Wow, my favourite colour is in the lead (3 out of 11 votes)! I didn't know other people liked blue-black as much as I do....It's a nice colour. Blues can be too light in colour and black is often too dark for my taste, so the blue-black is a nice combination....

i like *certain* blue-blacks but for the most part just can't get into them. But - I think one of the attractions is that black can be sooooo boring, and many blues are too close to ballpoint blue color. So the occasional fill of Pelikan Blue-black in my grey M200 with fine stub works nicely.

Although I did vote for black as my favourite ink, it is only because I am required to use black ink at work. I am very fond of Noodler's black (permanent), but also use Aurora and Quink very frequently--they work just fine. I guess that I am not as adventurous as others. In addition, I have my best writing pens filled with the usual inks and do not like to flush and change ink frequently--just lazy, I guess. Interesting poll, however.

I use Aurora Black and PR DC Supershow Blue. If I could only use 2 inks, then it would be them, hands down.

Hopefully I can ask this without sounding rude....

But why would your employer require the use of black ink?? I find this quite currious.

I'm not sure that the color of ink should matter (except that it be readable, and maybe able to be copied or faxed fairly well), but I would think it more reasonable to ask employees not to use black ink. I stopped using black ink at work and started using bottled ink partly because I was having such trouble telling the difference between my original and my photocopy. The colored ink makes it much easier to distinguish them.

Mark C.

It took me a long time to ever use blue ink in a pen as the colours I used for years were brown, green, red, black, and turquoise.

Now I use a few different blues and blue blacks have become the predominant choice over using just blue or black and Waterman blue black is my favourite. It's fabulous stuff.

Some employers or fields of work require that certain ink colours be used and where I work, critical information of a medical nature is always written in red ink and no other notes are ever to be written in red.

The colours used for accounting are usually black and red and I use green ink for making notations to set those apart from everything else.



I think I will have to corrupt the babydoc a little and send some funky ink... I think Lavender would be nice.

Although I cannot speak for Babydoc, I have to use either blue or Black ink for any government documents I sign at work. Why, I dont know, maybe they want a more professional and uniformed way of doing things. I can see the point, in a legal or government document you don't want to sign in a Plum or shell pink ink, Black and blue seem to be government standard.

Hospital chart notes are to be written in black ink--I think that the rationale relates to microfilming old charts. Lenore

Hello All,

I'm the only "Red" guy here, huh? Well, I love red...have a red car, a red portable CD player on my cherry wood desk, and my favorite FP (for now) is a Red (maroon) Parker 21, loaded with PR Fiesta Red...

Luckily, I'm in IT consulting, and my consultants don't care what I sign my documents with! My counsel might though??? Oh well, he's a quazi FP user too...he'll understand...

Red Red Red Red Red!

Cheers,

Mark

Hmm... Mark might be telling us something about his personality here..

So what reds do you use other than Fiesta Red? I keep getting rid of my reds except for the Vespucci. But that's more of a "this is 'valuable' ink, i can't get rid of it" rather than any need to actually keep it.

I LOVE the colour red, too, but I'm still trying to find the "perfect" red

I don't think that I could use red ink in any of my pens; not only am I afraid of what it might do to my pens, it would also ruin my writing experience, because I would end up thinking about school. Perhaps I'll be able to enjoy that color ink when I get away from high school...

I'm a blue ink kind of guy, though blue-black inks come in a close and tenacious second. Bright, intense inks that leap off the page tend to make my head spin and my eyes blur. I prefer Waterman Florida Blue and Quink Blue-Black; while not washed out, they don't seem quite as violent to my senses. I guess that I'm just a sensitive guy...

PR Candy Apple Red? That's one I like at work for redlining...

I use Waterman red and a blend of 10% Sheaffer Skrip red and 90% of Pelikan's "I can't believe how bright this ink is" red. It pretty much leaps off the page and does garner one's attention.

Waterman ink is simply excellent throughout their entire colour range.

The Sheaffer Skrip (old stuff) stabilizes the Pelikan which is very saturated and also has a tendency to leave some deposits if the pen is not used fairly regularly. I don't use very much red ink so the pens that get inked with red could sit a week or more without being used. I haven't had any problems with "red" pens drying out for a very long time and this is probably due to both the pen and the inks used.

