesome but it's not waterproof obviously. How do the colours compare to each other? I keep reading different things. Are they sufficiently different to warrant owning all of them ? If you could only have one blue black permanent, waterproof ink which one would it be ? The Noodlers seem to get complaints about feathering more than the Sailor. True ? Also, the Noodlers seem to be different colours bottle to bottle from what I'v read. I don't love that idea. Any other thoughts or opinions on this would be great. Leaning Sei Boku - Thanks.

Lovely Liquids De Atramentis Dokumenttine Dark Blue /DA Document ink Dark Blue Dear FPN friends, Here is another review of a De Atramentis Document Ink. The Document Inks are available in the following colours. · Blue · Dark Blue · Black · Magenta · Turquoise · Green is being developed now. This time it is the De Atramentis Dark Blue, which is a Blue Black ink. I have already reviewed the Blue document ink the link can be found here. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/263866-de-atramentis-document-ink/ The De Atramentis Document Dark Blue has a lovely dark blue greyish colour. It isan excellent writer which dries quicker than a camels bottom during a dessert stroll. It is a Permanent Ink and ultra-proof against Bomb Raids. Because I am a lazy (bleep) I copied some of the text from my previous review DA Document ink Blue down here in blue italic This ink is mentioned for doctors, lawyers etc. and for all who need a permanent ink for official Documents To be qualified as a document ink the ink has to meet certain standards. The standard in Europe is ISO 12757-2. This means that the ink has to be lightfast and may not be influenced by any outer influences. To show you the resilience of the inks I have poured several aggressive Fluids over it and… Nothing happened. It is like if the ink was carved in stone…. Amazing… It is not only bulletproof but also bombproof … I believe the ink even survives a nuclear accident or bomb attack (sorry for not testing that ) The ink is extremely lightfast. This is tested and certified with the Woll-Skala, wool scale in English. This may sound peculiar, but isn’t that strange on second glance. In history quite often the same pigments used for Dyeing wool where used for inks as well. The Woll-Skala reaches from 1 not lightfast over 5 extremely lightfast to 8 extreme lightfast. The ink “of course” is WS 8. There are other resilient inks like inks based on iron gall or soot. The problem is that iron gall inks are very aggressive to both paper and nib. (the paper of old Dutch documents from the golden age are often eaten away partially by the ink) Both iron gall and soot inks may also clog the feed of your fountain pen. The De Atramentis inks are, as far as I understand, made with nano-particles. According to the noble Fountain Pen King Sire Richard of Binderheart. Nano-particle inks can be safely used in Fountain pens. I always have one Fountain Pen filled with the ink for work and flush it once every 2 months… No problem at all There are a few differences in the testing method though. I have also attacked the written text with other inks, the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green and purple. Well you guessed it nothing happened. I also used a drop of another whisky. First of all not to shock MIGO 984 as Talisker is her favourite malt whisky. Second but equally important is that I used Connamara Irish Malt whisky to please GMAX who is from beautiful Eire (Ireland) Conclusion: it can handle Connemara Whisky as good as I do (probably better) Down here are some of the technical specs (as suggested by Ann Finley 2007) (not copied in but for this ink) points 1-5 1 = 5= Fountain Pens: Online best writer 0.8 italic nib: Lamy Joy 1,5 Italic Paper: Leonardo Ringbuch,average quality school note book made in Austria Drying time: Ultrafast points 5 Flow: Like a dam break points: 5 Lubrication: smooth in both pens points: 5 Bleeding: stronger in broader nibs points: 3 Feathering: none points 5 Shading: none points: 0 Waterproof: no need to mention here points:5 Package: Only in bottles,Wide opening for easy filling up points: 3-4 (bottle is quite nice but the not very special, although the label is beautiful) Availabilty: In Europe Good, D-A webshop www.tinten-online.de, Amazon, La Couronne Du Comte (NL), USA Amazon, DA Webshop www.de-atramentis.com maybe Brian Goulet www.gouletpens.com points: EU 4 USA??? Quality: Hand Made in Germany points: 5 Down here are the technical specs (taken from the German website) dokumenten-Tinte DUNKELBLAU. Sie ist für alle Füllfederhalter geeignet. (suitable for all FP’s) Technische Daten der Tinte: - Lichtechtheit: 8 (Light fastness) - ph-Wert: 7,5 (PH value) - Oberflächenspannung: 60 mN/m (surface tension) - Viskosität: 1,2 mPas (viscosity) - Feuchtigkeitsbeständigkeit: ja/yes (moist-/waterproof) - Temperaturbeständigkeit: ja/yes (heat proof) - Farbe: Dunkelblau (Colour Dark Blue) - Inhalt: 35 ml (bottle contents) - Die Dokumententinte entspricht der ISO 127757-2. (complies with ISO-12757-2 document standard) Caution this is a Permanent ink. Do regularly clean your Fountain Pen. I have written an article on Permanent ink in Fountain Pens down here is the link https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/266035-on-permanent-ink-permanency-and-safety/ . Please take notice and you will have years of fun from both your Fountain Pens and your inks Cleaning is easy though. Down her ist he converter I used in this review. I only flushed it with a minimum of water 2 or 3 times (filled it up and emptied it) Well that’s easy isn’t it? The “First“ Issue. In 2007 he was the first to bring a Fountain Pen save Document ink, based on nano technology, on the market Dr Janssen is a talented and very friendly Ink enthusiast. He did not only did intensive research on Ink history and ancient ink recipes. He also does a lot of research before bringing an De Atramentis ink to the market with the ISO 12757-2 standard. In 2007 he was the first to bring a Fountain Pen save Document ink on the market. It used nano technology were the pigments are grinded in microscopic little particles. That’s what I guess, a gret Cook does not give away his recipes why should Dr Jansen do so . Montblanc had a permanent ink on the market those days which was made with Iron Gall as far as I know. Iron Gall is the Mass Murderer of Fountain Pens. Please read the article on permanent inks. As with any product of excellence competition is keen on copying or bringing there own version. I.e. Apple vs Samsung. I do not want to suggest anything here explicitly. But De Atramentis brought their nano technology ink to the market in 2007. Montblanc also from Germany did it in 2010. I guess it takes less effort if an example is there .. Don’t get me wrong here I don’t like ink bashing at all. Montblanc is a nice company which makes excellent Fountain pens. The text above is how I see it. But you are free to make your own opinion of course. Well and I must say that the bottles for their permanent inks are of sheer beauty. But personally I prefer originals… Back to the De Atramentis inks. I already mentioned it writes superbly. It is definitely permanent. There is a disadvantage to normal inks though. The bleed through gets quite strong, when you use broader nibs on thin paper. This is not a failure but it is meant to do so. The ink has to drench the paper I order to prevent forgery. This way the texts cannot be manipulated without leaving traces. There is a simple way to counter this. Use heavier paper >= 100 grams. On thinner paper use a fine nib and the bleed through is minimized and very acceptable. In the review of DA Document Blue severeal question raised about the availability in the USA. One member thought that some of the contents are forbidden in the USA.Another member could not find them in the USA and was worried about the shipping coasts from Europe. Two questions two answer. The ink contents are not forbidden in the USA. Dr Jansen exported a lot of Document inks to the USA. Dr Jansen also told me that Goulet is a very nice client of his. He suggested to give Goulet notice so that they can order them for you along with their other DA orders. This way you save on shipping I love this ink for several reasons as I do love the other DA document inks. It is safe for fountain pens it performs very well. It dries extremely fast… Hint.... left hand writers. One disadvantage: It does’nt shade. But I love the colour Hope you enjoyed the review and that it was usuable for you.If you have any questions or remarks please post I will test the DA Document inks Magenta and Turqouise inks soon. I can’t wait for the green version. But I will review that as soon as it is on the market. Kindest Regards Peter Vlutters dokumenten-Tinte DUNKELBLAU. Sie ist für alle Füllfederhalter geeignet. (suitable for all FP’s) Technische Daten der Tinte: - Lichtechtheit: 8 (Light fastness) - ph-Wert: 7,5 (PH value) - Oberflächenspannung: 60 mN/m (surface tension) - Viskosität: 1,2 mPas (viscosity) - Feuchtigkeitsbeständigkeit: ja/yes (moist-/waterproof) - Temperaturbeständigkeit: ja/yes (heat proof) - Farbe: Dunkelblau (Colour Dark Blue) - Inhalt: 35 ml (bottle contents) - Die Dokumententinte entspricht der ISO 127757-2. (complies with ISO-12757-2 document standard)

