Ink Trivia

Ink Trivia

Question: What is the difference between ink bottles and ink wells?

Answer: Inkwells are different from ink bottles in that they are filled from ink bottles and are used as a temporary home. Their purpose is to house the ink in a convenient place for the writer. Traveling ink wells are a classic example of its portable use.

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Ink Trivia

Question: How long will the average ballpoint pen refill last?

Answer: 2 miles worth of writing

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Ink Trivia Government Ink

Question: What ink formula is the standard for use in the United States Post Office?









Answer: 11.7 grams of tannic acid, 3.8 grams of gallic acid crystals, 15 grams of ferrous sulphate crystals, 12.5 grams of a diluted hydrochloric acid, 12.5 grams of phenol acid, 1 gram of black dye and 1 liter of distilled water.

At the turn of the century, the United States government devised a standard for ink for use in post offices. With much wear and tear on pens used in United States Post Offices, this formula was written originally to provide ink for use in its lobbies.

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Ink Trivia

Question: What is the oldest ink-written postcard?

Answer: The oldest ink-written postcard is dated 1840 and was discovered in 2002. It was penned by an English gentleman who sent it to himself.  Prior to this discovery, postcards in the late 1960s from Germany, Austria and the USA were thought to be the oldest ones of record.

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Ink Trivia

Using a twist converter with Ink Bottle

One of the many joys of using a fine fountain pen is availability in the wide assortment of bottled ink to choose from. Whether conservative or flamboyant, there is an ink to fit every personality and your every mood. You can always dip a pen for inking, but using a pen converter provides a longer lasting ink reserve and allows your ideas to flow.  Some may be a little leery of exploring using a fountain pen converter. Here are some detailed easy instructions to take out the mystery of converters.

1.) Unscrew the neck from the pen barrel and insert the open end of the converter.
2.) Dip the pen in ink up to the hole in the nib. Be careful not to jam the nib point into the bottom of the bottle.
3.) Twist the black converter screw top clockwise three or four times to fill the ink reservoir.
4.) Ink remaining on the neck or nib should be wiped off with a clean tissue or cloth before use.

You are now ready to write!

Question: When was the first pen reservoir invented?





















Answer:  As an answer to 10th century ruler Fatomid Caliph of Egypt demand for a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes, a pen which held ink in a reservoir and delivered it to the nib in was created in 953.

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Ink Trivia

 


Question: What is the difference between a Ballpoint pens/refills and Rollerball pens/refills?

Answer: Ballpoint pen refills use a thick oil based ink where the ball in the pen nib pushes the ink on to the paper. Ballpoint pens have a thick ink that does not evaporate easily. A cap is not necessary. Ballpoint ink is less likely to bleed through the paper.

A Rollerball pen is more related to the fountain pen as it uses a water based ink. The Rollerball pen and refill was first introduced to fit the demands of loyalists of fountain pens that missed the use of a wetter ink. Rollerball ink spreads on paper widely and goes inside the paper a little deeper than oil-based ink of a ballpoint pen.

Since the water based ink of a Rollerball pen has a higher rate of drying out, having a cap is absolutely necessary for this pen to cover the pen nib when not in use.

Most Ballpoint and Rollerball refills are offered in fine and medium size, some brands offer broad.

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Ink Trivia

You have more choices than you think. Blue writing ink is the most popular color used for pens. To simply say you want to use blue ink does not narrow it down as to your choice. As with many colors, blue ink is available in many shades such as Sapphire, Regency, Blue Velvet, Royal, Midnight, Imperial, Cobalt, Cerulean, Electric, Blue Suede and Mediterranean. Pen Boutique also carries many brands that offer blue including Waterman, Parker, Noodler’s Ink, Pilot-Namiki, Cross, Lamy, Diamine, Faber-Castell, Sheaffer, Montblanc and Sailor.

Question: What color helps you to remember?



























Answer: You are more likely to remember something if you write it down in blue ink.

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Ink Trivia - Bottles vs. cartridges/Instructions for use

Ink Trivia

Ink Bottles: Bottles vs. cartridges/Instructions for use

Although it is a personal preference, there is a cost benefit factor in choosing ink bottles over ink cartridges for your fountain pen. According to research done by Noodler’s a 4.5 oz bottle of their ink has the amount of ink equal to $72.94 worth of the least costly retail ink cartridges in the world. In addition, Noodler’s Ink has a reputation for being good quality, is safe for all fountain pens and comes in a wide range of colors. Using bottled ink when you can makes sense – it is easier on the environment and it is by far a much better deal than ink cartridges.

