Seeking a waterproof or water-resistant purple ink. Any recommendations?

[Surlyprof]

I recently received my Pilot Custom Enjyu that I’m using to write up my reseach on Design Foundation principles.  My favorite color is purple and I own DeAtramentis Document Violet which is a pigmented ink.  I’m looking for a good purple ink with solid water resistance, maybe archival, that’s not pigmented.  All my current inks are pigmented for use with watercolor paint (Platinum Carbon Black and DeAtramentis Document inks).  I love these inks but  I’ve also seen how much and how quickly they stain converters.  I like to find a water resistant purple that cleans up better for my new piston-filler Enjyu.  I’m currently considering Noodler’s La Reine Mauve but any alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[RobNYC]

Noodler's Purple Martin is forge proof and I believe it is water resistant as well.

[amberleadavis]

If you find any purple you like, you can add some Noodler's Ghost blue (it is fade-resistant too).  You won't get a perfectly waterproof mix, but you will get a water-resistant purple that is exactly the purple you love.

[effrafax]

I'll add a few: Noodler's Polar Purple (I don't have this, but it is supposed to be bulletproof); Noodler's La Reine Mauve (which you've already mentioned, very saturated and dark, I use it diluted 50% which makes the purple really pop); Blackstone's Barrister Purple (pigmented, leans towards magenta).  I also have R&K Dokumentus Dunkelblau, which is a blue leaning towards purple (a real blurple).  There's also Noodler's Kung Te-cheng, which is another blurple.

 

I suspect, but haven't tested, that Noodler's standard purple would show some water resistance.  La Couleur Royale (more of a blurple) is somewhat water resistant.  And not forgetting Noodler's Concorde Grape, but probably best left.  There are also some purples in Noodler's Russian series, which are all bulletproof, but I don't have any of those.

 

Iroshizuku Mirasaki-shikibu is a light purple, not bulletproof, but is moderately water resistant.  I also have Yaching Style Amethyst, which is a lighter purple, pigmented and contains real amethyst (very expensive!).

 

As you can tell, I also love purples!

 

[dftr]

Fc tenebris purpatum was water resistant. 

[kestrel]

Watching this thread with interest.  I, too, am looking for a bulletproof or waterproof purple/violet to replace my wife's favorite (and unobtainable) ink, Violet Vote.  We are being stymied because the one's she likes tend to have questionable behavior.  La Reine Mauve had starting problems and clogging problems. 

So far, the leading candidates are De Atramentis Document Inks, both violet and purple violet.  Next in the queue is Octopus Violet.

[Surlyprof]

4 hours ago, kestrel said:

So far, the leading candidates are De Atramentis Document Inks, both violet and purple violet. 

Thank you for all the great suggestions!  I will definitely check into these.  @kestrel I can attest to both the waterproofness and lovely color of the DeAtramentis.  That’s what I am currently using and I love it.  The reason I was seeking alternatives is that I keep reading that pigmented inks can be hard on pens.  My concern is that I don’t want to screw up my new pen if this ink may wreak havoc.  Are my concerns are unwarranted?  I guess I could always replace the converter later if the DeAtramentis becomes a problem.  I’m still learning and this is my first foray into this level of pen.  One of my favorites to this point has been my Lamy 2000.

[yazeh]

In my experience purple inks have the tendency to stain convertors. So you need Sailor Doyou, or Noodler's Red Rattler's handy in case it bother's you. 

 

Noodler's bulletproof inks, while water resistant,  might  wash away and ruin your watercolour. So you need to test them before committing to a bottle.

 

Noodler's Polar Purple is a very wet purple, with fast dry times.

Noodler's Tchaikovsky is a very elegant muted purple.

I'm not sure if Mata Hari's Cordial is the colour type you read. 

Nooder's 1984, I don't recommend. 

I haven't checked La Reine Mauve, Socrates, yet. 

 

You can check Octopus Write and Draw inks also. They are generally speaking very well behaved and consisted compared to other pigment inks, though Octopus is very conservative about what pen to use them in. But they are lightfast and waterproof. The one purple I reviewed was surprisingly not 100% waterproof:

Hope it helps

 

[Claes]

An old calligrapher's trick is to rub a candle over the writing to make it more resistant to moisture.

 

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

a.k.a. Santa Claes at this time of the year

[Lithium466]

50 minutes ago, Claes said:

An old calligrapher's trick is to rub a candle over the writing to make it more resistant to moisture.

Depending on the paper, that can make things worse: water goes through the paper and is "trapped" under the wax, making the writing even more unreadable. But that depends on the amount of water, if it's only a few drops on top of the writing then yes the wax will protect it.

[Surlyprof]

12 hours ago, yazeh said:

In my experience purple inks have the tendency to stain convertors. So you need Sailor Doyou, or Noodler's Red Rattler's handy in case it bother's you. 

I don’t worry about stained converters.  They are replaceable.  A piston filler, such as a 2000 or a Magico, I will be more concerned.