Subject: Results of Waterproof Test with 8 permanent inks This is the second submission in a series documenting the use of permanent inks with my fountain pen collection. In the first submission I indicated that pictures of a recently conducted waterproof test would be submitted. Please see files attached to this submission. The first image is a before and the second an after test. The images document how well the 8 inks I will be reviewing did, when submerged in cold tap water for 45 minutes. The inks tested were: - deAtramentis Document Ink Blue - deAtramentis Document Ink Black - Montblanc Permanent Black Ink - Montblanc Permanent Blue Ink - Montblanc Permanent Grey Ink - Platinum Carbon Black Ink - Diamine Registrars Ink - Private Reserve Invincible Black Ink Waterproof Test Conclusion: 7 of the 8 inks remained virtually unchanged. The only exception was the Montblanc Permanent Black - some ink washed away but the text remained perfectly legible. The paper used was white Cranes Crest 100% Cotton. The inks that I was most impressed with were the deAtramentis (both Blue and Black) and the Private Reserve Invincible Black. More about this in later submissions.

Hi everyone: I've just registered into this forum as I have a doubt about iron-gall inks: I currently own a waterman carène, which is the best pen I have and has a great sentimental value, as it was given to me as a special gift. I'm trying to find a permanent ink for taking some notes i'd like to review on the future, and, from what I've read, iron-gall inks are permanent ones. I like the R&K Salix one, as I've seen it on this website reviews along with other inks. My doubt is: will my carène be harmed, or corroded if I end up using this ink? It has some kind of a gold cover on the nib, hence my doubt. And, a second one, but closely related question: Should I get a different pen for iron-gall inks? A TWSBI, for instance? Thanks for your advice

Members: I have followed the Fountain Pen Network for years but have never posted till now. I thought it might be of interest to relay the experiences I have had over the last 2 years trying to control my obsession with "permanent ink". This will take more than one post but I will begin by providing a background to my ink usage. I started collecting permanent ink at the end of 2014 and since then have extensively tested the following brands: Mont Blanc Permanent Blue, Black and Grey, Platinum Carbon Ink, Private Reserve Invincible Black, Diamine Registrar's Ink and deAtamentis Document Ink Blue and Black. The pens that have been used with all of these inks include the following: Mont Blanc (Diplomat, Traveller), Pelikan (M800, M805 demos, M1000 and M1005 demos), Lamy (Studio, steel nibs, Scala)., Dunhill, St. Dupont, Pilot and Rotring Art Pens. With the exception of the Rotring and steel nibbed Lamys, all the pens tested had gold nibs and piston refill mechanisms. The paper used was restricted to 100% or 25% cotton content. Why use cheap paper with expensive pens and inks is my philosophy. Brand names used with the ink included the following: Crane's Crest, Crane's Thesis Paper, Southworth Business, Neehah Old Council Tree Bond and Strathmore Pure Cotton. I know at least one of these brands have been discontinued but I have a jealously guarded supply which I reserve strictly for fountain pen use! It is my plan to review one or two inks per post with my impressions of each. However, may I begin by providing an overall conclusion. There is a lot of choice available out there and some brands of permanent ink are amazing to write with. Yes, I do have my favourite which I will reveal in good time. However, there is a VERY dark side to the force. Permanent ink, as many detractors have noted on this site, can utterly destroy any fountain pen if care is not taken. These products are NOT for the occasional user but rather for the enthusiastic hobbyist (like me) or the working professional who still has the great privilege of using their pen frequently during the work week. However, during the course of two years (and some very hard knocks) I have developed a strategy which will allow safe use of these products on a routine basis. This routine (and the products that go with it) will be described in later posts. The next post will have a picture of all the above named inks after they have been submerged in tap water for 45 minutes. I have done this on numerous occasions but it never ceases to amaze me at how untouched they all look when the paper has dried. Till the next post .......

