About To Get First Pelikan, Which Of My Inks Are Best?

[Green Ink]

Hello,

I'm fairly new to fountain pens. The pen I'm using now is my grandfather's from the 1920's, a Sheaffer radite flat top. It's great.

 

I've been saving up. I'm going to be getting a Pelikan, a brown tortoise 400NN, with a fine nib. Would you be kind enough to glance through my inks and tell me which ones will work well and not stain my pen?

 

Diamine Ancient Copper, Oxblood and Twilight

Levenger Cocoa

Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green (vintage), 4001 Brilliant Black, 4001 Violet, 4001 Brilliant Brown

Waterman Absolute Brown, Inspired Blue, Harmonious Green

Parker Penman Emerald (vintage)

 

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

I'd be interested also in what ink is in your Pelikan right now.

[Notgatherox]

IMHO, they all seem okay (ie not going to stain). But, to be on the safe side, avoid the highly saturated inks like Diamine etc. The Pelikan inks should work well with the pen because companies make it that way. For example, IIRC Pilot pens work the best with Iroshizuku inks

 

 

I have 2 Pelikan M200s atm, both inked with Noodler's Black

 

 

~Epic

[RMN]

In line with your name: the Pelikan Brilliant green. One can suppose it will be safe for a Pelikan pen. Buy a green striped Pel to go with it... (okay, the brown Tortoise is nicer...)

 

While the Parker Penman is a beautiful ink, be aware that these inks were reported to clog the feed easily. I have experienced that with Penman Mocha.

 

 

D.ick

[mAsTeRmInD-L]

I would recommend Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black based on your stock list.

 

However, I use Noodler's Black more often. Because, it will help with restraining the feather and bleeding issues on most kinds of paper.

 

 

Hope this will help.

 

- L

[Rick Propas]

Inks that are red or that have red in them (brown for instance) tend to more easily stain acrylics.

 

Not to say you can't use them, but you should not let them sit for prolonged periods.

 

Avoid using Penman in any vintage or clear pen.

[Runnin_Ute]

My Pelikan M150: Diamine Blue Black, my black M205 (fine) Pelikan 4001 Blue Black, my Toledo Red M205 (med) Noodler's Apache Sunset and Akkerman Voorhout Violet in my 120 Merz & Krell (EF)

 

These all work well for me. I usually have one of the four with the 4001 Blue Black.

 

As long as you don't leave them in to long you are probably ok with nearly any of the ones listed.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In that Pelikan 4001 inks are dry, the Pelikan is a wetter writer/wider, to balance that.

Waterman made a wetter ink and had a dryer/narrower nib for one of it's two nib sets.

 

A wet ink will make a Pelikan a wet writer.

Pelikan 4001 green set me off into an 11 green ink year. It is a good shading ink.

 

Make sure you have some 90g/24 lb, laser paper, there is a big difference in shading between normal 80g paper and 90g.....out side Rhoda which is 80g...though it's coming out in 90g too.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm afraid, Green ink, that I have no experience with any of the inks you have. But I have an older model 400 BT (has an F nib like yours). For some reason, it just *wants* to have brown ink in it. Just something about it. Dunno what (its first fill was with Iroshihzuku Yama-guri, and then it got a fill of vintage Quink Brown). Both were good combinations for my pen, and were, well, brown. At some point I may go crazy and put Noodler's Navajo Turquoise in it. But I can't see me ever putting green, red, pink or purple in it, and not all that sure about blue or blue black.... YMMV (and I'm not normally one of those people who matches the ink color to the pen; OTOH, it's a really special pen, gotten because of a really momentous occurrence in my life, plus it's also my most expensive pen by a long shot). And if a pen that momentous wants brown ink, who am I to argue? I mean, my Plum 51 keeps nagging at me about "when ya gonna get some smaller bottles to decant that vintage Quink Violet into so you can use it in me, huh?"

So, personally, *I* would say either of the Waterman or Pelikan browns would be fine, at least till you see how the pen writes. Waterman Mysterious Blue is one of my tester inks for vintage pens, along with Quink Black (but I'm not much of a black ink fan in general).

