Panduran – Alum Testing Pen

Detect the presence of Alum in paper or board with the alum testing pen.

Using panduran ink, the alum testing pen detects the presence of alum (aluminium sulfate) in board and paper. Alum was most commonly used to size paper from the 19th century onward, but its use spanned centuries before. Board and paper containing alum is generally not considered suitable for archival storage.

The Panduran ink contains an eriochrom dye which reacts with aluminium ions. If a reaction takes place, then the colour of the ink changes to blue and then to violet.

The tip can be cleaned by using on a neutral paper.

It is necessary to test separately for the paper’s pH level.