What A Difference An Ink Makes. In Praise Of Pelikan 4001

[Precise]

I've had a few pens which were too wet. And I also recently received a new pen which cost many hundreds of dollars but was about to be sent back for writing both too wet and uneven wetness.

 

In the past year I've tried several so called drier inks with little or no change. But recently three knowlegeable FPN'ers recommended Pelikan 4001.

 

I filled a too wet pen with it and was very pleased. The pen wrote "just right". Then I filled another with the same benefit.

 

Lastly, I filled the pen that was about to be returned. It too is now "just right" and it writes a bit finer, which I like.

 

It's also nice that this ink is widely viewed as safe, and is easy to find and inexpensive. And, being on the dry side, it doesn't bleed as much on cheap paper as most inks.

 

There is a lot to like here.

 

Alan

Edited October 15, 2015 by Precise

[Notgatherox]

I do like the 4001 inks - in fact 4001 Brilliant Black has been the first (and only! I hang my head in shame for having so many inks) bottle of ink I finished.

 

I use Turquoise for mixing several other concoctions, and Blue Black is a nice colour (pity about the fading though. Switched to Edelstein Tanzanite to avoid that issue)

 

 

 

~Epic

[fabri00]

I have probably something like 60/70 bottles of ink, but at the end 4001 blue is allways on my desk.......

Cheap, reliable, and safe.

Someone do not like the color, but for me is very agreable.

[masterguns]

Partial thread hijack...

 

I'm a huge fan of Pelikan 4001 inks, especially for my wet writers. The question is, is there another ink line that comes close to taming wet pens like 4001?

[jcm499]

Partial thread hijack...

 

I'm a huge fan of Pelikan 4001 inks, especially for my wet writers. The question is, is there another ink line that comes close to taming wet pens like 4001?

 

The answer is, there sure is! Iron gall ink is known to be dry, and is wonderful for wet pens. Such a long history doesn't hurt either. I highly recommend ESSRI. Just make sure you have a glass bottle to decant it into, and be aware that somewhat more diligent maintenance is advised.

[RitchieMac]

I'm a huge fan of Pelikan 4001 inks, especially for my wet writers. The question is, is there another ink line that comes close to taming wet pens like 4001?

 

Rohrer and Klingner Salix and Scabiosa, both iron gall inks. It seems that Pelikan 4001 blue black have some iron gall content within it.

[agentdaffy007]

Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black has iron-gall for sure. It has been proven in another thread with a link to Pelikan website stating iron-gall content.

 

Yes, Pelikan 4001 inks are truly marvelous for wet writers.

[Precise]

What about this?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/196276-pelikan-blue-black-discontinued-in-the-u-s/

 

It says Pelikan blue-black is discontinued in U.S.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Precise

[Bookman]

Partial thread hijack...

 

I'm a huge fan of Pelikan 4001 inks, especially for my wet writers. The question is, is there another ink line that comes close to taming wet pens like 4001?

 

I haven't found anything my wet pens like more than Pelikan 4001 Black. It's a staple in my ink collection.

[Precise]

 

I haven't found anything my wet pens like more than Pelikan 4001 Black. It's a staple in my ink collection.

Does this ink contain iron gall?

 

Should I care?

(By that I mean that even if it does contain iron gall, perhaps it's a safe amount).

 

Alan

Edited October 17, 2015 by Precise

[amarjit]

Does this ink contain iron gall?

 

Should I care?

(By that I mean that even if it does contain iron gall, perhaps it's a safe amount).

 

Alan

I don't think pelikan black has iron gall. nothing about this on its website

[dragos.mocanu]

 

I haven't found anything my wet pens like more than Pelikan 4001 Black. It's a staple in my ink collection.

 

I can attest to that as well!

[Bookman]

Does this ink contain iron gall?

 

Should I care?

(By that I mean that even if it does contain iron gall, perhaps it's a safe amount).

 

Alan

 

There is no iron gall in Pelikan 4001 Black.

[fplover01]

Edit: My post refers to Pelikan 4001 Blue Black. There is no iron gall in Pelikan Black. I misread and I apologise.

 

 

Pelikan has recently (?) added a rather obscure page in their website called Document proof ink (dokumentenechte Tinte in german). There possibilities for document inks are analysed and explored in detail and Pelikan states that 4001 blue black contains a little iron gall. It is perfectly safe for fountain pens. Pelikan also attests that the iron gall content is so designed so as not to damage paper. They claim that this ink is more resistant than their black ink, however pelikan black is also not easily removed with water.

 

Here is the link

 

This ends all speculation about this wonderful ink.

 

Pelikan 4001 is a proven ink, that just works. I always have 4001 bottles around.

Edited October 17, 2015 by fplover01

[jmccarty3]

This morning I filled an overly wet OMAS Ogiva Alba pen with Pelikan 4001 Blue/Black. Perfect match!

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I have quite a bit of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black ink, and some other Pelikan 4001 inks, around. I bought a liter of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black years ago, I'm still working on it. But I like my fountain pens to write wet. I mix the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black with an equal amount of Noodler's Black ink and an equal amount of Visconti black ink for a 1:1:1 ratio. This three ink mixture is my standard black ink now. I only use the Noodler's Black neat in one pen that I've had it in for more than 11 years now, and that's the fountain pen I use to write checks with.

 

I am currently experimenting with a 5:1 = Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue : Noodler's Black ink mixture. It's performing nicely in a Noodler's Nib Creaper piston filler so far. The Royal Blue by itself I am not thrilled with. Mixed into a blue/black ink mixture it is nice .

[Precise]

I've become a big fan of Pelikan 4001 blue. However at the San Francisco Pen Show this summer I picked up a bottle of 4001 blue-black for $5 from a table that had a small collection of odds and ends. I encountered terribly mixed results with that bottle and when I later read that this ink was discontinued in the US, I threw it away. I suspected that the bottle was very old.

 

So what is the story with Pelikan 4001 blue black? Is it again available in USA?

 

Best,

Alan

Edited October 17, 2015 by Precise

[Chumango]

Pelikan BB has not been available through normal channels (not counting ebay) in the US for several years now. Apparently there is something in it that is not listed or not approved in the TSCA chemical list. However, Anderson Pens came across a stash of it and has some in stock.

 

http://blog.gouletpens.com/2011/05/pelikan-blue-black-is.html

[Precise]

There are only two (somewhat discouraging) reviews at Anderson pens.

 

This ink is offered at amazon but the main listing, fulfilled from Japan has terrible reviews. Several say it's thick and pasty.

http://www.amazon.com/Pelikan-Bottle-76-4001-Blue-Black/dp/B0026I4UGY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445117311&sr=8-1&keywords=pelikan+4001+blue+black

 

It's likely that the bad bottles above, and the one I threw away, are very old.

 

I'm inclined to give it a wide berth.

 

Alan

[dragos.mocanu]

The problem with Blue-Black is that it was reformulated not long ago, because of safety regulations...now it doesn't look like it used to..it dries grey on the paper (although it's still extremely well behaved, one can write with flex dip pens on copy paper using this ink).