Search the Community

Just look at that electric blue effect with bleach! This was a throwaway exercise that just came good. I have a feeling that the culmination of this fountain pen ink arts project may well be something along these lines - simple imagery with a harmonious combo of chromatography, serendipity and alchemy, BUT before that possible eventuality there are quite a few more chapters to be explored and documented!

Hi all, I ordered four Troublemaker inks from Shigure Inks when they got some in stock a few weeks back. I was really excited to snag a few of these inks because I'd seen reviews and found several colors I wanted to try. And they sell out FAST. Yesterday, I inked my Sailor Tequila Sunrise with Troublemaker Mango. Not long afterwards, I received an email from Shigure stating that they'd received reports of mold in the ink. They refunded everyone who purchased Mango and suggested that we discard the ink. Good job by Shigure letting us know of the problem and refunding everyone who bought the ink. At first, I thought, "Mine doesn't have mold. I didn't see any junk on the surface when I opened the bottle, and it didn't smell funky." But I asked the rep at Shigure how one could know if their ink had mold. He said to look through the bottle with a flashlight or bright light. You'd see a milky substance in the ink. Sure enough, the mold was in my ink. YUCK. So, of course I dumped the ink and cleaned out my Sailor right away. For now, I guess I'll fill my Sailor from sample vials just to make sure it doesn't infect my other ink. Here's the thing: I bought four bottles of ink. Maybe only Mango was affected, but maybe not. The problem is, the three other inks I purchased are dark, so you can't see through the bottles with a flashlight or bright sunlight. I even poured one of the inks into a glass jar to spread it out a bit, but I still couldn't see through it. I don't know if that milky mold (bleep) is in the other inks. I contacted Shigure because I do not want any of my other pens to be infected. I asked, "How can I be sure my other inks are okay?" The response was basically: give them a smell to see if they seem "off." And: stick a Q-Tip or chopstick in the ink to see if there's any resistance or if you pull out any gunk. Well . . . the inks smell like ink (so did Mango). And the Q-Tip test didn't seem to be adequate, because, again, the ink is so saturated, I'm not sure the milky stuff would be noticeable even if it's there. Does anyone know if there's a way to test ink for mold? If not, should I just dump all the ink and call it a day? This has made me leery of Troublemaker Ink, but I don't want to give up on the brand if this is just an isolated incident. BTW, I know that Private Reserve had this problem (I've read the posts about it). Any advice is appreciated. Susan

Troublemaker Inks Troublemaker Inks is a small ink manufacturer in the Philippines. Their website indicates that their inks are 100% handmade, and "offer a personal and artisanal alternative to contemporary fountain pen inks. Everything from the mixing, bottling, and packaging is done by hand." They state that their inks are "Honestly-priced - Show your support for the little guys! Our inks maintain an economic price-to-mL ratio because we don't put a premium on them. 100% of your purchase goes to the materials, transport, and directly supporting the people creating your ink." They also offer free shipping, shipping worldwide for free with no minimums. I was first introduced to Troublemaker inks by our fellow FPNer, herrjaeger, who kindly sent me a sample of Troublemaker Abalone. I fell in love with the color and wanted to try some of the other colors. I also read Nick Stewart's ink comparison (.https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/349449-painting-with-troublemaker-inks/?hl=%2Bnick+%2Bstewart). Unfortunately, Troublemaker Inks are a small operation and limited in their sales. I have tried for several months to order from them, but they were not accepting orders. Finally, I heard that Shigure Inks were selling Troublemaker Inks, but they were sold out. Then, out of the blue one day I went to Shigure's website and they had new stock. I immediately ordered a bottle of Abalone, Petrichor, Milky Ocean and Grape Vine. I have been using the inks now for a couple of weeks, in several different pens and on several different kinds of paper. My overall impression is positive. Troublemaker Petrichor in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Abalone in Leonardo Momento Zero with stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Grape Vine in Leonardo Momento Zero with Fine nib Troublemaker Petrichor in Nemosine Fission .8 stub nib Paper: Tomoe River 65 gsm Abalone, Petrichor and Milky Ocean all have a watercolor effect, with nice shading and haloing. Abalone is a medium blue with green, gray and pink undertones. Petrichor is gray with subtle shades of green and pink undertones. Milky Ocean is a light to medium blue with pink undertones. Grape Vine is a fairly saturated dark lavender with a forest green sheen to it. All of these color variations depend upon the nib and especially the paper used. Troublemaker Petrichor in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Petrichor in Nemosine Fission .6 stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in Nemosine Fission .6 stub nib Troublemaker Grape Vine in Leonardo Momento Zero with Fine nib Paper: Clairfontaine Classic Hardbound Notebook - Blank All of the inks behaved fairly well on all the papers used with minimal showthrough. Milky Ocean seems to have some bleedthrough on Clairfontaine paper, but not Tomoe River. I also used them on HP All-in-One 22 lb copy paper and was very impressed with minor feathering, bleedthrough and showthrough. I was not given a choice of "wetness" which the Troublemaker Ink website advertises. I believe that I was sent the "standard" version which is supposed to be "wet". I found all of the inks to be moderately wet with some lubrication. They behaved well, even in my Nemosine pens which seem to be fairly dry pens. Petrichor is probably the driest ink of the four and Grape Vine seems to be the wettest ink. Of the four inks, my personal favorite is Abalone. I love the color and the variations particularly with a 1.1 stub nib. Troublemaker Abalone in Pilot Metropolitan with fine nib Troublemaker Abalone in Nemosine Fission with medium nib Troublemaker Abalone in Leonardo Momento Zero with 1.1 stub Paper: Clairfontaine Classic Hardbound Notebook - Blank Overall, I really like these inks, particularly the watercolor effect of Abalone, Petrichor and Milky Ocean. While Nick Stewart thinks they are great for inks their artistic value, I am convinced that they are great inks for everyday journal writing and doodling.