I think the topic title and description ask the relevant questions. I've primarily stuck with Private Reserve ink (DC Supershow, specifically) with my Visconti FPs. Recently I filled one of my Van Gogh's with Noodler's Baystate Blue. I love the color, but I detect that the pen performs not as well as it does with PR ink. It's as if certain pen strokes are not as consistent with this Baystate Blue as they are when I used Private Reserve DC Supershow. Similarly, I'm detecting my other Van Gogh not performing as well as it used to, and I think it's because I even have a different PR ink in it (not Supershow).

Are FPs really that sensitive to the brand of ink used, or even the different series of ink within a brand? I've read quite a few posts in the past where folks have argued "this ink is good for such and such" or "this brand of pen should use this brand of ink." I figured people just really had a favorite brand of ink, which skewed them into thinking that their preferred brand somehow worked better in a pen over another brand of ink. I figured the reallity was it really didn't make a difference whether one used Waterman, PR, Noodlers, or Aurora ink in the same pen--they all worked the same, but were just different colors.

So, is there truth in the contention that certain pens perform better with certain inks? If so, any experiences on what works best in Van Goghs?

Individual pens work best with different inks. Not all Van Goghs will work best with the same ink. Each individual pen has it's own "personality." Colors will appear differently between two pens with the same ink because of flow differences, and a pen will perform differently with two different inks.

YES, I don't know why, even some pens, or nibs, tend to darker the ink or lighter.

Even a pen, and nib, works differentelly depending on the ink. There is no rule by brand or nib width.

Julio

Inks are vastly different from one another. Some are dry (like Pelikan), some are wet (like Private Reserve), and some are nicely balanced (Montblanc). As others have mentioned, a pen that likes X ink is not guaranteed to like Y ink.

Baystate Blue is also a very fussy ink. I have had flow problems when using it in some pens. Thats what I would guess is happening with your Viscontis. Keep trying Baystate in different pens until you find one that doesnt give you trouble. Its such a pretty ink too

My observations on pens and inks: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=28241

And that's all I have to say on the subject.

My only issues have been with nib creep.Noodlers is notorious for it. So i use other brands in those pens with different reactions.

Jim

Very good idea to summarize members opinions on these FAQ subjects

I subscribes to your opinion on inks as well. For exemple my Patrician which is otherwise on the wetter side of medium tends to dry up with Noodler's Navajo Turquoise. That ink is well behave in the other pens I tried it. The Patrician had no issue with others ink but some Noodler's ink simply dry in that pen... So my guess would be that piston or converter flow, feed design, feed flow, nib adjustement, feed materail (maybe) and inks are the variable (of course paper is too )

There are so many inks, and they each have their own set of liquid properties (viscosity, wettability, lubrication and so on). It is those properties that govern how an ink will behave in a particular pen.

Different inks from the same manufacturer will have different liquid properties. For example Parker Quink Blue-Black is a more free-flowing (wetter) ink than Parker Quink Permanent Blue. This applies to both the current product and the older Solv-X Quinks.
Diamine Aqua Blue is a much wetter ink than other Diamine inks like Sapphire Blue.

Even the same ink can behave differently when its concentration is changed. I have some powdered clerical ink that when made up according to the instructions won't wet a normal Post Office dip pen. If I make that same ink more concentrated (2 or 3 times more concentrated), then it wets the nib quite nicely.

Each pen is also different, with a different gap between the tines and different slits in the feeds. This will affect how the ink gets down to the nib, and governs whether the pen will be a 'wet' or 'dry' writer. Even pens of the same model from the same manufacturer can vary. I have two Parker 51 pens with fine nibs. I have disassembled both, cleaned them and reassembled them. One is quite a wet writer while the other is a medium writer.

There are some inks, such as the Sanford Blues (Parker Quink Permanent Blue, Waterman Florida Blue) which are middle of the range in all their liquid properties. These inks are regularly mentioned as good starter inks as they will work adequately with almost any pen.
By using one of these inks in your pen, you can determine if the pen is wet, medium or dry. From there, by looking at the reviews of inks on the FPN, you can judge how various inks should perform in your pen.

Generally you would be putting a dry ink in a wet pen, and vice versa. However, putting a lightly coloured, but wet, ink like Diamine Aqua Blue in a wet pen will result in a very intense colour on the paper. Conversely, putting a dry in in a dry pen will let you write on paper that would normally feather and bleed badly.

Then there is the paper. Some papers absorb the ink quickly and make any ink look flat. Others will not absorb the ink at all, and this causes any shading (thicker and thinner layers of ink) to flatten out before the ink can dry.
My favourite paper at the moment is Stora Enso 4CC paper. It seems to 'hang onto' the ink when it is laid down so that shading is preserved, but the paper doesn't let the ink sink in. This means the ink sits high and proud on the paper, looking intense and vivid.

Has this confused you enough yet?

I appreciate all of the insights. What's been shared confirms my thoughts. I suppose one of the fun and interesting things about fountain pens is that they're all unique. Same with inks. That's a good thing if you have the patience and interest in exploring these things. I do at times, but other times I'm busy and simply want a pen that works well without a lot of experimenting with different inks. I don't want to be too dramatic though--I've really not had any problems with my pens and inks. It's just that as I begin using multiple pens with some different kinds of inks, I'm detecting the subtle differences and the reason why folks get seemingly obsessed about different kinds of inks.

Generally I have the patience for and interest in fountain pens and all of their idiosyncrasies. I have a co-worker, however, who was a fanatical convert at first, but is changing his tune. He bought a Montblanc Mozart and a Visconti Van Gogh after seeing my pens. It's he who ordered the Baystate Blue and shared it with me. He's not had problems with flow like I have, but he's getting impatient with having to fill his Van Gogh and the mess he sometimes encounters doing it. He told me the other day he's going to sell these pens. He doesn't have the patience to deal with fountain pens. I suggested he turn to cartridges instead of bottle ink. I accept, however, that I don't need to be a fountain pen evangelist. Some people are made for fountain pens, some people are not. It's hard to explain to some folks, though, why you're willing to go to so much trouble over a pen.

Thanks, again, for everybody's advice!

{A} Bill, your link posted is excellent. The Seven Commandments of the Ink World.

{B} No, I'm not trying to simplify everything but only underline things:

--> Very many inks write much differently in many different pens. Colours themselves are often actually only secondary here! I have (only) 2 Pelikans and they both need wetter inks than Pelikan's inks. I just bought 2 MB inks and they both run MUCH better in my 146 than all of the 20 or so other inks I have.

Mike

I'll second the vote for MB inks. I don't personally own MB pens, and have limited experience with them as a whole, but I can tell you their inks are second to none.

Well, I can tell you, I have been playing with FPs and inks for only one month (3 different pens and 3 different inks, well 11 considering 2 sets of Peach Tree samples) and I have discovered all to well the different properties of pen and ink combinations.





-Gawain

Yes, it matters. I've got some pens that work beautifully with one ink, but barely work at all with another. Others may work well with a given ink, but only if very recently filled. It's definitely worth the time and energy to experiment with different combinations of pens & inks. Finding the right combination of pen & ink can change what seems to be a mediocre pen into a really nice one.

Spats, I agree 200% with you. Many pens need their "right" ink (HAR HAR).
Thank G. that inks are all less expensive than a FP (I think). Trying out (and protocolling too) brings much light into the thing....

DUH

I'd like to add that in addition to ink and pen, there is the paper to consider. It's as important as the pen and the ink. So many combinations and so little time.

It is great when you hit that right combination of all three though.