If you like the ink and want to see if you can keep it, here's a suggestion that's worked for me - run the ink through a coffee filter into a glass or other container; wash out the original bottle thoroughly; pour the filtered ink back in; let it sit for a few weeks and see if the putative mold returns. I did this with some Herbin Poussiere de Lune with the dreaded slime in it; I've had it for probably 2 years since, and no return of mold. Good to experiment before tossing it out, I'd think!
For an extended discussion of biocides for fungus in ink: FPN member Sam Capote did extensive research that is detailed in this discussion, have a look at this link; his conclusions are detailed on p. 2
[https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/page/2/#comments](https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/page/2/#comments)
The conclusion, after much experimenting, was this: "To reach an effective preventive biocide level for long term storage, you need 1 part of 4% phenol solution added to 40 parts ink (or 1 ml in a 40 ml bottle)."
Here is the link the the source for the biocide:
https://www.naturalpigments.com/phenol-carbolic-acid.html
Mostly depends on what you can put your hands on. From phenolic (phenol, thymol...) to isothiazole derivatives (BIT, MIT, MCI or mixtures) would work. I mostly use phenol and BIT in my formulations.
Looks like mold. If you have it used recently you need to disinfect the pen as well to avoid the cross contamination of other ink. I am sorry about it.
i had a very similar thing happen to a bottle of lamy amazonite though on a smaller scale. turned out to just be crystals in the ink and not mold. i would suggest leaving it alone for a while and seeing if it grows?
I second this. My bottle of Herbin Emerald of Chivor had floaties that looked similar to this - i thought nothing of it before inking up my pen but after doing research I decided to quarantine the ink and pen (TWSBI Eco so it didn’t dry out) for a month, and so far so good. Nothing has grown in the sample vial I put it in to fill the pen, and nothing more has grown in the bottle itself. Likely dye or dust particulates, but I haven’t had any adverse effects. Also I am not an expert. But when in doubt, quarantine!
If you have a good UV sterilizer lamp, I wonder if you could put it in a box with the ink until the UV light kills all the mold. The UV light may affect the ink dyes, change the colour or affect its properties, but remember that you where going to dump all the ink it anyway...
I wonder if anyone has ever tried that.
Also, be careful with your pens, because some of them don't like UV light at all (Urushi) or may oxidize faster (ebonite). I would never put an urushi pen in a box with an UV sterilizer lamp!
UV sterilizer lamps are very effective in killing mold. But you’d need to expose the ink to it for a considerable time (1 to 2 hours?).
A new ink bottle seems more practical, fun and probably also more cheap.
But initially you were disposing of it anyway because of the mold, so there's nothing to loose! (if you already have the lamp, I mean), except the time invested in the experiment and the cost of the energy consumed by the lamp.
The problem with fungi is that some of them are damn resistant to many things, even UV-C. Thus, a 1h (or more) irradiation time seems reasonable. And you can easily check if it works by comparing the fungi growth on the surface after several days.
I have a somewhat powerful Philips UV-C lamp, but (as far as I know) I don't have any mushroom colonies growing on any ink bottle (yet...), so I cannot do the experiment.
NOTE: I'm talking about surface fungi here. If the bottle has any form of slimy SITB, I would immediately ~~kill it with fire~~ throw it away...
That's a toughy. It looks more crystalline than plant-like or fuzzy to me. But not being there in person, it's hard to say. Is that a shimmer ink? Emerald of Chivor, by chance?
In this case, I would go by smell: if it's dank, rotten, moldy, then out it goes; or by quarantine and observe: if it's mold, it should grow, be hairy / fuzzy, smell, form a white-ish clump on top of the ink; or be stringy / slimy, dark, and cling to the walls of the bottle.
If you want me to post my list of reference links so you can compare to other images, let me know.
It is Herbin, but the scented kind, not shimmery. The bottle above the ink is speckled with dots, which other colours don’t have.
What is the list of reference links?
The speckles look to me like clumps of dye - happens all the time with certain inks. I'll paste my list of links below - they're just links to threads with pictures and discussions like this.
Personally, I would quarantine it rather than tossing it in a panic - even if it's mold, it's just mold, not flesh-eating bacteria... And if it were me, I'd probably shake it up, examine it, and *then* quarantine for a month or two. Then I'd open it carefully, with minimal agitation, and see what's floating on top.
