Vacumatic Problem With Rohrer&kligner Scabiosa

[DonTopaz]

Hi all,

 

I have a vac '46 golden pearl that I love. I got it early this spring and had it restored by the local (and from what I hear the only one in all of Scandinavia) pen master, got the rubber sack exchanged and the nib slightly adjusted. Now to my problem: I used it with Rohrer & Kligner Iron-gall ink Scabiosa (which is my preferred ink for many reasons) and it behaves very badly. The lines dries out in a couple of sentences and the flow is not even in general. I immediately thought there was a problem with the feed or nib but when I changed to plain old waterman encre bleu it started writing as the dream it is.

Anyone else had similar experiences?

 

 

[adyf]

I have quite a few vintage Parker 51 vacumatics and Sheaffer snorkels that don't do well with some of the more saturated inks but work wonderfully with Waterman Florida blue and other less saturated inks. It is frustrating but I'm not sure there is a lot you can do about it other than perhaps trying slight dilution of the said ink. I don't think the behaviour you describe is particularly unusual.

[sumgaikid]

I have used R & K Scabiosa in a junior Vac of mine with no

problems. Perhaps it might be the level of saturation that

varies with each company as well as each ink. I don't believe

that all inks(as well as all of the same kind of ink)are created

equal with respect to the percentage of saturation.

 

 

John

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

I haven't had problems with the combo of Parker Vacs and Scabiosa, yet Scabiosa is a dry ink - some have called it 'dusty', so the flow is low.

 

The dye-load is quite low, which is typical of an iron-gall ink.

 

The Ink Review Forum has a number of entries for Scabiosa, so you might find some tips / clues there. The samples therein should also give an idea how the ink looks - it can encompass quite a broad range.

 

As you've recently had the pen restored, I don't think there would be a problem with the condition of the pen, though I usually suggest a thorough cleansing of a pen when/if there's flow problems. The use of a 0.5% working solution of acetic acid to remove any possible deposit of iron-gall residue could be tried. I think that's a longshot, especially as Scabiosa is a 'light' iron-gall ink, which can be routinely blended with other R&K inks except Sepia.

 

If you have another pen, I'd charge that with Scabiosa to see how it goes.

 

My other suggestion is to modify the ink by adding a whisper of surfactant to increase the flow. I recently suggested that technique in Post № 5 of another Topic: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/257350-fountain-pen-for-diamine-registrars-ink/?p=2846360 .

 

It might be that your Vac and the Scabiosa just don't play nice together, but after running thousands of ink+pen+paper combos, I've come to believe that functional incompatibility is quite rare. When it does happen it often catches me on the back foot.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited December 12, 2013 by Sandy1

[DonTopaz]

thanks for the replies you all!

 

@Sandy: I've inked up my waterman hemisphere with R&K scabiosa and that is writing beautifully, the nib is somewhat broader one that one though and ofcourse it's not a vintage

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Well OK then: the ink and the pen are OK, but the combo is not.

 

I really wouldn't want to start adjusting the nib+feed to suit one ink, especially as you've just had it worked on, and then the Vac would likely be skewed - too wet for use with a wider range of inks with 'normal' flow/wetness.

 

Other than modifying the ink with addition of surfactant, (or perhaps blending with a bit of Alt Bordeaux), fingers crossed that Tomte will bring a Vac to dance with Scabiosa.

 

Bye,

S1

 

Edit to add:

It just might be the case that your recently restored Vac still needs to 'settle' a bit into its current state - all the micro movements that only come from use. I use Florida Blue and the I-G MB Midnight Blue to evaluate new-to-me pens, so if the 'gap' in performance between the two inks is great, I keep the pen charged with Florida Blue, and use it as my casual carry, for doodling, etc. during a few weeks; then flush it and try again with MBMBl. Quite often they do settle in, so I don't hasten to adjust the nib/feed.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Sandy1

[dragos.mocanu]

Has anyone encountered any issue with using modern iron gall inks in their Vacumatic? I just received my first Vac, a gorgeous Emerald Pearl with an EF nib, filled it with R&K Scabiosa, and it rocks! I'm a little concerned about stains on the inside (and losing visibility on the ink level), has anyone experienced this? Thanks!