Hmmm. I should stop reading FPN and go ink it up with something again. I think I have a sample of Herbin Cafe des Iles that I haven't tried yet. And I might still have some of that old sample of Noodler's Walnut kicking around -- which I didn't like at the time because it was a fairly dry ink.... But.... And I think I have a couple of other brown ink samples that didn't grab me when I tried them before (they just weren't the *right* brown for me -- which Yama-guri seems to be color-wise).

Navajo Turquoise will just have to wait for a few more weeks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[msnovtue]

I have mostly modern Pelikans, and in my limited experience, I would say stick with a Pelikan ink. They just seem to work best (although I favor the Edelstein series, personally.)

[DrCodfish]

I use mostly Diamine inks in my Pelikans. Ancient Copper is the standard for my M800 Tortoise. I shy away from, Noodles, I know they are popular, but I had a couple bad experiences with one of their inks.

Edited July 12, 2014 by DrCodfish

[farazqamar]

I use mostly Diamine inks in my Pelikans. Ancient Copper is the standard for my M800 Tortoise. I shy away from, Noodles, I know they are popular, but I had a couple bad experiences with one of their inks.

 

Sorry for bringing up an old topic, DrCodfish, is your peli BT fine with the Ancient copper ink? any staining or adverse effects?

[Chrissy]

I haven't had a problem with Diamine Ancient Copper staining my Pelikan M400's.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Diamine Ancient Copper, Oxblood...could stain. I do know Ancient Copper nib creeps and dries with crystals. Nib Creep is ink on the up side of the nib instead of on the bottom.

 

Parker Emerald could be sold for a small fortune....it was one of the very first supersaturated inks, from back when no one cleaned their pens. If you clean your pen after every second/third load it should be no problem. The Parker Penmann Inks bring a premium...Sapphire like MB Racing Green are attempted to duplicate by all our cellar chemist here....no real success. Something called I think DC Blue comes close. I don't know what comes close to your rare Emerald ink.

 

In you are going to change inks monthly/weekly....don't worry too much, just clean the pen well.

 

Back in the old days where one used the very same ink all year long...or life long. MB & Pelikan said clean the pen every three months. That included the then IG BB inks.

 

After @ two years of testing balance of the posted the standard sized 400& posted medium-long 400nn, the 400nn won...in a tight race. To have any balance much less the great balance it has, it must be posted.

If you fear mars, wax your pen with a Carnauba wax....not a polish, which has abrasives.

[farazqamar]

thank you so much for the replies guys...you are always so helpful. cheers.

[Minty]

Good question. Got my 1st Pelikan in 1987 for $40 American, an M-200 with F nib. Have used it almost daily ever since. Have used only Pelikan 4001 royal blue ink. Never had a problem after thousands of pages. Since then have acquired more Pelikans & used only Pelikan 4001 royal blue. I reckon any Pelikan ink is O.K. I just happen to like the royal blue. Would like to try their green sometime.

 

​Don't start vast projects with half-vast ideas.

[Bo Bo Olson]

We are living in the Golden Age of Inks....the Golden Age of Pens died in the '60's....Golden Age of Paper by the 80's.

 

I've been told the old Brilliant Green that is a good two toned shading ink which is not made any more....a darker green replaced it.

 

If possible look around for some Pelikan Brilliant Green. Do so. In my test of green-green inks, R&K Verdura and MB Irish green tied with Pelikan Brilliant Green a head behind. All shade well.

I am glad I have two bottles of Brilliant Green.

 

(Do Not buy Lamy Green, the other Lamy inks are ok....same with MB inks; which are very good.)

 

I will eventually get the new darker green.

Pelikan turquoise matches the famed Lamy Turquoise which was once the standard of turquoise inks....Pelikan violet is good. The brown shades but is a reddish brown....not a muddy brown.

 

Of course you need violet and purple inks......I had some 8 purple inks and was looking for more when Pelikan Brilliant Green made me buy some 14 other greenish inks.

Be aware there is are murky inks.....which are supposed to look so. Herbin Vert Empire is one.

Herbin is the oldest ink company and makes very many shading inks....safe inks.

Well the glitter inks might require some better than normal cleaning. I didn't notice any problem.

