Gray Inks

[Abner C. Kemp]

Recently, I have become more and more interested in gray inks. Originally I thought they were very dull looking but the color has grown on me. The color is easy on the eyes and seems ideal for personal notes/study materials. What do you guys think? Could you use a grey ink for your notes or would it be too boring/difficult to read? And of course, tell me what your favorite gray ink is.

 

Thanks!!

[mhm802]

I use Diamine Graphite daily, it's one of my favorite inks. I love the slightly greenish cast to shading depending on the nib. Dark but not dull, and a bit mysterious.

[swanjun]

The Kobe inks made by Sailor have a couple of interesting greys. #31 Kaigan Stone Grey and #46 Nagisa Museum Grey, in particular.

[avt]

My current favorite ink is J. Herbin Gris Nuage. It flows wonderfully from my Lamy 2000M with a broad nib. It looks a little dull at first when it comes out of the pen but then it dries with lovely shading.

[MKeith]

My favorite is Mont Blanc Oyster Grey. It has good flow and doesn't seem to feather or bleed through for me. I have not tried Diamine, but I did try Private Reserve Gray Flannel and it has a distinct green hue when dry. If you are using vintage pens, I would recommend either the MB or Diamine.

[Pentulant]

Gris Nuage is really nice...leans toward the blue side. Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun is my favorite.

 

http://pentulant.blogspot.com/2013/08/ink-review-pilot-iroshizuku-fuyu-syogun.html

 

I use it regularly..no problems and lots of potential for shading.

[Bigeddie]

Fuyu-syogun is a favourite of mine for writing, I also increasingly use a darker grey (MB Einstein) in a fine nib to make notes on notes.

[lapis]

+2 on fuyu syogun

[inkstainedruth]

I really like De Atramentis Tchaikowsky, which I think is relabeled Silver Grey. It really looks grey -- not watered down black -- but is still dark enough to be legible (which is the problem I had with Gris Nuage: pretty color but really light). And most of the D'A inks I've tried are fairly wet and flowing, which is good if you have a drier nib.

Fuyu-syogun is supposed to be a blueish grey, but I wasn't really getting that color at all.

I have samples of Diamine Grey (which is reported to have some sheen) and De Atramentis Fog Grey, but I haven't tried them yet.

Not sure if it qualifies as grey, but also maybe have a look at Noodler's El Lawrence. It's a weird color -- somewhere between grey, green and sepia (think used motor oil!) but there's just something sort of mesmerizing about it. And it has the bonus of being pretty waterproof, so I feel safe using it to write checks or addressing envelopes. Probably not everyone's cup of tea -- but I didn't think I'd like it either, till I saw a review; and Just. Kept. Staring.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dooooooor]

I've only tried De Atramentis Fog Grey and Private Reserve Gray Flannel and I really liked the fog grey, a really nice blue grey. The PR is a bit less saturated but shades more and it is a touch green. I also have a sample of Fuyu-Syogun that I can't wait to try, but the swab I did looks similar to the fog grey.

[moylek]

Private Reserve makes a lovely darkish grey called Gray Flannel (even if the spell it funny .

 

http://cdn3.volusion.com/zecn7.jeyr6/v/vspfiles/photos/PR14GF-2T.jpg?1386832470

Image from gouletpens.com

[amble63]

My grey of choice is Noodler's Lexington Gray (see the Goulets' swab here: http://www.gouletpens.com/Ink_Sample_Noodler_s_Lexington_Gray_p/is-n19042.htm ). I think I read a description of it once as being the colour of a pencil. I think that's about right. It's bulletproof to boot.

 

As for El Lawrence, I agree it's an interesting colour but it has some funky smell going on.

[attika89]

Stone Grey from Graf von Faber-Castell is very nice too. It is kind of new, and I don't know if there is even a review up on it. I'm planning to write one in the future...
I can't compare it to other greys though.
It is a good mid-grey color what shades nicely. It can have great dark grey shades, and it also has some water resistance.