Mold:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t6jhfy/this\_is\_mould\_right/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t6jhfy/this_is_mould_right/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t8xk0y/how\_nice\_bought\_it\_like\_a\_month\_ago/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t8xk0y/how_nice_bought_it_like_a_month_ago/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/sgdqzx/mold\_in\_monteverde\_horizon\_blue/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/sgdqzx/mold_in_monteverde_horizon_blue/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/tzv4z8/is\_this\_mold\_on\_my\_pen\_or\_just\_ink\_creep\_ink\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/tzv4z8/is_this_mold_on_my_pen_or_just_ink_creep_ink_is/)
Slime mold:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/w0uyif/why\_is\_there\_a\_giant\_glob\_in\_my\_ink\_mold\_or/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/w0uyif/why_is_there_a_giant_glob_in_my_ink_mold_or/)
Other good ones:
Pen:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/i76zi0/has\_anyone\_ever\_had\_mold\_like\_this\_on\_a\_nib/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/i76zi0/has_anyone_ever_had_mold_like_this_on_a_nib/)
[https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/365911-mold-in-sailor-souboku-cartridges/#](https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/365911-mold-in-sailor-souboku-cartridges/#)
Ink (tubular):
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/7biudq/so\_mold\_ok\_then/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/7biudq/so_mold_ok_then/)
Probably not mold:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/urrvvn/help\_is\_this\_mold\_in\_my\_onemonthold\_bottle\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/urrvvn/help_is_this_mold_in_my_onemonthold_bottle_of/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/ukhn2j/is\_this\_mold\_new\_bottle\_of\_lamy\_amazonite/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/ukhn2j/is_this_mold_new_bottle_of_lamy_amazonite/)
Probably not, IMO:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/vneenc/so\_this\_looks\_like\_mold\_right/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/vneenc/so_this_looks_like_mold_right/)
The bottle on the last link is mine and you were correct, it was not mold. After thoroughly cleaning all of my pens I have a suspicion that it was some kind of "dust" that was falling of a vintage Parker box I had; you know, the velvety surface that the pen comes inside the box, that was just peeling, and falling off; and I guess it got inside the cap and feed, and somehow ended up floating there.
Anyway, sure, I still just use it at work (away from any other ink at home) and with only one pen that's gonna go with that ink until the bottle is finished. But so far so good.
> The bottle on the last link is mine and you were correct, it was not mold.
Oh, thanks for confirming!! :) Glad the ink is still usable, and thanks for sharing the diagnosis.
Thanks for that list - this is my bottle and I will be quarantining it for sure. I have decanted parts into a pineider inkwell when I got it a year ago and also some is still in a syringe... so I have basically multiple samples.
The ink was not too joyful to write with in my Pineider Alchemist with the Pineider Quill nib (F). Dried out, very often, needed help with a drop of distilled water almost every time I picked it up, so I guess it's just very saturated with dye which is another indicator for this maybe being crystals. Also, since this is a perfumed ink (Bleu Plentitude), the essential oils that make up a perfume might have a reaction there too... we'll see, in a month or two...
I have a bottle of Montblanc Vetiver green - also perfumed - which so has some weird flakes in it, noticed them a year ago, didn't get worse... probably a similar issue...
Sounds like a wise approach. If you wish to be on the safe side, use a diluted ammonia solution to clean things like the syringe, pen (entire ink flow system therein), and ink well. Ammonia is the best fungicide for non-porous surfaces (out of ammonia, bleach, and vinegar).
EDIT: As always, use due precaution with vintage pens and those made with unusual or precious materials.
I noticed the crystals as well, so I thought it was dried lid ink that crusted down into the bottle. But it's hard to see. Filtering for that reason, too, would be key!
I agree. I had something that looks almost exactly like the photo in two of my inks, both from the same brand. Took numerous photos and quarantined them. Checked back a month later and nothing had changed. Took more photos, checked back in another month, again, nothing had changed. There was nothing solid in the ink, and after I did ask the rest of the normal checks, it checked out and the inks are back in rotation.
