Diamine Iridescink Philip Smells Horrible

[meetbistrian]

Hi guys,

 

Throughout my last ink batch was a bottle of iridescink Philip from CultPens. Now I do have a lot of ink already and so I just opened the Philip bottle and inked a platinum 3776 fine. The color is full and rich, the sheen is amazing but omg the smell is absolutely horrific. Mold at its best. Extremely strong and disgusting.

 

Never had the same issue with any iridescink or sheeting ink. And I have all the iridescink inks.

I contacted cultpens and their sales say iridescink and sheen inks do have a slightly unpleasant smell. But this is far off being slightly unpleasant.

 

What do you think? I cleaned the pen immediately. Should I keep using it or its just safer to stay away from it all together?

It lithely smells like Fresh wet mold.

[ScarletWoodland]

It's a dye used in a few of their purple leaning inks, Sargasso Sea and Imperial Purple have it too, among others. Sargasso Sea's smell freaked me out at first too but it's perfectly safe to use

[The Good Captain]

The same with their Graphite but it's a lovely ink.

[Intensity]

The same with their Graphite but it's a lovely ink.

 

Now I’m curious, didn’t notice any unusual smell with my bottle of Graphite. Will double-check.

[amberleadavis]

Oh no, ink sniffing.

I'm going to go smell my ink too.

[Intensity]

I've sniffed my bottle of Graphite. Had to try a few times, because the scent is barely there. It's a fresh 30ml bottle, also recently from Cult Pens. I wouldn't notice a scent from that ink at all in filling a pen or in writing--it's so faint. As opposed to something like Sailor Jentle Blue-Black--that scent is strong and noticeable from a distance. On the scale of 0 to KWZI, my graphite seems be around 3

[AidenMark]

On the scale of 0 to KWZI...

LoL

[meetbistrian]

No idea what scales we are using, I am not gonna use that ink anymore. Had it inked in a #3776 F and the pen still smells like hell even after several flushes with monteverde Fountain pen flush.

It's just a horribly strong smell of fungus/mold.

 

Some inks smell yes, Even Sailor inks – which I am a huge fan of – smell. And it's fine as long as the smell is not that bad.

Honestly I can't stand the Vanilla smell of KWZ inks, maybe because I hate vanilla, LOL

[DilettanteG]

No idea what scales we are using, I am not gonna use that ink anymore. Had it inked in a #3776 F and the pen still smells like hell even after several flushes with monteverde Fountain pen flush.

It's just a horribly strong smell of fungus/mold.

 

Some inks smell yes, Even Sailor inks – which I am a huge fan of – smell. And it's fine as long as the smell is not that bad.

Honestly I can't stand the Vanilla smell of KWZ inks, maybe because I hate vanilla, LOL

I’ve had Philip consistently in a Pelikan M600 for a few months now and I haven’t noticed a terrible odor. Admittedly, I have pretty bad hay fever which dulls my sense of smell. Maybe you got a bad bottle? Does Diamine use any preservatives or stabilizers in their ink?

[meetbistrian]

Might be, I'll try to ask CultPens if I can have another bottle and someone to double check for that horrid odour

[Brianm_14]

I’ve had Philip consistently in a Pelikan M600 for a few months now and I haven’t noticed a terrible odor. Admittedly, I have pretty bad hay fever which dulls my sense of smell. Maybe you got a bad bottle? Does Diamine use any preservatives or stabilizers in their ink?

Replying as a microbiology professor, I can assure you that Diamine (like other ink makers) use some sort of biocide in their inks. But that will never be 100% assurance against a bad bottle, or partially contaminated lot, if a resistent mold or bacteria is introduced. A feed water line can become contaminted (I've seen this in a pharmaceutical plant!) when a filter is changed, or there might be other issues such as contaminated bottles or lids.

 

Your initial description made me very suspicious. A strong smell is one thing. An over-powering, moldy smell is another. You need to seal that bottle and landfill it or return it to the seller. You are owed a new bottle at the very least.

 

Do not use your pen with inks you share with other pens, until you know it is decontaminated.

 

Now there's the rub.

