Trying to locate a rare ink
Nyrath the nearly wise
cheap fountain pens with ink cartridges. One of their colors
was this glorious magenta. I long ago ran out of it and
have searched for alternate supplies, in vain. I want to
use it for some calligraphy.
After long web searches, I have a horrible suspicion that
the ink I am looking for is something called "Rose Bengal".
This is described as having a unique color that there is
no good replacement for, and it seems to have vanished
from the market, probably because is causes cancer if force
fed to laboratory rats.
Can anybody tell me more about this ink? Is it illegal?
If not, does anybody know where I can obtain some?
Liz
Lots of sites available on www.google.com -- for instance,
http://www.apenloversparadise.com/awprod_fountain.shtml
Liz
Nyrath the nearly wise
> Lots of sites available on www.google.com -- for instance,
>
> http://www.apenloversparadise.com/awprod_fountain.shtml
Alas, while SizzleStix pens are still with us,
the rose bengal ink is not.
Hans Phul
says...
>
>Back about 15 years ago, a company called "SizzleStix" sold
>cheap fountain pens with ink cartridges.
I don't know where you can find what you're looking
for but the ROTRING company makes a range of art
colors (inks) that include a magenta shade. And the
nice thing about ROTRING colors is you can get a
color chart that will give you drop by drop blending
instructions for blending a full range of colors
from their basic (primary) colors. These are not
primary in the sense of being only red,yellow,blue.
They offer an array of colors in ink form. And
the nice thing about their inks is they are
free-flowing in technical as well as fountain pens.
Cheryl Isaak
<ha...@dontemailme.com> wrote:
I can recommend Roting ring on quality!
Cheryl
"Mad"
news:Xt2dnQL7PKF...@io.com...
> Back about 15 years ago, a company called "SizzleStix" sold
[OP is trying to locate "rose bengal" magenta color
fountain pen ink cartridge for old "Sizzle Stix"
cartridge fountain pen, I think.]
I think you're missing a space between the words.
I just did some Google searching, and both
"SizzleStix" and "Sizzle Stix" got hits about
"Bullseye Glass" glass rods and beads,
but ["SizzleStix" "fountain pen*"] got no hits,
while ["Sizzle Stix" "fountain pen*"] got three hits.
Unfortunately, none of the three led to "Rose Bengal"
ink. Sorry.
I did find out that "Rose Bengal" is the name of a
particular dye, one of the Eosin dyes,
"They are all halogenated derivatives of fluorescien and are acid dyes
shaded pink to red. " (sic)
[notice that "fluorescein" was misspelled]
(quote is from http://www.histology.to/eosin.html
Histological stains FAQ - H & E Eosin staining ),
apparently it is also used for tissue-staining
and eye-examinations, photosensitizer for
anti-tumor and similar function, and as a food dye.
Also,
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/cad/Prosedescr2.html
Buck Roses
mentions a color code for that color name,
"Prairie Squire ... rose bengal (RHSCC 61 C)",
if that's any help.
Sorry, I haven't found the ink.
Ooh, I just had an idea. Google searched for
[color "rose bengal"].
Hmm.
http://www.pysankyshowcase.com/colorchart.htm
Color Chart for Pysanky Showcase Dyes
- - - -
...
(All dyes require the addition of 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 cup
water.)
REGULAR DYES - ($0.95 per packet)
BRILLIANT DYES - ($1.00 per packet)
...
Purple Dyes
#01 - Aubergine (eggplant)
#03 - Bengal Rose (hot pink)
#21 - Magenta (use 3-second dip for lavender)
#38 - Violet
...
- - - -
The color patch looks nice.
Not sure how accurate it is.
I'll bet it's the same dye and color.
Maybe you could make your own ink from the dye?
The vinegar is to make them stick to the eggshell.
You probably won't need that.
Then again, it might be needed, or maybe alum,
as a mordant ("biter"), to make the dye permanent
after it dries, so it doesn't run when wet again.
Oops, no, that's for fabric coloring. Duh!
Sorry, I'm not up on dye technology.
