What Are The Best Pens To Use With Iron Gall Inks? - Q&A Slices

[@stevenolin7229]

Here's something else I have learned about iron-gall inks. I have a bunch of Noodler's inks, and I have found it's usually a good idea to shake the bottle before filling to get a uniform color. Just the opposite is true of iron-gall inks. Iron-gall inks tend to form a precipitate that accumulates at the bottom of the bottle over time. It's best to leave it there.

[@nocturne2029]

Iron gall inks sound like they'd be great with glass pens! As far as my one year of university chem has taught me, glass is pretty safe against acid, not to mention that glass pens don't have ink on them for very long.

[@padraigb580]

Nocturne this sounds good, can GouletPens confirm?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, for sure! Glass can hold up against the Iron Gall inks and are a lot easier to clean if you're switching between inks frequently. Good option for sure. - Colin

[@borjesvensson8661]

I got hold of "full strength" iron gall ink made from medieval recipie from etsy. (Mine was made by the medieval squirrel) never had any ink that works as well as that with dip pens!

[@Amyduckie]

Amen to all this stuff! I found that Platinum was more forgiving if you left it in there, but I accidentally left Salix in a pen that I didn't use and overnight I forgot to put the lid back on before going to bed. And OMG- I couldn't get it to write at all. It flushed out okay, but that was enough for me to be a fair bit more careful with these sorts of inks and to not be lazy with my pen hygiene.

[@ytah7]

I am a art teacher, and I have a ebonite pen with 14k nib. And I have used this work horse pen with Akkermans (diamine) iron gall ink for 3 years (no cleaning since) no problems. It's a drier ink, so better use a wet pen. It works also with titanium nibs, I love it because it works great om cheap paper. It is great for flex no feathering or bleeding. I like the kwz inks but they don't perform as good on daily cheap paper.... Great for copperplate writing can produce perfect thin and broad lines...

[@greengohm]

Just FYI - Pelikan 4001 Blue-black is also Iron gall ink

[@bikkies]

I only found that out quite recently. I was surprised that it is (or was) hard to get in America. Here in the UK it's just a few Amazon clicks away from my front door and is pretty affordable.

[@Handorodangooo]

Wait really??

[@vergitube]

Damn. It was my favorite ink :/

[@tanvirahmad5893]

I have a kakuno eyedropper converted have been inked with Pelikan Blue black for 2 years straight and the nib is still writes great. In these two year period I went through three 62ml bottles of the ink.

[@jagujetas72]

Brian what is the most permanent ink out of all inks you know?

[@jacknemo8021]

Noodler's Warden series, Bad Black Moccasin for regular type inks, but as this episode discussed Iron Gall is proven to last centuries. Much of what we know of the past comes to us from that simple fact. Iron Gall ink and acid free paper and your inane little bullet journal will be a museum curiosity a thousand years from now. Another side benefit of Iron Gall inks is that it is capable of the finest of hairlines where normal ink isn't. KWZ so hot right now....

[@neemancallender9092]

There is a great misunderstanding about permanence We need to separate waterproof as a criteria of permanence Iron Gall is Archival for documentation, which means it will not wash away and is waterproof (in a closed book) But most Iron Galls are only rated 5 on the Wool Scale, which means they are not light resistance or permanent 5 on the Wool Scale in not permanent for artwork, which is exposed to constant natural light In fact any paint rated 5 on the wool scale would be considered fugitive 8 and above is permanent when it comes to artwork, and only Pigmented ink can be permanent, with Carbon Black (soot) being the most permanent (the Japanese Carbon inks) Iron Gall is currently used in the writing on Parchment for the Jewish law scrolls, where Iron gall is mixed with Arabic gum and soot, so the very acidic Iron Gall etches the parchment and the arabic gum and Soot creates the indelible ink

[@mikethebloodthirsty]

I've had registrar's ink in a steel nib art pen for years, no damage done.

[@gonsonandenschinder]

I forgot a pen for like 3 weeks that was filled with iron gall ink ): The ink got thick around the nib, also inside of the nib, its just clogged up

[@Jason-L-Ledford]

It sounds like to me that you should only use Iron gall ink with Dip Pens and Quills.

[@JujuLand0]

Would I be able to use IGs like R&K Scabiosa or Diamine Registrar in a Pilot Parallel without messing up the flow with thick ink? Is the pen too delicate for small bits of corrosion?

[@bikkies]

I'd think Salix and Scabiosa would be fine in a Parallel, provided you follow good pen hygiene as Brian states here. My bottle of Registrar's kind of feels *thicker*, more viscous, something I can't put my finger on. It's very pleasant to use but I would stick with glass dip pens or a pen that you're going to flush out immediately after use if using Registrar's in either s conventional FP or a Parallel.

[@paulherman5822]

I've used Registrar's Ink with impunity in either a vintage pen with a gold nib, or a Jinhao, as it doesn't work well with some other pens. It tends to be a bit dry feeling, and you need a wetter writer, generally. And I've had no issues with corrosion with them in a pen for over a month. Stainless steel or gold really isn't that prone to corrosion, and the ink isn't as acidic as the ones from the past. There's others that are more acidic, today, that get regularly used.

[@blackbohemianmama]

I am searching for an “ocher” color that’s waterproof - preferably archival to use in my 5-year hobonichi... I was thinking of using platinum citrus black but it would be in my own for a year- with daily use of course... is this a bad idea you think? It’s currently in my copper liliput with the stock steel nib in fine. If not, what would you suggest?

[@geslinam9703]

I’m not positive, but I think Noodler’s Rome Burning is one of those bulletproof inks, and might hold up for the long term. It’s a very unique shade, I would consider it a rather dark ochre. Dries fast and a few shades lighter. Really pretty. A very wet ink, so for the tiny Hobonichi graph squares, I use it with a Pilot EF nib. It’s one of those inks that shows up great in EF nibs. It’s worth getting a sample and trying it out.

[@justincall2381]

I've been using Platinum Citrus Black with my FPR ultra-flex (steel) nib pen for over a year and have had zero problems. I've refilled it half a dozen times. One of my all-time favorite inks. For some extra fun, I also added a touch of Jacquard Pearl Ex pigment powder to small batches of ink (one with gold mica powder, the other with interference red) and it's led to some pretty cool effects. The interference red actually softens the iron gall quality of the ink so that it doesn't oxidize quite so heavily and become mostly black (keeping more of the original yellow/ochre color).

[@daltonsego2019]

Really hope you guys can end up selling kwz inks. I have a bunch on my list I want to get, and it'd be great to get it through you guys to help support you rather than go to their site

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, definitely something we're interested in. Hopefully, we can work something out in the next few months. - Colin

[@moddrrrusky2910]

Still waiting for them KWZs

[@mihaiserbanescu2017]

Are Diamine inks Iron Gull inks?

[@Gouletpens]

No, they are conventional water-based inks. - Colin

[@jessehorstman]

What are the best pens to use with iron gall inks?

[@Joshua-fl5lf]

Pact Ink

[@Bobbylim323]

I have been using them with all my pens lol, probably would run into issues soon with my stainless steel pens

[@adieaf61]

well it was more to do with ink than pen.....