Too Much Choice And Not Enough Money!

[Rocket1]

Hello All,

 

I am going to the Big Apple soon and my Mum says I'm allowed to get five inks. I've narrowed it down to 16 and I would like your help in picking 5. I would like at least one blue, one purple, then the three can be anything! I am looking for inks that work well in both flex and normal nibs!

 

The inks with the five highest votes will be the lucky winners! If perhaps below you could say which inks you picked and why, this would be helpful in decision making...

 

Thank you very much!

Edited January 19, 2013 by Rocket1

[NeelsK]

You should really throw a black in there too:)

[Rocket1]

Thank you! I've added BBB

[The Good Captain]

I've only two of them: Blue and 54th M but I've picked three others based on the Goulet's Swabs. Purple heart, Navy and Widow Maker. As I've already got Prime of the Commons; Air corps Blue Black and blue black, I won't be getting the Navy. Also, I don't use reds or purples but the colours I've picked look 'nice'.

Edit: Looks like I was able to add a sixth colour too - North African Violets. Might as well leave it in the list.

Edited January 19, 2013 by The Good Captain

[da vinci]

I am sorry i do not know those inks well enough to vote, but i have seen Apache Sunset in use and I think that is an excellent choice - unusual but not too flamboyant?

 

No green? I do like Diamine Green Black or Emerald, but it may not be to your taste...

[The Good Captain]

Looks like you've selected Noodler's inks so the two 'green' ones I have are Sequoia and Zhivago: the latter being a real joy of different shades between black and green, depending on all sorts of things. Personally, I'd stick to buying US inks or things that are hard to get where you live. If that's the UK don't get Diamine, R&K, Herbin and such in the US - cheaper in GB.

[da vinci]

Personally, I'd stick to buying US inks or things that are hard to get where you live.

 

Thats good advice, sorry OP should have considered that in my reply. Zhivago sounds good to me!

[Triplet Mom]

Also agree that Zhivago should be on your MUST BUY list...and Ottoman Azure is one of my all-time favorite blue inks. Drag your mum to both The Fountain Pen Hospital AND Art Brown while you are there! The selection at Art Brown is especially mind-blowing and the staff is very friendly.

 

Have fun in New York City!

Lynne

 

PS- an insider tip...Art Brown has a binder behind the main counter that has ink swabs of all of the inks they carry in the store. All you need to do is ASK to see it. It is very useful when trying to decide between particular inks you are interested in!

Edited January 19, 2013 by Triplet Mom

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Please also consider the Noodler's inks that are exclusive to each Art Brown and The Fountain Pen Hopspital.

 

FYI, I have developed a penchant for Manhattan Blue.

 

Bye,

S1

[SallyLyn]

Picked Apache, Black Swan, 54th, Navy, North African. Have all. For me they are well behaved, flowing, different, keepers. Don't know if they are different enough to be a well rounded collection start, but am certain these will not be your last.

 

Instead of Zhivago I prefer Aircorps. I hardly use Zhivago except to use it up drawing. Many love it, me not so much. I prefer and use more often Lexington Grey vs Black, but one should have a solid permanent Black at some point, maybe not today if you get another adult-ish permanent ink like 54th.

 

Apache is bright, shades, so different.

Black Swan changes even in the same pen, will shade in wider nibs.

54th nice blue/green and is permanent, or whatever the correct term.

North African another violet shade, different from Swan with permanent properties.

Navy, some permanent, has green in there, interesting, not the Navy you think of in clothes.

 

Can think of pen inks in 8 basic colors vs three primary colors. -black, blue/black, blue, green, purple, red, brown, turquoise. Noodler's and other brands have all variations and crossovers. Some have said you can make most colors with Noodler's Yellow, Shah's Rose, Navajo Turquoise, Black and ?? White Whale. Nathan can do the things he does because it more than just straight color mixing, but chemicals and such.

 

Enjoy the trip and shopping.

[FPFan]

I'd agree with others on the choice of the Zhivago as a very dark green black! I really like it.

 

If you are going to be in NY City and you go to Fountain Pen Hospital my choices for you would completely change to colors exclusive to FPH. My first choice would be Ellis Island and Old Manhattan Black. I think there is a third one, but I can't remember what it is. I love the Noodler's ink that are made just for them. Ellis Island is a blue/black with a hint of green in it. Old Manhattan Black is one of the blacker of the blacks and for me comes in second in the Noodler's line after my favorite Heart of Darkness Black which I prefer over the standard Bulletproof Black.

 

Have a wonderful trip and play with as many pens and inks as you are allowed time to do so!

[JefferyS]

Sorry, but I just voted for one (Black Swan in Australian Roses).

