Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registrars Ink

[Sandy1]

Having not used BSB, I've never thought of any ink that needs to be cleaned out of a pen daily, nor weekly.

 

I normally have ESSR in one of my pens, right now a Pelikan 120 gold plated F.

 

I did a 46 paper survey with some 17 nibs of this and that width and flex, Nail, regular, springy, semi-flex, maxi-semi-flex/flexi and easy full flexible nibs.

 

Some papers turned quickly, others slower. Some went gray on this or that paper; depending on the nib.

 

A number had a blue tinge, that stayed for a week. Many turned darker than I then wanted.

 

That is still a blue-black, if one looks hard enough at it. Some are gray...still.

 

My 35 year old Eaton Corrasable 16 pound typewriter is the only one that went on blue and stayed blue. Though after some 2 or 3 months it appears to me, the blue there too has darkened.It is still more towards the blue side.

 

What surprised me; is some of the curing to 'black' cured back to a blue-black.???? Could be Lapis was right, and it was bluer than I then wished, but 'could not see'.

Now I am much happier with the ink, than before in I wanted a Blue-Black, not a Black-Blue, or a Black which many seem to want.

 

Many people seem to have different results. The nib, width and flex, and if it's Wet or Dry makes a difference, on many papers. It is a paper driven ink.

 

I'd complained about it being too black, now I see more blue, on more papers.

Then again, I'd only checked the papers after two weeks, where some got darker than I then wanted.

 

Could be I was mistaken to how dark it changed, in I liked the bluer tinge of it in the beginning.

I like the tone I got with many of the nibs more now than I did after the original two week curing.

 

Another fella Lapis wanted it to turn black and it was too blue for him, and I wanted some Blue to my blue-black.

 

We exchanged ink bottles, and both of us got what we gave away.

 

I have two maxi-semi-flex/'flexi' nibs in Fine that I used. One turned up rather gray on most papers (Osmia 883 F, the other much more blue-black; a Rupp F nib in a German piston 'Clipper'. The gray has much to do if the nib is dry or wet as far as I can see, now that I took a look at all 46 pages. And am looking for the gray, that I don't think I looked at much when I did the survey.

My Cross Townsend nail M was gray on most papers, could be that is a dry nib.

 

 

Hi,

 

Many thanks for your continued contributions to this thread.

 

I tend to agree that ". . . I've never thought of any ink that needs to be cleaned out of a pen daily, nor weekly." However, I've not used an FP ink such as ESSRI before!

 

As my personal practice does not encompass leaving ink in a pen for extended periods, I can only suggest how I would go about doing so with ESSRI. Post № 35 Clearly, that is not necessary for all ink+pen combos, but as I change my personal use pen+ink combos on a document-by-document basis, I generally clean my pens after each document. Quite possibly I erred on the side of caution when making my choices regarding handling of ESSRI - rather that than read of it being held accountable for the disappearance of someone's Volvo.

 

Of course each person can and should make their own choices; and I for one would be more than glad to read that any number of perceived/possible risks are shown to be unfounded, and practices can be streamlined. Yet we have the suggestion from Member pharmacist that the clean-up regimen be expanded to include the use of diluted vinegar. I think that is a huge benefit of FPN: freely sharing our thoughts, knowledge and experiences, so adding to the enjoyment of FP use.

 

Ah, the 'Blue-Black Black-Blue Blue-Grey Gray-Blue' conundrum. I think you were spot on in describing ESSRI as 'sneaky'. Though these days I fondly consider it to be 'mischievous'. To better show the subtle colour/s and tonal range of the ink, a true Black was included in the Review samples, (wee dots of Black sumi-e ink, close by the dimension reference at the bottom of some pages, and the T in the Swabs.)

 

Quite frankly I am rather surprised that more than a few people use ESSRI on a routine basis - not as an ink-fuelled mystery tour.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited May 7, 2012 by Sandy1

[Axial]

 

This ink has been a real adventure. You never really know what to expect when you put pen to paper. Sometimes it oxidizes and darkens fairly quickly. At other times it remains blue; and at still other times it remains "bluish." This may not be my favorite or even everyday ink, but it is certainly the most fun! More fun than one should really have in church!

 

 

I haven't tried this ink, but my experience with Diamine Registrar's ink is very similar. From what I can see, the cheaper/more absorbant the paper is, the slower the colour change. I guess the ink turns black fastest on the paper on which it dries most slowly - the absorption into the paper somehow slows down the reaction. On the smooth, shiny Optik paper (Oxford notebook) it turns black within a few seconds, on Moleskine within several minutes, but on the cheapest, most awful "A4 refill pad" from Poundland, while it does not feather or bleed through (which is remarkable in itself - e.g. standard Diamine inks behave like watercolours on that thing), it remains blue for many days. Other kinds of paper fall between the two extremes.

