What Ink Do You Use To Try Out A New Pen

[Green Ink]

I got a wonderful pen in the mail today with a .7mm cursive italic from one of the best nib meisters. I inked it up with Noodler's Apache Sunset. The nib felt draggy. The line was too pale and thin. Yikes, I thought I had a faulty nib.

 

I tried different papers, no change. Then I cleaned and dried the pen and filled it with Pilot Blue. It writes SO well!

 

I read in Apache Sunset reviews that other people have problems with it in narrower nibs.

 

So, my question is, when you get a new pen or nib, and you want to make sure it doesn't have any problems, what ink do you use?

[ralfstc]

I don't think this will be an original answer-- Waterman Serenity (Florida) Blue. Good lubrication and flow, and middle of the road enough that I know where to go next-- the gushy diamines or the reluctant pelikans.

 

Cheers,

 

Ralf

[ac12]

Waterman.

And if the pen writes too WET, I switch to the dryer Pelikan.

[ralfstc]

Woah. Just woah.

 

I knew I wasn't original, but now I'm simultaneously unimaginative :-)

 

R.

[Brian K]

I just use whatever I have at hand that I am happy with at the time or a new sample I haven't tried yet. Nothing special. If the results aren't good I try something else...just as you did. No real trick to it; just try things until you're happy.

[risingsun]

Waterman here, too....the ink just behaves so well...

[Sasha Royale]

In the scenario you offer, I use Pelikan Royal Blue. It works in a 100-year-old Parker, a 70-year-old Esterbrood,

and a 2-year-old TWSBI. It is INK of a nice color, without scent or sheen or other additive.

[PAKMAN]

Parker Quink Blue black

or

Diamine Mediterranean Blue

[amberleadavis]

Frequently, I buy a new bottle of ink when I buy a pen, so I those together, but that's not always a good idea, because you don't know if the ink is wet or dry. For example, I had a nib customized and when I filled the pen with an ink I was going to review.... I thought DANG that's dry. Was it the newly customized nib or the ink? Because it was a TWSBI, I switched nibs. The nib is dry only when compared to the gusher I had been using a few moments before. The ink was dry. The combination was too dry for me.

 

All of this would have been solved if I inked every pen for the first time with the same ink. Of course, that isn't going to happen, but if it were, I'd use Dromgoole's Blue Steel because in every pen, it has been fuss free.

[rockydoggy]

Waterman blue

Cross / Pelikan royal blue

Sheaffer Scrip black

Diamine Damson

[ac12]

On the other hand, if I know that I want to use a specific ink in a pen, I will just load up with it.

Then if it does not behave well, I adjust the nib to get the ink flow to be what I want it to be.

Edited October 25, 2014 by ac12

[PabloAU]

Another vote for Waterman Serenity Blue. It's not my favourite coloured blue, but it's so well behaved for the first-drive of a new pen. It's also the ink I've owned for the longest and I'm quite familiar with it, so it's easy for me to make some judgements about the characteristics of the pen.

[Tanzanite]

Parker Quink Blue.

[Pravda]

That's such a good idea! I seem to do the same without having thought about it.. start my new pens with Montblanc ink.. midnight blue or black.. then onto more interesting choices..

[Calamus plasticus]

Parker Quink Blue.

Me too. For the first test, then I swicht to whatever.

[Dottie]

Namiki Blue. It behaves well. At first I try whatever ink takes my fancy in it but if it doesn't work well, I switch to the Namiki Blue, to see if it is the pen or just that the ink/pen combo isn't good.

[XiaoMG]

Kon-peki usually, since I've got a pretty good grasp of its tonal range and performance.

[Runnin_Ute]

Last pen: Parker 51 Special

1st ink: Serenity Blue

Current: Diamine Blue Black

 

Have only had the pen a few months, but these are the only inks I have had in it to date.

[vossad01]

Waterman Serenity Blue here; because in the past when this was asked, that was the most common answer. I figure, if nothing else, it makes it easy to ask questions because I am using the same ink others are.

[SallyLyn]

If the pen is vintage or I'm unsure of it in anyway, Waterman Serenity Blue or the blue/black. Waterman is safe, excellent flow and all I use in my vintage pens.

 

If it is a Pilot pen of any type/price I'll rinse and load with the ink I plan to use. Never had a problem with the Pilots. Do the same with the inexpensive Heros, Preppys, etc. They will work with nearly any ink and if a problem I'll figure later.

-Usually an extra rinse with a touch of dishsoap and Waterman ink will fix 99%.