There's also
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_needlework_ribbons/article/0,1789,HGTV_3266_1369
995,00.html
Home and Garden Television: Ribbons
(about ribbon roses, dyed with "textile paint").
And a Canadian material safety sheet,
[PDF]Rose Bengal (CI 45440)
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
... Rating: 1 - Slight Contact Rating: 1 - Slight Lab Protective Equip:
GOGGLES; LAB
COAT Storage Color Code: Orange (General Storage) Rose Bengal (CI 45440)
file ...
164.107.52.42/MSDS/%5CR%5CRose_Bengal.pdf - Similar pages
It doesn't appear to be very dangerous.
This might not interest you,
http://www.geocities.com/kingke.geo/Roses/LAM_PEL.HTM
Inheritance of The Scarlet-Vermilion Signal Red Colors
(in Roses)
Oh, interesting, Rose Bengal was approved as a food colorant in Japan in
2000,
[PDF]ColorCon Template
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
... INFORMATION S H E E T Color Alternate Name Color Index Number ... 88-5
Riboflavin Butyrate
R6 -- -- - Riboflavin Sodium Phosphate R7 -- -- - Rose Bengal Acid Red ...
www.colorcon.com/reg_serv/color_reg/ color_appoved_jp2.pdf - Similar pages
And, general information on dyes used in microscope slide "staining",
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~kristenc/generalinformation.html
General Information
- - - -
Differential Staining Techniques
Gram Stains and Acid-Fast Stains
General Information
...
Dye Properties
Dyes used to stain bacterial cells are organic compounds, which
have affinity for specific cellular components. The many types of dyes have
two features in common: 1) they have chromophore groups, groups with
conjugated double bonds that give the dye its color and 2) they can bind
with cells by ionic, covalent, or hydrophobic bonding. Dyes also contain an
auxochrome group, which in itself does not produce color but gives the dye
its acidic or basic properties. Since the surfaces of bacterial cells are
negatively charged such as nucleic acids and acidic polysaccharides, basic
dyes are most often used in bacteriology. Acidic dyes, because of their
negative charge, bind to positively charged cell structures such as
proteins. Commonly used basic dyes are methylene blue, crystal violet,
safranin, basic fuchsin, and malachite green. Some common acidic dyes are
eosin, rose bengal, and acid fuchsin. ...
- - - -
Umm, here's a color code and list of color names from a Finnish site (I
think),
I don't know which color code this is, but maybe the other colr names will
be useful,
I recognize some names in the rest of the list as old-time naturan fabric
dyes
so this site may be about fabric dyeing but I can't tell since it isn't in
English,
http://www.coloria.net/bonus/colornames.htm
c o l o r i a - bonus
- - - -
colorature
...
#D5265B Rubelite Ruber Rose madder Rose pink Roseus Rose bengal Rose
Bright rose Rose carmine Rose color Rhodamine purple Renaissance Peony
purple Persian rose Deep magenta Magenta Malmaison rose Indiana Eglantine
Tyrian purple Tyrian rose Tyrian pink Cineraria Cobalt red Crimson Cellini
Carmine Dianthus purple Pright bluish red Bougainillea Fandango Fuchsia
Fuchsia purple Venetian fuchsia Spiraea red Spring beauty Solferino purple S
pectra rose
...
- - - -
Aloha,
-- Kenneth Kawamura
Lansing, Michigan, USA
"Mad"
fountain pen ink cartridge for old "Sizzle Stix"
cartridge fountain pen, I think.]
(my second answer)
Aloha again,
Forget what I said about mixing your own,
apparently I was very wrong.
Being curious, I did another Google search
on "magent fountain pen ink".
http://www.discountart.com/store/higgins-drawing-ink.html
Higgins Drawing Ink
- - - -
...
Select the right higgins ink for every application and technique.
Calligraphy, Fountain Pen, Brush, Technical Pen, Airbrush. Availabe in
fadeproof pigment inks that dry to an opaque, non-refletive finish that
won't fade under light. May be mixed or diluted to produce an infinite
variety of shades and hues. They can also be mixed with Black Magic and
Super White. For use on paper, board and drafting film.
