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freddy · Newbie

Is it safe to mix different brands of ink?

DWL · ***

I have been mixing inks for a decade plus and have never had a problem of any kind. I mix vintage and modern, thick with thin and again, no problems. Get an empty bottle and go crazy with making colors. If you want to replicate the color, keep notes on how much of each color you add. Have fun, it's just ink!

freddy · Newbie

Thanks for the quick response. I'll give it a go and see if I come up with anything interesting. smile

Frank · Admin

I also mix colors/brands all the time! You can have a lot of fun with this!
Note, though, that if you have any Sailor ink, you should not mix it!
(A popular opinion of trouble even from Sailor dealers!-PH imbalance?/Iron Gall?)

There is also the concern of iron gall ink such as MB BB and Lamy BB (both from the bottle-carts are a different formula). They also tend not to play well with others!!

Frank

jor412 · Vintage

I think Herbin also recommends not mixing their inks with other inks.

The ink brands I've safely mixed are Lamy (not blue black though), Waterman, Sheaffer and Pelikan. I've used Waterman black to darken Pelikan inks, for example.

freddy · Newbie

Thanks for the responses. I might have a bit of time to play now that visiting family has gone. I really enjoyed the visit but FP play had to take a back seat while they were here. cry

DWL · ***

I know exactly what you mean. My niece, her fiance & 2 year old just moved up from Florida & are staying with us until they get a place. It's chaos around here..lol

freddy · Newbie

I had a few minutes the other day so just started playing without any thought as to what I might end up with. It turned out to be a rather nice blue-black using no black ink at all. I actually like it but could never reproduce it because I wrote nothing down and just made enough for a partial pen fill. That's okay, though, because when I get to really play then I'd like to try for a red violet cross. I can sort of envision it in my mind and I have a couple of colors that I want to use. This next time I will definitely take strict measures and notes. wink

Frank · Admin

I have a habit of making "one off" batches myself Freddy!
But like you said, you can get close just by knowing what colors you used before!

You made a Blue-Black with no black- cool!
Sounds like you used a combo of red/blue/green to pull that off??

Frank

freddy · Newbie

Pretty much, Frank, but for the life of me I have no idea what the proportions were.� I have actually just ordered two more inks.� One is the Pelikan 4001 Violet.� I already have the J. Herbin Poussi�re de Lune and would like to attempt the mix that matches the Sheaffer Skrip Persian Rose mentioned in another thread.�

The other color I ordered is Private Reserve's Buttercup.� I see it as a base color to darken with other colors.� I actually got a sample of the Buttercup several months ago and really liked it but could not see a practical use for a whole bottle.� However, as a mixer it may have quite a few possiblities.� smile

Mahutr · Seasoned

It is officially unsafe. I have read lots of potential disasters everywhere. Different inks (even among the same brand) might chemically react and produce solids, unbalanced pH, or other awful things.

I have been mixing inks, though, with no adverse effect. I wouldn't advice on this, but it looks that the worst thing that happened to me so far is just a bad color.

Thumbs up to DWL's comment on top!!

Rgds.

jor412 · Vintage

Everyone says don't mix Noodler's Baystate Blue with anything so just to see what would happen, I mixed a small amount with Waterman Black. Within a few minutes, tiny dots of ink started clinging to the bottle wall. :D

DWL · ***

Ewwwww. Any chance of pics so we can see what it looks like.

jor412 · Vintage

DWL wrote:
Ewwwww. Any chance of pics so we can see what it looks like.

�

I did this some time ago and tossed the little I mixed. Everyone kept saying don't do it, don't do it, so I had to -- just to see.� biggrin �BSB apparently doesn't get along with others.�

DWL · ***

lol.

dreary · Newbie

I can also confirm that BSB does not play well with others. It turned into a gunky mess for me.

jor412 · Vintage

I have a dump bottle for whenever I want to dump ink to change colors or pens. I've so far dumped the following in that bottle: vintage quink red, vintage quink black, pelikan blue-black, pelikan royal blue, lamy green, waterman black, sheaffer skrip blue, herbin perle noir, herbin lierre sauvage, herbin eclat de saphir. No ill effects whatsoever and I have what looks like a deep dark blue.

gumwater · Newbie

jor412 wrote:
I have a dump bottle for whenever I want to dump ink to change colors or pens. I've so far dumped the following in that bottle: vintage quink red, vintage quink black, pelikan blue-black, pelikan royal blue, lamy green, waterman black, sheaffer skrip blue, herbin perle noir, herbin lierre sauvage, herbin eclat de saphir. No ill effects whatsoever and I have what looks like a deep dark blue.

�That's a pretty nifty idea. �It'd be interesting to do this and then ink your pen to see what you'd get. �Sounds like you have the beginning of your own brand. �You could call it Mongrel Inks. :)

DWL · ***

I do the same thing. I have a Noodlers bottle 2/3 full of random inks. It's a rusty brown with lavender highlights. Kind of interesting & Gumwater, I LOVE the name. Mongrel inks. How fitting.

jor412 · Vintage

gumwater wrote:
�That's a pretty nifty idea. �It'd be interesting to do this and then ink your pen to see what you'd get. �Sounds like you have the beginning of your own brand. �You could call it Mongrel Inks. :)

� biggrin �@ Mongrel inks.�

Right now, I'd say it's a midnight blue, but I haven't tried inking anything with it yet. I will though and let you know how it writes.