Edited May 20, 2012 by Axial

[DanielCoffey]

You will find the presence of Optical Brighteners and bleaches in the paper is mainly what triggers fast oxidation in iron galls.

[Axial]

You will find the presence of Optical Brighteners and bleaches in the paper is mainly what triggers fast oxidation in iron galls.

This makes sense. With the exception of Moleskine (bleached and dyed?), the whiter the paper is the faster the ink seems to turn black. Other than the rock-bottom cheapest Poundland pad (which looks recycled gray), another kind of paper on which the blue lasts long is that from a Japanese notebook (Kokuyo Campus), also not too white. Good to know.

[Chiro75]

OK, well, after MONTHS of using nothing but ESSRI my bottle is down to about 3/4" below the elbow. LOL I guess I don't do a WHOLE lot of writing, and this ink is so dry, anyway, that coupled with a fine nib on my Esterbrook I just might have a truly lifetime supply with my two bottles.

 

Cool ink, behaves well on everything. Keeps you guessing what color it will turn. Looks quite beautiful with age on decent quality paper (even most pages of Moleskine I've written on, although this ink truly reveals how inconsistent that paper is, even in the same notebook). I think it looks mostly like a washed out black and sort of dry and ugly on the cheapest copy paper we use at work. That said, patient files are not supposed to be works of art.

 

I do, however, really miss my other colors. I even saw an old signature I made in Noodler's Black the other day and it made me sigh longingly. LOL

 

I think this week will be my last week EXCLUSIVELY using ESSRI. I'm going to put it aside for a while, give the Estie a great flush, and use some other colors for a while.

[drgoretex]

 

Quite frankly I am rather surprised that more than a few people use ESSRI on a routine basis - not as an ink-fuelled mystery tour.

 

Bye,

S1

 

I'm not at all surprised. For many of those who use their beloved FPs primarily in the workplace, permancy and archival...ness (Hmmm...an english major I'm not) are very important. There are so many lovely inks out there that just wash away with the slightest drop of coffee or condensation from a water bottle, rendering records useless. These Iron Gall inks, with their sober colours and permanency just fit the bill beautifully for me.

 

I took myself off ESSRI a few weeks ago to work with Lamy BB and R&K Salix for a while. But, I just keep coming back to the ESSRI. In fact, I just ordered two more bottles

 

Ken

[Sandy1]

OK, well, after MONTHS of using nothing but ESSRI my bottle is down to about 3/4" below the elbow. LOL I guess I don't do a WHOLE lot of writing, and this ink is so dry, anyway, that coupled with a fine nib on my Esterbrook I just might have a truly lifetime supply with my two bottles.

 

Cool ink, behaves well on everything. Keeps you guessing what color it will turn. Looks quite beautiful with age on decent quality paper (even most pages of Moleskine I've written on, although this ink truly reveals how inconsistent that paper is, even in the same notebook). I think it looks mostly like a washed out black and sort of dry and ugly on the cheapest copy paper we use at work. That said, patient files are not supposed to be works of art.

 

I do, however, really miss my other colors. I even saw an old signature I made in Noodler's Black the other day and it made me sigh longingly. LOL

 

I think this week will be my last week EXCLUSIVELY using ESSRI. I'm going to put it aside for a while, give the Estie a great flush, and use some other colors for a while.

 

Hi,

 

Many thanks for sharing your extensive & extended experience with ESSRI.

 

I definitely agree with the influence of paper. When using workplace paper, I would put performance ahead of appearance, but 'dry and ugly' is not so good - a definite lack of charisma. Is the Blue component lost?

 

I certainly agree with you about desire for other ink colours. I've used the same ink in my daily writer for years, so I don't even 'see' it when I look at my stuff. But outside the workplace, its definitely time for something different - perhaps an adventure with some ESSRI.

 

After setting aside ESSRI, what was the first ink that you used? yu-yaki?

 

I've been using ESSRI in a dedicated Plumix for intermittent jotting - mostly to explore the practice of keeping it in a [simple] pen for an extended period without any maintenance. So far so good . . .

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Quite frankly I am rather surprised that more than a few people use ESSRI on a routine basis - not as an ink-fuelled mystery tour.

 

Bye,

S1

 

I'm not at all surprised. For many of those who use their beloved FPs primarily in the workplace, permancy and archival...ness (Hmmm...an english major I'm not) are very important. There are so many lovely inks out there that just wash away with the slightest drop of coffee or condensation from a water bottle, rendering records useless. These Iron Gall inks, with their sober colours and permanency just fit the bill beautifully for me.

