Waterproof Fountain Pen Inks
Fountain pen inks have varying degrees of waterproofness—some can survive a spilled cup of water unscathed while others may be obliterated as completely as the Wicked Witch of the West. In this article, we’ll explore what makes an ink waterproof or not, then take a look at which inks stand up to water best. To start, however, let’s clarify what we mean by “waterproof” within the context of fountain pen inks.
Waterproofness vs. Water Resistance
The term “waterproof” is typically used to mean that an ink will not fade, blur, or discolor when exposed to water. Very few fountain pen inks actually fall into this category, so a more commonly used term is “water resistance.” Water-resistant inks will still be noticeably affected by water, but they are more likely than not to remain legible after a brief spill or soak.
Types of Fountain Pen Ink
The waterproofness of a fountain pen ink is largely determined by which of three types of colorants is used to make it.
Dye-Based Inks
Examples of dye-based inks: Diamine, J. Herbin, and Pilot Iroshizuku.
Dye-based inks are the most common and least water-resistant inks. They are made from tiny dye particles that have been dissolved in water. Because dyes are inherently water-soluble, no dye-based ink is 100% waterproof. Every dye has slightly different chemical properties, however, and many dye-based inks do have good water resistance.
Pigment-Based Inks
Examples of pigment-based inks: Platinum Carbon and Sailor STORiA.
Pigment-based inks contain larger particles that are colloidally suspended in water, rather than dissolved. Because they are made of insoluble particles, pigment-based inks are virtually always waterproof once they have dried and become embedded in the surface of the paper. Carbon and “nano particle” inks all fall under the category of pigment-based inks.
The downside of pigment-based inks is that they require stricter cleaning than dye-based inks. If the ink is left to dry out inside a pen, the pigment particles can clog up the feed, and since they are not water soluble it can take a lot of work to flush them out once this happens. When using a pigment-based fountain pen ink, we recommend cleaning your pen every month, or if the pen will be left unused for more than a week.
Iron Gall Inks
A form of ink dating back at least as far as the Roman Empire, iron gall inks are made by mixing iron sulfate with tannic acid extracted from oak galls. Iron gall inks are waterproof, but they are also acidic—meaning that they can corrode steel nibs and will eventually eat through whatever paper they are used on.
Today, iron gall inks have been almost entirely supplanted by dye- and pigment-based inks, but a few manufacturers do produce modern iron-gall inks that have been formulated to be much gentler on pens and paper.
Recommendations
To find out which fountain pen inks are really the most water resistant, we tested every single one of the nearly 300 different colors of bottled fountain pen ink we currently carry. Crazy? Possibly. Worth it? Definitely. Many of the top-performing inks, like Pilot Blue and Platinum Blue Black, have long been known for their water resistance among seasoned fountain pen users, but a few, like J. Herbin Scented Violet Purple and Waterman Harmonious Green, took us pleasantly by surprise.
It can be challenging to objectively rank water resistance since water affects ink in a variety of ways, causing fading, blurring, discoloration, or a combination of all three. An ink that fades significantly but does not blur may still be more legible than an ink that stays vibrant but does blur. The inks listed below are the ones we found to the most water-resistant in terms of preserving the legibility of what is written.
Tests were done using a TWSBI ECO 1.1 mm stub nib fountain pen dipped in ink. We created two sets of 4 X’s using each ink, then submerged one set of X’s underwater for 30 seconds, after letting the ink dry for several days.
Pigment-Based Inks
Short answer: all of them. We expected these inks to perform well, but even so we were surprised to see that none of them were affected in the slightest by our testing.
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum Carbon Ink – Black |  |
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| Platinum Pigment Ink – Blue |  |
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| Platinum Pigment Ink – Rose Red |  |
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| Sailor Nano Ink – Kiwa-guro |  |
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| Sailor Nano Ink – Sei-boku |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Balloon Green |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Clown Yellow Green |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Dancer Pink |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Fire Red |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Lion Light Brown |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Magic Purple |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Night Blue |  |
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| Sailor STORiA Pigment Ink – Spotlight Yellow |  |
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Dye-Based Inks
As we said earlier, no dye-based ink is completely waterproof, but some do have good water resistance. Below are the inks we found to be the most water resistant, both overall and by color groups. As you will see, some colors tend to be more water-resistant than others. A number of black inks that weren’t in the top three were still more water resistant than the most water-resistant red or turquoise inks, for example.
Overall
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum Blue Black |  |
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| Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Black |  |
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same |  |
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun |  |
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri |  |
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Black
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Black | |
|
|
| Platinum Black |  |
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| J. Herbin Perle Noire |  |
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Blue
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Blue |  |
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| Omas Blue |  |
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| Diamine Sapphire Blue |  |
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Blue Black
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum Blue Black | |
|
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| Pilot Blue Black |  |
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| Sailor Jentle Blue Black |  |
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Brown
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri | |
|
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| Sailor Jentle Doyou |  |
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| J. Herbin Lie de The |  |
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Gray
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same | |
|
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun | |
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| J. Herbin Stormy Grey |  |
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Green
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sailor Miruai |  |
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| Waterman Harmonious Green |  |
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin |  |
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Purple
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caran d’Ache Ultra Violet |  |
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| J. Herbin Scented Violet Purple |  |
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| Kaweco Summer Purple |  |
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Red
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sailor Jentle Oku-yama |  |
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| Diamine Syrah |  |
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| Diamine Merlot |  |
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Turquoise
| Ink | Swab | Writing Sample | Water Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamine Eau de Nil |  |
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| Diamine Teal |  |
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-ro |  |
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Orange, Pink, and Yellow
All of these inks were virtually eradicated by water. If you want a waterproof orange, pink, or yellow ink, you’ll need to stick with a pigment-based ink like the Sailor STORiA inks.
Stay Tuned!
The inks shown above were the best performers in our test, but we still have the results of every other ink, too. Once we’re done processing all of them, we’ll be posting them to our website so that you can browse and compare the water resistance of all of our fountain pen inks!
Conclusion
How important is water resistance to you when choosing a fountain pen ink? Do you have a favorite water-resistant ink? Let us know in the comments below!
Recommended Waterproof and Water-Resistant Fountain Pen Inks
| Ink Type | Color | Ink Name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigment | Various | All | |
| Dye | Various | Platinum Blue Black Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Black Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri |
|
| Dye |  |
Black | Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Black Platinum Black J. Herbin Perle Noire |
| Dye |  |
Blue | Pilot Fountain Pen Ink – Blue Omas Blue Diamine Sapphire Blue |
| Dye |  |
Blue Black | Platinum Blue Black Pilot Blue Black Sailor Jentle Blue Black |
| Dye |  |
Brown | Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri Sailor Jentle Doyou J. Herbin Lie de The |
| Dye |  |
Gray | Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun J. Herbin Stormy Grey |
| Dye |  |
Green | Sailor Miruai Waterman Harmonious Green Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin |
| Dye |  |
Purple | Caran d’Ache Ultra Violet J. Herbin Scented Violet Purple Kaweco Summer Purple |
| Dye |  |
Red | Sailor Jentle Oku-yama Diamine Syrah Diamine Merlot |
| Dye |  |
Turquoise | Diamine Eau de Nil Diamine Teal Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-ro |
| Dye |  |
Orange | None |
| Dye |  |
Pink | None |
| Dye |  |
Yellow | None |
SOURCE:http://www.jetpens.com/blog/waterproof-fountain-pen-inks/pt/829