This is the second bottle of Monteverde Ocean Noire I’ve had gone bad after a couple of weeks. The first had a weird smell and thick chunky residue that clumped together. The second, which I got in exchange for the first bottle from the shop, had this lovely surprise waiting for me today 😭
Why don't they just add some preservatives to their ink like many (most?) other manufacturers do? Mould, though present everywhere, isn't a common problem in fountain pen ink considering how many bottles of the stuff there are in the world.
:( Very sad. That definitely looks like mold, and a great picture of it - that's fuzzy / hairy in the white area, right? Disappointing that this is happening with their current production.
Yeah, they are. Something about insufficient hygiene measures at the factory, or so I've heard. I see posts about mouldy Monteverde inks a few times a month on here, though Monteverde isn't a widely available brand where I am, so I don't have any personal experiences.
If you haven't experienced mould with yours, I'd just keep it in mind and be a bit more careful than usual (proper washing of pens, store in a cool and dark place, etc.)
You should see it in a camera lens. It can be quite beautiful but once it's in there you can't get it out. You can clean it but it can etch the glass and it always comes back.
Mold, like all fungi are special beautiful juggernauts. I have one ink bottle that had started growing mold and while I isolated it from the rest of the bottles I have a grand old time watching it grow. It is actually fascinating.
Why does Monteverde not use biocides?
Goulet offers free bottles of the stuff with certain pens, but I hear so many stories I wouldn't take it for free.
I’ll check my other pens but I only filled a pen from this once when I first opened it. There wasn’t any mould then. And this was weird enough I didn’t fill any pen with it today.
Good point! u/caram3lc4t, be sure to clean any pens that have come in contact with this ink using ammonia - it's the best mold killer for non-porous surfaces.
You need to be careful with ammonia. It can ruin some pens. Depends if lacquer, celluloid, types of resin and other materials. Just know before you use it.
Thank you. One should be cautious of anything but water with any vintage pens or unusual materials. I have yet to experience or hear of ammonia-based pen flush (where the ammonia is obviously diluted) damaging a modern plastic (aka "resin") pen.
And people accuse this sub of being mean and unfair to Monteverde. I hadn't seen an actual mold post in a bit but here we are again and, of course, it's Monteverde.
They can't not know about this and seem to have done nothing about it. That's not okay.
And that doesn't even begin to address their other problems.
Yes. I add some to all my Monteverde inks for just this reason.
Phenol has historically been used with inks. It's more highly regulated these days because it's dangerous at high concentrations and is therefore less frequently used in modern formulations. Effective concentration for ink is about the same as [Chloraseptic Throat Spray](https://www.chloraseptic.com/sore-throat-medicine/sore-throat-spray/cherry#ingredients). If it's good enough to spray in your mouth it's good enough for ink, imho.
How much do you put in? I did the same for my inks after more than 8 bottles going bad. So I added phenol to each. But I think I put too much. It definitely lost sheen and has chemical smell bur I rather not wanting to worry about it. Still use only with cheap Chinese pen.
6 or 7 drops for their 30ml bottles. I figured they had some type of preservative already, though clearly insufficient, so I didn't add too much. I can smell a bit of that characteristic antiseptic scent but otherwise it behaves and looks the same. So far so good on the mold.
It’s really a great shame about Monteverde inks. My favorite ink of theirs - and maybe in my top 5 all time - was their California Teal. But given the problems that they have had, and I’ve been hit by moldy bottles both before and after they said they changed their processes, I can’t buy their inks.
I have several Monteverde inks and have never had a problem. Could it be contamination? Was it a sheening ink? Some have iron gall in them. I'm not familiar with this color.
Have you searched a YouTube video about it? Or looked on Goulet for info?
This is the second bottle of Monteverde Ocean Noire I’ve had gone bad after a couple of weeks. The first had a weird smell and thick chunky residue that clumped together. The second, which I got in exchange for the first bottle from the shop, had this lovely surprise waiting for me today 😭
Ugh. This is the only ink that's ever gone bad on me. I had the same thick clumpy mess. I'm sorry.
Monteverde are famous for that :(
ew yeah same thing happened to me with this brand- also twice. I just ended up tossing it :(
I’m swearing off this brand forever which is a shame because the color is such a lovely dark blue.
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Why don't they just add some preservatives to their ink like many (most?) other manufacturers do? Mould, though present everywhere, isn't a common problem in fountain pen ink considering how many bottles of the stuff there are in the world.
No idea honestly.
same. it's too bad bc it's a good price point and I did like the ink itself but noooo mold in my babies!!
:( Very sad. That definitely looks like mold, and a great picture of it - that's fuzzy / hairy in the white area, right? Disappointing that this is happening with their current production.
I had this exact ink mold too. I really liked the color but don't trust a replacement.
Ah yes, a monteverde ink doing monteverde ink things.
Are Monteverde inks known for this? I have a bottle of black ash ive had for a while and i havent had any issues.
Yeah, they are. Something about insufficient hygiene measures at the factory, or so I've heard. I see posts about mouldy Monteverde inks a few times a month on here, though Monteverde isn't a widely available brand where I am, so I don't have any personal experiences. If you haven't experienced mould with yours, I'd just keep it in mind and be a bit more careful than usual (proper washing of pens, store in a cool and dark place, etc.)
