Hey everyone,

Tomorrow is a special day. Tomorrow, I'm going into town to pick up this...





...from the watchmaker.

While I was in town, I think I'd like to visit some pen-shops. I want to buy some black ink and that black ink will probably be Sheaffer Skrip or Parker Quink black.

But I'd also like to buy a bright, fire-engine red ink. I find myself doing a lot of editing and checking and marking of documents lately, and black and blue just don't stand out that great against the black and white of printed papers. So, I want red.

What can you fellows recommend me by way of a bright, blood/fire-engine red ink?

Brands available to me are:

Lamy.
Parker.
Sheaffer.
Noodler's.
Visconti.
Waterman's.

What would you suggest?

For a very red, fire engine red, the Parker satisfies the requirements. It's a boring, flat, colour to my eyes, but it does the job.
Old Griz's review of Visconti Burgundy (AKA Visconti Red) made me want to get the colour, but Old Griz's review is of a colour far from fire engine red.

Regards

Richard.

I need a colour that's bright, that stands out on the page and that is obviously red.

The only example of Parker Red I can find is in the picture of my Jinhao 1200 review - here : http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=65339

The representation of the ink colour is fairly good. I bought that ink in the early 1980's and the ink dried out completely. I have since added water to re-constitute it, and it's back to the same colour.

Girlieg33k's & Old Griz's reviews of the Visconti Burgundy seem to be missing their attachment pictures I'm afraid.

Regards

Richard.

I'd recommend Sheaffer's red. I was going to buy Pelikan's or Waterman's but Richard recommended Sheaffer's. I got them all, and he was right.
Best flow but also best intensity.
Thanks again, Richard.

Mike

If I get black ink, I'll be getting Sheaffer's black. So I may as well get Sheaffer's red as well, if it's good.

I've found that Noodler's Nikita is the brightest richest fire engine/christmas red out there. I really like it for that crisp, clean pure red color. Give it a look too.

Melnicki has posted several very helpful scans and evaluations of the many red inks in his collection. Elsewhere, I've read that Waterman red and the previously recommended Sheaffer are quite bright.

I would avoid the Lamy Red, almost pink

Shangas, let me yell this: BUY THE SHEAFFER RED! If I had to vote on the best ink in any color available, Shef. red would get my vote. I have a bottle sitting right here, and it's nearly a perfect ink. Excellent flow, no nib creep, no feathering, and it's the PERFECT fire engine/teacher grading red. I did a red quest last year, and the Sheaffer is what I latched onto. You can't go wrong. Wish I had a scanner and camera to take some pictures for you, but trust me. This is the stuff!

As I recall, Punch also uses it in carts and praises its virtues.

PM me if you have more questions about its performance.

I really like Noodlers Nikita for it's bright, true red, vibrant color. It comes in the big bottle too, so I'll have it around for a long time.

Other favorite reds, but somewhat darker, are Noodlers Tiananmon and Omas Americo Vespucci Red.

Skip

Try Diamine Brilliant Red - also other shades available by mail order from diamineinks.co.uk
Personally, I rate Diamine as good as, if not better than most well known brands.

Noodler's Fox Red is a very nice red, to my eye, and it's bulletproof.

Noodlers Nakita is my choice of red when editing. It comes in a huge ED bottle and its extremely vibrant against type and other FP inks. May just be the best out there.

Shangas, you must be a WIS?
Beautiful watch... oh for those that don't know a WIS is a "watch idiot sevant"... in other words, someone who knows quite a good bit about watches. I collected Casio G-shocks for two years before I discovered (to my wife's dismay) fountain pens. Is there such a thing as a FPIS?

LOL,
Gawain

I suspect that my wife thinks I'm just a FPI.

At the time of my retirement, I was given a "nice watch" of that sort, which I would say has, at least here in Krautland, a good reputation, but it conked out a few months later. As far as I know this Dugena is a very old, famous German company. I'll now sell it, I never wear a wrist-watch, and my cell phone is good enough to tell me what time it is. Probably can't buy any pen with the proceeds for over 5-10 bucks....

Mike

Hahahaha...Hey Gawain.

I collect many things, but I shall always be first and foremost, a collector and user of fountain pens.

After that comes jazz-music.

The Waltham (that's what the pocket watch is, a Waltham M1895 from 1899), is a one-off purchase. I bought it on account of this year being my 21st year on earth. I needed something extra-special to mark the occasion. The watch isn't the greatest, but it's good enough.

I don't see myeslf collecting pocket watches, their maintenance and purchase-prices are much too high for me...safer to stick to pens.

Well, it looks like Sheaffer Red and Black are on the menu today then. Wish me luck, I'm heading out!!

Waterman Red and Sheaffer Red are the ones to get.

I will second the Waterman Red. It is not the most saturated ink, but is very well behaved and is red enough. One thing I like about it is that it darkens nicely as it dries. I'm not sure why I like that, but I do.

I've really got to recommend J. Herbin Opera Red: it's slightly watery and tends to bleed on cheap paper, but it's a really fantastic colour. It darkens a little bit after it's on the page, so it ends up being a really rich red. I copy out all my physics notes, and I use this ink in a rotring 600 in a good notebook, because it looks fantastic, it stands out, and it lasts for ever against dampness and light (I use some kind of blue in a Lamy al-star for the notes I take in class).

Mind you, I've got a little addiction to Herbin ink...

Right!

Back from town with my repaired and cleaned watch, one bottle of Sheaffer Black and one bottle of Sheaffer Red. The two bottles of ink cost me $17.

You've done right with the skrip red. it's one of those inks that has punch (like Diamine Orange or DCSS Blue). If you want a deeper red, it does really well in mixes (the "zap!" of the Skrip Red shows through).

Happy 21st. Great age to be -- go out and see the world!!! i know nothing about watches, but yours looks really handsome.

Sooo, the big question is... did you get a grand brocade waistcoat to wear with that beautiful watch?

Happy Belated Birthday Greeting Shangas!!!

I use Levenger's Cardinal Red, myself.

Levengers.com

Really nice rich, saturated Christmas red.

I prefer bottled ink but the cartridges are
at an almost unbeatable $2.95 for 12 long
internationals and you get free shipping
in the CONUS.

If you use the code SPCHG1
during checkout you'll get 20% off
your order too. (don't know how long
the discount code will be good for but it's
been working some time now)

I just bought five (more) boxes.

I have an old gold cased pocket watch my father gave me, I'd love to get it fix'd. I'm just nervous about cost at the moment so I haven't shopped around. Once I'm better off I'll have to get it fix'd