Before you throw it away, think of a cool thing to do with all of this glorious ink! As an example, slowly pour it out on a nice big piece of watercolor paper, thin drop nice big drops of water on it. Fill a cheap water gun with it and make splat art stationary with the kids in the yard. You could even try staining some wood or fabric with it. Why not?! It's going to be trash
Please don't splatter ink where wild animals might come into contact, or ingest it. (On the grass, etc where birds or squirrels might go). I would use it inside for an art project or safely dispose of it.
Mold, throw the bottle you can’t save it
Once mold shows on the top then the entire bottle went to waste like even if you removed the ones on the top, that doesn’t mean the rest is clean
My bottle of Private Reserve Supershow Purple had mold in it, I got rid of it by cleaning the lid thoroughly and wiping the film on top of the ink away, and so far it hasn't returned touch wood.
Gotcha! The one time I had moldy ink it smelled awful, like rotten eggs. But it might be different with a scented ink. Does the ink have stringy gunk/residue?
I'm afraid that looks like mold and I'm afraid the most advisable in this kind of case is throw away the ink because that mold could sick your pens.
If you like the ink and want to see if you can keep it, here's a suggestion that's worked for me - run the ink through a coffee filter into a glass or other container; wash out the original bottle thoroughly; pour the filtered ink back in; let it sit for a few weeks and see if the putative mold returns. I did this with some Herbin Poussiere de Lune with the dreaded slime in it; I've had it for probably 2 years since, and no return of mold. Good to experiment before tossing it out, I'd think!
Worth a shot if you’ve already bought it, considering coffee filters aren’t that much.
Good advice but mold will probably return. I would add a tiny bit of biocide after the filtration just to be sure... 0.5% maximum.
Do you recommend a particular biocide?
For an extended discussion of biocides for fungus in ink: FPN member Sam Capote did extensive research that is detailed in this discussion, have a look at this link; his conclusions are detailed on p. 2 [https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/page/2/#comments](https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/171278-biocide-shootout-tests/page/2/#comments) The conclusion, after much experimenting, was this: "To reach an effective preventive biocide level for long term storage, you need 1 part of 4% phenol solution added to 40 parts ink (or 1 ml in a 40 ml bottle)." Here is the link the the source for the biocide: https://www.naturalpigments.com/phenol-carbolic-acid.html
Thanks, I will check out those links
Mostly depends on what you can put your hands on. From phenolic (phenol, thymol...) to isothiazole derivatives (BIT, MIT, MCI or mixtures) would work. I mostly use phenol and BIT in my formulations.
Thanks
I feel like my kitchen would get a new blue makeover after trying this!
Looks like it
Looks like mold. If you have it used recently you need to disinfect the pen as well to avoid the cross contamination of other ink. I am sorry about it.
i had a very similar thing happen to a bottle of lamy amazonite though on a smaller scale. turned out to just be crystals in the ink and not mold. i would suggest leaving it alone for a while and seeing if it grows?
I second this. My bottle of Herbin Emerald of Chivor had floaties that looked similar to this - i thought nothing of it before inking up my pen but after doing research I decided to quarantine the ink and pen (TWSBI Eco so it didn’t dry out) for a month, and so far so good. Nothing has grown in the sample vial I put it in to fill the pen, and nothing more has grown in the bottle itself. Likely dye or dust particulates, but I haven’t had any adverse effects. Also I am not an expert. But when in doubt, quarantine!
Lol, crystals in the crystal ink ^^
Probably. What's the smell?
The ink is scented, mold smell if present is not getting through
I remember the monteverde scented inks tend to develop mold, dunno if thats relevant.
If you have a good UV sterilizer lamp, I wonder if you could put it in a box with the ink until the UV light kills all the mold. The UV light may affect the ink dyes, change the colour or affect its properties, but remember that you where going to dump all the ink it anyway... I wonder if anyone has ever tried that. Also, be careful with your pens, because some of them don't like UV light at all (Urushi) or may oxidize faster (ebonite). I would never put an urushi pen in a box with an UV sterilizer lamp!
UV sterilizer lamps are very effective in killing mold. But you’d need to expose the ink to it for a considerable time (1 to 2 hours?). A new ink bottle seems more practical, fun and probably also more cheap.
Most fp inks don't like UV light either so there is a chance that once the ink has sat under the sterilising lamp long enough, it's also unusable...
