I found an old bottle of Pelikan Fount India sitting in a box of art supplies and figured that I'd try it out. I put it in my Lamy Vista. I really liked it except that it seems to dry out in the nib and is hard to get started. Is this common with this ink? Would this ink from a fresher bottle possibly work better?

Once it's flowing, I really like it. Especially for the Moleskine sketch paper. It doesn't pool on the surface like dye based inks, so it looks darker and dries faster. I know the whole bit about not putting india ink in fountain pens, but it says that it is designed specifically for them. The Vista seems exactly like the sort of pen(that isn't a Pelikan) that they would have had in mind. My Vista is an EF. Would an F work better?

When I was in graduate school, Pelikan Fount India was my preferred black ink. I never had problems with the nib drying out or being hard to start. It could be the age of the ink you're using since this ink comes in a plastic rather than glass bottle. Plastic is porous, so the ink does evaporate slowly over time, which is why I don't like cartridges. I have a new bottle of Fount India on its way to me, and I plan to transfer it to a glass bottle.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not even sure how old the ink that I have is. I've had it for at least five years, and I got it from someone who was cleaning out their studio. I have no idea how long they had it before giving it to me. I'll have to stop by the art supply store and pick up a new bottle. It would be great if it works. I wouldn't have to worry so much about carrying a blotter sheet in my notebooks. If it still doesn't work out, I guess that I can always use it with dip pens.