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Water Resistant and Waterproof Inks

I am starting a new job in a couple of weeks, and the nature of it will require regular note taking, filling in forms, and the usual writing of to-do lists and such. I'm looking for two inks for work. One will need to be permanent, archival quality ink. For that, I'm likely going to use Diamine Registrar's Ink. For those in the know, is Registrar's safe to use in any pen, so long as I flush it periodically?

I'd like the other ink to be at least somewhat waterproof/resistant. My work will take me all over a university campus, and it rains a lot in Oregon. I also plan on commuting to work by bike. I'm typically careful about not getting things wet (waterproof backpack or messenger bag), but it can rain for 8 months, virtually nonstop, here. You never know what can happen.

A week or two ago, I was playing with several inks on the same page. Most were Diamine inks, two permanent Noodler's (5 O'Clock Shadow and Legal Lapis), and Iroshizuku Kiri-same (thanks Craig). I decided, for some reason, to wash the page and see what stuck. 5 O'clock is a no-go for me because half its color washes away, and all you're left with is green on the page, if I recall correctly. All the Diamine inks I've tried (too many to list) virtually wash off the page completely. Predictably, Legal Lapis looks the same before and after the wash.

The real surprise was Kiri-same. It's a medium gray and looks like pencil markings on the page. It resists a rinsing really well, though! It may have faded ever so slightly, but it was still totally legible. It's a fun ink, but for me, it's just too light a shade to use as an everyday ink for work.

Has anyone else run across inks that, by in large, stay put on the page after they dry but are then exposed to a wash under the tap, even though they're not sold as waterproof? In the main, I'm looking for a basic blue, black, and/or blue-black (I really like blue-blacks), but I'll consider other colors too because I can use those for temporary notes and lists that only I'll see. I'm not sure how Lamy, Pelikan, Pilot, Platinum, Sheaffer, Waterman, and Parker Quink all stand up to a rinsing. Any insight regarding those inks would be much appreciated. I've had Quink blue-black in the past and really liked it, but I never tested it with water. It would be great to find a color fast ink from one of the major pen manufacturers, as I'm confident I could trust loading any pen I have with it, and it should be relatively inexpensive, since I'll probably go through a lot of it.

I'm going to use up the rest of my Legal Lapis in a Chinese pen that I'm not too worried about, but I want to stay away from Noodler's and Private Reserve inks. I'd never put those brands in a nice pen. My Diamine disappearing inks will all only be used at home and for letters to friends and family.

Thanks in advance for whatever advice/help y'all are able to provide!

-Andy
 
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Namiki's regular blue ink is very water resistant by my tests, although not advertised as such. A somewhat light blue, but I like it for general use. Curiously, their black ink, which comes in the same type of bottle, did very poorly on my water resistance test.

De Atramentis Gaius Julius Caesar is a fairly dark gray which could pass for black. Mine is acceptably water resistant as I recall, although I haven't used it for at least several months. Got mine from Goulet's, but I don't know if it's still available. Couldn't find it anywhere just now.

Comments on a couple of other inks, although this doesn't relate to your question directly.

I was surprised to find that Diamine Syrah is not bad on water resistance. Fades a bit, but stays legible. Not the color you were asking about though.

The two iron gall inks I've tried both change color when "washed". Montblanc Midnight Blue looks black on the page, but turns a dark faded blue when I wet it. Rohrer and Klinger Scabiosa is a pale purple, but under water, the purple all washes away leaving only black.
 
I use Noodler's with no trouble in all of my pens.Vacumatics,Snorkels,Balances-lever and vac fills,Skylines,First gen Symphony,Esterbrook J,Waterman 52 and on and on.The only ink I have had to be extra careful with is Kung Te-Cheng.If I don't use the pen filled with it frequently it becomes hard to start.After over 3 years of using Noodler's in pens dating from 1928 to the present,I have yet to experience any of the horrors some folks report.....Even the dreaded BSB hasn't caused me any grief but I did restrict it to my Esterbrook collection since it will stain...I'd recommend Bad Belted Kingfisher to meet the waterproof requirements in a great colour but that's just me.
 
Parker Qwink (Quink? whatever) Permanent Black is water resistant, but not bullet proof. I use Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher for that in a Shaeffer Connaisseur with no problem.
 
RE: Registrar's ink and maintenance. If you are going to devote the pen to the ink than a flush every few weeks should do the trick. In the event that you desire a more than a water flush use a 10% dilution of vinegar. Do not use ammonia unless you like staining. :thumbdown
 
I want to stay away from Noodler's and Private Reserve inks. I'd never put those brands in a nice pen.

Thanks in advance for whatever advice/help y'all are able to provide!