[mikehodgman]

Don't know if it has already been mentioned, but Organics Studios Arsenic is absolutely wonderful. It is a bit of a darker grey, but I do not like the lighter greys at all.

[aardvarkbark]

I find Diamine Grey and Noodler's Lexington to be true medium and dark greys, repspectively, with no ting of green that other greys seem to have. I think Diamine Grey is practically identical to a pencil.

[Abner C. Kemp]

My favorite is Mont Blanc Oyster Grey. It has good flow and doesn't seem to feather or bleed through for me. I have not tried Diamine, but I did try Private Reserve Gray Flannel and it has a distinct green hue when dry. If you are using vintage pens, I would recommend either the MB or Diamine.

 

Well I took a trip over to a local mall today where there is a small pen store. I was originally planning on purchasing some Rhodia notebooks but they had a sale on inks. I ended up grabbing a bottle of Mont Blanc Oyster Grey for $14 which wasn't cheap but seemed reasonable to me. I have to say I am very fond of the ink. In my XF nibs it resembles pencil but with a bit more silvery sheen. I have seen no bleed through or feathering with it on cheap papers either. It's a great neutral color that is easy on the eyes. I think I will keep at least one pen permanently inked with it.

[flyingfox]

 

Well I took a trip over to a local mall today where there is a small pen store. I was originally planning on purchasing some Rhodia notebooks but they had a sale on inks. I ended up grabbing a bottle of Mont Blanc Oyster Grey for $14 <snip>

 

Wow, where? Paradise pen at KOP? I see that you are in Philly as well, but I cannot think of any other malls in the area that has a pen store. A bottle of MontBlanc for $14.- is a fantastic price, I am totally going!!! Sorry for an off topic post, but it is such a great deal, too good to pass up!!!

[MKeith]

 

Well I took a trip over to a local mall today where there is a small pen store. I was originally planning on purchasing some Rhodia notebooks but they had a sale on inks. I ended up grabbing a bottle of Mont Blanc Oyster Grey for $14 which wasn't cheap but seemed reasonable to me. I have to say I am very fond of the ink. In my XF nibs it resembles pencil but with a bit more silvery sheen. I have seen no bleed through or feathering with it on cheap papers either. It's a great neutral color that is easy on the eyes. I think I will keep at least one pen permanently inked with it.

 

 

 

Wow, where? Paradise pen at KOP? I see that you are in Philly as well, but I cannot think of any other malls in the area that has a pen store. A bottle of MontBlanc for $14.- is a fantastic price, I am totally going!!! Sorry for an off topic post, but it is such a great deal, too good to pass up!!!

 

 

 

Abner C. Kemp: I hope you enjoy the ink.

 

flyingfox: You are right, I paid $17 +tax at Paradise Pen in Portland, Oregon a couple of months ago.

Edited January 24, 2014 by MKeith

[ethernautrix]

Stone Grey from Graf von Faber-Castell is very nice too. It is kind of new, and I don't know if there is even a review up on it. I'm planning to write one in the future...

I can't compare it to other greys though.

It is a good mid-grey color what shades nicely. It can have great dark grey shades, and it also has some water resistance.

 

I have a sample of this in one of my Nakayas. I really, really like this grey. True grey, I suppose. Lighter than Noodler's Lexington Gray, which I liked, but I think I like the Faber Castell better.

[Abner C. Kemp]

 

 

Abner C. Kemp: I hope you enjoy the ink.

 

flyingfox: You are right, I paid $17 +tax at Paradise Pen in Portland, Oregon a couple of months ago.

 

 

Upon further inspection I did pay $17 for the ink. There was a small sale sign near the inks and when she rang everything up I thought I got a deal. It ended up that the Rhodia notebooks were less than expected. But, I like the ink enough that I would gladly pay $17. This was my first visit to the store which is amazing since I live just a short drive away. To be honest, I never even knew it existed. It's a small place but they have a very nice selection. At the moment they have Parker and Waterman pens on sale including two very nice Carenes and a few Sonnets.

 

I was proud of myself for not purchasing a Visconti Van Gogh… it wasn't easy.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Abner C. Kemp