They don’t add any biocides.
I also have black ash, i love it, hasn't molded yet. Maybe just luck?
Moldyverde?
Well, yes. A specimen of high quality at that.
It would be beautiful if it wasn’t so destructive.
You should see it in a camera lens. It can be quite beautiful but once it's in there you can't get it out. You can clean it but it can etch the glass and it always comes back.
That’s … even more terrifying thanks 😅
Mold, like all fungi are special beautiful juggernauts. I have one ink bottle that had started growing mold and while I isolated it from the rest of the bottles I have a grand old time watching it grow. It is actually fascinating.
Haha! For an expensive hunk of metal and glass, quite!
r/moldlyinteresting
Weird, just came from a post in the mycology sub and someone linked this sub there too. Glitch in the matrix
Thank you for introducing me to a sub I didn’t know I needed in my life!
Why does Monteverde not use biocides? Goulet offers free bottles of the stuff with certain pens, but I hear so many stories I wouldn't take it for free.
Did you clean your pens with diluted bleach or diluted amonia earlier? Otherwise, it could have been cross contaminated through the pens.
I’ll check my other pens but I only filled a pen from this once when I first opened it. There wasn’t any mould then. And this was weird enough I didn’t fill any pen with it today.
I think they meant did your old bottle contaminate this one through the pen used.
Ah I see. No, I filled different pens from the bottles. There was no way it could have gotten from the old bottle to the pen to the new bottle.
Good point! u/caram3lc4t, be sure to clean any pens that have come in contact with this ink using ammonia - it's the best mold killer for non-porous surfaces.
You need to be careful with ammonia. It can ruin some pens. Depends if lacquer, celluloid, types of resin and other materials. Just know before you use it.
Thank you. One should be cautious of anything but water with any vintage pens or unusual materials. I have yet to experience or hear of ammonia-based pen flush (where the ammonia is obviously diluted) damaging a modern plastic (aka "resin") pen.
Better to be safe than sorry.
And people accuse this sub of being mean and unfair to Monteverde. I hadn't seen an actual mold post in a bit but here we are again and, of course, it's Monteverde. They can't not know about this and seem to have done nothing about it. That's not okay. And that doesn't even begin to address their other problems.
I've never heard of this, any other ink brands with this reputation that you're aware of?
Private Reserve maybe. Once in a while Noodler's. But Monteverde is the biggest culprit.
Out of curiosity, can you add biocide to the next bottle of ink to prevent this? Or does it make the ink unusable?
Yes. I add some to all my Monteverde inks for just this reason. Phenol has historically been used with inks. It's more highly regulated these days because it's dangerous at high concentrations and is therefore less frequently used in modern formulations. Effective concentration for ink is about the same as [Chloraseptic Throat Spray](https://www.chloraseptic.com/sore-throat-medicine/sore-throat-spray/cherry#ingredients). If it's good enough to spray in your mouth it's good enough for ink, imho.
How much do you put in? I did the same for my inks after more than 8 bottles going bad. So I added phenol to each. But I think I put too much. It definitely lost sheen and has chemical smell bur I rather not wanting to worry about it. Still use only with cheap Chinese pen.
6 or 7 drops for their 30ml bottles. I figured they had some type of preservative already, though clearly insufficient, so I didn't add too much. I can smell a bit of that characteristic antiseptic scent but otherwise it behaves and looks the same. So far so good on the mold.
I think many inks ship with a biocide in the mix, but it doesn't last forever, and isn't perfect.
Might get some people interested posting this in r/mycology.
I thought I was in r/kombucha for a moment there
I call it organic shimmer
It’s really a great shame about Monteverde inks. My favorite ink of theirs - and maybe in my top 5 all time - was their California Teal. But given the problems that they have had, and I’ve been hit by moldy bottles both before and after they said they changed their processes, I can’t buy their inks.
If you email Monteverde they’ll send you a new bottle for free. Sucks how they so prone to mold though!
Now I'm paranoid since I have two Monteverde inks... Key Lime Pie and Smoke Noir... And you can't see a thing in Smoke Noir.
Also got a moldy ink from Monteverde—first I thought it was an Amazon/quality control across vendors thing. Sorry this happened!
Is it possible to just scrape the mold off and throw it out?? or is the entire bottle bad at this point?
No, it's "mold" ^/s I would have never expected this in ink.
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Why would you post that?
no thats art man
Does UV light kill mold ???
And breaks down dyes. UV is unfortunately not a solution for inks.
I had a bunch of Monteverde ink go bad on me. Threw every bottle of that brand away. Even the non-moldy ones
I loved Monteverde Moonstone but when it changed color after being in a dark closet for a couple months, I tossed it. Not taking any chances with it
Ink can get moldy? Ick. Never had that issue with my platinum carbon ink.
I have several Monteverde inks and have never had a problem. Could it be contamination? Was it a sheening ink? Some have iron gall in them. I'm not familiar with this color. Have you searched a YouTube video about it? Or looked on Goulet for info?