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fountain pen ink ?

OK my first fountain pen was a dewan fine nib and a great writer but not the best looking pen.well i just bought a medium nib sz.leqi and the ink seems to come out way to fast. would using a different ink fix this?currently I'm using Higgins fountain pen ink.any suggestions you have will be much appreciated.
 
My favourite is Higgins Fountain Pen India, though every nib has a different flow. I find I have to dilute it 1/4 with water for proper flow (which also gives me the dark charcoal line I prefer to jet black). If you need to thicken it, use gum arabic solution, still sold in solution at some stationers as "gum mucilage" or just "mucilage". It should be a light brown, thick, syrupy glue.

Dextrine mucilage is a good substitute.You can make it as follows:

1. Make a tray out of aluminum foil large enough to hold a tbsp or so of corn starch with lots of room. Alternatively, use one of the little disposable aluminum mini-loaf pans.
2. Put a tbsp or so of starch in and break up clumps as well as you can, spreading it out.
3. Place it in a preheated oven or convection oven at 550F (or however hot it'll go).
4. Observe carefully, removing the pan and stirring/breaking up clumps whenever it starts yellowing.
5. The final product you're shooting for is a beige or yellow-tan powder (it's called "canary dextrine" for that reason).
6. This can be mixed into a 1:1 syrup (use HOT water) and left to sit 24 hours. Unchanged starch will settle to the bottom in a thick cloudy layer.
7. Decant the clear syrup and keep refrigerated up to six months.

Add small amounts of mucilage to an ink that flows too quickly, mixing well between tests. The preservatives in the ink will keep the small amounts of mucilage present from degrading.
 
I recommend purchasing watercolor-ground pigments, gum arabic, a Milli-Q water purifier, sodium benzoate, a ball mill, and a bunch of glass bottles and start doing for ink what we do for shaving! *grin*
 
India ink is NOT fountain pen ink - it can clog up the feed - its meant to be used with a dip pen. If you follow the recommendation above to thicken india ink, you'll only exacerbate the possiblitly of giving your FP indigestion.

A good, easy to find FP ink is Watermans - I find that it works well in virtually all of my pens, regardless of nib width. The colours are pretty good, I like the Florida Blue, but the blue-black and black are also quite good.

The Noodlers also gets good reviews - I've got a bottle and I find it a little thin/fast flowing for my medium nibs, but good for my finer nibs.

Aurora is good ink as well - in either the blue or the black.

The Peliakn ink is medocre at best.

The Lamy ink has good flow characteristics, but the colours aren't great (a little on the dull side/not enough pigment for my tastes). The Lamy ink is neat in that the well comes with a built in roll of blotter paper for wiping your nib after filling.

Hope this helps.
 
First, I have to recommend Private Reserve. Noodlers is good, Florida Blue is a standard; but, I love Private Reserve.

Next, I have to agree with Suzuki. Additives can have their place, but I'd be worried about accumulation, clogging, and long term problems. Seems to me it would be easier and better to fix the problem. That way you don't have to worry about what to add, how much to add, having a limited selection of inks, and if your pen is going to belly-up on you.

If the pen was new, I'd say contact the seller/manufacturer. Most will correct that kind of defect. If it is used, you can either try to adjust it yourself, or have a nibmeister take a look at it. If you decide to give it a go yourself, there is plenty of resources out there to guide you along. Also, if you're not a member of fountain pen forum, you might want to check it out. The members can be really helpful.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Oh, and I believe Hubbins makes a fountain-pen-safe india ink, in addition to their regular india ink. I think they have a designation on the bottle.
 
As Chris said, AVOID India Ink in fountain pens. India ink has small pigment particles suspended in a fluid. This will clog the feed of a fountain pen. True fountain pen ink is a dye-based solution.

Noodler's is great ink, but does have a tendency to be a fast-flowing ink. Aurora black seems a bit thick to me, so I'd avoid that when troubleshooting a pen.

The best ink in my experience, for troublesome pens is Waterman Florida Blue. I've had a number of pens that just wouldn't agree with anything and are absolutely a dream with Waterman's Florida Blue. It's my troubleshooting ink of choice.

Otherwise, I really like Mont Blanc Violet (it is the only Mont Blanc ink I'd recommend), Noodler's American Eel Cactus Green, various other Noodler's inks and the Waterman inks. I haven't tried Private Reserve yet, but I'm happy enough with Noodler's, Waterman, and Mont Blanc Violet that I have no desire to do so.
 
I have been using FP's for about 12 years, and have tried probably 2/3 of the inks out there. True, India ink is not for FP's. As for the rest, it is really a matter of preference and pen. I would add to the listings here the overlooked Namiki blue, which I think has the most sapphire look after the now-discontinued Penman Sapphire.
 
I have been using FP's for about 12 years, and have tried probably 2/3 of the inks out there. True, India ink is not for FP's. As for the rest, it is really a matter of preference and pen. I would add to the listings here the overlooked Namiki blue, which I think has the most sapphire look after the now-discontinued Penman Sapphire.

+1

Namiki does make pretty nice ink.
 
I'm also partial to Private Reserve. My current favorite is Black Cherry. I've inked at least 10 pens with Private Reserve and each pen wrote wonderfully.
 
also to avoid is caligraphy ink, even if it says fountain pen safe, aside from heavy pigments which can clog, calig. inks also contain shallac or other waterproofers which *will* clog your pen.
 
India ink is NOT fountain pen ink - it can clog up the feed - its meant to be used with a dip pen. If you follow the recommendation above to thicken india ink, you'll only exacerbate the possiblitly of giving your FP indigestion.

To respectfully disagree, over the past eight years or so, I've used dozens of fountain pens as daily writing instruments and rarely fed them anything but Higgins FP India, adjusted to viscosity (as above) for the individual pen. Granted, most of them were antiques, and thus were originally designed for pigment inks rather than dye inks; but even my very modern Waterman Phileas and a couple of current-make low-end Sheaffers handle it without fuss.
 
Yes, but any deferred cleaning and it's a goner. Believe me, Richard Binder has seen many clogged feeds due to India ink. FP India maybe a little waterier than normal india, but is still a bit risky.

Diamine is my favorite- large palateof colors, minimal staining issues
 
As a fountain pen user and collector I am partial to the following brands: Diamine, Waterman, Pelikan and Noodlers. Granted the old saying goes your milage may vary.
 
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