I sometimes see vintage inks for sale – are these safe to put in my pens? Do they expire?
Quite a few people still use vintage inks in their pens. There are antimicrobials added to inks to preserve them, such as fungicides. ”Contamination” can occur, and your ink can spoil, slime can develop in the bottle, as well as mold. If you see any such contamination, the ink needs to be disposed of and should not be used in any fountain pens. A safe, conservative life span for an ink has been suggested to be one year, but many vintage inks have outlasted this.
If you’re unsure about an ink, don’t risk it. There are plenty of safe, modern inks available to choose from.
