archival pen?!

hoping someone can help - im currently in london for a week, and been trying to

find the proper archival pens used for signing photographs. i have been told to

look for archival pens that are acid free/lead free - but every art shop i have

been to have no even heard of such a thing. i have even tried the london

graphic centre, for those of you familiar with it. is there a specific company

that i can ask for , or perhaps order online that someone can tell me about? or

for anyone based in london, where in central london can i go for such a pen?

thank you.

Delkin makes archival pens:

http://www.delkin.com/shop/product.php?productid=155&cat=61&page=1

You could call Delkin's UK support line to find a store in London that sells the pens- 0800 1313 559:

http://www.delkin.com/support/

The most archival medium for signing is probably a pencil. That's the only thing I've ever seen used in photo galleries (but then I haven't been to all galleries), oil paintings aside. The next best thing would be india ink which, like pencil, is based on a carbon pigment, which is virtually immortal.

Roman letters, buried for 1800 years in England, are still legible having been written with lead sticks. How politically incorrect!

Pencil does not work well on coated papers.<P>

Get a <a href= "http://www.misterart.com/store/view/001/group_id/1177/Sakura-Pigma-

Micron.htm">Sakura Pigma Micron</a> pen. Available in any art store or online - they're

designed for

for arts applications. Solvent-free, pigment-based, waterproof, acid-free, and

archival. The 005 model produces a very fine line. Very inexpensive.