The alkalinity can react over time (or on old materials) with different parts of the pen. It's always a good idea to store vintage pens carefully, as over time the materials offgas, may discolor, and get damaged. Inky pen dance has a great guide that links to Richard Binder's warning against alkaline inks. www.indy-pen-dance.com/preserving-your-pens-dos-and-don-ts.html
After more research I am a bit less worried about the ph of inks. There's a big debate in the fp community! Over a long period of time, any solution can deteriorate an ink sac (even water), but for daily use, a modern ink shouldn't be too much of a concern. Acidic inks can corrode metal parts, but rinsing your pens and not letting the ink dry up inside seem to have the strongest impact, not the ink you choose. And of course, other features can effect how safe an ink is (shimmer might clog, binding agents might gum, etc). I still think the ph is interesting to know, out of curiosity. This is an interesting test of some inks. fountainpenlove.com/fountain-pen-ink/testing-fountain-pen-sacs-with-ink/
@@PensandNeedles Thanks for getting back to me. I had been reading about the controversy and was wondering if you experienced any adverse reaction. I don't mess with a lot of vintage pens (I usually pull the nib out and put it in a modern one much to the horror of many friends) but I had a bladder disintegrate from Iroshizuku ink. Brian Gray of Edison said he was hearing the same thing. But in my case, I leave ink in pens WAY too long.
@@InkyRocks I haven't had any issues. I think it is really a matter of how long the ink is inside. I am a firm believer that pens are meant to be used, and because nibs originally were gold to accommodate acidic inks, I'm ok trying those in vintage pens. I don't have anything in my collection that is priceless, rare, or in mint condition, so even if I damage a pen, it's not a big deal. I'm tempted to try alkaline inks for a short period, but washing out the bladder is such a hassle 😬. I like your idea of a vintage nib on a modern pen that's easy to clean- they don't make flex like they used to!
Very nice work in recalibration!
This is so interesting! Does alkaline inks eat up the rubber parts of vintage pens?
The alkalinity can react over time (or on old materials) with different parts of the pen. It's always a good idea to store vintage pens carefully, as over time the materials offgas, may discolor, and get damaged. Inky pen dance has a great guide that links to Richard Binder's warning against alkaline inks. www.indy-pen-dance.com/preserving-your-pens-dos-and-don-ts.html
After more research I am a bit less worried about the ph of inks. There's a big debate in the fp community! Over a long period of time, any solution can deteriorate an ink sac (even water), but for daily use, a modern ink shouldn't be too much of a concern. Acidic inks can corrode metal parts, but rinsing your pens and not letting the ink dry up inside seem to have the strongest impact, not the ink you choose. And of course, other features can effect how safe an ink is (shimmer might clog, binding agents might gum, etc). I still think the ph is interesting to know, out of curiosity. This is an interesting test of some inks. fountainpenlove.com/fountain-pen-ink/testing-fountain-pen-sacs-with-ink/
@@PensandNeedles Thanks for getting back to me. I had been reading about the controversy and was wondering if you experienced any adverse reaction. I don't mess with a lot of vintage pens (I usually pull the nib out and put it in a modern one much to the horror of many friends) but I had a bladder disintegrate from Iroshizuku ink. Brian Gray of Edison said he was hearing the same thing. But in my case, I leave ink in pens WAY too long.
@@InkyRocks I haven't had any issues. I think it is really a matter of how long the ink is inside. I am a firm believer that pens are meant to be used, and because nibs originally were gold to accommodate acidic inks, I'm ok trying those in vintage pens. I don't have anything in my collection that is priceless, rare, or in mint condition, so even if I damage a pen, it's not a big deal. I'm tempted to try alkaline inks for a short period, but washing out the bladder is such a hassle 😬. I like your idea of a vintage nib on a modern pen that's easy to clean- they don't make flex like they used to!