 

I took myself off ESSRI a few weeks ago to work with Lamy BB and R&K Salix for a while. But, I just keep coming back to the ESSRI. In fact, I just ordered two more bottles

 

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

 

Even though my Reply was tempered with a 'wink', I did not intend to make light of those who use ESSRI for its properties of being sober and permanent.

 

I would find it distracting to have a 'work horse' ink that is unpredictable: Blue some of the time, Blue-Black or near-Black at other times. I prefer my work product to be quite uniform - from the office of Ms Bl-Bk.

 

If one is using whatever paper/s + pen/s to give an acceptably consistent result, then there is no 'mystery tour' - just smooth sailing.

 

And now two more bottles! Crikey!! Have you already finished 110ml ???

Or are you following the lead of kushbaby - stockpiling for the Zombie Apocalypse? Post № 44

 

Bye,

S1

[JimB]

I managed to finally get a vintage 1920's Waterman 52. I filled it with "Black Swan in North African Violets." The pen either skipped or dried out (the color didn't seem respectful enough, either, for such a distinguished elderly pen!). Next I tried Visconti Blue, which wrote so wet the nib wrote like a BB and never dried.

 

Solution? ESSRI. Just as it did for my Pelikan 140, ESSRI tamed the gushing, kept it from drying out, and, in short, makes for the perfect combo! Another match made in heaven, as far as I'm concerned.

 

I have to keep thanking Sandy1 for recommending this ink.

[Jimmy James]

I have been fascinated by this ink since getting Pharmacist's fancy colored iron gall inks and finally bought a bottle yesterday. I expect to have it in about 10 days based on ordering over a weekend and it coming from England. I'm excited and am sure I will eventually give it the review treatment. As usual, mine will pale as compared to Sandy's, but as she has gracefully pointed out in the past the more reviews out there the better.

[Sandy1]

I managed to finally get a vintage 1920's Waterman 52. I filled it with "Black Swan in North African Violets." The pen either skipped or dried out (the color didn't seem respectful enough, either, for such a distinguished elderly pen!). Next I tried Visconti Blue, which wrote so wet the nib wrote like a BB and never dried.

 

Solution? ESSRI. Just as it did for my Pelikan 140, ESSRI tamed the gushing, kept it from drying out, and, in short, makes for the perfect combo! Another match made in heaven, as far as I'm concerned.

 

I have to keep thanking Sandy1 for recommending this ink.

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

Thanks for keeping us informed with on-the-spot breaking news! Especially when it is good news!

 

I certainly think that ESSRI has potential for great pairing with flexi nibs - my adventure with the Waterman 52 1/2 V showed no problems that weren't attributable to my inept handling of that pen; nor do I recall Bo Bo mentioning a fundamental incompatibility of ESSRI with flexi nibs when he ran that vast set of samples.

 

I have little experience with matching inks to flexi nibs, so am reluctant to speculate about common property/s that ESSRI and flexi-compatible dye-based inks share. (?)

 

Also, as the ink flow from a flexi nib is highly variable, I do not know how critical the nib+feed set-up needs to be. Indeed, it may not be solely about ink+pen pairing, but also how the pen is set-up. And of course, manner of handling.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited June 10, 2012 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

I have been fascinated by this ink since getting Pharmacist's fancy colored iron gall inks and finally bought a bottle yesterday. I expect to have it in about 10 days based on ordering over a weekend and it coming from England. I'm excited and am sure I will eventually give it the review treatment. As usual, mine will pale as compared to Sandy's, but as she has gracefully pointed out in the past the more reviews out there the better.

Hi,

 

As ever, I am interested to see more reviews.

 

More ink + more pens + more paper + more ideas = or or . . .

 

Bye,

S1

Edited June 10, 2012 by Sandy1

[JimB]

Big trouble in River City Folks. It starts with "I" and that rhymes with "WHY??!!" and that stands for Iron. Iron gall. - I think that ditty, or something like it was from The Music Man, IIRC.

 

Sure we've been warned not to mix with dye based inks. Even I did some warning about that sloppiness. But I thought I'd be fine just washing ESSRI out of my Waterman 52 out with water and then re-inking with a non-IG ink.

 

No. I was not fine. I was stupid. So after re-inking with Noodler's Benevolent Badger Blue, it started skipping. Then flow stopped. I primed it a few times before despairing and decided to clean it out again.

