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What Is A Good Iron Gall Ink?

lectraplayer

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cybaea Vintage

cybaea

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Aha... so you'll let your 149 have a rest for a month? And you yourself? :lticaptd: I can't rest that long!

 

I am restless. :)

I am no longer very active on FPN but feel free to message me. Or send me a postal letter!

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OldGreyGuy Mint

OldGreyGuy

Posted
Posted (edited)

So many Iron Gall threads lately, all of which have piqued my interest a little more. I use a number of inks but I regularly use a Lamy 2000 with medium nib for work and have been using Montblanc Blue/Black for some time. My last bottle of this will last for a little while and I have a Midnight Blue in reserve and yes I know about it being discontinued/changed/replaced/whatever. However I see that some of you have mentioned other IG inks. I am holding off on the R&K for the time being but I did notice a number of comments about ESS which I am inclined to try, but I dimly recall another thread about issues when ordering this from overseas. However my search mojo seems to be failing me.

 

So, I went to the ESS website went to the registrar's ink, selected "Rest of World £10.50" delivery and it placed 2 bottles totalling £21.00 in my cart. Is this normal?

 

Do I really want 220ml of Blue/Black Registrar's ink?

 

How long will this last stored in the bottle? I can decant this into smaller bottles if required.

 

Anyone have any experience with this?

Edited by OldGreyGuy
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cybaea Vintage

cybaea

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Posted (edited)

I seem to remember some thread - probably the monster original review thread by the inimitable Sandy1 - that someone spoke with ESS and they said the ink should be good for about 2 years. I am guessing that is the manufacturer being cautious and it is probably safe for much longer, but do try to store it dark (always good, but apparently more so with IG ink) and at a constant temperature away from heat sources.

 

As for needing 220 ml of ink, well, I'm not the right one to ask. You know how much you use. Some people use about 1 ml a day so two bottles should see them through a working year.

Edited by cybaea

I am no longer very active on FPN but feel free to message me. Or send me a postal letter!

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OldGreyGuy Mint

OldGreyGuy

Posted
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at a constant temperature away from heat sources.

 

I live in northern Australia, everything here is a heat source. For example we have just finished Winter here and it was slightly over 30C here today. Can't wait for Summer. :lticaptd:

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cybaea Vintage

cybaea

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I live in northern Australia, everything here is a heat source. For example we have just finished Winter here and it was slightly over 30C here today. Can't wait for Summer. :lticaptd:

 

Yeah, well, heat sources relative to ambient. :) But of course at higher temperatures chemical reactions normally run faster. I know of one person who keeps his ink in the fridge; you may try the same. Who needs food anyhow ;) Just keep some space for the beers.

I am no longer very active on FPN but feel free to message me. Or send me a postal letter!

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Gary1952 Rare

Gary1952

Posted
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+1 for Diamine Registrars ink.

Intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.

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mm1624124 Rare

mm1624124

Posted
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Pharmacist on this network makes excellent iron gall inks, and very reasonable prices.

 

I bought three colours from him, and they are all exquisite.

 

Andrew

 

+1 for Pharmacist. I have 5 and love them all.

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carlos.q Antique

carlos.q

Posted
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I'm a fan of both Montblanc Midnight Blue and R&K Salix so it's not surprising that I'm currently using Sandy1's "Salixx" (a mix of 7 parts Salix and 1 part MBMB). Nice!

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Yeah, but in that test the paper that held the IG inks severely deteriorated to a dense yellow, unlike any of the other sheets (#6 is the closest). I don't know what was different - should ask Jamie one day - but I am not making conclusions based on that particular test. That being said, there is no particular reason to assume that any IG ink can withstand 6 months of NY sunlight :)

 

amberlea did test the MB ink, e.g. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/215715-how-much-sun-can-my-ink-take/page-4?do=findComment&comment=2396145

 

I used to love MB Blue Black, but Midnight Blue is too black for me. Diamine and ESS are my regulars now.

 

But try them - other than the MB they are not expensive and you can get samples from several vendors.