12 hours ago, yazeh said:

Noodler's bulletproof inks, while water resistant,  might  wash away and ruin your watercolour.

My question is pertaining more to inks I’ll be writing with.  I prefer to write with purple instead of blues or blacks.  It makes me happy!  I’ve found that the DeAtramentis Document inks are great for watercolor.  Platinum Carbon is also incredibly waterproof.  I use those in sketching pens (and clean them pretty frequently).  I’ve found DeAtramentis Document Sepia gives drawings and paintings a great look and feel.  I purchased it after reading your review of their Artist series sepia.

 

12 hours ago, yazeh said:

Noodler's Polar Purple is a very wet purple, with fast dry times.

I looked up Polar Purple after seeing that both you and @effrafax suggested it.  Very promising!  It really looks nice online and Jet Pens states that it is waterproof, archival and UV resistant.  The Tchaikovsky looks really nice, too.

 

19 hours ago, dftr said:

Fc tenebris purpatum was water resistant. 

I am so glad that I started this thread now.  Nice to know that I’m not alone in my love of purple and I’m learning about so many inks I didn’t know existed!  I like the good people at Franklin Christoph, own a few of their nibs and they are very close to my in-laws home.  I may have to drop by during my next visit to try out their inks.  Gourmet Pens reviewed Tenebris Purpatum positively although it looked like it had a slight brownish hue on her site.  I’ll have to check it out in person.

 

Thank you everyone for all these fantastic suggestions.  I should have a great samples order put together for after the holidays.

[dftr]

Yes. That review of tenebris purpuratum  looks the same color as I see on my page. It is a dusky purple. You can also see the water test she did.  I dont call it waterproof but I have had no problem reading if it gets splashed. 

[carlos.q]

The people over at JetPens have an interesting comparison of purple inks including their water resistance: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Purple-Fountain-Pen-Inks/pt/895

[kestrel]

18 hours ago, Surlyprof said:

Thank you for all the great suggestions!  I will definitely check into these.  @kestrel I can attest to both the waterproofness and lovely color of the DeAtramentis.  That’s what I am currently using and I love it.  The reason I was seeking alternatives is that I keep reading that pigmented inks can be hard on pens.  My concern is that I don’t want to screw up my new pen if this ink may wreak havoc.  Are my concerns are unwarranted?  I guess I could always replace the converter later if the DeAtramentis becomes a problem.  I’m still learning and this is my first foray into this level of pen.  One of my favorites to this point has been my Lamy 2000.

The few pigmented inks I have are used in pens that I can clean easily with ear syringe, blunt needle syringe, and (if necessary) ultrasonic.  I don't use them in piston fillers but then I am more cautious about such things than some people on the forum.

 

My experience with purple/violet inks in general is that they are prone to staining.  @Surlyprof is right about Noodler's Rattler Red.  Next to vintage Parker Quink with Solvex it's the best cleaning ink I know of for destaining converters or demonstrators.

 

My wife's daily writer is the closest thing to an indestructible fountain pen I have ever seen, a Levenger TrueWriter Metallist with a fine nib.  It has been fed a steady diet of Violet Vote for two decades and the only maintenance it needs is a water flush of the nib unit every three or four months.  I am not concerned about putting pigmented inks in it.

[Surlyprof]

10 hours ago, carlos.q said:

The people over at JetPens have an interesting comparison of purple inks including their water resistance: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Purple-Fountain-Pen-Inks/pt/895

That is an interesting blog article.  There are some fantastic shades of purple there!  I guess I lucked out with DeAtramentis as I am left-handed and am always looking for a faster drying ink.

[yazeh]

@Surlyprof It's good to know my reviews serve the greater inky good

I understand what you say, about writing with purple, some of the shades are indeed happiness/ peace inducing.

I don't mind stained convertors either, once in a while I let them soak in Doyou and it cleans them up.

Enjoy your samples/bottles/ purple journey

 

[Surlyprof]

A little update on this thread.  I just ordered 9 different purple samples from Van Ness yesterday.  I’ll try to post a comparison later.  That wasn’t enough to qualify for free shipping so, of course, I had to order the purple pen to test them in!  

My first TWSBI.  The free shipping makes it almost free, right?

[yazeh]

@Surlyprofelegant pen, looking forward to your reviews/ experiments

[amberleadavis]

7 hours ago, Surlyprof said:

A little update on this thread.  I just ordered 9 different purple samples from Van Ness yesterday.  I’ll try to post a comparison later.  That wasn’t enough to qualify for free shipping so, of course, I had to order the purple pen to test them in!  

My first TWSBI.  The free shipping makes it almost free, right?

 

I think it was totally appropriate to order the purple pen to test the purple ink.

[Runnin_Ute]

I believe that KWZI has an iron gall or two or three in the purple range. I haven't tried them, so don't know how water resistant they are. They also have greens, reds, at least one orange....