Too Many Pens And Too Many Inks!

[amberleadavis]

One of my friends has very elaborate rules. The thread here has some ways to choose pen/ink combos.

 

Also, if you think you will get bored or not use all of the ink, remember, you don't have to fill the pen entirely. A partial fill will work just fine.

[tmenyc]

Uh ... more than any one else in Nevada.

More than anyone else in Nevada and a whole lotta other states, too... That's truly impressive.

 

Ahem. To actually answer the question, I too keep a log in a little apica notebook with a quick note with each pen and/or ink change, so i can see how each ink works with each pen. And, I keep track of my inks and pens in google spreadsheets, with use comments, and note my current rotation in my fpn signature.

I'm currently running a pen collection of approx 35, of which 20 or so get regular use with around 10 inks. I try to not repeat a pen or an ink brand in my current rotation, but that's hard since I don't use that many ink brands.

[colrehogan]

I have no particular tracking system for which pen has what ink in it. I just got two new inks today and am looking forward to inking them up. It might not be until later this week as I need to go shopping tonight and am busy tomorrow. I need to see if I have some blank ink review forms around.

[ac12]

@colrehogan

Is that an 8x10 view camera in your avitar?

[bernardo]

I carry 9 pens with me at all times. I typically ink them up all at once, use them until they are dry, and don't replace them until all 9 are empty again. Then I rotate which pens I'm using, put the ones I'm finished with back in their box (after a thorough cleaning, of course!), and start all over again. If the pen has a large ink capacity, I only fill it up halfway. I too get bored if use the same pens with the same inks for more than approximately 3 weeks.

 

I generally like to have one of each colour - dark blue, light blue, green, red, orange, pink/purple - but what pen gets what ink within a given range is up to my fancy at the moment (ie. which pen get which red ink). The last three pens get filled with whatever I'm in the mood for.

 

I like to keep track of what ink is in what pen though. So I keep two types of journals for that. One is concerned with dates - when I filled what pen, how long before I used that pen again, do I tend to come back to certain pen/ink combos again and again, that sort of thing.

 

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/FPN%20comparison%20shots/DSC09671_zps7386bb94.jpg

 

 

 

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/FPN%20comparison%20shots/DSC09672_zps0cbc20c4.jpg

 

 

The other journal is more concerned with how the ink looked in the pen. That way I'll know if it was a good flowing ink for the pen, or if the ink is too wet for the already wet nib, etc.

 

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/FPN%20comparison%20shots/DSC09675_zpsf9d285f6.jpg

 

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/FPN%20comparison%20shots/DSC09676_zps6997f9d3.jpg

 

 

I suppose that these two journals both track and influence my fancy.

 

That's really impressive, thanks for sharing!

[colrehogan]

@colrehogan

Is that an 8x10 view camera in your avitar?

Yes, it is.

[toomanypelikans]

I use a Filemaker database to select my pen, nib and ink combinations. It is way geeky http://justdaveyb.com/2013/08/15/inside-my-pen-nib-and-ink-selection-process/

Edited October 11, 2013 by justdaveyb

[sexauerw]

I have a summary list that has a one-line entry for each pen that I have ever inked. Then there is a separate page for each pen which gets a new entry each time it gets filled with an ink that has not been used in that pen before; or if the nib has been changed then I have to start over. The first couple of pages here are the first two of the seven pages of my summary list and the third page is one of the pen pages.

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212243.0/org/p/Pen_Summary_Samples_01.jpg

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212245.0/org/p/Pen_Summary_Samples_02.jpg

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212253.0/org/p/Writing_Sample_Page_SH01.jpg

 

[Namo]

Sometimes, a pen finds its ink very quickly, sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes it never happens.

Enjoy!

[sandy101]

I'm using the same pen for each bottle I have for reasons of economy, if nothing else. I hate flushing all that ink down the sink, and then there's all the hassle with making sure everything is dry. The pens that get the most regular use have my favourite inks and these are my "most fun" colours - Violet Pensee and Turquoise. I have one pen for "business use" which is loaded with a Sapphire Blue ink which I like, but will also do for most business correspondence.

 

The rest of the pens have a mixture of bottles and cartridges as not all my pens can take converters.

 

I have two pens loaded with Lierre sauvage at the moment (Jinhao X750 and Waterman's Hemisphre) and it is interesting to see the difference between the two. The Jinhao just sprays the ink on the page resulting in very dark green lines which take a while to dry whilst the Waterman gives a more measured approach which results in shading.

 

So my system is making sure that the pens that have the most use have my favourite inks, and the rest are a bit random, or determined by whether they take long or short cartridges.

Edited October 12, 2013 by sandy101

[Runnin_Ute]

I only have 5-6 pens, 4 bottles and some samples. Did a fill last night.This is how it ended up.

 

True Writer SIlver Anniversary - Diamine Sherwood Green

Lamy Al Star (1.1) - Akkerman Shocking Blue

Waterman Phileas - M: Akkerman Voorhout Violet

Waterman Phileas - F: Monteverde Blue Black (sample)

Noodler's Konrad - Diamine Blue Black

Esterbrook J - Venus F: Monteverde Brown (sample)

 

I absolutely LOVE the Sherwood Green in the SIlver Anniversary - have tried others, but keep coming back to it.

