Fixing Ink to Paper

[TinyTim]

What do you use to fix fountain pen ink to paper? I know that with some inks, for example, Noodler Legal Lapis (which is a great archival ink) do no wash away when they get water on them.

I've tried two methods: (1) candle wax rubbed over the page. This works pretty well. (2) Chemical spray fixatives like Art Fixatif. These work great but need to be applied in a well-ventilated space due to the strong odor. Also, I'm a little leary of getting sick from the solvents.

Any one tried another method?

 

[kcore]

I have never really worried about saving anything I write. Usually if my notes are that important I will scan the page and save it into a PDF. I think the easy solution would be to use a waterproof ink. There are a lot to choose from now and some of the more interesting ones I have seen are Kala ink

 

[Tomo]

I use waterproof ink. De Atramentis and Platinum Carbon are fantastic. I only use black ink though. The waterproof colors are quite limited if you like color.

 

[Doc4]

If I need an ink to 100% stay put on the page no matter how wet it gets, I select an ink that does that all by itself ... there are lots of options for that out there.

This is my "go-to" ink for that, although it is just one of many options:

Noodler's Fountain Pen Ink and Samples - The Goulet Pen Company

Over a hundred colors with unique properties available in bottles and samples.

www.gouletpens.com

 

[Slivovitz]

I've used fixatives for charcoal drawings, and ventilation is an issue, not worth the trouble for a journal or a letter. For writing in ink, as others have pointed out, it makes more sense to use an ink with decent water resistant properties. Some such inks could conceivably clog up a pen if you don't rinse them out periodically; you'll read that about some iron gall inks, or Platinum's carbon inks. Personally, I've had good results with Namiki (Pilot) Blue and Blue-Black inks, which by my own testing have good water resistant properties, even though they aren't advertised as such. I also have had good results with De Atramentis Document inks in brown, violet, and blue.

If there's an ink that you love for the color, but it isn't water resistant, and you can't find a water resistant equivalent of that color, then you have a choice to make as to which is more important. Personally, I go with water resistance, but not everyone has the same priorities.

There's also the question of fading over time. If there are documents that you want to last for many years, perhaps to outlast you, you may want an ink with good archival properties. I don't worry about this too much, if I did, I'd probably use my Platinum carbon inks more than I do. As it is, I don't leave my journals and notebooks open with sunlight constantly shining on them.

 

[TinyTim]

I've used fixatives for charcoal drawings, and ventilation is an issue, not worth the trouble for a journal or a letter. For writing in ink, as others have pointed out, it makes more sense to use an ink with decent water resistant properties. Some such inks could conceivably clog up a pen if you don't rinse them out periodically; you'll read that about some iron gall inks, or Platinum's carbon inks. Personally, I've had good results with Namiki (Pilot) Blue and Blue-Black inks, which by my own testing have good water resistant properties, even though they aren't advertised as such. I also have had good results with De Atramentis Document inks in brown, violet, and blue.

If there's an ink that you love for the color, but it isn't water resistant, and you can't find a water resistant equivalent of that color, then you have a choice to make as to which is more important. Personally, I go with water resistance, but not everyone has the same priorities.

There's also the question of fading over time. If there are documents that you want to last for many years, perhaps to outlast you, you may want an ink with good archival properties. I don't worry about this too much, if I did, I'd probably use my Platinum carbon inks more than I do. As it is, I don't leave my journals and notebooks open with sunlight constantly shining on them.

You've given me some good information here. I've heard horror stories about iron gall inks and pen clogging. I do have Namiki Blue, which is an ink I really like for its collar and writing ease, but didn't know about its water resistant properties. I guess the thing to do, because I have so many inks, is to test them for water resistance, then use those inks for things I want to save.

 

[strop]

I have never had any problems using R&K iron gall inks.