 

Well, turns out it flocculated something awful. Lots and lots of bits of blackish particles emptied out of my pen with my just flushing the pen out, again with water. Even more dislodged when I added soap to the water. I let the pen soak in soapy water and it is still bleeding color and particulate matter.

 

When I get a chance, I'll use a pen flush and then some more soapy water, and hope for the best. Just wanted to warn anyone thinking of using a short cut in swapping ink. It was like a bad blood transfusion, mixing types A and B. I hope my patient doesn't die...

Edited June 21, 2012 by januaryman

[DanielCoffey]

Remember you can use white vinegar to dissolve the iron, rinse then dilute ammonia to get the dye.

[JimB]

Remember you can use white vinegar to dissolve the iron, rinse then dilute ammonia to get the dye.

Thanks for the reminder! I'd forgotten. Vinegar, Soapy Water, then Windex. Gotcha!

[Sandy1]

Remember you can use white vinegar to dissolve the iron, rinse then dilute ammonia to get the dye.

Thanks for the reminder! I'd forgotten. Vinegar, Soapy Water, then Windex. Gotcha!

 

Hi,

 

It appears the Benevolent Badger Blue is a cellulose-reactive bulletproof ink - not a simple dye-based ink.

 

How very unfortunate that your Waterman's 52 was an inadvertent test-bed for such a mix.

 

Please let us know what steps were taken to get the 52 back in top form : additions to the 'Lessons Learned' (the hard way) file are always welcome; and likely of great value to those in a similar situation in the future.

 

Bye,

S1

 

Edit - to add: Noodler's Benevolent Badger Blue, exclusive to Badger & Blade: LINK

Edited June 21, 2012 by Sandy1

[JimB]

Live and learn. The good news is, all is well. Thanks to Daniel's reminder I did flush in vinegar. But contrarian that I am, I used my open bottle of apple cider vinegar. It worked well, getting lots of gritty bits dissolved. Then some Dawn mixed in water, plain water, Windex-clone (with ammonia) to flush and soak for over an hour. Then more Dawn-water, and finally, five plain water flushes. This is one clean pen! I dried it off and let it sit nib-down into paper toweling for another hour to wick all liquid out. Unbelievably, the liquid captured in the paper towel still had a blue tint!

 

Just refilled my pen with ESSRI and it is back to magic-writing! :clap1:

 

As an aside, if you have a really wet writer, Badger might be an amazing find for you, if you like blue-black ink. I have it in a Wearever Pennant with a medium-broad stub (grind by Tyler Dahl) and it is a match made in heaven! Benevolent Badger Blue's profits go to breast cancer research, as well. Everyone wins!

 

Just remember not to mix and match inks as I did!

[Chiro75]

Just a quick update... Have been too lazy to ink anything else, so I'm still using ESSRI exclusively, lol. Saw some files I signed a few months ago and the ink on cheap paper is just barely off-black... Tremendous color shift to black, but it takes a while. My interns can't believe my "blue" ink (which is forbidden in clinic files) turns black, eventually. lOL. The fun will end in a year when we switch to electronic health records, though

[drgoretex]

Just a quick update... Have been too lazy to ink anything else, so I'm still using ESSRI exclusively, lol. Saw some files I signed a few months ago and the ink on cheap paper is just barely off-black... Tremendous color shift to black, but it takes a while. My interns can't believe my "blue" ink (which is forbidden in clinic files) turns black, eventually. lOL. The fun will end in a year when we switch to electronic health records, though

 

Have been having fun with the same thing here - been told several times to switch from 'colour' ink to black in the medical records, and that it must be 'permanent'. Now, don't get me wrong - I have no intention of actually listening to that but having fun using the nice variety of Iron Galls (including lately, Pharmacist's Darkening Absinthe), and insisting that eventually it will be black. Or...well, blackish.

 

I cringe at the prospect of 'Electronic Medical Records', as that would render my FP obsession more or less useless. But, hopefully that's a few years away here.

 

Ken

[JimB]

Just thought I'd update my experiments -

 

The Noodler's roller ball pen I got free with my bottle of HoD is now dead in the water, as the IG ink has seized the ball and won't let got even under running warm water. My use of ESSRI in lever fillers has been not good since I like to swap inks a lot. Particle matter is flushed out every time I flush the pen. Using vinegar gets more and more and more and never seems to get every last bit out. I'm fearful of filling these with non-IG inks now, as 1) I love them, 2) they are vintage, and 3) I do not want them ruined. So I relegate ESSRI to piston fillers and CC fillers. Eyedropper pens? Gee, I really do not know! I'm still really liking this ink, but I'm a bit more careful today than I had been in the past. Thought I'd pass on my experiences and fears.