 

Minty you should tell us which country you are in. Blue Black can be had in any country but the US.....it is a fabulous, much admired by the BB users. If in the US you might be able to sneak some through customs if you order three or four Pelikan inks from Germany. German postal costs are @ 1/3 of US.

 

The Pelikan black was for decades second best to Aurora...and still quite black if not using an EF or EEF on poor paper....then it's gray. I don't use super skinny nibs nor poor paper and find it well black enough.

Now Supersaturated Noodlers rules the black ink section....but Pelikan and Aurora are much safer.

 

Pelikan has a new range of softer Edelstein inks that help clean the piston a bit. It is more expensive but comes in a real fancy bottle.

It came out with Sapphire....and was hated in it was not the hoped Parker Pennman Sapphire super saturated ink.

 

Why Pelikan should make a supersaturated ink in the first place had nothing to do with the disappointment and hate. It's an adequate blue....a bit different than Royal Blue.

Some Edelstein inks shade well, some are nice, others so-lala.

Tanzanite is a slightly different Blue Black that is legal in the States.

 

The Smokey Quartz is this years Limited Edition ink, a nice ink. There are inks that only come out once and for only a year....be alert and ready to buy some if you like the reviews.

Do read and view all the reviews...in everyone sees things, like color and line a slight bit different. One may hate it, one may love it. The good reviewers give some pictures.

 

We have a grand Ink Review section.....and always be on the look out for any review done by our ink guru.... Sandy1....her reviews are all .

She uses 4-5 normal pens, and 4-5 good to better papers that anyone who puts out an ounce of effort can get. It is sometimes unbelievable that, that is the same ink, when width of the nib and or the paper makes it look so different.

 

For any ink you should use a 90g laser copy paper..or better....Rhoda will do in 80g. Normal 80g copy paper just don't let the ink sit on top for that half a second to give two tone shading.

The biggest No-No is Ink Jet Paper....in it is designed to absorb Ink Jet ink very rapidly and feathers with fountain pen ink.

Edited November 12, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Nyanzilla]

In a brown pen I would only use brown and black and maybe some darker red inks. I really like to match the pen's colour with the ink.

At present I'm using a Pelikan 4001 blue-black in my old grey marbled M200.

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Pelikans are built like tanks, and I've never heard of them being finicky about ink. That said, my black/charcoal dome-top M150 requires flushing (and occasionally even nib cavitation) several times per year, running Sheaffer black; whereas my M200s are all perfectly happy on whatever I feed 'em, requiring flushing only once in a blue moon.

 

Of course, you do know better than to run India ink in a fountain pen (unless it's one of the few that are specifically designed for it), right?

[biancitwo]

 

I've been saving up. I'm going to be getting a Pelikan, a brown tortoise 400NN, with a fine nib. Would you be kind enough to glance through my inks and tell me which ones will work well and not stain my pen?

 

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

I'd be interested also in what ink is in your Pelikan right now.

My 400NN tortoise currently has Robert Oster, Lake of Fire. It is a wet blue green, which shades beautifully. And, the semi-flex, oblique medium nib is superb. Above, there was mention of always matching the pen and ink color. The 400NN is an exquisite writer for which I would avoid only problematic inks, and to date, I have experienced no problematic inks. I would never arbitrarily limit the wonderful colored inks available today. I use saturated inks. I haven't had the nerve to use a red ink. But, otherwise, if it is beautiful and behaves, I will use, and enjoy it.

 

I also have a 400NN green tortoise, in which I use all the same inks. It too is flawless. I am excited for your acquisition.

Edited November 23, 2017 by biancitwo

[Green Ink]

Thank you biancitwo and others!

 

It's three and a half years since I asked the question. I love my 400NN brown tortoise. It hasn't stained at all. Right now it's inked with J. Herbin Lie de The. Other favorites are Sailor Do-you, Mont Blanc Toffee Brown, KWZ Honey, Sailor Rikyu-cha, and Aurora Black. I like browns and blacks for it.

 

My cunning plan is that I try an ink in other pens first. If the ink stains another pen or is difficult to clean, it doesn't go in my 400NN, or any pens with ink windows. Beware of Pelikan Edelstein Amythyst. It stained one of my demonstrators.

 

I think a 400NN is a truly great pen! Do any of you have yours inked up now? Which ink?