[mongrelnomad]

Why only those?!?! You're missing out on some great inks! For the five colours you should have blue, black, blue-black and a red, and then the fifth should be either a green or a purple.

 

My favourites are:

 

Blue - Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao (a really deep, beautiful blue)

Black - Sailor Nano Black (waterproof and insanely well behaved)

Blue-Black - Montblanc Midnight Blue

Red - Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock LE (if you can find it)

Green - Montblanc Irish Green (this is green!)

Purple - Montblanc Violet Purple.

 

Funny - I must have ~200 inks, yet all my favourites are Sailor, Pilot Iroshizuku or Montblanc. Go figure...

 

(I've also never used a Noodler's ink I've really loved, for the record.)

Edited January 19, 2013 by mongrelnomad

[Uncle Red]

He's going for inks that are hard to get in the UK.

I've never been impressed with Iroshizuku inks.

I would add Red Black which looks great from a flex nib. Have a great time. Don't go to big name or chain restaurants but look for the places locals go.

[inkstainedruth]

Hi,

 

Please also consider the Noodler's inks that are exclusive to each Art Brown and The Fountain Pen Hopspital.

 

FYI, I have developed a penchant for Manhattan Blue.

 

Bye,

S1

 

+1 on that. It has lovely shading on good paper like Rhodia.

I was in both Art Brown and Fountain Pen Hospital at Christmas time, and one of the things I was trying to do was match (as best I could) the color and shading of some old blue-black ink that got flushed out of an old Esterbrook SJ I had picked up in the fall. The guy I talked to at Art Brown had me show what I was trying to match to Mrs. Brown, and she pointed me to Manhattan Blue (I also picked up a bottle of Diamine Denim, which I knew was a good color match but has no shading). I had already tried a bunch of blue-blacks in FPH (where I was allowed to do dip testing) and one of the ones I had particularly wanted to try was Ellis Island Blue-Black, but unfortunately it ended up looking more black than blue....

I did buy a bottle of Old Manhattan Blackest Black while there. I didn't really need a black ink (although it will be another one to try for the experiments I started last summer as to "what will work best for an eyedropper rollerball on various crummy to mediocre copy paper in hot humid Western PA in August for X specific purpose") -- but I felt guilty about being so picky about not finding exactly what I wanted. :embarrassed_smile:

To the OP: I'm afraid that I can't be much help on the poll, since I haven't tried most of the inks on your list (especially any of the blue ones you have listed). I will say, though, that I'm particularly fond of both North African Violet and Black Swan in Australian Roses; Apache Sunset is, well, interesting, but I personally don't have much of an application for it -- lovely shading but it's pretty light in most of the pens I have (I mostly got it for ink-mixing purposes).

Have fun in NYC though. I had a blast in both stores (although I was *also* more than a little awestruck ). And probably spent way too much money (not counting the Metrocard pass for the subway -- and it's worth it to get more than the single ride ticket, BTW). I was staying in Midtown Manhattan, and was able to take the R train to both locations. Although you still have a bit of a hike once you get out of the Times Square station (two short blocks and 2 or 3 long ones -- and the long blocks are *long*!) to get to Art Brown, which is close to 5th Avenue; and that's *not* counting the two blocks I effectively had to walk while still in the Times Square subway station, which is quite large in of itself.

Non-pen related activities include some of the best museums in the world: the Met -- including going up to the Cloisters, if you've got time; the Museum of Natural History; the Guggenheim; and the Morgan Library are among my favorites (I would have included the Museum of Modern Art, too, but I haven't been there in nearly 30 years...). I'm also rather partial to the big NY Public Library on 5th Avenue, but then I'm a book geek And I'll admit that I also like really touristy things like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, and the Bronx Zoo and Broadway shows.

Wow. Now I'm missing NY again. A lot (I grew up within 50 miles of there, and much as I love living in Pittsburgh, it's just NOT the same... :bonk: ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

sorry -- duplicate post

Edited January 21, 2013 by inkstainedruth

[Rocket1]

I was generally going for Noodlers Inks, as these are difficult to get in the UK because I don't shop online!

 

I'll check out Zhivago and the FPH inks, thanks for the tip!

 

also, I am staying on broadway and fifth, so I am a ten minute walk from the Empire State Building, and pretty close to fifth ave!

Edited January 20, 2013 by Rocket1

[mongrelnomad]

If that's the case, just stock up on Iroshizuku. They are such insanely good quality, wonderfully vivid, come in beautiful bottles and are not available in the UK! Home run!

[xwingrox]

I voted for just one ink: Bad blue heron. It is my grail blue and one that I use every single day!

[daTomoT]

I voted the five I thought are brilliant inks, including Bulletproof Black - it'll never let you down.