Bottled fountain pen inks can be used in any fountain pen having a converter, piston-fill, or other reservoir system. Start by lowering your fountain pen nib into the ink bottle. Depending on the model you have, you can either draw up ink by screwing or pulling the converter. Remove the nib and don't forget to wipe it with a lint-free cloth.

Question: What are the advantages of using Noodler’s Polar Black and Polar Blue ink?

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Answer: “Freeze Resistant Inks” include Polar Blue and Polar Black, which will resist forming a solid mass of ice within a glass ink bottle during most cold weather conditions (though they will form some harmless ice “slush” when very cold). The first “Polar” ink was “freeze proof” to -114° F, but the reformulated Polar inks made from 2006 and later have a faster dry time, better flow rate, and are basic “freeze resisting” inks to avoid expansion. 

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Fun with Inkblots

Inkblots have been around as long as there has been ink.

The Rorschach test also known as the Rorschach inkblot test (or simply the inkblot test) is a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. The test is named after its creator, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. In the 1960s, the Rorschach was the most widely used projective test. In a national survey in the U.S., the Rorschach was ranked eighth among psychological tests used in outpatient mental health facilities

It is also fun to create inkblots by folding them together.

Start with the basics, as you scroll down, you will find more complex things to make and do with inkblots.

How to Make a Basic Inkblot

You will need:

Paper (light-medium weight art paper, or computer printer paper)

If you what to be really adventurous, try out some Rhodia smooth surface paper.

http://www.penboutique.com/rhodia-notepads-graph-orange-80s-3x4.html

http://www.penboutique.com/rhodia-notepads-black-lined-80s-3x4.html

Ink (in a bottle use a dropper)

Try these fun Noodlers colors:

http://www.penboutique.com/noodler-s-ink.html

Water in a squeeze bottle (or apply with a brush or cotton swab)

Fold a piece of paper in half. Apply a dot or two of water, and a dot or two of ink.

Fold the paper, and apply pressure with the palm of your hand. Unfold.

What do you see?

Things to Do With Inkblots

Inkblots can help anyone neatly sidestep their logical brain to access their creative right brain right away.  What one sees in an inkblot can be the impetus for a short story for creative writers, aid in character development for the budding playwright, provide a visual workout for a visual artist, or even the beginnings of a more developed painting.

Drawing into Inkblots

As soon as you make an inkblot, you will start seeing things in them–fantastic creatures, monsters, landscapes, flowers and plants. If you don’t see anything at first, give yourself time!

You will need:

A few inkblots

Colored pencils

 Black or colored gel pen

For fun you can customize your Parker Ballpoint pen with these gel refills:

http://www.penboutique.com/monteverde-capless-broad-2-pcs-pack-blister-card-gel-refill-to-fit-montblanc-pens-black.html

Simply draw around what you see and color it in!

Inkblot Butterflies

You can make inkblot butterflies, color into them with colored pencils, and collage them on a page or in a diorama.  Prefold you paper, as instructed above, and apply ink on one half in a simple butterfly shape–one wing, perhaps with two lobes, a dot on each wing lobe, a quick line of ink for the body. Fold and unfold–a butterfly! Some will be more butterfly-like than others.

Questions: When was the Rorschach test first used?

 

Answer: The first publication of Hermann Rorschach's 10 inkblots was in 1921 as a monograph, Psychodiagnostik. For the 1940s and 1950s, the Rorschach was the test of choice in clinical psychology.

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Ink Blotters

Back in the days when everyone used quill pens and fountain pens the one thing that could be found on every office or writing desk was an ink blotter. Ink blotters were usually made of a soft absorbent paper formed into a card and were used to dry up excess ink. Today, these vintage blotters, made in the 1930s and 1940s, are very highly prized and sought after collectibles. Ink Blotters were a very popular form of advertising that were often given away by fountain pen manufacturers, banks, merchants and especially Insurance Companies. Antique Ink blotters were as common as business cards are today.  Written references to ink blotting paper in America have been found beginning in the late 1700s. In the late 1800s, a patent was issued for improved blotting paper which featured a smooth surface on one side and a blotting surface on the other.  Rocker blotters were an important piece of desk equipment from the late 1880s until the 1950s. This type of blotter had a handle 2 to 5 inches long and a rounded surface 2 to 3 inches wide where the blotting paper was attached. Blotting paper is used to absorb ink or oil from writing materials.

Pen Boutique offer two very absorbent brands of blotting paper.

http://www.penboutique.com/j-herbin-10-blotting-paper-pad-refill.html

http://www.penboutique.com/p-8726-visconti-plasticized-blotting-paper.aspx

When was blotter paper first found in the United States?

