Higgins waterproof ink gives you bright, transparent color. Use them like
liquid watercolors for washes and shading; mix or dilute for infinite
variety. Not recommended for use on drafting film.
Available in 1 oz dropper bottle.
...
Higgins Fadeproof Magenta $2.65
...
- - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7646scit2.html
WHAT'S THAT STUFF? - Ink
- - - -
...
Older style writing inks, such as in fountain pens, use a fluid
water-based dye system. But in the 1950s, when ballpoint pens became
fashionable, the writing ink industry shifted to pastelike oil-based dye
systems. The thick consistency allows capillary action to keep the ink
flowing well, and the inks generally are nonsmearing and quicker drying than
water-based systems.
Dyes tend to be preferred over pigments for writing inks because pigments
can't be dispersed minutely enough and tend to clog the pen tip. And
water-based dye or pigment systems are still used for markers, highlighters,
and rollerball pens. A few pen manufacturers, such as Bic (which sells about
3 million pens per day), make their own ink, but most pen manufacturers buy
their ink.
...
- - - -
(Which leads to the question, "What is in the Magenta ink used by the
printing industry?")
This site, which you might want to look at
if you haven't already, is apparently for
fountain pen users, and may be a good
place to ask your question. At any rate
it mentions a "rose cyclamen" magenta ink.
http://www.pentrace.com/InkSpot.html
The Ink Spot
"The site for fountain pens that write"
- - - - - - - - - -
http://www.pentrace.com/ink102501_011.html
Pentrace Ink Article #iink102501_011 Mixing Herbin Inks
- - - -
...
Primary Colors
The four-color process used for color printing nowadays relies on cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black inks, usually abbreviated as CMYK. The Herbin
colors that seemed closest to the process colors are:
cyan = bleue pervenche
magenta = rose cyclamen
yellow = jaune bouton d'or
On their own, these inks are quite marvelous. The cyan is a really bright
turquoise ink, almost too intense for writing. The magenta is also
eye-popping. I found that it has a tendency to feather a bit more than the
other inks, but in mixtures this tendency is reduced. The yellow is bright
and simple, and has been used as a highlighter color in very wide-nibbed
pens. I haven't used it on its own.
I did not use the Herbin black in my experiments. Instead I used Pelikan
brilliant black, which I had on hand. I'm guessing that the kind of black
used will have an effect on the resulting colors but haven't pursued this.
I did find it helpful to also have the Herbin red (rouge caroubier) on
hand, to compare its reactions with blue and yellow as well. In some cases I
found the red to work better than the magenta.
...
- - - -
(see the color patch for magenta)
And this site also mentions that ink,
and gives reasons why you
shouldn't mix your own ink.
- - - - - - - - - -
http://www.pendemonium.com/ink_facts.htm
About Us
(www.pendemonium.com)
- - - -
...
WHAT IS FOUNTAIN PEN INK?
Fountain Pen ink is composed of water, dye and surfactant, a detergent
based agent used to help control flow in your pen. NOTE: Drawing and
drafting inks contain shellac which can be harmful to your fountain pens.
There are also several inks out on the market marked Calligraphy Ink and
further marked for use in fountain pens. We suggest you check these
carefully, we've found most of the Calligraphy Inks to contain shellac and
unsafe for fountain pens. Never use any ink other than those made
specifically for fountain pens in your pen. If in doubt about a particular
ink, feel free to contact us.
...
J. HERBIN INKS
J. Herbin of France has been continually manufacturing ink since 1670 and
as far as I can tell is the oldest ink manufacturer in the world!
...
Rose Cyclamen - not for the weak of heart, Rose Cyclamen is magenta!
Pat Kight
I can't help you with that specific ink, but you might take a look at
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/inks/#drawinginks
to see whether one of the many colored drawing inks they list is
suitable. I see several rose-to-magenta possibilities.
I've had very good service from Dick Blick; they're knowledgeable and
helpful, and might well be able to answer your question if you give them
a call.
--
Pat Kight
kig...@peak.org