Right now I am using a translucent Sheaffer cartridge pen (c. 1999) that has had it's medium nib turned into a fine stub and has of course been fitted with a convertor. It's also pretty likely that it will soon be converted into an eyedropper filler.

Cheers!

I would be a bit leery about using it in my pens as I know PR Candy Apple Red, along with PR Tangerine Dream and PR Hot Bubble Gum are incompatible with other inks.
I would be worried about some leftover ink (of another colour/brand) in the pen reacting with one of these three, even after "thorough" flushing

I heard it was many people's favourite red, though, Kendall, so it's too bad it had this potential problem (I think all 3 inks were all discontinued....)

yes, these three and Orange Crush were all discontinued.

I have used Hot Bubble Gum and Orange Crush and had no problems with them whatsoever. Even when I switched to a new ink (and yes, I'm sure some residue of the PR inks remained.) The main problem is in mixing them and I tried this (in a container, not in a pen) and it is a real concern obviously.

I'd say as long as it's not a pen that would be a problem to clean and as long as you clean thoroughly before using a different ink, then it's only a slight risk. But shoot, if there are other inks out there that you like just as much, probably just as well to avoid them. I've seen both still in stock in a few places. I ended up giving up my HBG only because I discovered a couple of *brighter* pink-reds for editing.

Kendall - you're the first person I've heard use the term "redlining" in while. I usually get blank stares when I say that so i've switched to "editing." As a tech editor/writer at an aerospace company though, that was the preferred term. Goes well with comments like "well, she bled all over my paper."

Maja, I've switched out the PR Candy Apple in pens and as long as you flush, then its not a biggy. That said, I keep it in my Hero 100 because I've found that strongly colored inks sometimes stain the convertor, or sac.

Kcat, redlining, wordsmithing... all corporate speak. Sorry.

I believe that it was just the three inks that could cause mixing problems that were discontinued. Orange Crush is listed on the Private Reserve website and is available from Pendemonium. I purchased a bottle probably about 6 or 7 months ago.

Or is this a very recent discontinuation? If they have, it's really too bad. I found it to be a very nice and usable orange ink, a nice autumn color.

Mark C.

Good to know, Kendall---thank you! I think if the old ink is flushed out thoroughly, it should be OK. I just needed some reassurance

My favorite inks are Pelikan Blue Black and Pelikan Royal Blue. What's the most saturated dark blue (not blue black) ink out there?

I haven't tried every dark blue there is - but I think Levenger Cobalt qualifies for a very saturated dark blue. In bottle form anyway. In a dry writer or from a cartridge I don't think it's terribly impressive. In a wet line it's almost black (but no, not blue-black) a very "shiny" ink. Some have problems with it drying completely (as is often seen in very saturated inks.) I haven't had that problem but such things are dependent on the paper used, pen used. The only time I have problems with smearing inks is when the pen goes unused for a while and ink particles condense in the nib.

Aurora Blue is also very dark in a fine line, but can have some nice shading in a dry or edged nib. It leans toward purple.

Noodlers and PR make some very dark blues. I have tried Midnight Blues (PR) and while it was certainly very dark - and not too disimilar from Cobalt - it didn't just thrill me. There is a Noodler's Midnight Blue (no "s") and that might be similar.

None of the other manufacturer's make a blue that I think is sufficiently dark. Good inks out there - but I like saturated.

Hard choice.. but I'll lean over to Waterman blue-black.

Coming up close, is a Caran d'Ache Brown ink ... very unique I must say.

I have very few, but my favourite is Waterman Blue/Black followed by Mont Blanc Bordeaux.

I think the Waterman BLue/Black works very well in a thin line, but the wider nibs I've tried it in makes it look a little washed out (this nib wasn't very wet).

I've got the Bordeaux in my current work pen (A black SJ Estie with a 9314-F nib) and it's really growing on me. It dries to a lovely deep plum color.

The reason I like Waterman blue-black is because it offers some nice shading when used with broader nibs...

ORANGE inks -- I voted for dark green (my favorite) but my close second is a deep burnt pumpkin-orange color. I have once or twice been able to achieve this with Sheaffer Red, King's Gold, and a drop of green to mellow it out. I bought Noodler's Habanero and was disappointed -- somehow it lacks the depth of orange (can't think of how to phrase this) that I wanted. Maybe it was too burnt.

