Raduga-2 Ink (Russia)

[rff000]

I'm in the Slavic languages field, so I occasionally travel to Russia. The last time I was there (2009), I had felt annoyed about the difficulty of finding red ink in the U.S., which I like to use for grading papers. Red ink was impossible to find in my town and the internet price seemed very unattractive, since you had to pay something like $8 for a small bottle, plus a few dollars for shipping. Well, in Moscow I found locally produced Raduga-2 ink for well under one dollar, in a variety of colors. I tried it and it seemed quite acceptable, so I bought several bottles. The ingredients are listed as water, dye, and glycerine. There is a date code on each plastic bottle and they tell you that it is guaranteed for two years. Maybe it's just waiting for someone to import it. If anyone wants to see a sample ad, here's one:

 

Raduga Ad

 

The price is listed as 20 rubles, which is listed as .71 today. The ad even offers to deliver it to the U.S. by DHL, but I shudder to think of how much that would cost.

 

Has anyone else heard of this? Is there any other ink out there for 71 cents a bottle??

 

Ron

[Chevalier]

I don't like the thought of putting ink without a mould inhibitor into one of my pens. Isn't that ink bleeding and feathering like hell? Red is already a pretty difficult color, because it fades quickly.

 

Dyestuffs are cheap, and so is Glycerine. I don't think an import would make sense, because a similar stuff is mixed up pretty quickly. Basic ink is cheap, it's all the research and the finetuned formulation that's so expensive (ok, a name makes it even more expensive, but that's another story).

[rff000]

As far as I can tell, the main variable is the paper, not the ink. Some paper causes lots of feathering and soaking into the paper, but other papers are smooth and just the right amount of ink is released. Since there is a two-year date on the Russian ink bottle and each item is dated, does this perhaps remove the need for a mold inhibitor? If it smells normal and gives no evidence of moldiness, isn't it still OK to use?

 

  On 6/19/2011 at 3:23 AM, Chevalier said:

I don't like the thought of putting ink without a mould inhibitor into one of my pens. Isn't that ink bleeding and feathering like hell? Red is already a pretty difficult color, because it fades quickly.

 

Dyestuffs are cheap, and so is Glycerine. I don't think an import would make sense, because a similar stuff is mixed up pretty quickly. Basic ink is cheap, it's all the research and the finetuned formulation that's so expensive (ok, a name makes it even more expensive, but that's another story).

[SamCapote]

I wonder if they have a "Commie-Pinko" color? :roflmho:

[Ink Stained Wretch]

  On 6/18/2011 at 3:53 PM, rff000 said:

There is a date code on each plastic bottle and they tell you that it is guaranteed for two years. Maybe it's just waiting for someone to import it.

Even at that price I don't think that I'd find an ink with a two year shelf life attractive .

[rff000]

After reading your replies, I went to the Russian equivalent of FPN (http://www.elitepen.ru/forum/index.php) and looked for people's opinions about Raduga-2 ink. A lot of people "improve" it on their own by adding pure alcohol and filtering it. They say they used to add glycerine, until the company started doing that on their own. Maybe they needed to add those things because the ink was getting old. Mine is still in decent condition, but I use a lot less ink now than in the pre-computer days and the Raduga ink will probably start to age in my desk drawer. Then it may be time to give it a dose of vodka!

 

  On 6/19/2011 at 9:48 AM, Ink Stained Wretch said:

  On 6/18/2011 at 3:53 PM, rff000 said:

There is a date code on each plastic bottle and they tell you that it is guaranteed for two years. Maybe it's just waiting for someone to import it.

Even at that price I don't think that I'd find an ink with a two year shelf life attractive .

Edited June 19, 2011 by rff000

[DanielCoffey]

You will probably find that after a few years the ink will be at risk of developing fungus growth (Slime In The Bottle) - just filtering it through paper and adding a dash of homebrew is not going to get rid of the fungus.

[rff000]

Yes, the Russian forum mentions slime. Well, at 71 cents a bottle, my loss will be small. I'll just make sure not to buy too much on my visit next month.

 

  On 6/19/2011 at 4:40 PM, DanielCoffey said:

You will probably find that after a few years the ink will be at risk of developing fungus growth (Slime In The Bottle) - just filtering it through paper and adding a dash of homebrew is not going to get rid of the fungus.

[art_ok]

  On 6/18/2011 at 3:53 PM, rff000 said:

Has anyone else heard of this?