I've seen inks listed as permanent, bulletproof, registrar's, and so on, but am unsure what exactly occurs over time with inks that are not so labelled. Do they just fade away? Do they eat at the pages if a lower pH? Over what time period should I expect such deterioration? I am handwriting notes for a research degree involving a large project, and just wondering if I should make special effort to ensure I do so using a 'permanent' ink? I currently use Lamy and Kaweco inks, but have three beautiful bottles of Iroshizuku on the way that I intend to use for this purpose. I am writing in a Leuchtturm1917 notebook. Given the context of my use, is this something I should realistically be worried about? I'd like my notes to remain usable for a couple decades or so I suppose, but whilst of course I don't want my notes to fade away it does seem overkill to purposefully seek an ink that guarantees a century of permanence! Whilst you are here and thinking about the topic, do you have any recommendations for inks in blue-black, dark teal, dark green, and generally stormy colours? Thank you!

Dear FPN friends. As some of you might have seen I published an announcement of 6 colours of De Atramentis Document inks. The latest news is it will be 7! Already available: Blue Dark Blue (Blue Black) Black Magenta Turqouise The new colour wil be Green and Reda... I guess these colours are very ueful for professional purposes. I have already tested the Blue and the Dark Blue... I will receive the other colours in the coming weeks. Of course I will review them in my usual extensive way. At the end of the series I will publish a comparison in the Ink Comparison forum.. All inks are ISO 12757-2 Stadard .... Suitable for Registars, lawyers etc... and sfe for use in Fountain Pens.... Bombproof and Beautiful See you soon, Peter

Dear FPN Friends, Good news for all of you who are looking for a bulletproof document ink. I already did a very popular (HOT) review on De Atramentis document ink Blue. Down here is the Link to the review https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/263866-de-atramentis-document-ink/ I can now tell you that the following colours will be available (again) soon De Atramentis Document ink Blue Dark Blue (Blue Black) Black Turquoise Magenta All the inks comply with to the ISO 12757-2 standard which makes the ink suitable for official purposes (Doctors, Lawyers, the notary etc.) The best news is…. A GREEN document ink is in development!!! These inks will be available on the German and English De Atramentis website soon. Of Course I will do a review of all the Inks separately. And I will do a handwritten comparison of the 5 document inks as soon as possible. See you soon Peter

I have noticed that pretty much all the montblanc instructions recommend special care for the permanent ink but it refers to a previous version/formula. Can you please explain if the new permanent ink from montblanc requires a similar maintenance e.g. daily use of the fountain pen ? Is the new permanent ink also pigment based ? I am using the permanent black in my MB heritage 1912. Thanks for your help. Christian

I couldn’t see this one on the list, but looking again I found Bill’s review at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=80596 so apologies for the duplicate. This is an archival (“document”) ink to ISO 12757-2 standards. It is resistant to water and should have good light resistance. I did not expect to like this ink, but I find myself warming to it. Noodler’s ink is almost impossible to get here in the UK and casual import can easily double the price when getting reasonable quantities, so this is a nice alternative. Hope this is useful to someone.