

These inks are also easy to clean since the dyes dissolve completely in water. As such, inks made with dyes come in hundreds of different colors and are also very common. Dye-based fountain pen inks use tiny, water soluble molecules that are usually very vibrant. What’s the difference between dye-based and pigment-based fountain pen inks anyway? It all comes down to the molecules that give these inks their color. Ink Nameĭe Atramentis Pearlescent Velvet Black Gold Ink Silver and gold shimmer are the most common, but other colors certainly exist. In the table below, we sampled just a handful of shimmering inks. That way, both parts can be cleaned completely. We recommend pairing shimmering inks with pens that have disassemblable nib units: that is, the feed and nib can be separated from each other. The glitter particles are small enough that they flow easily with the liquid ink, but they may clog the inner workings of a fountain pen if left inside a pen without cleaning. Shimmering inks marked for fountain pen use are completely safe, though we always recommend cleaning your pen regularly.

Luckily, you can remedy this problem by priming the feed (turning the converter or piston knob slightly to push fresh ink into the feed), or by swishing the nib in water. You can still use shimmering inks with extra fine nibs, but the shimmer effect will be subtle and you may have issues with poor flow. These nibs put down more ink on the page and thus keep the glitter particles flowing. Too much glitter in the feed will clog it, which leads to hard starts and weak ink flow.Īdditionally, we recommend pairing shimmering inks with pens that have medium or larger nib sizes. Keep pens filled with shimmering inks on their sides rather than nib down, so that the glitter particles don’t settle into the feed. When you pick up a filled pen after a while, you may also have to twirl or roll the pen in your hand to get the shimmer distributed evenly through the ink. Before you fill a pen from the bottle, be sure to shake it gently to make sure the particles are fully suspended in the liquid. Since the glitter particles are physical objects, they will eventually settle to the bottom of the container they are in.

There’s nothing quite like a shimmering ink: their cheerful glimmer makes them hard to beat in holiday cards, letters to penpals, or cheerful journal entries. Like the name implies, shimmering inks are fountain pen inks that have tiny glitter particles suspended within them. Some have a metallic effect that is extremely prominent, while others have more subtle sheen. The blotter paper can be placed over dried ink to prevent smudging.īelow, we tested several sheening inks. Left-handed writers may also find blotter paper a worthwhile investment for sheening inks. A penpal may not appreciate fingertips covered in ink as they flip through the latest letter. Since sheen relies on ink that hasn’t soaked into the paper’s fibers, there is essentially a layer of ink on top of the paper that has nowhere to go. Sheening inks are certainly beautiful, but we don’t recommend using them for high-traffic writing: that is, any text that might be touched often. Sheen isn’t unique to fountain pen inks: the ink from ballpoint pens can sheen too. It appears when dyes or pigments are concentrated on the paper's surface rather than absorbing into the paper’s fibers. If you’ve ever seen an ink develop a metallic rim that is most visible when held at an angle or near a light, then you’ve experienced the next characteristic: sheen. You may be surprised to test a new ink and find that it actually is an impressive shader!īelow, we wrote with five inks that run the shading spectrum: some inks look like two different colors, while others have a smooth, gradient-like effect. Shading is most visible in writing rather than in swabs or other tests in which large amounts of ink are put on the paper. Highly saturated inks tend not to shade at all, as there are greater concentrations of dyes or pigments in the inks. There seems to be a propensity for light-colored inks to experience more shading than dark inks. It can appear very stark in inks with high shading, or as a faint gradient in inks with low shading. Not every ink shades, and some inks shade more than others. These include the beginnings and ends of letters and words, as well as places where lines intersect. Like the ink in rollerball pens, fountain pen ink is liquid and tends to pool in certain areas as you’re writing. Shading is what happens when an ink appears darker in some areas and lighter in others. Planner Stickers, Pens, Stamps, and More.Japanese Stationery: What's the Big Deal?.The Difference Between Ballpoint, Gel, and Rollerball Pens.