 

Wow! I'm from Russia originally and therefore remember using Радуга inks quite well (it actually means "Rainbow" in Russian, BTW). Used it exclusively in school and then in Uni (probably still have bunch of old Uni notes written using this ink). Never used red though. In primary/secondary school it was mandatory to use violet/purple ink (the one on your picture). In Uni I mainly used blue and black. Never had any issues with these inks - they behaved quite well on school notebooks.

[SamCapote]

  On 6/19/2011 at 4:40 PM, DanielCoffey said:

You will probably find that after a few years the ink will be at risk of developing fungus growth (Slime In The Bottle) - just filtering it through paper and adding a dash of homebrew is not going to get rid of the fungus.

 

However, there are effective biocides that can be added to any ink to block the regrowth of fungi. I have done it (after filtering).

[ticoun]

  On 6/20/2011 at 12:27 AM, SamCapote said:

  On 6/19/2011 at 4:40 PM, DanielCoffey said:

You will probably find that after a few years the ink will be at risk of developing fungus growth (Slime In The Bottle) - just filtering it through paper and adding a dash of homebrew is not going to get rid of the fungus.

 

However, there are effective biocides that can be added to any ink to block the regrowth of fungi. I have done it (after filtering).

i was just thinking about your thread about biocides when i saw the ingredients of this ink. what are the results? is sporicidin safe for fountain pens?

[SamCapote]

My preference is the highly concentrated IPB (unobtainium) biocide, but second choice is the Natural Pigments 4% Phenol water based solution here (use about 1 part 4% phenol to 20-25 parts ink). It is what almost all ink makers used to use until ridiculous megadose rat studies raised safety questions. Chloraseptic Throat Spray still uses Phenol 1.5%

[rff000]

I just found a professional Russian review of Raduga at this address: Raduga review

 

In my quick translation:

 

First place in our country (Russia), based on popularity and accessibility, without a doubt, is held by Raduga ink, also known by the name Gamma. The plastic bottle, costing 20-30 rubles, is easiest to find in office supply stores. The price is ridiculous. The bright blue and violet colors are very decent and I like them. I use them occasionally.

 

The ink flow is average. It is usable. Recently it was discovered that the ink can influence the color of the nib surface. So, if you're not using it regularly, wash your pen and let it remain empty. This also applies to all ink and all pens.

Edited June 22, 2011 by rff000

[OPG4711]

So... how does one obtain Raduga inks in the U.S.?

[rff000]

I don't know how you can get it other than going to Russia, but I haven't researched this very much. Your post reminded me that I forgot an important piece of information when I started this thread. I located the website of the company, which has a lot of information on it, and you can choose either Russian or English, so most of the information can be read by people who do not know Russian. You choose the language by clicking the little flag in the upper right corner. The URL is: http://www.artgamma.ru/. The ink page is here: http://www.artgamma.ru/catalog.php?series=135

 

 

  On 6/22/2011 at 5:24 AM, OPG4711 said:

So... how does one obtain Raduga inks in the U.S.?

Edited June 23, 2011 by rff000

[wspace]

rff000

About Raduga-2 ink review from penmania.ru..

It's not quite true. First place in our country (Russia), based on popularity and accessibility is held by Parker Quink Blue ink. Second place - Waterman Florida Blue.

Older women are using the Raduga-2 Violet ink for hair coloring. It's no joke.

This explains the popularity and availability in the stores of Raduga-2 Violet ink.

Most owners of fountain pens do not use the Raduga-2 ink.

[Maethelwine]

Love the hair color story. And I believe it. Even if the ink isn't the best quality I'll ever use, I'd probably buy some just for the novelty. Surely some Russian eBayer can be talked into putting a few bottles up. Guarantee the shipping would be 10 to 20 times the price of the ink, though.

[wspace]

These are the usual ordinary ink.

I have a violet, red, green, blue Raduga-2 ink, available yet black.

[rff000]

Usual, except for the price. I just put some in a Parker 51 I recently acquired and it's working better than some others.

 

Самое главное преимущество чернил Радуга--низкая цена. А качество не отличается от других марок. Продают ли в других странах, кроме России? Наши чернила стоят очень дорого в США.

 

  On 6/24/2011 at 10:12 AM, wspace said:

These are the usual ordinary ink.

I have a violet, red, green, blue Raduga-2 ink, available yet black.

Edited June 24, 2011 by rff000

[wspace]

Low price does not matter because these inks are not available in other countries. Cheap ink because they are used as paint. The paint costs at least $ 5. The ink will not buy if their price is equal to the price of paint. Ink sell for as much as people are willing to pay.

Edited June 25, 2011 by wspace