Do You Keep/store/organize Ink Swabs/reviews?

[amberleadavis]

The two colors are the light and dark from shading.

[musicman123]

The two colors are the light and dark from shading.

 

Oh that sheds so much light! I was wondering where the two colors came from!

[Tas]

 

Where do ya'll get your swatch cards? Are they index cards cut to size? I want to start something like this!

 

Bought mine from The Journal Shop - but they've been out of stock fro a while.

http://www.thejournalshop.com/maruman-mnemosyne-word-cards

 

Jet pens sell them across the pond:

http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Word-Book-4.1-X-2.1-100-Sheets/pd/6704

 

Fill yer boots.

[Sandy1]

 

Was that your picture with the very cute and yet terrifying looking cat?

 

Hi,

 

I rather doubt that a cat and I have ever appeared in the same photo, and any hand-rendered image of such would be the work of fantastical mind. (Not that moggies and I don't get along.)

 

Bye,

S1

[Davros]

I have a binder full of sleeves meant to hold baseball cards. It isn't full because I am still trying to find the right setup so each ink is treated the same useful way.

[amberleadavis]

 

Hi,

 

I rather doubt that a cat and I have ever appeared in the same photo, and any hand-rendered image of such would be the work of fantastical mind. (Not that moggies and I don't get along.)

 

Bye,

S1

 

Oh, I remember someone showing off an ink cabinet guarded by a cat (that resembled a dragon).

[Ereshkigal]

I have these things:

 

 

and I have no idea how to organize them .

[Tas]

I have these things:

 

 

and I have no idea how to organize them .

 

Lovely . . .

[Frank C]

Yes

I keep a 3 inch binder with 3 different sections:

1 - inking log; date, pen, ink

This is just to track when I ink the pens.

 

2 - pen section.

Each pen (or nib for the Esterbrooks) has a page, and every time I use a different ink, I write a standard line (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.). So I can see what different inks look like in a particular pen. When I change inks, I have forgotten what the prior ink looked like. That has upset me because then I have to reink the pen to test it with the old ink, to see if I liked it or not. Example, my italic ink tests are buried in several journals, so when I want to see what a particular ink looked like out of the Lamy 1.1 nib, I have to find the particular journal (out of 19 journals) and then find the pages with the test, which is a real PiA to do. Or what did the ink line look like out of a specific Parker 51?

 

3 - ink section

First, by basic color (black, blue, green, red, other),

Second, within the basic color by specific color (Waterman Florida Blue)

- page 1 is the standard line written with a Morrisset dip pen M and F or XF on 4 different papers. This tells me what the ink looks like with the pen being constant, so it is repeatable. And how the ink looks like on different papers.

- page 2 is the ink written with different pens. So I can see what the ink looks like out of different pens. I have had situations where the same ink out of 2 pens looks so different that one would think it was 2 different inks (one bright, the other DARK).

- page 3 is paragraph writing so I can see how a paragraph of the ink looks. 1 line might be OK but a whole paragraph of a bright color might be too much for the eyes.

 

And it is in a binder, so that I can add pages (to keep the pens and inks in order) and move stuff around as I decide to add or change things. Because I consider the organization of the binder a 'work in progress.'

 

I have thought to start something like this, but now it seems like an overwhelming task to get caught up. Of course, if I started with just one pen per day, . . . .

[Ereshkigal]

 

Lovely . . .

Thank you .

Your samples are beautiful, washed ink pottery especially .

[ac12]

 

I have thought to start something like this, but now it seems like an overwhelming task to get caught up. Of course, if I started with just one pen per day, . . . .

 

In a sense, that is what I did, just started with the black inks, then went to blue, then to green, and kept going. I did maybe 2 or 3 inks a day, so that it did not feel like a chore. Then I get a bunch of inks at the pen show or Pen Posse, and I fall behind again. I still have not got all my inks sampled and tested, but I'm getting there...slowly. I also include tests of ink samples, so I have a record of those inks, that I can refer to.

 

You can see a sample of the ink page on this post:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/285252-scribes-inks/?do=findComment&comment=3284723

 

The pen section was easier. I just got all my inked pens, made a page for each pen, wrote a couple lines, and that pen was done.

Edited February 27, 2015 by ac12

[Frank C]

 

In a sense, that is what I did, just started with the black inks, then went to blue, then to green, and kept going. I did maybe 2 or 3 inks a day, so that it did not feel like a chore. Then I get a bunch of inks at the pen show or Pen Posse, and I fall behind again. I still have not got all my inks sampled and tested, but I'm getting there...slowly. I also include tests of ink samples, so I have a record of those inks, that I can refer to.

 

You can see a sample of the ink page on this post:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/285252-scribes-inks/?do=findComment&comment=3284723

 

The pen section was easier. I just got all my inked pens, made a page for each pen, wrote a couple lines, and that pen was done.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I guess that I just need to sit down and start doing it.

[Sandy1]

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I guess that I just need to sit down and start doing it.

 

Hi,

 

There are a few one-page Ink Review templates pinned in the IR Forum, which make a good place to start capturing a range of information greater than just the samples. Your own approach will evolve as things progress.

 

My approach went a bit OTT as I wanted to be able to compare inks on-the-level - not just have free-standing bits of work, though those bits will definitely flesh-out your samples over time as you use different pens and papers in the normal course of things.