 

Start by washing your pen out thoroughly with blue Dawn detergent. Use several drops in several ounces of water. I know you used the pen flush, but Dawn is a powerful and safe surfactant cleaner. Let the Dawn solution soak for 20 minutes at least once. Then flush with more solution and finally rinse with cool water. With luck, the mold or bacteria have come loose with the disruption of their biofilms, and been largely washed away. So if the smell improves, repeat and repeat the process.

 

Next: Several fillings and changes of a different, good, fresh ink might be a place to start. The new ink's biocide might decontaminate your pen over the course of a few weeks. Be patient. Be sure to take a sample of the new ink and put it into a separate containter, in order to fill your pen.

 

This failing, you might next try washing the pen with 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted with an equal part of cool distilled water. Rinse, fill and allow to remain filled for 40 minutes, then rinse with the solution again. Finally, rinse with distilled water. Let the pen remain under a cloth but open to the air to dry. Let your nose be your guide. If the smell remains, repeat the process up to several times more, allowing a day or two inbetween for drying.

 

Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you could use Dawn antibacterial dishwashing/handsoap. It contains chlorxylenol, an effective germicide. Use about one drop of this Dawn in 15 - 20 drops cool water. Use as directed for hydrogen peroxide.

 

As a last resort only, you can add 1fablespoon of liquid laundry chlorine bleach to a quart of cool water in a glass or plastic container. Stir. Let the solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse your pen with it twice. Next fill the pen and allow it to sit for 20 to 40 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water. There should be no residual odor of chorine (or, hopefully, of the mold).

 

Using your nose as a guide, let the pen dry, and repeat the process if needed.

 

I have recommended these procedures to others, and had sucess in removing mold/bacterial contamination from the pens. I cannot, of course, guarantee any specific results and you use these methods at your own risk. I can only say that I'd use them on my own Platinum pens, and in the suggested order

 

A dilute solution of phenol, a biocide once commonly employed in inks, would be a good, fairly safe biocidal agent to use. While phenol still can be purchased in the USA, it is harder to obtain in many other countries.

 

Good luck!

[meetbistrian]

Thank you for your kind advice. will give it a shot.

As for returning the bottle, I'll assume it's off the question - when I contacted CultPens they just replied it's normal and that was it.

 

Anyway not a big value, still some money thrown away.

I'll probably try ordering another botle at some time.

 

Replying as a microbiology professor, I can assure you that Diamine (like other ink makers) use some sort of biocide in their inks. But that will never be 100% assurance against a bad bottle, or partially contaminated lot, if a resistent mold or bacteria is introduced. A feed water line can become contaminted (I've seen this in a pharmaceutical plant!) when a filter is changed, or there might be other issues such as contaminated bottles or lids.

Your initial description made me very suspicious. A strong smell is one thing. An over-powering, moldy smell is another. You need to seal that bottle and landfill it or return it to the seller. You are owed a new bottle at the very least.

Do not use your pen with inks you share with other pens, until you know it is decontaminated.

Now there's the rub.

Start by washing your pen out thoroughly with blue Dawn detergent. Use several drops in several ounces of water. I know you used the pen flush, but Dawn is a powerful and safe surfactant cleaner. Let the Dawn solution soak for 20 minutes at least once. Then flush with more solution and finally rinse with cool water. With luck, the mold or bacteria have come loose with the disruption of their biofilms, and been largely washed away. So if the smell improves, repeat and repeat the process.

Next: Several fillings and changes of a different, good, fresh ink might be a place to start. The new ink's biocide might decontaminate your pen over the course of a few weeks. Be patient. Be sure to take a sample of the new ink and put it into a separate containter, in order to fill your pen.

This failing, you might next try washing the pen with 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted with an equal part of cool distilled water. Rinse, fill and allow to remain filled for 40 minutes, then rinse with the solution again. Finally, rinse with distilled water. Let the pen remain under a cloth but open to the air to dry. Let your nose be your guide. If the smell remains, repeat the process up to several times more, allowing a day or two inbetween for drying.

Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you could use Dawn antibacterial dishwashing/handsoap. It contains chlorxylenol, an effective germicide. Use about one drop of this Dawn in 15 - 20 drops cool water. Use as directed for hydrogen peroxide.

