I was thinking, what am I going to do with three ounces of ink? This will last me perhaps a decade and that's if just used one bottle. I also like to try out new colors, but I don't want to buy a bottle of something that I might not want. Well if people were willing to trade at least one ounce of a color for another, we wouldn't have to. I would love some feed back. I know people are trading straight across for ink, but I'm not sure if anything like this is happening.

I suspect the price and value of ink in contrast to the cost of shipping ink has a lot to do with the interest in trading inks. A poll would be very interesting to see how many people participate in ink trading, and what motivates them. I'd be disappointed if I only received a few sacfuls of one color in exchange for an almost full bottle of another, but in general I wouldn't worry about parity in volume when it comes to ink. I just bought a bottle of PR red that has been dipped into once. I intend to bring it with me to an ink-trading event in a few weeks. If I get a half-bottle of a color that I prefer in trade, I'll be happy.

Fred

I think most people use Dillo's vials, so if one traded an equal number of vials, should be equivalent, right?

The vials hold a couple of converter fulls, maybe 2-3 grams?

Deirdre,

What's a Dillo's vial? Should I want one? Got a link to one?

Thanks.

Fred

See this thread. (It's pinned to the top in Inky Thoughts.)

My goodness! This FPN has too many nooks and crannies of information. I had no idea this was going on. I wonder how many other newbies suffer from ignorance? (Pretend I didn't write that.)

Thanks again!

Fred

P.S. The first link to the vials (2006) is dead, but I will keep going down the threads until I get to a good one.

Just PM Dillon (Dillo) - he will hook you up.

I go through that much ink in under a month. My pens are all wet italic writers and burn through the stuff like there's no tomorrow.

I think unusual nibs that consume a lot of ink are an exception. Noodles etc...

Better yet, if it's PR, you have twice that much once you water it down.

Actually, I use only fines and XF's....and easily use half a bottle a month. I don't write an exceptional amount, either...a page or two (large Moleskine) a day, a letter or two a week, three postcards a week, and some writing at work (equivalent of a few pages of notes per day). None of my nibs are firehoses, and I don't pour much down the drain.

Besides...stubs, BB/BBB, noodles, etc. may be "unusual" to the world at large, but here they're quite common. I can't see how anyone who writes even just a one page journal per day with a Japanese Fine could make a 3oz. bottle last a year or more. I am jealous, though.

Having said all that, I'm sure if you posted what you want to do in the Ink Sample Trading thread and/or the WTT section of the Marketplace, you'd find someone who could accomodate you. With the vials, we rarely quabble over ink's value because quantities are so small, though it would have to be considered here when bottles range from $8-25+ each, and an ounce could constitute anywhere from a whole bottle+ to 1/4 bottle.