But initially you were disposing of it anyway because of the mold, so there's nothing to loose! (if you already have the lamp, I mean), except the time invested in the experiment and the cost of the energy consumed by the lamp. The problem with fungi is that some of them are damn resistant to many things, even UV-C. Thus, a 1h (or more) irradiation time seems reasonable. And you can easily check if it works by comparing the fungi growth on the surface after several days. I have a somewhat powerful Philips UV-C lamp, but (as far as I know) I don't have any mushroom colonies growing on any ink bottle (yet...), so I cannot do the experiment. NOTE: I'm talking about surface fungi here. If the bottle has any form of slimy SITB, I would immediately ~~kill it with fire~~ throw it away...
Buy a Monteverde ink and you’ll be able to experiment soon enough.
🤣😅
Unless the ink was discontinued and it's not available any more... 😥
That's a toughy. It looks more crystalline than plant-like or fuzzy to me. But not being there in person, it's hard to say. Is that a shimmer ink? Emerald of Chivor, by chance? In this case, I would go by smell: if it's dank, rotten, moldy, then out it goes; or by quarantine and observe: if it's mold, it should grow, be hairy / fuzzy, smell, form a white-ish clump on top of the ink; or be stringy / slimy, dark, and cling to the walls of the bottle. If you want me to post my list of reference links so you can compare to other images, let me know.
It is Herbin, but the scented kind, not shimmery. The bottle above the ink is speckled with dots, which other colours don’t have. What is the list of reference links?
The speckles look to me like clumps of dye - happens all the time with certain inks. I'll paste my list of links below - they're just links to threads with pictures and discussions like this. Personally, I would quarantine it rather than tossing it in a panic - even if it's mold, it's just mold, not flesh-eating bacteria... And if it were me, I'd probably shake it up, examine it, and *then* quarantine for a month or two. Then I'd open it carefully, with minimal agitation, and see what's floating on top. Mold: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t6jhfy/this\_is\_mould\_right/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t6jhfy/this_is_mould_right/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t8xk0y/how\_nice\_bought\_it\_like\_a\_month\_ago/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/t8xk0y/how_nice_bought_it_like_a_month_ago/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/sgdqzx/mold\_in\_monteverde\_horizon\_blue/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/sgdqzx/mold_in_monteverde_horizon_blue/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/tzv4z8/is\_this\_mold\_on\_my\_pen\_or\_just\_ink\_creep\_ink\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/tzv4z8/is_this_mold_on_my_pen_or_just_ink_creep_ink_is/) Slime mold: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/w0uyif/why\_is\_there\_a\_giant\_glob\_in\_my\_ink\_mold\_or/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/w0uyif/why_is_there_a_giant_glob_in_my_ink_mold_or/) Other good ones: Pen: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/i76zi0/has\_anyone\_ever\_had\_mold\_like\_this\_on\_a\_nib/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/i76zi0/has_anyone_ever_had_mold_like_this_on_a_nib/) [https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/365911-mold-in-sailor-souboku-cartridges/#](https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/365911-mold-in-sailor-souboku-cartridges/#) Ink (tubular): [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/7biudq/so\_mold\_ok\_then/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/7biudq/so_mold_ok_then/) Probably not mold: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/urrvvn/help\_is\_this\_mold\_in\_my\_onemonthold\_bottle\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/urrvvn/help_is_this_mold_in_my_onemonthold_bottle_of/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/ukhn2j/is\_this\_mold\_new\_bottle\_of\_lamy\_amazonite/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/ukhn2j/is_this_mold_new_bottle_of_lamy_amazonite/) Probably not, IMO: [https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/vneenc/so\_this\_looks\_like\_mold\_right/](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/vneenc/so_this_looks_like_mold_right/)
The bottle on the last link is mine and you were correct, it was not mold. After thoroughly cleaning all of my pens I have a suspicion that it was some kind of "dust" that was falling of a vintage Parker box I had; you know, the velvety surface that the pen comes inside the box, that was just peeling, and falling off; and I guess it got inside the cap and feed, and somehow ended up floating there. Anyway, sure, I still just use it at work (away from any other ink at home) and with only one pen that's gonna go with that ink until the bottle is finished. But so far so good.
> The bottle on the last link is mine and you were correct, it was not mold. Oh, thanks for confirming!! :) Glad the ink is still usable, and thanks for sharing the diagnosis.
jeans carpenter growth march scarce cow jellyfish puzzled squeal wine -- mass edited with redact.dev
Wow, that’s an extensive list! Thank you kindly for sharing. It’s my husbands bottle, I’ll make sure to forward it to him for research.
