What is the worst ink you've ever encountered? And why?

[Djehuty]

All the Noodler's inks I've tried have been exceptionally nib-creepy, and thus bothersome to me, but the worst ink so far has been Private Reserve Dakota Red. It formed this nasty granular goop all over the nib and up into the pen, staining it in the process.

 

[Fazby]

I will keep it simple: I don't like black ink. Looks too much like a photocopy. I prefer my writing to stand out, using blue for professional items and red/green/purple for corrections.

 

 

[Randorider]

1. PR Dakota Red. Absolutely lovely color, maybe my favorite red, but the dye just won't stay in solution.

 

I had the same problem with Dakota Red earlier this year. I sent the company an email message describing the problem and received a new bottle in the mail a few days later. I have been using the new bottle with no problems.

 

It is too bad about the Sherwood Green smearing. It is a great color.

 

Len

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Worst in my experience is Hero Blue/Black. At first I liked it, especially since I got half a bottle for free from a friend who'd been buying the stuff for about $1.50 for a 50 mL bottle. And it even had a waterproof component to it. And then it clogged the fountain pen. I think it's an iron gall ink. And I had quite a time unclogging that fountain pen. Just last night I got some dip pens (nibs) and I tried one with the Hero Blue/Black ink, figuring that there was nothing it could clog up with that. After writing about ten lines I washed the ink off the nib and found that the part where the hero Blue/Black had been had changed color! I don't know if it had removed the outer layer of metal or if it had chemically reacted in such a way as to change the way the metal looked, while leaving it all there . Nasty ink!

 

Maybe more annoying than bad was Waterman's Florida Blue. When mixed with some other inks it forms an insoluble precipitate. More clogs, and this required a whole lot of effort to get out of a fountain pen . Of course I could always not use it to mix, so this isn't as bad as the hero Blue/Black.

[Ray-Vigo]

Worst in my experience is Hero Blue/Black. At first I liked it, especially since I got half a bottle for free from a friend who'd been buying the stuff for about $1.50 for a 50 mL bottle. And it even had a waterproof component to it. And then it clogged the fountain pen. I think it's an iron gall ink. And I had quite a time unclogging that fountain pen. Just last night I got some dip pens (nibs) and I tried one with the Hero Blue/Black ink, figuring that there was nothing it could clog up with that. After writing about ten lines I washed the ink off the nib and found that the part where the hero Blue/Black had been had changed color! I don't know if it had removed the outer layer of metal or if it had chemically reacted in such a way as to change the way the metal looked, while leaving it all there . Nasty ink!

 

Maybe more annoying than bad was Waterman's Florida Blue. When mixed with some other inks it forms an insoluble precipitate. More clogs, and this required a whole lot of effort to get out of a fountain pen . Of course I could always not use it to mix, so this isn't as bad as the hero Blue/Black.

 

 

What were the other inks that reacted with Florida Blue?

[juhtolv]

Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue: Light, washed-out and pale, pale, pale and once again pale.

 

Montblanc Blue-black: This is mostly gray with just a hint of blue. Booooooring!

 

Sheaffer Skrip Red (Made in Slovenia): Reacts with every paper and becomes red-brown. Weird.

 

Aurora Blue: Way too much purple/violet tones for my taste. Maybe could be mixed with some true-blue.

 

 

[caligatia]

I haven't been happy with any of the three Noodler's inks I've tried -- Nightshade, Legal Lapis, and Swishmix Glacier Blue. I loved the colors of the latter two, but the nib creep was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I tried both inks in a Lamy Safari and two Pilots (Birdie and VP), and the entire nib would be covered in ink within a few hours. (None of the pens have this problem with other inks, either.)

 

It really sucks, because like I said I love the colors, and I want to be using a waterproof ink. Grrrr.

[fjf]

Noodlers britannia blue waves: nice color, but it refuses to flow. It dries no the nib.

[CharlieB]

A general observation...

 

The "worst ink" for many people is not the ink that clogged the pen, the ink that grew a fungus in the bottle, or the ink that feathered on every kind of paper.

 

Rather, the "worst ink" is the ink that was advertised as being the ink that was exactly what we had been looking for.... but ultimately fell short in some significant way.

 

For example, many have been fascinated by the PR colors, only to be unable to accept the slow drying times, the smearing, and the lack of waterproofing. Others have grasped eagerly at the Noodlers bulletproof inks, only to be frustrated by the nib creep, the chalky appearance, and the greenish tints in all the blues. Still others have put their hopes in the "old standby" inks, like Waterman, only to find that the colors are thin, that they fade, and that they are definitely not waterproof.

 

My conclusion: a lot of folk are still searching for the perfect ink, and the "worst inks" are not the truly bad inks, but the inks that hold promise of being the perfect ink, but then fall short.

[RandyDodds]

The following three for purely aesthetic reasons:

 

Pelikan Royal Blue - too washed out looking

J. Herbin Bleu Myosotis - same reason, even more disappointed because it was so highly recommended

Sheaffer Black - not dark enough and feathered terribly

 

Now I must say that I have not used these inks for eight or nine years, so they may be better now.

 

 

The only dangerous ink I encountered was Private Reserve Candy Apple Red. I bought this practically immediately upon its release. By itself it was quite nice. But one day I mixed some with PR Copper Burst to darken it a bit and the result was industrial sludge. Fortunately, the reaction was immediate so it never got in a pen, but it ruined a nice mixing bottle and I had to scrub the sink with Comet after pouring it out. It took several applications of the abrasive cleaner to make my sink white again. Once reported on one of the earlier pen boards, the good folks in Zionsville put out a bulletin about this and one other of their inks (I think it was Tangerine Dream) that they were not to be mixed, and they were eventually discontinued.