 

 

Hey, thanks for the reference!

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chris Collectors Item

Chris

Posted
Posted

Cybaea,

The ESS RI ink has lots of good comments here. Personally, I found it a bit dry-running and pale although indeed it does darken with time (except on some papers and I have yet to find out what it is about that paper that prevents the oxidation), but that is my personal preference coming to the fore. As a result, the bottle I bought a couple of years ago has been largely unused.

 

By coincidence, last weekend I decanted what was left into an empty MB (Midnight Blue) bottle - great bottles - and an empty Diamine RI bottle. Although the original polythene ESS bottle had stained black, the ink looked perfectly good.Although I was going to fill a pen with it and try it again, I got sidetracked. I suspect it will have lost a little of its intensity as something has precipitated to stain the original bottle.

 

I see ESS now supply the RI in glass bottles but it is still a great price for a popular ink.

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inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

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Salix and Scabiosa are too washed out and the transformation is very subtle IMO, I don't like them much anymore. I need a super duper wet pen to get them to write the way i like.

Hmmm. That may be why I like them so well. I tend to put IG inks in a very wet writing Parker Vector (it's a firehose -- you'd never know that it's got an F nib by the way it writes, and I started putting iron gall inks in it because they're supposed to be very dry compared to some). Tends to be an excellent combination, no matter which IG ink I've tried in it, starting with the Diamine Registrars; I just didn't like the color...

At some point I'd like to try ESSRI and maybe the Akkermann, but I just bought 6 bottles of ink (including a full bottle of Scabiosa). Plus, a bunch of non-IG ink samples -- so it isn't going to be anytime soon....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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cybaea Vintage

cybaea

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Posted

Cybaea,

The ESS RI ink has lots of good comments here. Personally, I found it a bit dry-running and pale although indeed it does darken with time (except on some papers and I have yet to find out what it is about that paper that prevents the oxidation), but that is my personal preference coming to the fore. As a result, the bottle I bought a couple of years ago has been largely unused.

 

By coincidence, last weekend I decanted what was left into an empty MB (Midnight Blue) bottle - great bottles - and an empty Diamine RI bottle. Although the original polythene ESS bottle had stained black, the ink looked perfectly good.Although I was going to fill a pen with it and try it again, I got sidetracked. I suspect it will have lost a little of its intensity as something has precipitated to stain the original bottle.

 

I see ESS now supply the RI in glass bottles but it is still a great price for a popular ink.

 

Let us know how it goes with the ink. My preference is for the Diamine.

 

Glass bottles? Really? Both web sites are still showing the two different plastic bottles.

 

http://www.registrarsink.co.uk/images/registrarsink.jpg http://stp.opnet.co.uk/Images/160/INK.jpg

I am no longer very active on FPN but feel free to message me. Or send me a postal letter!

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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Hmm.... Let's see if I can find some pics for ya'll.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inklings/slides/2013-Ink_524.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

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This is a NEW ink and it was a gift from Organics Studio for inclusion in the Fade Olympics. It will be in the 2014 Olympics.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inklings/slides/2013-Ink_622.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
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MB Midnight Blue was part of my longest experiment to date just over 6 months.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-10-24_done__04_small.jpg

 

Here is the same ink in a 4 month experiment.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-07-06_07_small.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Salix is towards the bottom.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/66-2012-10-14_001_small.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Diamine Registrar's Ink

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/121_small.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

I think Akkerman #9 is an IG. Is that correct?

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/09-2012-10-14_001_small.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Pharmacist's IG inks also held up well.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2012-06-01_Reval_01small.jpg

 

BTW, if you want to look at the "big picture" you can see slight fading.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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amberleadavis Pen Dust

amberleadavis

Posted
Posted

Akkermans #10 is good (personal opinion). There are lots of others, and I am sure that you will soon be inundated with suggestions from others. Somewhere here in FPN there are write ups and recipes from peoples experiments.

 

 

Eeek, can you send me a written sample to include in the 2014 Fade Olympics? I've never had this ink in any of my tests.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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