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas? I am hoping to find my PERFECT orange color pre-mixed somewhere -- not the bright, bright hue but the deep, mellower tone.

Can you believe how picky one can be about their colors? LOL

Rhonda

Rhonda,

Noodlers Cayenne may be just what you're looking for. When you first write with it, it looks very orange. It dries to a wonderful burnt orange. Don't know if it's too burnt for your tast. It's richer than the Habanero, with perhaps a bit more red tones.

Elaine

Hi Rhonda,

how about noodler's Anteitam? little redder maybe?

Review and Sample

I was VERY impressed with Herbin Orange Indien -- perfect for the month of October.

I'm using it, appropriately, in my Rotring Core Eternium. Really orange, but it will bleed through on inexpensive notebook paper.

If you had asked me more than a year ago (which is roughly when my current ink phase started), I would have voted for dark green. I used Waterman Green for several years as my standard ink for signing letters and cheques, and had another pen loaded with MB Black for cases where green was not acceptable.

Now, I find it very difficult to give a favourite. I have pens loaded with: Herbin Rose Cyclamen (cartridges), Diamine Emerald, Herbin Lie de The, Herbin Cacao du Bresil, PR Naples Blue, Herbin Vert Olive, Herbin Violette Pensee, PR Orange Crush, Pelikan Brilliant Brown, and Pelikan Black (cartridges). I also have - not currently loaded in a pen - PR Tanzanite, PR Shoreline Gold, PR Blue Suede, Herbin Vert Pre, and Herbin Ambre de Birmanie. (Oh, and I still have the MB Black and some Waterman South Sea Blue. And a couple of odds and ends.) At work, I have two cartridge pens with Quink Red and Quink Washable Blue.

I tend to write more with bright colours, greens, and browns. Although I like the violet and turquoise shades, I find I use them less often overall.

PR American Blue and PR 2004 DC Supershow Blue are both super-blue. American Blue has a tiny hint of green in it, and from what I understand it does not have the smearing issues that Supershow sometimes has.

I think these are some of the most dynamic blues out there.

Really, you think so. I don't see it. But it could just be my eyes....

Anyone else see a hint of green in PR American Blue?

Mark C.

Cross my heart. Lay a line of it down next to the Supershow blue.

Parker used to market Saphire Blue, I had 4 cartridges with a Frontier I bought while on travel, I have not been able to find it at all!

I am looking for the richest, creamiest blackest ink I can find. My stock brand is Aurora, but I'm trying Private Reserve and Namiki blacks right now. Both are pretty nice. I'd probably like a rich dark brown mocha ink, also. I've always liked strong contrast black/white, though that oxidated brownish color of ink on old documents has a certain appeal to me as well.

'Tis a sad thing to not see pink on the list, I must say! LOL However, I've got pink inks and even I don't use any as a FAVorite. Several colors I have, but somewhere along the way I was trapped by shades of blue...how common of me. I guess there is one bright spot in that for me though, I do enjoy that PR Blue Suede.

Becky
a.k.a :bunny1:

Hi Becky! Haven't seen you here in a while. Good to see you posting.

I used Hot Bubble Gum quite a bit for a while but I guess I just grew out of the bubble-gum stage. Now I prefer more elegant pinks - Saguaro Wine, Diamine Claret (which is actually either a pinkish-red or a reddish-pink depending upon your POV.)

I've been using a lot of blues lately which is odd for me. But with so many lovely shades out there these days... vs. just Quink or WM, it's actually been fun. Nothing boring about blue - unless you use only *one* blue (by choice.)

Yay! Hi Becky, good to see you again!

Do I recognise that avatar from somewhere?

Needless to say, I am not into pinks whatsoever, unless you call Ottoman Rose a pink .

Warm regards, Wim

:ph34r: i've just admitted on another thread that i think that pink is quite a pleasant colour :ph34r:

Now all of a sudden, i begin to notice other "pink-ies"... but... but... they're both ladies... (i get this feeling that something's just not quite right...) :ph34r:

Hey KCat...it has been a while since I posted anything here although I do check in from time to time. I've been trying to see what other sorts of messages boards are out there but so far nothing much is striking a chord with me.

