Inks for dip pens and technical pens

Ink lightfastness test

I have made my own lightfastness test for almost all the ink and pens that I currently own. This means that it is very random which inks and pens you will find here, I have never bought a full set of any ink or pens, but I thought that maybe someone else but me have use for this so I decided to publish the result anyway.

Method and theory

I made swatches of all ink and pens and put them in a window facing south for three summer months. Since I am an amateur, I always consider my own testing like this: even if the product (pen, pencil, ink or paint) doesn't show any proof of fading this doesn't prove anything for sure. It is only to consider as a chance of being lightfast. If the samples however show fading of the color, it is safe to say that it is not lightfast.

Inks for dip pens and technical pens 

Here are all inks that isn´t only for fountain pens and doesn't fall under Indian ink. Some are for technical pens and other for dip pens. Most of them are in different colors.

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink (red capped)                           White

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens        Black

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens        Indian red

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens        Sepia

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens        Yellow Ochre

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens        Winsor Yellow

Daler Rowney FW Artist Acrylic ink                           Process Magneta

Daler Rowney FW Artist Acrylic ink                           Process Yellow

Daler Rowney FW Artist Acrylic ink                           Process Cyan

Rotring                                                                          Black

Isomars Technoart                                                      Brown

Isomars Technoart                                                      Violet

Isomars Technoart                                                      Green

Isomars Technoart                                                      Blue

Isomars Technoart                                                      Pink

Isomars Technoart                                                      Red

Isomars Technoart                                                      Orange

Isomars Technoart                                                      Yellow

Isomars Technoart                                                      Lemon yellow

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink for Fountain & Dip pens are for dip pens, fountain pens and technical pens (and of course brushes) according to Winsor and Newton. My experience is that if you use them in a technical pen you have to clean it more often then usually. They are not waterproof. Note that the red-capped are not for anything but dip pens and brushes.

Winsor & Newtons Calligraphy Ink

Daler Rowney is an acrylic-based ink that is water-resistant that can be used in technical pens according to Daler Rowney, but I haven’t had too much luck with that so far.

Daler Rowney FW

Rotring Drawing ink is for technical pens. It is waterproof. They use to offer yellow as well but nowadays they have only black, red, blue and white (they also used to have yellow which meant that you could mix your own colors). I have used inks from Rotring for years and they are excellent for technical pens.

Rotring

Isomars Technoart ink comes in eleven colors; I have tested nine of them (all colors but not the black and the white). Technoart’s ink is waterproof ink for technical pens.

Isomars Technoart

The result of the lightfastness test

All the six Winsor and Newton Calligraphy inks tested excellent, as did the Daler Rowney FW. The black from Rotring did also very well. The only one in this category that didn’t´ do perfectly well is the yellow from Techoart and if I look very closely I can just barely see a small shift in the orange.

I made a video about my lightfastness test on my channel on Youtube. If it is of interest for you, here it is.