Do any of you go back and forth between the classic inks such as Diamine, Waterman and Aurora and more modern (I've seen them called 'boutique') inks like Noodlers and Private Reserve?

I have been on a big classic ink kick lately - strictly using the above three brands, but now I feel myself moving a little back toward Noodlers. Sometime I'm surprised to find that some pens actually perform better with the denser, darker inks. Ever since I started collecting vintage pens, I thought the Waterman/Aurora/Diamine inks were much safer, and they are still the only inks that go in my Pelikan 400 NN, Parker 51 and now Aurora 88P. Rick Propas voids his warranty if Noodlers/Private Reserve inks are used, and that guy knows pens pretty well.

But I'm starting to find a place for Noodlers at least - black is loaded in my Mikado right now. Private Reserve is still a little too smudgy for me.

Anyone else oscillate between the classic/modern inks? Should it even be a concern of mine?

Hi Ryan,

For absolute reliability, you can't go wrong with the old inks like Quink, Waterman and Diamine IMHO. Not to say I don't use the others, but NEVER in a vintage "51" Vac.

I love PR DC SS Blue, but it does smudge, even after days. I have pages I wrote in Quink Blue/Black with my original "51" Aero back in the 1960's so that is good enough for me!

Jim

I keep a bottle of Quink black ink on my desk for testing pens and nibs...
I usually use Noodlers or Pelikan for my everyday writing inks.. but when I want to see what a pen will write with, I tend to dip with the Quink... it is also the ink I use to load a pen that might be emptied in a day or two so I don't waste my other inks.

well, i read of problems with inks that clog feeds and stuff. i dont read too much about the classic inks outlined as much as i do with the newer inks mentioned. and then when i read about those inks, it can be hit and miss - what clogs one person's pelikan might not do so in the same pelikan of another person with the same brand and color of ink.

i dont have any vintage pens so it seems that my worries are lessened. i tend to want the vibrant colors, so right now i have three pens and two inks, waterman each, florida blue and havana brown. im inclined to try the waterman purple, but i saw a red black that looks delicious.

anybody got a primer on what distinquishes the inks as far as what tends to clog, or with the new pens i am getting, my worries are nothing?

sam

I prefer Waterman and Diamine inks, mainly because of their flow and shading properties. Subtlety over vibrancy any day. I also like that their bottles are more easily accessible than some brands like Noodler's.

I only use Quink in my Vacumatic and Parker "51" pens.

David

I think the catfish on the Noodler's bottle is just the ugliest thing ever, so I only own the Permanent Black for Noodler's.

The PR bottles reminds me of cheap jelly jam or children's fingerpaint, but I had to own Tarzanite because it's the prettiest color ever.

Otherwise, I much love Waterman, Diamine, and Sheaffer bottles

I think Diamine has inks that are not at all stodgy. I've tried royal blue and tropical blue and like both. Sapphire blue looks great from the scans I've seen -- can't wait to try it out.

It's a bit of having your cake and eating it too with those choices, I think.

Stephen

Certainly Rick knows pens well, BUT so do scores of others who have no such bias and use PR and Noodler's without regard for modern vs vintage.

I only own 6 vintage pens. Three Esterbrooks and yesterday my third Parker "51" arrived. They are and will be fed whatever ink, in my stock, that I care to write with at the time. Those brands are, in no particular order: Parker Penman, PR, Noodlers, Diamine, Sailor and Noodler's.

The secret, folks, is to not let the highly saturated inks dry in the pen. Care for them! If a particular pen has a high saturation ink in it, take the prophylactic course of action and empty, flush and dry it well after 3 or 4 weeks. Tough to remember? Yes, but that makes the case for keeping 4 or 5 pens in rotation at a time. Easier to track 4 or 5 pens than 20 or 30 with ink in them concurrently.

Hear, hear! What Roger said.

I'd agree. I've seen few of the saturated inks that, when freshly loaded, smudge. It's only when they dry out and concentrate in the pen that they do.

Even traditional inks can be slow drying. I've got Sheaffer Skrip in my new Intrigue, and it's a slow drier. I remember my Aurora as being very slow drying.

Too much is made of this.

Couldn't agree more. I also find the new-style inks more temperamental, with nib-clogging, seeping and the like. I find they're usually OK only when you have just filled the pen; but even after a day or two you start to get problems. Noodler's Black is very black it's true - but I find it applies more like a paint than an ink, so I mostly use Aurora, except for mail labels.

New inks also tend to look more like rollerball ink on the page, and since my writing needs all the help it can get, I do like the characters to shade.

That said, I think Navajo Blue is a fantastic colour. Or rather colours ... especially when, after a week or two, it turns into Ottoman Azure.

Edit: for clarity

While Diamine is and old ink, it is new to me. I just have one bottle of Prussian blue, which I think is a relatively new colour (last few years old?). But I just love that ink: the colour, the flow, the lubricity, the quick drying, etc. It seems like some of the Diamine inks have more interesting colors and are a little more saturated than the classics, but without the super-saturation and its potential drawbacks of certain inks like PR and Noodlers. Perhaps Diamine offers a great happy middle ground?

Got Waterman (5), Diamine (3), Noodlers (17), Visconti (1), Sheaffer Skrip (1), Lamy (1), and J. Herbin (2). I flip-flop back and forth between them depending upon color and features that I'm looking for. I always keep a couple of pens inked with Noodlers permanent inks. Otherwise, it's color. The Sheaffer Skrip is the least used ink as I simply don't like the lubrication (or lack thereof). The Herbins I had to try, but won't likely get more as the $/performance simply isn't there. All of the others, I like and will continue to use. Favorites are Noodlers permanent grades, Waterman, Diamine. Haven't tried enough of the Lamy and Visconti, but so far so good.