As a last resort only, you can add 1fablespoon of liquid laundry chlorine bleach to a quart of cool water in a glass or plastic container. Stir. Let the solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse your pen with it twice. Next fill the pen and allow it to sit for 20 to 40 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water. There should be no residual odor of chorine (or, hopefully, of the mold).

Using your nose as a guide, let the pen dry, and repeat the process if needed.

I have recommended these procedures to others, and had sucess in removing mold/bacterial contamination from the pens. I cannot, of course, guarantee any specific results and you use these methods at your own risk. I can only say that I'd use them on my own Platinum pens, and in the suggested order

A dilute solution of phenol, a biocide once commonly employed in inks, would be a good, fairly safe biocidal agent to use. While phenol still can be purchased in the USA, it is harder to obtain in many other countries.

Good luck!

[MBDostoevsky]

I would go as safe as using them for piston fillers only.... or pens easy to clean quickly...

 

Not sure about how bad the smell is but a bit of smell is normal for dyes and pigments do smell bad in some cases.

 

Smell is not an issue, only if there are excessive bubbles or deposits which might indicate some growth.... this is harmful as it can clog the feed and related areas.

[Brianm_14]

I would go as safe as using them for piston fillers only.... or pens easy to clean quickly...

 

Not sure about how bad the smell is but a bit of smell is normal for dyes and pigments do smell bad in some cases.

 

Smell is not an issue, only if there are excessive bubbles or deposits which might indicate some growth.... this is harmful as it can clog the feed and related areas.

 

You make a good point. The smell is not a problem in itself, other than being unpleasant; but it can be indicative of microbial activity which might cause formation of a scum, sediment, foam, etc. that can clog a pen. However, even if such byproducts are not formed in this particular bottle of contaminated ink, continuing to use a contaminated pen might infect other bottles of ink, where the results might be much more damaging.

 

Even if the bottle of ink is a loss you just need to write off and toss (it is hard to believe that such strong smell as to be remarkable is normal), the pen still needs to be disinfected or discarded.

 

The purpose of a biocidal agent should be to protect the ink from contamination as the bottled ink is used. After all, our pens are hardly surgically clean, yet we freely dip them into bottles of ink, and pump ink in and out of the pen in many instances. As a general principle, that's the role preservatives play in foods and pharmaceuticals. In no case should the preservative be expected to do much -or really, anything- in the way of purifying (disinfecting) an ink or bottle which was contaminated during the manufacturing process. Cleaning the bottle doesn't demand anything high-tech, and there are several ways of ensuring the ink which goes into the clean bottle is free of microorganisms which might degrade the ink.

 

The question is, was this bottle a random instance of contamination, or is there an issue with this entire lot of ink? Considering the price we pay for a small bottle of many inks, it is frustrating that they are produced in such a tight, trade-secret atmosphere. I can't even find definitive information about the type of biocides used, only about what is no longer used (e.g., for the most part, phenol)!

[DilettanteG]

Replying as a microbiology professor, I can assure you that Diamine (like other ink makers) use some sort of biocide in their inks. But that will never be 100% assurance against a bad bottle, or partially contaminated lot, if a resistent mold or bacteria is introduced. A feed water line can become contaminted (I've seen this in a pharmaceutical plant!) when a filter is changed, or there might be other issues such as contaminated bottles or lids.

 

Your initial description made me very suspicious. A strong smell is one thing. An over-powering, moldy smell is another. You need to seal that bottle and landfill it or return it to the seller. You are owed a new bottle at the very least.

 

Do not use your pen with inks you share with other pens, until you know it is decontaminated.

 

Now there's the rub.

 

Start by washing your pen out thoroughly with blue Dawn detergent. Use several drops in several ounces of water. I know you used the pen flush, but Dawn is a powerful and safe surfactant cleaner. Let the Dawn solution soak for 20 minutes at least once. Then flush with more solution and finally rinse with cool water. With luck, the mold or bacteria have come loose with the disruption of their biofilms, and been largely washed away. So if the smell improves, repeat and repeat the process.