[hughdrbf]

Just a quick note to thank everyone for your posts/pictures of method and practice. I've been thinking a lot lately about beginning an ink journal, and now I see the way forward.

 

I typically keep three pens inked for home penmanship practice (usually a mix of vintage and modern firm and flex nibs from F through 1.5mm stub), and two more inked that are my EDC for work (I use a 2-pen brown Quiver on a black Quo Vadis Habana lined journal). I was considering using either the Rhodia Dot Pad pages or a Clairefontaine side clothbound notebooks that I have on hand, and use regularly for penmanship practice.

 

With just more than a dozen or so inks I've got some fun times ahead in creating my ink journal.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Hugh

 

 

 

 

[bernardo]

I have a summary list that has a one-line entry for each pen that I have ever inked. Then there is a separate page for each pen which gets a new entry each time it gets filled with an ink that has not been used in that pen before; or if the nib has been changed then I have to start over. The first couple of pages here are the first two of the seven pages of my summary list and the third page is one of the pen pages.

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212243.0/org/p/Pen_Summary_Samples_01.jpg

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212245.0/org/p/Pen_Summary_Samples_02.jpg

 

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/MAMUT22L2TDcWT/6212253.0/org/p/Writing_Sample_Page_SH01.jpg

 

 

Wow, nice work! Thanks for sharing!

[rockydoggy]

Boy, those journals are impressive. I can barely keep track of which inks I have in which pens.

I keep a lot of pens inked and I mostly determine combinations by function, the quirks of the pen, and caution. For instance, I tend to keep my best pens filled with easy-to-clean, less troublesome inks. Also, I have several pens at work that are filled with bulletproof, iron-gall, or waterproof inks. Because I don't use them consistently, I've identified pens that rarely dry out; those are my steady users with those inks. (Why is it that my cheaper Muji, Pilot, Schneider, Cross, Sheaffer, and Preppy pens often have far more effective cap seals than many of my more expensive pens? I've had some of these pens sit for weeks and then start up immediately.) Oh yeah, I've decided to run only brown ink in my TWSBI Micarta.

[N2theBreach]

I am on the "less organized" end of the continuum. I do keep an ink journal for new inks and that's about as far as it goes.

 

I don't worry too much about color matching inks to pens. I choose more by which ink I fancy at the moment.

 

If I feel like changing inks, I usually run a pen dry before changing. If I don't run it dry, the extra ink goes back in the bottle. Even though I can afford it, it still galls me to pour ink down the sink. I'm not sure whether that's because my parents grew up during the depression and I still live by the mantra of, "Why are you throwing something away when it's still good?" ; or because I lived in Europe for a few years and adopted a more conservative approach to consumerism; or both.

 

(Because of that attitude, I still have the first cheap, rickety, heavy, 6-foot step ladder that I bought over 30 years ago. The lousy thing still works! For that reason, I've started buying better quality products. If I'm going to be using something for 30 years, I'd at least like to have something I enjoy. )

[mikeschu]

With having only a few pens I can remember what ink is in them, even if they've been filled weeks ago.

 

This is the current lineup:

 

Pelikan M200 (F nib) - Pelikan 4001 Brown

TWSBI Mini (1.1 stub) - Diamine Green/Black (I should change this out)

Sheaffer Chased Chrome 300 (F) - Noodler's X-Feather (kept at work)

Pilot VP Dark Blue (F) - Diamine Med Blue

Edison Beaumont Bordeaux Flake (EF) is sent off for repair, but had J Herbin Eclat de Saphir loaded previously

Black Pilot 78G (broad) - empty

Esterbrook J w/2442 nib - needs a sac installed (that's something I can do today)

 

I don't have any hard and fast rules on what inks go in which pens, except for the Pelikan (only gets Pelikan inks) and the Edison (safer inks only, no Noodler's).

 

It's been enlightening to see how others keep track, especially if they have more than a few pens. I may need to start a journal as I have three or four more pens on the way. I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to keep that many pens in memory!

Edited October 12, 2013 by mikeschu

[BillZ]

I, too keep a pen/ink journal. I make simple entries when I change a pen/ink colour combo. I also use it for anything pen-related.

Most of my pens are black, blue or brownish and I tend to match the ink to the pen especially the brownish ones. I will put blue ink in a black pen but have a problem with blue or black in a brown pen. Just a quirk I guess.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I, too keep a pen/ink journal. I make simple entries when I change a pen/ink colour combo. I also use it for anything pen-related.Most of my pens are black, blue or brownish and I tend to match the ink to the pen especially the brownish ones. I will put blue ink in a black pen but have a problem with blue or black in a brown pen. Just a quirk I guess.

Amd one that I share!

[BillZ]

Thanks for the reply Sailor. Maybe if it's more than one person doing it it's not a quirk, it's a TREND!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks for the reply Sailor. Maybe if it's more than one person doing it it's not a quirk, it's a TREND!

Indeed! And you could even read my Bad Typing. ;-)

Edited October 14, 2013 by Sailor Kenshin