I actually have a sample of the Saguro Wine ink, courtesy of AndrewC. I'm anxious to try it out but haven't had the chance to devote quality time to the experience. LOL

You're right about blue not being boring. I wanted all these rainbow colors originally but have really enjoyed the differences in the blue range. I think that, really, PR American Blue is my favorite. I'll have to check and see what blues I actually DO have.

Becky
a.k.a. :bunny1:

Hi Wim! Good to see you too!

Now, the avatar....not sure if you mean the bubble blowing bunny or the little dancing bunny....but I found both on the Internet somewhile back. Wish I could make animated ones without a whole lot of effort but, alas, I'm not the patient. LOL

I had a written sample of vintage Sheaffer Persian Rose and that particular sample was quite pretty. I haven't found anything modern that is anything like it really. But even if I had found something, I can't say that I'd use it as my "signature" color.

Becky
a.k.a. :bunny1:

So grasshopper? Are you of the male gender and worried about your feminine side showing? Because I can't say as that's such a bad thing....some of my best friends are female.

You just keep on enjoying the pink and it'll be our little secret....no one else will need have any idea. :ph34r:

Becky
a.ka. :bunny1:

Not worried... but perhaps a little shy... :ph34r:

You have any pink pens you'd like to dispose of, Becky??

Actually, pink ink can be quite painful on the eyes if reading lont texts written with it. That's why i thought i'd just try the one bottle first - noodler's shah's rose. For inks, i'm currently more of a brown guy. Will definitely try out some of that saguaro wine and diamine claret KCat's talking about, speaking of whom, i still haven't read the details of her exchange system yet - will do it this weekend.

It's possible, grasshopper. I have one that's user grade of a lower status manufacturer.
It's a reddish/pink marbled Wearever Deluxe 100 that needs a home. If you're in the states, are you interested in it? Don't worry, you can say no and I won't be offended or anything like that.

I edited this after posting because I forgot to say, if you were interested, I'd send it gratis.



Yes, I can see how pink would be hard on the eyes, light ones the worst perhaps. I have one whole bottle of PR Arabian Rose but I don't use it much. Actually, I like browns too....they come in after blues. I have Havana brown, love that. Have Copper Burst, hate that. KCat told me what to add to it to help that color look so much better to me.

Becky
a.k.a. :bunny1:

A PM is coming your way, Becky!

I once read somewhere that a signature wasn't legal unless it was in blue or black ink. Also that changes made to a contract must be in red. I'm a bad librarian for not knowing exactly where I read that. I believe it was when answering a patron's reference question using the Uniform Commerical Code. I don't know (not being a lawyer) how enforcable this would be. Perhaps the employer wants all the i's dotted and t's crossed.

I know my wife must use black ink at the hospital. The tradition is that black photocopies better.

Kevin

BTW Standard disclaimer, just because I *think* I know something doesn't mean I really do.

Jeez, I didn't see the date on this before I replied. Sorry for brining it back from the grave!

Kevin

heck, Kevin. Don't worry about that at all. This thread is resurrected every couple of weeks anyway. That's one of the advantages of this sort of board... long-term storage of threads.

I voted dark green. My favorite color to use is Noodler's Zhivago. The color is easy to read with a fine nib and is rich.

Oooh sooo many colors to choose from! I love purple, so that is what I voted, however, blue-black (and other shades of blue) I also use often. I just ordered 5 bottles of Ink from the Fountain Pen Hospital, as well as a new fp (visconti Van Gogh) so I cannot wait to try them out!!!

For most of the time in the three pens that I keep inked ( having an upright 3 pen holder keeps me to this most of the time) I have a pen with blue ( blue/black), green and brown. I use these with most regularity although a few PR colors (Fiesta red) have crept into the rotation.


My favorite ink color would be dark green but I have not found a maker yet who makes the color I imagine as my favorite. It would have to be a dark green away from spearmint going to olive but not into brown. Maybe a ripe avacado skin if you could distill that and mix it with some black.


If anyone knows of this ink PLEASE give me a reply and sample if possible. I'll probably by a half dozen bottles and be content for awhile!

Kurt H