Ink

What substances does ink consist of?

Ink in the modern sense of the word was already in use before Christ. It mostly consisted of liquids containing iron. In the Middle Ages the common ink was a ferro-gallic ink. Those inks aged and dried up in the bottle very quickly and could therefore not be used for fountain pens. After new dyes appeared on the market which were water soluble and after further developments with synthetically water soluble dyes, ferro-gallic ink became less and less popular. The fountain pen inks available today, like the Pelikan ink 4001, are not pure dye inks.

Are there larger bottles available for refilling the 30ml jar?

Yes, the royal blue and black is available in 250 ml and 1000 ml bottles.

Why do ink cartridges that have not been used yet are suddenly only half-filled with ink?

Half-filled cartridges are mostly dried out, which means that they were in storage too long. Ink cartridges can be stored up to 12 months. If they are stored longer, the water from the ink evaporates.

Can the separate ink colours be mixed with each other to create new colours?

We do not recommend mixing different ink colours because the colours might fade due to of the different pH-values. Because of this fountain pens should be thouroughly rinsed with water before a change in ink colour.

How can I best remove ink stains from textiles?

Only the royal blue can be washed out of most textiles. It is best to wash out other colours with washing powder and water as soon as possible but do not treat with a solvent. Unfortunately, if colour stains have had a chance to dry on natural fibres, it is often not possible to completely remove them.

Is the black or blue-black ink water-proof?

According to the standard, fountain pen inks are not water-proof. This also means that they are not forgery-proof on paper. Black and blue-black ink is very permanent. The ink in files and documents that have been stored in dry and shaded places can be read even after decades.

Is an ink for documents or a laundry ink still available?

No, we no longer have special ink in our collection.

Can ink 4001 also be used as a refill for ink-jet printers?

No. Fountain pen ink is not ink-jet ink. Therefore we cannot guarantee that it will function properly as the fountain pen ink was not developed, or even tested, for use as ink-jet ink. Printer companies will not accept claims against guarantees if ink was used in the printer which is not suited to the printer or which damages it.

Why are some ink colours no longer available?

Because some colours are fashionable colours and they have been exchanged for others.