Shocking Ink Adulteration

[ReadyFireAim]

Excellent early results with Aurora Black.

I added 2 drops of glycerin to a 45 ml bottle and things smoothed out with the Mottishaw 912.

(Using the same brand name glycerin as used by the OP)

 

I was getting rather frustrated with the pen lately.

It was doing to Rhodia what a kitten does to a roll of toilet paper.

 

The Liquitex hasn't come yet but I'll be trying that next.

 

Thank you very much for the insight Maurizio!

Edited May 8, 2017 by Bordeaux146

[Maurizio]

Liquitex is normally diluted 1 to 10 in distilled water, but it sounds like you are using it straight. Are you NOT diluting it at all??

 

<I love such experiments, thanks so much for taking the risk and sharing!>

Nope. Adding 1 or at most 2 drops to a full bottle of ink.

[Maurizio]

Excellent early results with Aurora Black.

I added 2 drops of glycerin to a 45 ml bottle and things smoothed out with the Mottishaw 912.

(Using the same brand name glycerin as used by the OP)

 

I was getting rather frustrated with the pen lately.

It was doing to Rhodia what a kitten does to a roll of toilet paper.

 

The Liquitex hasn't come yet but I'll be trying that next.

 

Thank you very much for the insight Maurizio!

I'm pleased that you enjoyed my post and glad to hear the glycerin is working for you. Hope the Liquitex does also. Use it sparingly (at least at first).

 

If your pen was custom ground by Mottishaw won't they also "fix" it for you if it's now a little scratchy? I haven't done any business with that shop but have with others. I haven't had a problem with a custom grind, but if I did, I would have no qualms about asking the grinder to fix it for free. Won't hurt to ask.

[Enkida]

This is a very cool thread, and I hope I'm not raising the dead by commenting on it here, but I just wanted to add some caveats about glycerin.

 

I used to make my own makeup / face creams, and plant-based glycerin is indeed like the philosopher's stone for so many concoctions, so it's no surprise it works well to lubricate ink as well. But be aware that plant-based glycerin without preservatives can also spoil. This is not a big deal with face cream or eyeshadows, you use it up usually first,, and if it does happen to spoil, well, you can smell that right away. But if you have a precious, discontinued bottle of ink that you're hoarding and you add a drop or two of glycerin in it, you might make it turn faster than you want to. So just a heads up, either mix smaller batches, or use up that ink in a timely manner. ;-)

[Bibliophage]

This is a very cool thread, and I hope I'm not raising the dead by commenting on it here, but I just wanted to add some caveats about glycerin.

 

I used to make my own makeup / face creams, and plant-based glycerin is indeed like the philosopher's stone for so many concoctions, so it's no surprise it works well to lubricate ink as well. But be aware that plant-based glycerin without preservatives can also spoil. This is not a big deal with face cream or eyeshadows, you use it up usually first,, and if it does happen to spoil, well, you can smell that right away. But if you have a precious, discontinued bottle of ink that you're hoarding and you add a drop or two of glycerin in it, you might make it turn faster than you want to. So just a heads up, either mix smaller batches, or use up that ink in a timely manner. ;-)

 

Not using vegetable glycerin is my first thought, but then, glycerin is technically an alcohol.

 

I just stopped by my local CVS and picked up a 6 oz bottle of "Beauty 360 Pure Glycerin" for $6.99 plus staples. I mean, tacks. I mean, tax. There is no expiration date, nor any requirement to keep refrigerated. I would then assume that it has no reasonable time period to cause spoilage. In fact, I found reference to it being used somewhat as a preservative (only effectively in concentrations of 50% or higher, which wouldn't help much for ink.)

 

Therefore, I suggest not bothering with 'pure vegetable glycerin'. Save your money - $9.49 plus tax for 4oz vegetable, $6.99 for just 'pure glycerin'. In this regard, there's no chemical benefit to being 'vegan friendly'.

[bryanhaas]

In reading all this something comes to mind, in regards to the person getting sitb with soap and glycerin it could have been the glycerin used came from an animal source and thus some saponification took place causing the sitb. Also glycerin may be like honey in that undiluted nothing can grow in it but when you water it down you get mead or in the case of glycerin something pretty nasty.

[Bibliophage]

In reading all this something comes to mind, in regards to the person getting sitb with soap and glycerin it could have been the glycerin used came from an animal source and thus some saponification took place causing the sitb. Also glycerin may be like honey in that undiluted nothing can grow in it but when you water it down you get mead or in the case of glycerin something pretty nasty.

Once fully processed, glycerin is glycerin, no matter the source. Animal or vegetable would be equally vulnerable to contamination. In any case, from what little I've read, it seems like it's somewhat of a preservative, but only in volume. Less than that, and I suspect it has _no effect_ to speak of. That is, anything nasty that grows in the ink isn't from the glycerin, but rather from some other contamination. (such as something on the eyedropper or toothpick you use to add it)

[Maurizio]

This is a very cool thread, and I hope I'm not raising the dead by commenting on it here, but I just wanted to add some caveats about glycerin.

 

I used to make my own makeup / face creams, and plant-based glycerin is indeed like the philosopher's stone for so many concoctions, so it's no surprise it works well to lubricate ink as well. But be aware that plant-based glycerin without preservatives can also spoil. This is not a big deal with face cream or eyeshadows, you use it up usually first,, and if it does happen to spoil, well, you can smell that right away. But if you have a precious, discontinued bottle of ink that you're hoarding and you add a drop or two of glycerin in it, you might make it turn faster than you want to. So just a heads up, either mix smaller batches, or use up that ink in a timely manner. ;-)

 

Hey Enkida - thanks for resurrecting my old-ish thread. Your comment makes sense and I dont doubt that its true. After reading yours I ran to my cabinet to my glycerin bottle. I uncapped it and sniffed. No bad odor as of yet. Ive had my bottle of glycerin now for about 2 years so Im guessing I must be at the upper end of the time by which a batch may go bad so Ill keep a nose on it.

 

 

UPDATE ON USING GLYCERIN

 

Heres another note for those interested in trying glycerin. Dont add glycerin to your permanent blacks if you intend to use them for sketching with watercolor.

 

Over the last year Ive developed an interest in sketching with pencil, and with pen and ink. One fun thing to do with pen and ink sketches is to color over them with watercolor. Of course to do this you need to use either real old shellac-based India ink (which you DONT put into fountain pens), or permanent fountain pen ink such as Noodlers Black, Sailor Kiwa-guru, or Platinum Carbon Black. Unfortunately for me, I added gylcerin to my bottles of Noodlers Black and Kiwa-guru before I became interested in sketching. After some line sketches (and plenty of dry time) I applied watercolor and my black lines bled ( paper was also good quality, acid-free ). Glycerin is highly water-soluble so it was the glycerin which was causing my permanent black ink lines to bleed. I bought new bottles of the inks, didnt add glycerin and no bleeding after watercolor application.

 

I love how glycerin increases the smoothness and flow properties of inks and still use it in all the inks I write with, just be warned not to use it if you intend to sketch and watercolor.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Maurizio