Blotting paper was first manufactured in the United States by Joseph Parker & Son in 1856. (no relation to Parker Pens)

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Ink Trivia

Red ink

Certain images instantly conjure up this bold color: fire engines, flames, roses, rouges, rubies, rust, tomatoes, blood and valentines. Red pens have traditionally been used by teachers when grading papers – ostensibly to make their comments and markings stand out from the original work.

Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.

Red ink was used extensively in medieval manuscripts. It was the color of headings, titles and initials. It was also used for important days in the calendar. In the medieval Books of Hours, the days of the month written in red denoted Saints' Days - hence our saying 'red letter day.'

Put some red in your life when you want to show:

·         increased enthusiasm and interest

·         more energy

·         action and confidence to go after your dreams

There is no bolder color than red and Pen Boutique has the many hot shades your pen desires.  Check out some of our scarlet wonders:


http://www.penboutique.com/noodler-s-ink-firefly-bottled-ink.html
http://www.penboutique.com/montblanc-mystery-black-60-ml-ink-bottle-refill.html
http://www.penboutique.com/diamine-150th-anniversary-40ml-carnival-red.html

What is the complementary color of red on the color wheel?

Answer: Red’s direct opposite is green.

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Message in a Bottle:Water-proof Ink

    

     

A Message in a Bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass bottle, but could be any medium, as long as it floats and remains waterproof) and released into the sea or ocean. Among other purposes they are used for scientific studies of ocean currents.

Ever since humans have had the "vessel" for a letter, the ability to write and the time to do it messages have been dropped into the sea. Messages inside of bottles have been floated over a long period of time by a variety of people, for a variety of reasons. The earliest known sender recorded was the Greek philosopher Theophrastus who, in around 310 B.C., threw sealed bottles into the Mediterranean to prove that the inland body of water was formed by the inflow of the Atlantic.
On his return to Spain following his first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus's ship entered a severe storm. Columbus threw a report of his discovery along with a note asking it to be passed on to the Queen of Spain, in a sealed cask into the sea, hoping the news would make it back even if he did not survive. In fact, Columbus survived and the sealed report was never found, or at least, its discovery never reported.

Queen Elizabeth I of England in the 16th Century used bottles to carry intelligence reports. Messages in bottles have been chronicled for centuries and include some of the most famous names in history. For example, Ben Franklin, used message-carrying bottles to compile a basic knowledge of East Coast currents in the mid-1700's, and to this day is still used by the U.S. Navy.

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest message in a bottle spent 92 years 229 days at sea. A bottom drift bottle, numbered 423B, was released at 60° 50'N 00° 38'W (about halfway between Aberdeen, Scotland and the coast of Denmark) on April 25, 1914 and recovered by fisherman Mark Anderson of Bixter, Shetland, UK, on December 10, 2006.

Today the romantic notion of casting a Message in a Bottle is still alive. Contemporary culture has spawned a popular song by the Police, a book by Nichols Sparks and a companion movie to the best seller. Even Message in a Bottle pre-made kits are now available for purchase.

If you are am island castaway, or you just want to enjoy this time honored tradition, using waterproof ink is your best bet for this endeavor. It is a form of ink that can be used in various pens and is intended to not be water-soluble and therefore not run or be ruined by exposure to water. Pen Boutique carries a wide variety of waterproof ink to be used in your own Message in a Bottle!

Question: What is the most popular waterproof ink?

Answer: Noodler's Black

Noodler's:

#41 Brown: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11896-noodlers-ink-41-brown-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Belted Kingfisher: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11895-noodlers-ink-bad-belted-kingfisher-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Black Moccasin: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11894-noodlers-ink-bad-black-moccasin-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Bad Blue Heron: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11893-noodlers-ink-bad-blue-heron-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Lexington Gray: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11904-noodlers-ink-lexington-gray-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Luxury Blue: http://www.penboutique.com/p-14451-noodlers-ink-luxury-blue-1oz-eternal-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

Bad Green Gator: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11897-noodlers-ink-bad-green-gator-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Black: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11848-noodlers-ink-black-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

X-Feather: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11892-noodlers-ink-x-feather-ink-bottle-refill-original.aspx

Year of the Golden Pig: http://www.penboutique.com/p-10215-noodlers-ink-year-of-the-pig-gold-45-oz-highlighter-ink-bottle.aspx

Diamine Registers Ink:
30ml: http://www.penboutique.com/p-13747-diamine-blueblack-registrars-ink-bottle-30ml.aspx

100ml: http://www.penboutique.com/p-13746-diamine-blueblack-registrars-ink-100-ml.aspx

Montblanc:
Black bottle: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11504-montblanc-permanent-black-60-ml-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

Blue bottle: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11505-montblanc-permanent-blue-60-ml-ink-bottle-refill.aspx

90th Anniversary: http://www.penboutique.com/p-12331-montblanc-meisterstuck-90th-year-anniversary-special-edition-permanent-grey-ink-bottle-category-refill.aspx

Black ink cartridges: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11507-montblanc-permanent-black-ink-cartridges-refill.aspx

Blue ink cartridges: http://www.penboutique.com/p-11506-montblanc-permanent-blue-ink-cartridges-refill.aspx

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Fountain Pen Ink Trivia

Fountain pen ink is a water-based ink intended for use with fountain pens.

