Shelf Life of Fountain Pen Ink

A thread at Fountain Pen Network about moldy ink made me curious about which brands of ink still contain phenol or another effective biocide. The EU’s rules for the manufacture of inks has affected a few brands though new formulations seem to have improved recent batches. While I have had a few bottles go bad, never has that happened with Noodler’s, Diamine, or any Japanese ink in my collection. Nor has it happened with ink in my collection manufactured more than five years ago.

There is no intent to bash any ink but rather to find ink that, if stored for an extended length of time, is most likely to remain untainted. Parker Penman ink is a good example. It was only manufactured from 1993-2000 which predates any government tinkering. My stash remains viable with the exception of one bottle of Ruby that arrived partially used and containing SITB. The former owner was the culprit in that case.

So who is making the good stuff these days?

Leonardo Fountain Pen Meets Noodler’s Black Ink

This bottle of Noodler’s Ink was purchased more than seven years ago and remains untainted. That’s what I call “the good stuff” and ink that is worthy of high praise.

Lamy Pens Beat The Summer Heat

Never noticed such a difference during previous hot spells but my Lamy Safari and Vista 1.1mm italic pens are drying out less quickly than the other pens on my desk. They start up without skipping or converter priming and that really improves the writing experience.

Another factor is ink. The two black Safaris are loaded with Noodler’s Black and the turquoise colored Sailor Yaki-Akari. The Vistas are loaded with Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses and Diamine Mediterranean Blue. All provide good performance and easily enough color variety for the dog days of summer.

Until the weather cools in October, the four Lamy pens will keep my rotation simple and satisfying but I am  open to additions. Do you have any pen and ink combinations that work particularly well in hot weather?

Summer Inks in Three Colors

Note that swabs do not show the dark color that results from writing with a fountain pen but they are good for comparison.

Noodler’s Black Ink – The Proof Is In The Photos

Ha! Thought you were going to see a bunch of photos in this post? Why reinvent the wheel when PenFisher has posted the definitive lot at FPN.

If I had to make do with just a single ink, Noodler’s Black would be the one. When I rediscovered fountain pens over ten years ago, black ink was all I used. The now discontinued Parker Penman Ebony worked well in my art pens so that was good enough for me. Then I discovered Noodler’s Black and realized a fountain pen could write even better, smoother, and clean more easily than with Penman. That opened the flood gates to the world of ink and I’ve never looked back.

Recently I ran across a Moleskine journal from seven years ago that had been paired with a Parker ’51′ Aerometric F. Mind you this is an old journal with arguably better quality paper than the more recent stuff but it’s clear that Noodler’s Black, Moleskine and the ’51′ were a winning combination. My daughter has used NB in a Lamy Safari F on inexpensive paper for the past year with nary a whiff of trouble. Moms and daughters don’t always agree, so take this as high praise.

Note to Nathan Tardif, the man behind Noodler’s:  If you ever decide to rename Black, consider Basic Black. Basic fits well because it is a foundation ink as well as a foundation color. As of today at least, it would be a unique name and you are almost as well-known for that streak of quirkiness you bring to ink naming as you are for your excellent inks.

Additional remarks from 2009 on Noodler’s Black in a calligraphy pen.

Leonardo Calligraphy Pen Meets Noodler's Black Ink

More on Noodler’s Black from Dave Garrett.