Wet/Dry Ink

[Dominic]

Since I finished the Pilot cartridge that came with my Metropolitan, I filled the converter with Robert Oster ink. The pen is slightly scratchier now. Is this the difference between a wet and dry ink?

It had a noticeably smoother glide across the paper with the Pilot ink cartridge. The Oster ink isn’t like sandpaper, mind you, it’s just that I can notice a difference.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

I have noticed the difference in the way certain inks feel on paper. Some inks glide easier than others. Others give that scratchy feeling you describe.

But I use the term "wet" to describe an ink that spreads easily on paper, to the point of troublesome feathering and possible bleed thru. A "dry" ink stays the way the line is laid down, because, I think, it dries quickly.

 

[dojpros]

Concur with DW 100%

I would say smooth v less smooth re how the ink goes down on paper. How fast it dries is what I mean by wet v dry ink.

Others may differ and I get it.

 

[tankerjohn]

Wet ink - Low viscosity. Flows better. Goes on smoother. Better sheen on good paper. More likely to feather or bleed thru on cheap paper. Works best with finer and drier nibs. Most Japanese inks fall into this category, i.e. Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, Taccia. French inks too, i.e. Waterman, J. Herbin.

Dry ink - High viscosity. Writes a finer line and less likely to feather or bleed on cheap paper. Better shading on good paper. Can feel chalky or scratchy, particularly with fine nibs. More likely to not flow well. Works best with broader and wetter nibs. Most German inks fall into this category, i.e. Pelikan, Montblanc, Faber-Castell, Lamy. Iron gall inks are usually very dry as well.

I tend to agree that dry inks usually dry faster than wet inks, but wet inks can dry fast too. Pilot Iroshizuku and Waterman inks are wet inks that dry very quickly. I think the bigger factor in dry time is the dye saturation. Heavily saturated inks, such as Noodlers, will take a long time to dry. These type of inks usually fall in the wet category; if they were dry, they would be so sludgy they'd never get out through the feed. A common tip to get Noodlers to dry faster and otherwise behave better is to add a little distilled water. That effectively makes it wetter, but dilutes the dye saturation a bit.

 

[Dominic]

What I’ve also noticed with the Robert Oster ink is that it dries faster in the nib. If I’m using the pen and stop for a minute then go to write again, I have to scribble for quite a while to get the ink flowing again. I have to be sure to cap it if I’m going to pause. I discovered this while doing a word search puzzle last night and again today while doing my checkbook.