-Andy

Andy, while I am not a big fan of Noodlers I will stick up for them here and say that your concern is unfounded. I have used Noodlers in my Nakaya and Mont Blanc 149 with absolutely no issues. I have a very nice purple Noodlers called Casino Royale that would have no problem in using any pen no matter the cost.
 
I haven't had trouble with Noodler's yet, other than a couple of their inks staining converters and the underside of nibs. If it stains a converter and nib, I have to think it's leaving some residue in the feed. Noodler's and PR may not be problematic inks, but when 2 or 3 of the US's most renowned nibmeisters complain about them, I take heed. I think most ink problems are related to poor maintenance by pen owners, however, but I could be wrong there.

I'm running Noodler's Legal Lapis in a cheap pen (Jinhao X750) and giving it minimal maintenance (the occasional flush with water). I plan on pulling the nib and feed after a year or two to see what, if anything, happened. That will put my mind at ease (or not). Until then, I'll likely stick to pen manufacturer brand inks, with the exception of Diamine, which seems generally less saturated and pretty benign.

-Andy
 
Thanks for all the advice so far, everyone. Anyone else ever write a few lines then wash their inks under the tap?

-Andy
 
I haven't had trouble with Noodler's yet, other than a couple of their inks staining converters and the underside of nibs. If it stains a converter and nib, I have to think it's leaving some residue in the feed. Noodler's and PR may not be problematic inks, but when 2 or 3 of the US's most renowned nibmeisters complain about them, I take heed. I think most ink problems are related to poor maintenance by pen owners, however, but I could be wrong there.

I'm running Noodler's Legal Lapis in a cheap pen (Jinhao X750) and giving it minimal maintenance (the occasional flush with water). I plan on pulling the nib and feed after a year or two to see what, if anything, happened. That will put my mind at ease (or not). Until then, I'll likely stick to pen manufacturer brand inks, with the exception of Diamine, which seems generally less saturated and pretty benign.

-Andy
I am overly paranoid about Noodler's too. That said... I have been struggling on whether or not to put Black Swan in Australian Roses in one of my flex pens. I'm dying to get the black and burgundy separation effect.
 
Materials and Methods:

Most of the following inks are samples. I only own a few bottles of ink, really... honestly. The first 5 inks were from pens I already had inked. The rest were applied by dipping a Danitrio Cum Laude with a Medium nib. I wrote the ink name on two halves of a piece of Rhodia paper. I then rinsed the nib and feed thoroughly, shaking ink/water into the sink periodically. When the liquid being shook into the sink looked clear, I blotted the nib and feed on a paper towel to ensure all ink was removed from the pen. If the paper towel was clear, I shook the pen vigorously to ensure as much water as possible was removed from the nib and feed before dipping into a new color.

I separated the paper into two halves and thoroughly rinsed one half of the page under a cold tap, then submerged the paper in a sink with a shallow pool of water in it. The paper was allowed to sit submerged for about a minute. I rinsed the paper again under a cold tap, then set it aside to dry on a bar towel. I'm impatient, so when the paper was still damp, I scanned the two halves. The wet half of the page elongated a little. I may get a better scan after the page dries, and I'll post that later.

Results:

Legal Lapis was no surprise. It's waterproof. Pelikan Blue-Black was a close second though, and I'm really pleased by that! I need to buy a couple more bottles now, as that may end up being my workaday ink of choice. You can see for yourself what happened to the rest of the inks.

-Andy

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I am overly paranoid about Noodler's too. That said... I have been struggling on whether or not to put Black Swan in Australian Roses in one of my flex pens. I'm dying to get the black and burgundy separation effect.
I have had not had any issue with BSIAR or Noodler's blue in any of my pens. 5oC and BBB on the other hand kind of caked stuff up. BSIAR looks awesome in flex pens.
 
I'll second Noodlers Bad Belted Kingfisher. Nice shade of navy blue and never a problem in any of my pens.
 
Diamine and Waterman are absolutely terrible when it comes to water... which is probably why they're considered two of the safest ink brands.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Thanks for all the advice so far, everyone. Anyone else ever write a few lines then wash their inks under the tap?

-Andy


All the time.

(Well, frequently enough.)

Far and away the most success I have had is with some Noodler's brands. Not all, of course, some wash away with the best of them. But there are some which stay absolutely perfectly.

Kung Te-cheng never disappoints.
 
The Sailor Jentle Blue-Black is a great writer as well. I've got it in all my pens now. When I've had to fill out paperwork using the "mandatory black ink only" I've always been able to get away with using the Blue-Black. It's a fantasticly dark blue that really does look black unless you're looking at it closely.

Cheers,

M.
 
The Sailor Jentle inks I've tried all have a strong chemical odor. Anyone else notice that?

-Andy
 
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