Less "thought"; More "hey, Look!"

[JonSzanto]

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/detective35/houseofsilencepenncopyIC1.jpg

[Sinistral1]

I've lived most of my life a little on the wild and risky side - flying in helicopters with the doors open, passing semi trucks on my motorcycle, traveling alone all over the world, being the only left-hander in 2nd grade cursive writing class, asking to use the bathroom (instead of the latrine) in basic training...

 

As I move toward my dotage, I say "What the heck! I'll take the chance and use this lovely hand-made ink in some of my pens! Full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes!"

[amberleadavis]

Okay, first informal review. Violet Iron Gall

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/269270-k-w-z-i-konrad-iron-gall-violet/

[amberleadavis]

No comments? Well you will be glad to know that the samples arrived. What ink does anyone request that I try first?

[Cyber6]

No comments? Well you will be glad to know that the samples arrived. What ink does anyone request that I try first?

 

 

Oh oh... Try the Iron Gall Turquoise... Pretty Please...

[amberleadavis]

Do you think that IG really looks turquoise?

[Cyber6]

Do you think that IG really looks turquoise?

 

It does reminds me of Pharmacist's Turkish Night IG.

 

So, maybe a very dark turquoise??

Edited July 1, 2014 by Cyber6

[serpent]

i want one of each IG's and 1 bottle of #3

[Sinistral1]

If you got the 47 samples, I also would like to see the Turquoise Iron Gall. And while we're at it, place an order for a bottle!

[kwzi]

UDog, on 27 Jun 2014 - 06:13, said:

After all this time, it seems unlikely that anyone will ever [get a chance to] purchase these inks. Oh well.

 

[Edit for clarity]

 

 

I know that everything is going slow, and this is only my fault. But the work is still going, just slow.

I'm more elastic than large ink manufacturers, I have also advance that I'm closer to FP users, and I'm also a kind of FP maniac. But I'm also alone in my work- in chemistry nothing works as should on the first try. And so finding a proper ink base that stabilise Blues ans Violets took me already 167 tries - only few types of those have acceptable stability and properties so they can be used as inks. Working on sole base took me something around 4 months. Working on color saturation, fighting with feathering took me another 2 months.

I write it took already 167 tries, because the work is still going on - I'm not taking random tries, I have quite large number of ideas, which I realize in sequence when I have enough time, some works fine, some are not. This is improving my workshop, and I simply got better on making inks, simply producing inks with better and better quality.

My biggest problem is that I work almost alone, everything has to be done personally, and also other activities take a lot of time and effort (PhD studies in chemistry). I like making inks, you can believe me that mixing dyes and watching how they dissolve in water is really a great fun. Testing ink, tuning the color is also a great fun. But also this is sometimes very frustrating when sometimes don’t work as I wished to. Sometimes I’m also simply a bit overloaded from chemistry, that when I come home I just don’t stand even watching on my home laboratory, and need a few days off.

For now I think that for some time Amberlea and others will test my inks, some of them will get some attention, while others not . We have now beginning of June – and I will try to send more samples in the world. Meantime I prepare a better quality gallery of my inks – I will upload it on the internet in few days. There are some ink orders I didn’t realized, but I will do in next two weeks. So when FPN group buy starts I will have no other distractions

@Lisa, dyes used in some of my inks have very low solubility in water, so I use many tricks to achieve high enough concentration which gives proper saturation level. But from the same reason if such ink would be dry out in pen it would be very hard to remove remains from insides of pen. So base of ink is constructed in that way that this is nearly impossible to fully dry this ink. Depending on humidity and on paper the ink will dry very slowly and even after long time it will still slowly soak into cellulose fibers (up to 4-6 weeks). Because of high surface tension after initial writing most of dye is located on top of paper surface and with time this ink is slowly biting in paper – this phenomenon is not correlated in any way with bleed through, and in general is not a problem because if dye penetrated cellulose fiber deeper than it would be more permanent. I have different problem I wish to solve – most of those inks are super saturated solutions – and this cause slight staining of transparent parts. Dyes do not penetrate plastics – they just leave a very small film of dye on surface of some materials. On which materials is pretty much random – it’s sometimes important what was before in pen.

Turquoise Iron Gall may be a bit similar to Pharmacist version – those inks are both Turquoise version of Iron galls, but I think they differ in both dyes type, concentration and what is more important iron concentration.

 

 

During summer time I will try to be more active on FPN

Konrad

[PJohnP]

Konrad :

 

 

Among other things, I have a background in chemistry, so I certainly understand the process that you're working through. As well, given that I spend most of my workdays in chemical plants and suchlike places, I know that chemical development - and new inks are certainly "development" - takes a fair bit of time. The juxtaposition of dyes, chemically reactive components, viscosity, saturation/solubility, stability, and surface tension effects is "non-trivial" (to use a mathematics term), and even small changes in one property can have large conditional changes in the others.

 

Take the time needed for the experimentation, as well as completing your doctorate, and when you have your inks in a format that you consider appropriate, we will all look forward to your craft and your science in bottles !

 

 

 

John P.