 

Next: Several fillings and changes of a different, good, fresh ink might be a place to start. The new ink's biocide might decontaminate your pen over the course of a few weeks. Be patient. Be sure to take a sample of the new ink and put it into a separate containter, in order to fill your pen.

 

This failing, you might next try washing the pen with 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted with an equal part of cool distilled water. Rinse, fill and allow to remain filled for 40 minutes, then rinse with the solution again. Finally, rinse with distilled water. Let the pen remain under a cloth but open to the air to dry. Let your nose be your guide. If the smell remains, repeat the process up to several times more, allowing a day or two inbetween for drying.

 

Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you could use Dawn antibacterial dishwashing/handsoap. It contains chlorxylenol, an effective germicide. Use about one drop of this Dawn in 15 - 20 drops cool water. Use as directed for hydrogen peroxide.

 

As a last resort only, you can add 1fablespoon of liquid laundry chlorine bleach to a quart of cool water in a glass or plastic container. Stir. Let the solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse your pen with it twice. Next fill the pen and allow it to sit for 20 to 40 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water. There should be no residual odor of chorine (or, hopefully, of the mold).

 

Using your nose as a guide, let the pen dry, and repeat the process if needed.

 

I have recommended these procedures to others, and had sucess in removing mold/bacterial contamination from the pens. I cannot, of course, guarantee any specific results and you use these methods at your own risk. I can only say that I'd use them on my own Platinum pens, and in the suggested order

 

A dilute solution of phenol, a biocide once commonly employed in inks, would be a good, fairly safe biocidal agent to use. While phenol still can be purchased in the USA, it is harder to obtain in many other countries.

 

Good luck!

I like the suggestion of a weak solution of Dawn a lot. I’ve had very good luck with it. I’d recommend a weak ammonia solution before bleach or hydrogen peroxide, however, as it’s less caustic and works better on hard surfaces. It’s also a decent disinfectant, if not quite as strong as bleach. Rinse and let soak in water repeatedly. Water is the universal solvent.

 

Make sure you never mix bleach and ammonia. Pretty sure that’s how you make mustard gas.

 

Another weird trick is after rinsing several times in water, fill it again with water and lay the nib on a dry paper towel and let it sit overnight. The capillary action wicks stuff out surprisingly effectively.

 

If you’re sensitive to unpleasant smells, you may want to avoid phenol. If I recall correctly, it’s pretty noxious.

 

Just my two cents/scents based on my personal experience. Though I do hate to disagree with the good Professor.

[MBDostoevsky]

The question is, was this bottle a random instance of contamination, or is there an issue with this entire lot of ink? Considering the price we pay for a small bottle of many inks, it is frustrating that they are produced in such a tight, trade-secret atmosphere. I can't even find definitive information about the type of biocides used, only about what is no longer used (e.g., for the most part, phenol)!

 

if I am not wrong... maybe a visit to any brick-and-mortar outlet which keeps these inks might help you identify if the intensity of smell is an exception or the norm...

 

I have a fully microbial infested Pelikan Turquoise which I use in cheaper piston fillers. The ink has no change in its shade, saturation or any other characteristic except that it smells like phenol and weird bubbles do pop from the breather hole in the nib when i play with the piston. Surprisingly, on paper there is no smell transferred.

[DilettanteG]

 

if I am not wrong... maybe a visit to any brick-and-mortar outlet which keeps these inks might help you identify if the intensity of smell is an exception or the norm...

 

I have a fully microbial infested Pelikan Turquoise which I use in cheaper piston fillers. The ink has no change in its shade, saturation or any other characteristic except that it smells like phenol and weird bubbles do pop from the breather hole in the nib when i play with the piston. Surprisingly, on paper there is no smell transferred.

Unfortunately, Philip is a UK exclusive for Cult Pens. I'm not sure they even have a brick and mortar store. Plus, there's the whole global pandemic thing.

[MBDostoevsky]

Unfortunately, Philip is a UK exclusive for Cult Pens. I'm not sure they even have a brick and mortar store. Plus, there's the whole global pandemic thing.

 

Oh Dear !!! Then I think it is just a matter of patience and using it carefully... don't let this smell prevent you from enjoying your ink...

 

I would not think about it... since I can't do anything about it, i would start using it...