How to Mix Fountain Pen Ink

Fountain pen ink can be mixed at home.

Fountain pens offer a smooth and elegant writing experience and are a great way to experiment with colored inks. Mix unique shades of fountain pen ink to suit your personal taste, whether that tends toward traditional blues or exotic pinks. With a few bottles of ink and some common supplies, let your imagination be your guide as you mix up new shades of fountain pen ink.

Things You'll Need

• Eye droppers
• Toothpick
• Clear glass or plastic containers for mixing
• Pen and paper
• Glass or plastic container with sealing lid, for storing ink
• Fountain pen or dip pen
• Converter or ink cartridge
• Syringe (optional)
• Cloth for work surface

Instructions

1. Lay a protective cloth down over your work surface. Use an eye dropper to remove your first ink color from the bottle and into one of your mixing containers.

2. Clean the eyedropper before changing colors or use a different eyedropper to avoid contaminating your original ink colors.

3. Add a different color of ink, a few drops at a time and stir the mixture with a toothpick.

4. Write down the number of drops of each color mixed together, so you can create the same recipe again, if desired.

5. Let the ink set for a few minutes. If the ink behaves normally and hasn't thickened, use the toothpick or dip your pen to experiment writing with the color. Some inks have incompatible chemical compositions; if the ink undergoes any observable changes other than color, throw it away and don't put it in your pen.

6. Adjust the colors as desired and increase the quantity, if necessary.

7. Pour your ink into the storage container, then fill your converter or ink cartridge with the new ink.

Tips & Warnings

• You can reuse old ink cartridges after they've been cleaned; just add new ink with an eye dropper or syringe.

• Only use fountain pen ink in your fountain pen. Never mix India ink or other non-fountain pen inks for use in your pen, as the ink might cause permanent damage to the inner workings of your pen.

References

• Pendemonium: A Few Thoughts on Fountain Pen Inks
• Glenn's Pens: Fountain Pen Ink