Opaque White Ink?

[balson]

Does anyone make an opaque white ink for fountain pens? titanium dioxide based would be my preference but i am curious about anything out there.

 

i have tried noodlers whiteness of the whale but that was completely transparent on any paper. i tried it with mixing inks and it would look like it was tinting the colors but on paper, even colored papers it would come out the same as if i added an equal amount of water.

[corniche]

Hello Balson,

 

Sorry- it doesn't exist; the same way metallic fountain inks do not exist. All fountain inks have to be (aniline) dye based and thus, transparent. Pigments are required to form opacity and you cannot have pigments in an aqueous fountain solution because they are not miscible (they won't dissolve) and would clog the feed.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

Edited August 13, 2013 by S. P. Colfer

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I fully agree with our Sean - pigmented ink is the way to go for White.

 

This subject comes up from time to time, so you may wish to see what prior Topics had to say about alternatives. Also, some sites related to scrapbooking may have suggestions for 'archival' non-metalic White inks.

 

IIRC the last time I looked, the best option seemed to be a marker [that needed to be shaken], rather than an ink; seems the pigment was suspended in a somewhat volatile medium. Also, you may want to check if such products are child-safe.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

Google 'scrapbook white ink' -> http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/1586933/

Edited August 13, 2013 by Sandy1

[balson]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5wHVkW2Imis/UgsNBLAFvBI/AAAAAAAAAmg/Mdcka57PpKs/s1600/bullet+proof+black.jpg

 

i was at my local art store today and the owner gave me a demo of whats out there. rapidograph makes a semi opaque white ink. it looks like its a little too chunky to risk in a fountain pen. from my research gell pens were the most popular option but i dont like how they work. they are not very opaque and the ink tends to push out to either side of the line. the only one that really impressed me was by the sakura brand and it was called a glaze pen.

 

the glaze pen seems to work by some chemical reaction. the only labeling says that its not fit for cosmetic use. it initially looks like water and then over the course of a couple minutes turns a stark white. the pen gives off an eye irritating vapor and if i were to wager a guess, i think its probably a strong alkaline solution. the black in the sample above is a mildly diluted noodlers bullet proof black ink. in just one pass the only trace of the ink is a very pale orange spot. the orange was more pronounced when the pen was run through the ink before drying.

 

i dont think this is my ideal solution to white ink because i dont think its archival but if you dont care about archival inks its the best solution out there.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Thanks for posting the samples!

 

Bye,

S1

[aenjin]

The glaze pen looks really interesting, thanks for the photo.

 

I know that some calligraphy inks are advertised as FP-friendly (Daler-Rowney, Winsor Newton) but haven't used them that way myself. Maybe worth experimenting with using pens you wouldn't mind having to toss if things go south? You could try diluting them with gum arabic or surfactant to help with flow and keep some rapido-eeze concentrate around to clear clogs out as needed.

[amberleadavis]

I've lost more than one pen to Winsor Newton, so I'd personally advise you stay away from that.

 

Also I'd stay away from anything that is acrylic ink for your fountain pen.

[NedC]

While there are fountain pen safe pigmented inks, Platinum's carbon, blue, red and sepia and Sailor's black and blue black ink, and Pelikan Fount India making an opaque white would likely be impossible because of the pigment density and particle size required. It's tough enough getting most white watercolour paints to cover anything.

[aenjin]

I've lost more than one pen to Winsor Newton, so I'd personally advise you stay away from that.

 

Also I'd stay away from anything that is acrylic ink for your fountain pen.

 

The artist at Parka Blogs seems to use Daler-Rowney calligraphic ink in FPs okay, but yeah, dip pen and an opaque cover-up like Daler Rowney Pro is probably the only real option for white ink.

[balson]

While there are fountain pen safe pigmented inks, Platinum's carbon, blue, red and sepia and Sailor's black and blue black ink, and Pelikan Fount India making an opaque white would likely be impossible because of the pigment density and particle size required. It's tough enough getting most white watercolour paints to cover anything.

 

i have had good luck with titanium white based gauche but i was hoping to find something more convenient and portable for sketching.

[tfwall]

 

i have had good luck with titanium white based gauche but i was hoping to find something more convenient and portable for sketching.

 

Which is what was settled on for the White Peacock offering exclusive to Jet Pens. Even there though, it was contraindicated for use in fountain pens. Even the specially made pens that are designed to work with the rest of the line couldn't be counted on to work reliably with White Peacock.

 

It is a moot point though, since at present White Peacock is out of production.

[lpbh25]

This is particularly hot subject for me too; so far, the only way to get a half decent opaque white pen is to choose from the many varieties of gel pens on the market. However, if you use Rotring Isograph technical drawing pen, you can get a white ink for it and it is fairly opaque. However, if they can get an ink to go in a fine technical drawing pen, why is it so hard to get a similar opaque white to go into a fountain pen?

[Sandy1]

This is particularly hot subject for me too; so far, the only way to get a half decent opaque white pen is to choose from the many varieties of gel pens on the market. However, if you use Rotring Isograph technical drawing pen, you can get a white ink for it and it is fairly opaque. However, if they can get an ink to go in a fine technical drawing pen, why is it so hard to get a similar opaque white to go into a fountain pen?

 

Hi,

 

 

As mentioned by NedC in Post № 8 above,

". . . making an opaque white would likely be impossible because of the pigment density and particle size required . . ."

 

This Topic offers greater insight from those with more experience than I:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/17778-ink-for-fountain-pens-vs-technical-pens/?p=162333

 

Bye,

S1