Because fountain pens operate on the principle of capillary action, ink for them is almost exclusively dye-based. Pigment inks (which contain solid pigment particles in a liquid suspension) tend to clog the narrow passages of the pens. Some pigmented inks do exist for fountain pens, but these are uncommon. The ideal fountain pen ink is free-flowing, free of sediment, and non-corrosive. These qualities may be compromised in the interests of permanence, manufacturability, and in order to use some widely available dyes.

Most fountain pen manufacturers also provide a brand of ink; for example Parker sells 'Quink', '. The recent resurgence of fountain pen use has also created a market for companies that specialize in ink, such as the British company Diamine and the American company, Noodler's Ink. These manufacture ink in dozens of different colors.

Trivia Question: What is the most popular selling bottled ink?











































Answer: Lamy Blue

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Ink Trivia : What type of ink colors flow the best and is trouble-free and are less likely to dry-out?

What type of ink colors flow the best and is trouble-free and are less likely to dry-out?

Answer: Pigment inks such as royal blue, turquoise, red, green and brown are trouble-free inks.

Important Tip: When changing the color tone of a brand of ink you should thoroughly rinse with lukewarm water until all remains and residue of ink feed and ink reservoir.

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Ink Trivia : How many years ago was the first successful recipe for writing ink created?

Ink Trivia

For years people had been carving into clay, stone, or wood to write a record of their life and experiences. But when ink and paper came, it revolutionized writing for all time. They are still in use today. Thus, it’s interesting to know who invented ink.

Many say it was the Egyptians who invented ink. They also say paper was invented by an Egyptian, because “paper” comes from the word “papyrus” which grew abundantly in the Nile region. But recorded history shows that both writing implements—paper and ink—were invented by Chinese men. The paper inventor was T’sai-Lun and the ink inventor was Tien-Lcheu.

Egyptians are often deemed the first users of ink. And that an Egyptian was who invented ink. This is because of the common notion that paper was invented by an Egyptian. True, papyrus was in wide use in Egypt for writing in early times. But they used stylus to carve figures on papyrus instead of black ink. Stylus is a pointed thin rod. Ink was first applied using a brush made of bird’s feather. With this invention, the ink inventor simplified writing and made it so convenient. By 1200 B.C. this black liquid writing implement became popular and other people developed it further by mixing natural dyes. Some applied different colors they took from minerals and plants like berries. This was all made possible because of the breakthrough provided by the man who invented ink.



Q. How many years ago was the first successful recipe for writing ink created?
























Answer: About 1,600 years ago, a popular ink recipe was created. The recipe was used for centuries. Iron salts, such as ferrous sulfate (made by treating iron with sulfuric acid), were mixed with tannin from gallnuts (they grow on trees) and a thickener. When first put to paper, this ink is bluish-black. Over time it fades to a dull brown.

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Ink Trivia

Ink Trivia

The ink cartridge for fountain pens was introduced around 1950. It was a disposable, pre-filled plastic or glass cartridge designed for clean & easy insertion. They were an immediate success. The introduction of ballpoints, however, overshadowed the invention of the cartridge. Fountain pens today sell as a classic writing instrument and the original pens have become a very hot collectible. 

International Standard cartridges are a common pattern in use by most European and Japanese fountain pen manufacturers. Fountain pens designs will adopt one of two approaches for cartridges: proprietary designs that force you to buy that brand of cartridge, ensuring they receive the ongoing income from refills; or the standard design, which gives you a choice of cartridge brands to use in your pen.

There are two versions of the international standard cartridge - 'short' 38mm cartridges and 'long' 73mm cartridges. Most pens will accept either, and many are designed to accommodate two short cartridges - one in use and one spare in the barrel. This should ensure that you don't run out of ink unexpectedly. A few very compact fountain pens can only use the short version. 

Pen Boutique offers a variety of ink cartridges for fountain pens. Private Reserve offers the most variety color selections in a universal short option that fits most pens. How many different ink colors does Private Reserve offer?

hint:http://www.penboutique.com/private-reserve-inks.html

Answer: 44 different colors

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