 

You have adverted to "Zionsville," where is this pen board or am I missing something that prevents me from finding it?

Thanks,

Randy

[graceaj]

The following three for purely aesthetic reasons:

 

Pelikan Royal Blue - too washed out looking

J. Herbin Bleu Myosotis - same reason, even more disappointed because it was so highly recommended

Sheaffer Black - not dark enough and feathered terribly

 

Now I must say that I have not used these inks for eight or nine years, so they may be better now.

 

 

The only dangerous ink I encountered was Private Reserve Candy Apple Red. I bought this practically immediately upon its release. By itself it was quite nice. But one day I mixed some with PR Copper Burst to darken it a bit and the result was industrial sludge. Fortunately, the reaction was immediate so it never got in a pen, but it ruined a nice mixing bottle and I had to scrub the sink with Comet after pouring it out. It took several applications of the abrasive cleaner to make my sink white again. Once reported on one of the earlier pen boards, the good folks in Zionsville put out a bulletin about this and one other of their inks (I think it was Tangerine Dream) that they were not to be mixed, and they were eventually discontinued.

 

You have adverted to "Zionsville," where is this pen board or am I missing something that prevents me from finding it?

Thanks,

Randy

 

I believe he's referring to the Private Reserve Ink Company, which is located in Zionville IL.

 

[Garageboy]

Waterman Blue Black is kinda disappointing. I LIKE the color it fades into AND I like the color it starts out in, I just cant get them consistently.

Pelikan Royal Blue is okay, really pale though, still better than Quink Blue. Skrip blue is too purple for me.

 

Noodlers Bank Note Green: leaves a green film on everything and when I asked the FPH guys about it, they said it was the first time they heard this about Noodlers.

 

 

[Ink Stained Wretch]

What were the other inks that reacted with Florida Blue?

Oh, I recall it was some waterproof Noodler's blue. I'm forgetting exactly right now. I should have gone to sleep a while ago.

 

I haven't been happy with any of the three Noodler's inks I've tried -- Nightshade, Legal Lapis, and Swishmix Glacier Blue. I loved the colors of the latter two, but the nib creep was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I tried both inks in a Lamy Safari and two Pilots (Birdie and VP), and the entire nib would be covered in ink within a few hours. (None of the pens have this problem with other inks, either.)

 

It really sucks, because like I said I love the colors, and I want to be using a waterproof ink. Grrrr.

You know that Nightshade isn't waterproof, right? I really like it, but I wish it were waterproof. I can live with nib creep as long as what I put on the paper stays on the paper. I'm hoping that Nathan comes out of a bulletproof version of Nightshade some day.

 

A general observation...

 

The "worst ink" for many people is not the ink that clogged the pen, the ink that grew a fungus in the bottle, or the ink that feathered on every kind of paper.

 

Rather, the "worst ink" is the ink that was advertised as being the ink that was exactly what we had been looking for.... but ultimately fell short in some significant way.

Well, I think that clogging the pen or eating the metal off a nib is pretty objective an objection.

[davidv7]

Just be careful with "iron gal" ink. It must be used only with gold nibs. It corrodes any metal part it touches, unless it's gold.

[davidv7]

O! Does anybody know which company in Slovenia makes Skrip ink? I cannot find it here in Slovenia.

[Doug Add]

You have adverted to "Zionsville," where is this pen board or am I missing something that prevents me from finding it?

Thanks,

Randy

graceaj properly answered your question before I saw this.

 

Zionsville, Indiana is the home of Avalon Pens where Private Reserve inks originate. I have been to the shop a few times when visiting my sister who lives nearby in Noblesville. They also have a website dedicated to Private Reserve inks.

Edited October 15, 2007 by Doug Add

[piembi]

This will probably offend many people here on the board, but my least favorite ink is Waterman Blue Black -- because it turns to green, and then it fades. I so wanted to like this ink.

 

Same with me: anything I wrote with Waterman Blue Black (or Parker Blue Black) turned green! And I sure don't like any green inks. Especially if they are meant to be blue ....

 

I have stopped using Montblanc Black. Various pens skipped, had starting problems and did not write at all after some days! Changed to Waterman Florida Blue or Diamine and the pen worked fine.

 

And I have mixed feelings towards Pelikan Blue (hate to say so because I love Pelikan pens): pen skips if it is a pen with poor ink flow. With good ink flow Pelikan Blue is fine.

Edited October 15, 2007 by piembi

[Azurelion]

I just tried the Fast-Dry PR Sherwood Green and it feathers like nobody's business. I've never encountered an ink that feathered so badly the letters turned into giant blobs before. It was like watching snowflakes form under a microscope. At warp speed.

 

And I also have to go on record as saying that despite its sterling reputation (which was why it was one of the first inks I bought), Waterman Florida Blue has not been kind to me. I've yet to find a pen that will write well with it. Of course, all my pens are inexpensive ones, but you'd think at least the Waterman Phileas would like it. Nope, it seems to prefer Avacado.

 

 

Jeff

[caligatia]

I'm giving my bottles of Noodler's another try. Maybe if I get used to the nib creep I can enjoy the inks...

[cjhobbies00]

Pelikan Brilliant Black- I heard so much about this ink so I bought a bottle in toronto for 10 bucks. Filled my Waterman Heritage with it and it just didn't work for me. The pen became scratchy and the Black was greyish. I cleaned out my convertor and switched back to J.Herbin. I understand that all inks work differently in pens, but the lifeless color probably means i won't be going back to that bottle again.