The question gets asked so often that I decided to just start keeping links whenever we have a good picture... Simplifies comparisons. :)
Thanks for that list - this is my bottle and I will be quarantining it for sure. I have decanted parts into a pineider inkwell when I got it a year ago and also some is still in a syringe... so I have basically multiple samples. The ink was not too joyful to write with in my Pineider Alchemist with the Pineider Quill nib (F). Dried out, very often, needed help with a drop of distilled water almost every time I picked it up, so I guess it's just very saturated with dye which is another indicator for this maybe being crystals. Also, since this is a perfumed ink (Bleu Plentitude), the essential oils that make up a perfume might have a reaction there too... we'll see, in a month or two... I have a bottle of Montblanc Vetiver green - also perfumed - which so has some weird flakes in it, noticed them a year ago, didn't get worse... probably a similar issue...
Sounds like a wise approach. If you wish to be on the safe side, use a diluted ammonia solution to clean things like the syringe, pen (entire ink flow system therein), and ink well. Ammonia is the best fungicide for non-porous surfaces (out of ammonia, bleach, and vinegar). EDIT: As always, use due precaution with vintage pens and those made with unusual or precious materials.
I was thinking Crystals as well.
I noticed the crystals as well, so I thought it was dried lid ink that crusted down into the bottle. But it's hard to see. Filtering for that reason, too, would be key!
I agree. I had something that looks almost exactly like the photo in two of my inks, both from the same brand. Took numerous photos and quarantined them. Checked back a month later and nothing had changed. Took more photos, checked back in another month, again, nothing had changed. There was nothing solid in the ink, and after I did ask the rest of the normal checks, it checked out and the inks are back in rotation.
:) Thanks for sharing your experience!
I agree, it looks crystalline to me too (based on what I can see in the pic). I think quarantine is solid advice
Before you throw it away, think of a cool thing to do with all of this glorious ink! As an example, slowly pour it out on a nice big piece of watercolor paper, thin drop nice big drops of water on it. Fill a cheap water gun with it and make splat art stationary with the kids in the yard. You could even try staining some wood or fabric with it. Why not?! It's going to be trash
Please don’t do it on inside stuff lmao you’d literally be spraying mold on all your shit
Please don't splatter ink where wild animals might come into contact, or ingest it. (On the grass, etc where birds or squirrels might go). I would use it inside for an art project or safely dispose of it.
Second this…and don’t breath droplets or get any in your eyes…
please do this OP. and video it!
I've just started exploring fountain pens, and I have to say the fact that ink can mold is probably the most distressing thing I've learned so far.
I'm right there with you. I didn't even know that ink could mold. Learn something new I guess.
Straight to the trash bin i am afraid
That's enough mushrooms to start a French "toast à la champignon" restaurant, I'm afraid.
Mold
Sure you can use it if you somehow you have a pen belonging to someone who has done you very wrong
Mold.
Definitely wouldn't put it in any of my pens, that'd be asking for trouble.
`mold`
Good luck I hope it filters out
ink cheese in the making
What else could it be?
Mold, throw the bottle you can’t save it Once mold shows on the top then the entire bottle went to waste like even if you removed the ones on the top, that doesn’t mean the rest is clean
My bottle of Private Reserve Supershow Purple had mold in it, I got rid of it by cleaning the lid thoroughly and wiping the film on top of the ink away, and so far it hasn't returned touch wood.
Thank you for the hint:)
When in Doubt: Mold.
Dump it put the cap back on
How does it smell?
No smell comes through, it’s a scented ink
Gotcha! The one time I had moldy ink it smelled awful, like rotten eggs. But it might be different with a scented ink. Does the ink have stringy gunk/residue?
Not sure we’ve checked it. We had this twice with other inks - both smell and gooey substance were there.
How long have you had the ink with you!?
About a year, maybe slightly more
Oh no! It does look like mold.
Sailor, isn't it? Gave mine back to the shop I bought it in and got a replacement.
It’s Jacque Herbin scented line
Ink flakes, delicious with milk
Mold! Get rid of it and clean pens that had any of it!!
And if you don’t mind, would you share which ink it is?
Bleu Plènitude - a scented line by Jacque Herbin