 

I started building my trove of samples using the pens and papers I had to hand. For someone dealing with a backlog, or who wants to go about things in short order, I'll suggest a pen that can use inexpensive nib+feed units. Consider a set of three nib+feed units adjusted to different degrees of wetness (flow) to run samples on say three different papers with a range of characteristics: coated FP-friendly paper, bog standard 'office' copy/print paper, and something else. I prefer a Western B nib width just so I can see more of the ink, and that I trend towards wide-ish nibs for personal off-duty writing.

 

Even though it seems a job of work, in the long run such sampling has prevented many false starts and long queues of pens to clean-up. (Failed samples should most definitely be added to the ink folios.)

 

The Inky TOD - Quick Ink Changes - Tips and Tricks may be of use: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/269032-inky-t-o-d-quick-ink-changes-tips-and-tricks/?p=3032695

 

Bye,

S1

[jasonchickerson]

I don't keep my swabs/reviews/etc. If I like the ink, I will remember it and use it. If I don't, I'm happy to forget about it.

 

If I want to know what I thought about some ink, I guess I'll search my reviews on FPN like everyone else.

[Frank C]

 

Hi,

 

There are a few one-page Ink Review templates pinned in the IR Forum, which make a good place to start capturing a range of information greater than just the samples. Your own approach will evolve as things progress.

 

My approach went a bit OTT as I wanted to be able to compare inks on-the-level - not just have free-standing bits of work, though those bits will definitely flesh-out your samples over time as you use different pens and papers in the normal course of things.

 

I started building my trove of samples using the pens and papers I had to hand. For someone dealing with a backlog, or who wants to go about things in short order, I'll suggest a pen that can use inexpensive nib+feed units. Consider a set of three nib+feed units adjusted to different degrees of wetness (flow) to run samples on say three different papers with a range of characteristics: coated FP-friendly paper, bog standard 'office' copy/print paper, and something else. I prefer a Western B nib width just so I can see more of the ink, and that I trend towards wide-ish nibs for personal off-duty writing.

 

Even though it seems a job of work, in the long run such sampling has prevented many false starts and long queues of pens to clean-up. (Failed samples should most definitely be added to the ink folios.)

 

The Inky TOD - Quick Ink Changes - Tips and Tricks may be of use: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/269032-inky-t-o-d-quick-ink-changes-tips-and-tricks/?p=3032695

 

Bye,

S1

 

That is a very systematic approach. And it helps to explain why your ink reviews are so thorough. It is more work than I was anticipating, but as you say, it may save some false starts in the future. I guess my next order to Nibs.com will include three Pelikans with different flow rates. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

[Inkydinkydog]

Swabs, yes.

[Sandy1]

 

That is a very systematic approach. And it helps to explain why your ink reviews are so thorough. It is more work than I was anticipating, but as you say, it may save some false starts in the future. I guess my next order to Nibs.com will include three Pelikans with different flow rates. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

 

Hi,

 

Well, making samples should be fit for purpose, and its up to you what that purpose will be. It also depends on the sheer quantity of inks and pens and papers that you're interested in exploring.

 

I used one pen and one ink and whatever paper come to hand for years without becoming curious what lay beyond - FP use was a very pleasant means of writing, which was enough. Then I was gifted with two more pens, so those pens needed to have their own inks. Then I discovered writing paper ...

 

Even the apparently simple task of making a swab sample can be expanded with little effort to yield more information. I run four samples: 3, 2, 1 passes, plus dilution. And with an appropriate dip pen, a brief set of written samples on three papers and smear/dry times and a wet test can be done in short order. If those results are encouraging, then one can expand the extent of sampling, and take it in whatever direction seems interesting / rewarding. If those results are not encouraging, I'm not shy to send an ink into Mixing Corral limbo.

 

No matter how you go about it, try to avoid wasted effort (short-cuts to no-where) or adopting a too rigid approach or one that's not scalable.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited March 1, 2015 by Sandy1

[Margana]

Mnemosyne cards are working well for me so I wrote a post about my system last month for my blog. This image shows the gist of it with fountain pen writing on the back of each card. I like things simple and the swatches and written samples tell me all I need to know.

 

[amberleadavis]

Frank, if I may suggest, don't try and do them all at once. Start by doing the swabs whenever you pull out the ink to use. I also write a little line on the same card every trim I ink up - so I can see how it looks in different pens. Also, when you realize if you haven't used an ink.

[Frank C]

 

Hi,

 

Well, making samples should be fit for purpose, and its up to you what that purpose will be. It also depends on the sheer quantity of inks and pens and papers that you're interested in exploring.

 

I used one pen and one ink and whatever paper come to hand for years without becoming curious what lay beyond - FP use was a very pleasant means of writing, which was enough. Then I was gifted with two more pens, so those pens needed to have their own inks. Then I discovered writing paper ...

 

Even the apparently simple task of making a swab sample can be expanded with little effort to yield more information. I run four samples: 3, 2, 1 passes, plus dilution. And with an appropriate dip pen, a brief set of written samples on three papers and smear/dry times and a wet test can be done in short order. If those results are encouraging, then one can expand the extent of sampling, and take it in whatever direction seems interesting / rewarding. If those results are not encouraging, I'm not shy to send an ink into Mixing Corral limbo.

 

No matter how you go about it, try to avoid wasted effort (short-cuts to no-where) or adopting a too rigid approach or one that's not scalable.

 

Bye,

S1

 

 

Frank, if I may suggest, don't try and do them all at once. Start by doing the swabs whenever you pull out the ink to use. I also write a little line on the same card every trim I ink up - so I can see how it looks in different pens. Also, when you realize if you haven't used an ink.

 

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I don't think that I could do them all at once; I've been acquiring pens and ink for about 30 years!

 

I need to collate this information, develop a plan, and start recording them.