I Am Really Surprised By The Interest In Inks!

[Charles Skinner]

I have been a serious real fountain pen user for about fifty years, and I was always a BLACK ink user. Not long ago, I thought I would branch out a little and see if I could learn why there is so much "talk" on this web site about different inks. I soon learned that there are many companies and make fountain pen inks, and that some brands have many, many colors and shades. In the past, I was like the man who said that he only knew of three or four kinds of birds, Blue Birds, Black Birds, Red Birds, and Brown Birds! I knew that there was black ink, blue ink, blue/black ink, and red ink. I had NO IDEA there were so many colors! From what I have read, some of you must spend more money on your inks than you do on your pens! Since branching out into colors, I have the following: Waterman Serenity Blue, Diamine Apple Glory, Diamine Deep Magenta, and I have been using a "sample" of Diamine Milberry for the past two days. I like them all, but of the ones I just listed, I think I like the the Deep Magenta the best. I really hope I do not turn out to spend more on ink that on pens! Smile!

 

C. S.

[JefferyS]

Interest? We're obsessed!

[WOBentley]

I haven't spent more on inks than pens... But I could buy some relly nice pens with the money I have spent on ink!

To me the ability to use different colors is a lot of the fun of the hobby. At work I tend to stick to blue, black and brown. At home anything goes!

[caribbean_skye]

That is the one thing I've always enjoyed about fountain pens in general, the availability of different colour inks.

[Gloucesterman]

Each day, when writing in my journal, I use an ink color different from the previous entry. Sometimes it's because I want to use a different pen, sometimes the color is more reflective of my mood and sometimes I want variety just like my nib selection - xf Pilot 78G Swan Flex - F-B or Waterman 32v flex to BB.

 

About the only thing consistent after many years of keeping a journal is that a fountain pen or dip pen is the exclusive writing instrument being used to write.

 

Can't recall the last time I uses a roller ball or (OMG -) a ball point?? :huh:

Edited December 25, 2012 by brgmarketing

[PowerWriter]

I'm a month or so into my second fountain pen experience. During my first I had bottles of Sheaffer blue and blue-black. That was very early internet. I lost my pen and never got back into it, even though I saw those ink bottles every few years or so. Starting when I ordered my recent pen, and finishing with a Christmas gift to myself, I now possess a "starter kit:"

 

• 
   
  
• Quink Black
  
• Quinl Blue-Black
  
• Sheaffer Blue (old)
  
• Sheaffer Blue-Black (old)
  
• Sheaffer Red (new)
  
• Waterman Brown
  
• J.Herbin Lierre Sauvage
  
• J.Herbin De Saphir
  
• Noodler's Red-Black
  
• Pelikan Violet
  

 

I love the Waterman Brown and plan to write prose with it.

 

I've been picking up cheap ebay pens here and there as well. I struck gold with a near pristine Sheaffer cartridge pen cira 1968. I also bought a Parker Arrow and 45 that need some nib help but hold promise, and a mitt full of Chinese dollar-pens.

[sadiemagic]

Interest? We're obsessed!

 

LOL!

 

You got that right!

 

But I can think of many worse obsessions...

[JefferyS]

Here's my starter kit:

• Aurora Black
• Aurora Blue
• Binder Burgundy
• Caran D'Ache Grand Canyon
• Diamine Amazing Amethyst
• Diamine Ancient Copper
• Diamine Asa Blue
• Diamine Blaze Orange
• Diamine Chocolate Brown
• Diamine Evergreen
• Diamine Green Black
• Diamine Midnight
• Diamine Monaco Red
• Diamine Oxblood
• Diamine Pumpkin
• Diamine Rustic Brown
• Diamine Saddle Brown
• Diamine Syrah
• Diamine Umber
• Diamine Vermillion
• ESS Registrar's Blue Black
• Everflo Blue Black
• Everflo Blue Reformulated
• Everflo Orchid
• Iroshizuku Asa-Gao (Morning Glory)
• Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku (Deep Forest Green)
• Iroshizuku Tsukushi (Horse Tail Brown)
• Iroshizuku Yama-Budo (Wild Grapes)
• Iroshizuku Yama-Guri (Wild Chestnut Brown)
• Iroshizuku Yu-yake - (Sunset)
• Levenger Cobalt Blue
• Levenger Cocoa
• Levenger Raven Black
• Levenger Ruby
• Mont Blanc Black
• Mont Blanc Burgundy Red
• Mont Blanc Midnight Blue
• Mont Blanc Toffee Brown
• Noodler's #41 Brown
• Noodler's Antietam
• Noodler's Baystate Blue
• Noodler's Baystate Concord Grape
• Noodler's Beaver
• Noodler's Black
• Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses
• Noodler's Blue Black
• Noodler's Brown
• Noodler's Burgundy
• Noodler's Cayenne
• Noodler's Eel Blue
• Noodler's Firefly Highlighter
• Noodler's Galileo Manuscript Brown
• Noodler's Golden Brown
• Noodler's Gruene Cactus
• Noodler's Kiowa Pecan
• Noodler's Nakahama (Whaleman's Sepia)
• Noodler's Polar Blue
• Noodler's Polar Brown
• Noodler's Tiananmen
• Noodler's Walnut
• Noodler's Widow Maker
• Noodler's X-Feather
• Noodler's Year of the Golden Pig Highliter
• Noodler's Zhivago
• Pelikan Brilliant Red
• Pelikan M205 Duo Highlighter Ink
• Pelikan Edelstein Onyx
• Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire
• Platinum Pigmented Blue
• Platinum Pigmented Brown Sepia
• Private Reserve Avacado [sic]
• Private Reserve Burgundy Mist
• Private Reserve Chocolate
• Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue
• Private Reserve Highlights Chartreuse
• Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue
• Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa
• Sailor Jentle Epinard
• Sheaffer Brown
• Visconti Bordeaux
• Waterman Florida Blue
• Waterman Havana

[marcomillions]

I dunno, Jeff, your inks only cover 14 letters of the alphabet, and you've only got 26 Noodler's inks. LOL.

 

Cheers,

 

Marc

[Navegador]

That's some starter kit, Jeffery.

 

Here's what I just started out with:

 

- Lamy Blue (in cartridges, haven't used them in my own pens but my girlfriend's AL-Star is loaded with one of these)

- Caran D'Ache Saffron

- J. Herbin Bleu Nuit

- J. Herbin Larme de Cassis

- J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie

- Diamine Aqua Lagoon

- Diamine Kelly Green

 

And these are on their way:

 

- J. Herbin Bouton d’Or cartridges

- J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage cartridges

- J. Herbin Rouge Bourgogne cartridges

- J. Herbin Rouge Caroubier cartridges

- Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi

 

And now I'm gutted that Caran d'Ache Caribbean Sea is out of stock on all my usual sources, I really wanted that ink. It was in stock a few days ago in one of them, but I decided to "give myself a break and wait til next week". Oh well :-(

[JefferyS]

I dunno, Jeff, your inks only cover 14 letters of the alphabet, and you've only got 26 Noodler's inks. LOL.

 

Cheers,

 

Marc

GAA! I thought I was only missing a "Q". Reason enough to order some Quink!

[notbob]

Pens are the bones, but ink is the life blood.

 

I've also only been into FPs fer a few mos, but I quickly discovered the joy of inks. There is sooo much to discover, I am continually astounded. First, the sheer number of colors. Artists and painters got nothing on ink freaks. Can't find a color you like? Mix yer own! Next, I learned of shading. I had no clue. Two colors in a single stroke. Amazing! I thought I'd seen it all, then I learned about sheen. Are you kidding me? Three of four colors in a single stroke! Anything else? Have you discovered paper chromatography, yet? More big ink fun! Nothing about inks surprise me anymore. The best part of inks are, you can still afford to buy a couple samples to play with while yer wallet is bottle-necked saving for that special pen. Or jes use a dip pen until you can finally spring for that Nakaya urushi or Montlanc Mel Blanc.

