There is no single item more important to the above average operation or performance of a fine writing instrument than an exceptional, high-quality ink. Without a good ink, the fountain pen will not leave much of a mark on any grade of paper, leaving a blank page in 2nd place at best, as to importance.
In the middle-ages, the ferro-gallic (iron-gall) inks were the most widely popular of those in regular use. One of the main disadvantages of these ferruginous type inks was that the formulations rapidly aged, dehydrated, and dried very quickly, even while still in the bottle... another less-than-ideal characteristic was its acidic nature that would cause serious corrosion on less than precious medals, like steel, if left exposed to each other for some time. Finally, the methods used long ago to produce this useful mixture sometimes, left little, minute amounts of sentiment to clog the nib channels and prevent good ink flow.
Later on, with the ever-widening production of fountain pens in the late 1800's, they became much more popular once they were much more affordable to average, everyday writer. This was due in part to mechanization and other production techniques employed in the industry and the increased availability of materials. As the popularity grew, so did the need for ink in general, and it highlighted the problems and issues of iron-gall ink to the point that many pen companies became involved in developing their own various ink formulations, that didn't have all of the issues of iron-gall ink.
It wasn't long before the job of mass-producing large quantities of ink became easier and easier after new dyes appeared on the market. These new dyes were water-soluble and offered new possibilities and solutions to the age-old problem, of using ink, with some new issues of their own. Further developments utilizing synthetically created, water-soluble dyes, finally began to provide users with a real viable alternative that performed as well or even better than the old iron-gall type inks used to. With few exceptions, the more common fountain pen inks of today are pure color inks, made of not much more than simply water and the colored dyes.
With today's inks, available on the market these days, here are a few facts to consider. Some of them are:
Durability: The average shelf-life of an ink cartridge is approximately one year. After that, the moisture within the cartridge begins to evaporate through the porus plastic it is contained within. This can result in an ink cartridge that appears to only be half-filled (or less) with ink and also appears much more saturated than before. As for the shelf-life of ink in bottles, it generally is based upon the material of the bottle and how well the bottle is completely sealed.
Mixing Inks: The mixing of various colors of ink can open-up a whole new world of color and ink characteristics. Care must be taken however, when mixing inks with different ph-values, for it may cause the mixture to precipitate (formation of a solid in a solution during a chemical reaction), making it totally unuseable. Generally, though there are exceptions to every rule, when mixing ink, one should try to only mix those inks of the same manufacturer, inks that behave similarly and have similar ph-values, as this will reduce the chance and risk of precipitates forming and/or the ink not mixing or turning out well. Another bit of advice is to always start out with very small quantities of ink in specific proportions, if that is successful, then try larger ones only if you need to. One must also ensure that a fountain pen is rinsed / flushed thoroughly before filling it with a new color or type of ink.
Ink Stains: As is true with most ink manufacturers products, only the royal or washable blues can usually be totally washed out of most textiles or clothing. It is always best, no matter the type of the ink or what color it is to wash the item immediately, using bar, laundry or hand dishwashing detergent/soap and lots of water, then rinse and repeat. Solvents of any kind, are not recommended and usually will “set” the ink stain permanently. There are some products available, that can produce limited success if used right away. The ones we know about are Amodex and Ink-Nix. This is neither an endorsement or approval of either of these products or any guarantee that they'll work, we've just heard about them and are passing the information along. They can easily be found in a search of Google, your local art supply store, or favorite fountain pen dealer.
Permanency: Though some makers say that their ink is waterproof, etc., some of Lamy's fountain pen inks are not totally, like their washable blue. On the other hand, some of their inks are, like their blue-black, because of its make-up can be considered somewhat so. This includes light-fastness also. Generally, Lamy does state in some of their literature that their black and blue-black inks should be considered permanent when completely dry. This simply means that even after years of storage in a dry, shady place, both inks will remain legible and last for many years more.
Lamy ink is sometimes overlooked and undervalued since it is not in their nature to be super bold or even gawdy. In terms of real shades, true hues and absolute color, these inks provide a remarkable designer palette that exudes depth and final color choices that need no interpretation.
The colors, shading and other distinct characteristics are by design and somewhat understated, as is common among many of C. Josef Lamy, GmbH's writing instrument designs also. This is intentional and allows for a much greater versatility, flexibility and functionality of Lamy brand ink. Whether it be used in school, on homework, serious documentation, archival writing, accounting, or merely signing a report card, these inks make a statement, in sort of an understate way, no one can deny.
Lamy fountain pen ink is available in three different containers:
Cartridges: As for colors, Lamy provides the widest selection of colors in their T10 cartridges. Cartridge ink is available in Black, (washable) Blue, Blue-Black, Red, Green, Turquoise and Violet.
T51 - 30ml Bottle: In the uniquely styled, slimer bottle, there is the least color selection, with just the Black, (washable) Blue, and Red available through some distributors. The T51 bottle also includes a wide neck and a special, cone-shaped basin, to collect ink residue or sediment, but more importantly making it much easier to fill a fountain pen when the ink level is low in the bottle. In addition, the bottle has a wide, sturdy base that inhibits accidental spilling and tipping over.
T52 - 50ml Bottle: As for the larger bottle, all of the Lamy colors of ink are available, save for violet (only available in cartridges). Similar in shape to the T51, the T52 has a unique and distinctive feature found on no other ink bottle anywhere, a blotter paper tape dispenser around its base, that provides the user access to a continuous (50ccm) strip of narrowly-cut, plastic-backed, blotter paper that can be torn off at any length in order to either clean a pen's nib or to blot a users writing. This bottle also, like the T51, has a really sturdy base that makes tipping over and spilling much more difficult.
| Black: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| (Washable) Blue: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| Blue-Black: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| Green: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| Red: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| Turquoise: |  | More Coming Soon... |
| Violet: |  | More Coming Soon... |
Several images and much more detail are coming soon.
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