A package arrived at my mailbox today. It came from Ann Arbor!

Along with a bottle of Noodler's Lexington Gray (I bought it as a base for mixing, but wow! this is a nice ink by itself) came the sampler I ordered with Noodler's Sequoia, Noodler's Green Marine, Omas Sepia, and Sailor Jentle Brown.

...and a Private Reserve mixing kit.

I haven't even touched the mixing kit yet, I've just been sampling the inks. Write a page with this one, make some color swatches with that one. Get out the brush and see how it goes down thick and thin, wash the brush, try again with another ink. I haven't even loaded a pen up yet! I'm just dipping. I'm actually surprised at how much ink stays on the pen with a dip... with a dip pen one dip might get me through a sentence. With a fountain pen (I'm using a Rotring ArtPen for my dip tests) I'm getting more than a page full of words from a little dunk in the inkpot.

And once I start mixing, the fun will just keep going and going. Up until today I liked inks, but never really got excited about them. Today? I've discovered a new playground.

Mister Partridge, you're selling crack. And I'm hooked.

Fun!

I'm right behind you on the same track! Different supplier but I don't think that matters!

Cedar

It does to me!

James

HeHe . . . Don't tell the Feds!

Glad you're having fun! That's the whole point.

" I'm just dipping. I'm actually surprised at how much ink stays on the pen with a dip... with a dip pen one dip might get me through a sentence." Splicer

Me too ! Dipping my Watermans 52 1/2 allows me to write a third of a page...

Make a 1:1000 mix of egg white : water.
Dip your dip nib (not your fountain pen nib) into it. Using a tissue wipe the mixture all over the nib. Let it dry before dipping into ink.
I find that I can write several lines before I have to re-dip.

Splicer, how about doing a review of this ink? I've got some on the way.

Well, I did end up using the mixing kit last night. Came up with a workable grey-green that's a lot like the mix I made from Private Reserve inks (recipe in another thread), except that this is waterproof (made from Noodler'ses er... Noodler'ss? um... Noodler's inks). I want it just a little more blueish and a little brighter before I start sharing scans, but it's good enough for me to have loaded up one of my pens to take to work with me today.

Needless to say I didn't get to bed until sometime around 3am and my first thought this morning was that I need to install a new shelf for my ink bottles.

Hmm, is there a vegan alternative to egg white? How long does this last? Do you have to reapply it after every few dips?

There are dip nibs that come with a metal piece clipped on, serving as a reservoir. Someone here on FPN also recommended using some aluminum foil folded to make a reservoir.

There are committed dip-pens (nibs not interchangeable) that have reservoirs and also last in the range of paragraphs instead of words. I also like to use needs-repair, broken Ebay pens as dip pens.

Splicer, hooray for inks. I thought I liked FP's when I got started, but it's inks, inks, inks that get me to procrastinate and drool.

Sure, I'd love to. The only thing is that I prefer to write reviews for multiple similar inks. Scans aren't reliable for color, but having multiples together does give a reasonable representation of how the colors compare. Unfortunately, this is my only gray right now, since I foolishly sacrificed my entire bottle of Private Reserve Grey Flannel to my grey-green mix. (Maybe not foolishly; I didn't like Grey Flannel. Still, it means I don't have any for review and comparison now).

I'm thinking I should include Grey Flannel in my next sampler from Pear Tree, so I can lay some down on a page next to Lexington. Grays should be fun to review. I'm having a blast comparing browns and yes, there will be scans.

Sounds good to me. Right now, in my Xezo Architect (which has a titanium finish), I'm using Levenger Smokey (thanks Don). It's nice enough, but I really liked the looks of this Noodler's shade. Hopefully, it will be in next week.

Can't go to the same pusher all the time! Circulating keeps the Feds off my trail!
'Sides, it was your turn last month! Gotta spread the wealth (limited though it may be) around.

Cedar

Lots of good stuff in Ann Arbor! You've reminded me that I need to get that mixing kit and some samples from James P. The "to get" list is just so darn long. Thanks for letting us know about your adventures, Splicer.

The "crack" comment are the truest words ever spoken/written.

Finding a Pear Tree package in the mail is always good for a goofy grin.