 

Sure, special pens are to be coveted and acquired and enjoyed and admired, but ink on a nice piece of paper is the end result of our collective insanity and has the added benefit of this: A lovely hand in a gorgeous color can be enjoyed by everyone, not merely the possessor.

[J.R.]

I like pretty much anything in the Diamine lineup... Altho' my black is Aurora.

 

I write with Mr. Noodler's pens every day, but don't care for his ink. Got a full bottle of Parker Washable Blue, that will be sold as 'antique' someday - tried one fill of it, and was sorely disappointed.

 

Then I started "rolling my own", and now I measure ink by the pint, instead of the ml. Lots of trial and error, and ink-stained fingers...but hey, it's an "obsession", right ? Pomegranate makes a nice golden-brown, walnut for a Really dark brown, beets will produce a decent red, if you treat it right. (Or pink, if that's your thing). There's a nice Prussian Blue, in the laundry aisle of the supermarket, if you want a slightly darker Royal Blue, an oz. or two of Iodine will get it there.

 

I own a couple of dip pens, and a dozen (or two) nibs, but I'd rather use fountain pens, so I don't make any iron-based, clogging-type inks.

 

All in all, it's a fun thing to do, and there's many more possibilities that I haven't tried yet !

 

Take care,

 

J.R.

[GRJP]

I've been using fountain pens forever and I always stuck with Parker Qink Black or MB Black (don't ask me which one, because I never really cared other than it was black and a smooth writer)...

Now that I stumbled here I've found myself getting MB winter Glow and MB Toffee brown and aching to get some of those colors by noodler's...

And it's all your collective fault! hehehehe.

But it did broaden the fun to be had with a FP.

 

So now, when I get back home, I'll have those 2 inks to experiment on and 2 parker 45's for everyday use. That way I can keep one with black ink at all times for work and play around with the other (and yes, my room mates here look at me strangely because I write at home everyday... with a fountain pen... or did, before the adapter on the Hemisphere died... luckily I'm about 20 days away from getting back and taking care of that. Until then I'll have to suffer this cheap ball point)

[psfred]

LOL, I have more inks that I should by far, and for some reason I find that except for a special use once in a while, I always seem to want to put black, blue, or blue-black ink in a pen for actual use.

 

Green inks are fun, I used hundreds of cartridges of Sheaffer Peacock when I was a kid, and browns are lots of fun, but for writing in my journals or the beekeeping record book, I always tend to use black or blue-black.

 

The only bottle of ink I've completely used up is Scrip Blue-black.

 

Peter

[chad.trent]

For me it's a budget thing as well. I can buy 5, 6, or more inks for the price I'd pay for one pen. And when I only have a little bit in my pen budget, I buy ink.

 

It's also a result of me working with glass for so long. I have a great love for all things glass, and I love the unusual and beautiful shape of ink bottles. I'm currently obsessed with the Iroshizuku bottles.

[iamchum]

I'm a big noodler's fan have about 5-6 bottles in various colours. I tend to just try and fill out the spectrum, so if I am lacking in a certain definitive colour thats what I go for Just picked up a bottle of caran d'ache storm. Next in line i am thinking is a yellow based green a la j. herbin vert pre

[lapis]

Ahhh... I dunno... it would of course be silly of me to try and underestimate pens... I do have a couple which I can't do without, like my M900 and M1000 ... but, hey, those are my instruments. The inks are the juice. That's what it's all about.

 

Mike

[Margana]

When I first discovered FPN, ink had already grabbed me. Now that my pen collection numbers in the dozens and my ink collection in the hundreds, my interest in neither has waned. Some of us are hopeless but that's a risk with any hobby. You should see my collection of watercolors and brushes or even my collection of Chinese seals! And then there is paper and...

[blopplop]

I've actually shaved down my collection quite a bit as I've settled into inks that (for me) are staples. I'm down to about 45 (or so) bottles.

 

Dave