[Sinistral1]

Konrad:

 

I am in awe of what you are doing with your life! When do we get to call you Dr. Nicpon?!

 

Believe it or not, those of us who want a bottle of your inky brew will live if we have to wait for it. Actually, we'll also live if we never get it. We'll just be very sad for a while, that's all. I appreciate that you are taking the time and effort to ensure that your ink won't ruin our beloved pens when we do silly things like let the ink dry out in them, to name just one thing that can cause trouble when using fountain pens.

 

I hope you understand that our expressions of impatience and desire are indicative of our appreciation of your work. You already have a customer base and won't have to waste money on advertising!

 

Thank you.

[Cyber6]

Dear Konrad...

 

 

Don't worry about us.. we'll survive.

 

Speaking for myself... but if I get too anxious... I'll jump on the next plane to Poland and become your lovely assistant. ... I can live on cheese and crackers..

Edited July 2, 2014 by Cyber6

[ethernautrix]

I've lived most of my life a little on the wild and risky side - flying in helicopters with the doors open, passing semi trucks on my motorcycle, traveling alone all over the world, being the only left-hander in 2nd grade cursive writing class, asking to use the bathroom (instead of the latrine) in basic training...

 

As I move toward my dotage, I say "What the heck! I'll take the chance and use this lovely hand-made ink in some of my pens! Full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes!"

 

I respect your attitude, and I hope you're not disappointed that all Blue #3 does that might be considered problematic is shadow. It is such a lovely, dark, rich blue, and unlike other blue inks, there is no red sheen. Some people like that sheen; I don't. I would have been using Sailor Sei Boku but for that red sheen. Blue #3 is blue blue. Dark blue blue. Bluey bluey beautiful blue. Paint your torpedoes with this blue and have beautiful torpedoes. Hehe.

 

 

@Lisa, dyes used in some of my inks have very low solubility in water, so I use many tricks to achieve high enough concentration which gives proper saturation level. But from the same reason if such ink would be dry out in pen it would be very hard to remove remains from insides of pen. So base of ink is constructed in that way that this is nearly impossible to fully dry this ink. Depending on humidity and on paper the ink will dry very slowly and even after long time it will still slowly soak into cellulose fibers (up to 4-6 weeks). Because of high surface tension after initial writing most of dye is located on top of paper surface and with time this ink is slowly biting in paper – this phenomenon is not correlated in any way with bleed through, and in general is not a problem because if dye penetrated cellulose fiber deeper than it would be more permanent. I have different problem I wish to solve – most of those inks are super saturated solutions – and this cause slight staining of transparent parts. Dyes do not penetrate plastics – they just leave a very small film of dye on surface of some materials. On which materials is pretty much random – it’s sometimes important what was before in pen.

 

Konrad, will you come to Pen Salon Steinhaus on August 16? I'm not putting you on the spot; I'm inviting you. But if you're busy in your ink lab, I understand, and I would not want the wrath of inky fpn members to come down on my head for interrupting your progress. (*Laughing.*)

 

Yeah, definitely, the ink does not bleed through. It is a shadow - or, rather, as you said, the ink has bonded with the paper so that there is a shadow on the other side. It doesn't obscure the writing on the other side, but it is noticeable. Could be that the paper, Tomoe River, is so thin that the shadow comes through. I haven't tried Blue #3 on other paper. (All my Clairefontaine and Rhodia pads are in California.)

 

I had no problems cleaning my Pelikan Toledo of Blue #3. There was no staining, and if there was a film, I don't remember, since I usually wipe out the barrel with a cotton-tipped swab when I change inks in that pen. The ink also cleaned out of my Nakaya's nib. I flushed it perhaps a few more times than typical, cos I remembered what you said about making sure to be thorough. I'm having no problems with that pen using another ink.

 

I'll write a sample of the Blue #3 and wait a while for the ink to shadow, then post photos. I'll use Tomoe River paper and another brand - Oxford (looks like Rhodia; made it France (I thought it was made in Poland)) - and maybe another brand if I have another brand lying around.

 

Meanwhile, the pen with iron-gall turquoise is almost empty. SAD FACE. There's no shadowing (or bleed-through) with this beautiful ink.

 

You're doing a fine job, Konrad. Thank you!

[amberleadavis]

If you got the 47 samples, I also would like to see the Turquoise Iron Gall. And while we're at it, place an order for a bottle!

 

 

I'm testing #27 which sort of looked like it might be right.

[amberleadavis]

Special Limited Time offer -- sort of like Co-Razy Views. To anyone interested. As I write the pages for testing, anyone can send me their address and I'll send them the sheet with only 1/2 the page written upon - then you write on the other side and post your scan in the correct thread. That way you can see the ink in person on the paper.

[amberleadavis]

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inked_Today/slides/20140701_151254.jpg

[alarickc]

I'd be interested in any purples/violets or the IG turquoise.

[amberleadavis]

I'd be interested in any purples/violets or the IG turquoise.

 

 

I don't know... I think you should come visit.

[alarickc]

 

 

I don't know... I think you should come visit.

Ha! I probably will again in 2016 when I'll be back in town. Though you could always visit the wonders of the Pacific NW sometime.