Neil
Fellow
Paulm posted recently a white Empress rollerball that he had made as a wedding gift, probably with the intention for the bride and groom to sign the register with. Ed has PMd Paul as a result of that I guess with the advice that he will need to change the rollerball to a fountain pen nib.
But why?
Quite simply because Registrars and Ecclesiastical registers need to be signed with “Registrars Ink”, but what is it? Registrars ink used to be called Iron Gall Ink. Its been around since before the 4th Century and was the type of ink used when the earliest known bible was written. It is also chemically called Gallo Ferric Ink. Simply it is formed by combining iron with tannc acid (tannin) and was first made by combining iron with oak galls, hence the name.
(At this point remember the Oak colouring recommendation from Woody – mix steel swarf scrubbers in vinegar [acetic acid] and put onto oak [contains tannin] to make it go black – same fundamental process).
There are two significant points that we as pen makers need to appreciate about registrars ink, firstly it is acidic, and shouldn’t really be left in a pen for any amount of time. The reality with many wedding pens is that it will be used once and then may not see the light of day for a while. However it should be run through with water at room temperature, not hot water, and then cleaned with a very mild ammonia solution and then water again. The second point is that even modern gallo ferric inks have an element of the colour as a suspension as opposed to a solution like water based inks such as Quink, Skripe and others. Gallo Ferric Ink predated fountain pens and was designed to be used with dip pens. Suspension inks clog the nib feeders and should not be used with modern fountain pens. Calligraphy and drawing inks are suspension based and again should not be used with fountain pens.
Ferro Gallic Ink is more permanent than water based ink and cannot be totally erased. They are not water soluble and can be removed only by scratching the top surface of the paper, hence the need for them to be used on registers of births marriages and deaths.
If you are going to give such a gift with the intention of suggesting that the bride and groom use it to sign the register, the prior approval of the registrar will be required and I believe that they will insist on filling the pen immediately prior to the service or somehow ensuring that the ink is that they supply.
Another point of interest, and the reason I know this, is that I have a reasonable customer list of registrars. They receive and annual allowance to acquire writing equipment for their use to sign the register with, this is the pen that they will ask you to sign the register with. In each registrars office there are sometimes six staff as registrars, sell a pen to one and see if you can pop in one lunch time to their office and show their colleagues what you have to offer, it works!
But why?
Quite simply because Registrars and Ecclesiastical registers need to be signed with “Registrars Ink”, but what is it? Registrars ink used to be called Iron Gall Ink. Its been around since before the 4th Century and was the type of ink used when the earliest known bible was written. It is also chemically called Gallo Ferric Ink. Simply it is formed by combining iron with tannc acid (tannin) and was first made by combining iron with oak galls, hence the name.
(At this point remember the Oak colouring recommendation from Woody – mix steel swarf scrubbers in vinegar [acetic acid] and put onto oak [contains tannin] to make it go black – same fundamental process).
There are two significant points that we as pen makers need to appreciate about registrars ink, firstly it is acidic, and shouldn’t really be left in a pen for any amount of time. The reality with many wedding pens is that it will be used once and then may not see the light of day for a while. However it should be run through with water at room temperature, not hot water, and then cleaned with a very mild ammonia solution and then water again. The second point is that even modern gallo ferric inks have an element of the colour as a suspension as opposed to a solution like water based inks such as Quink, Skripe and others. Gallo Ferric Ink predated fountain pens and was designed to be used with dip pens. Suspension inks clog the nib feeders and should not be used with modern fountain pens. Calligraphy and drawing inks are suspension based and again should not be used with fountain pens.
Ferro Gallic Ink is more permanent than water based ink and cannot be totally erased. They are not water soluble and can be removed only by scratching the top surface of the paper, hence the need for them to be used on registers of births marriages and deaths.
If you are going to give such a gift with the intention of suggesting that the bride and groom use it to sign the register, the prior approval of the registrar will be required and I believe that they will insist on filling the pen immediately prior to the service or somehow ensuring that the ink is that they supply.
Another point of interest, and the reason I know this, is that I have a reasonable customer list of registrars. They receive and annual allowance to acquire writing equipment for their use to sign the register with, this is the pen that they will ask you to sign the register with. In each registrars office there are sometimes six staff as registrars, sell a pen to one and see if you can pop in one lunch time to their office and show their colleagues what you have to offer, it works!
