Wet Or Dry?

[amcityink]

It's really interesting on how people have different tastes when it comes to how the ink leaves the nib.

 

I grabbed a buddies Visconti and started writing with it and it was dry - a bit scratchy (for my taste), he grabbed my MB and thought it was way to wet... which it's not,it's just perfect. I Iike to feel smoothness as the ink leaves the pen.. I also like to see the ink dry. Why have a FP write like a ballpoint?

 

Some FP come set up to write wet or tight I noticed... Visconte's come dry, and you need to adjust the feed to get more flow or flow to your taste.

 

I guess everyone has their own style and taste. Which do you prefer?

 

 

 

 

 

[FountainPenCowgirl]

Nice and juicy, all the way. The better to see and enjoy these incredible inks! They're why I got into fountain pens and what continue to give me the greatest pleasure.

[slide13]

Normally on the wet side, but I just picked up a Kaweco AL Sport which is on the dry side and I actually like it for this particular pen. It'll be my pocket pen used for many quick notes in a Field Notes or the like and the dry nib means it'll dry quick so I can put the book back in my pocket without waiting for ink to dry and I get a lot less bleed through issues on the less than ideal FN paper. So, genially I prefer wetter, but in some applications a dry nib can be a better choice - so they have their place.

[SujiCorp12345]

I prefer wet nibs for broad nibs, but medium dryness for F/EF nibs.

[georges zaslavsky]

wet nibs for me

[MiniMaupassant]

Nice and juicy, all the way. The better to see and enjoy these incredible inks! They're why I got into fountain pens and what continue to give me the greatest pleasure.

yep.... me too!

[Algester]

just nice and flowing nibs but not too wet unless there's a reason for it to be i need of being too wet like say a wet noodler

[Icywolfe]

Dry, but wet enough to slide.

[WilsonCQB1911]

10/10 for flow for me!

[arran]

I prefer juicy flow for the F and EF , but medium flow for italics

[mallymal1]

Wonderfully wet.

[Bo Bo Olson]

All three; wet, medium and dry....depends on which ink I want to use. I'd not put a dry ink in an over dry pen....like say a Waterman.

A dry ink is what a Pelikan wants and was designed for being a wetter writing pen..

 

I have a couple of pens I could have made wetter, but didn't. Had I done so....wet inks would have made that pen wetter. Now wetter inks do that pen just fine.

 

I have a lot of wetter writing semi-flex and 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex....a wet ink would be too much...a dry ink just fine.

 

There are medium inks for medium in the wet/dry ratings...that would do just fine for them.

 

Some folks want a big wet line....fine with monotone inks, but with shading inks one don't want it too wet or it will not shade.

[LamyOne]

I like them to be like the Brazilian Rain Forest - dripping wet. I like it when I need a rain coat.

 

- Chris

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I trend toward a slightly dry pen, which will exploit any shading potential of an ink+paper combo, and keep the line quality high, and avoid bleed- show-through on rather absorbent papers.

 

If an ink+paper combo has negligible shading potential, I do not want to 'submerge' the colour & vibrancy of the ink by putting down more than is required to achieve a fully-inked line. That said, when I use a Red-centric saturated ink, I often run it rather dark to keep it stable on the sheet, at least at first.

 

As much of my writing with an FP is done on duty, I'm accustomed to the feedback from toothy copy/print papers, so even though I appreciate an ink with high lubricity, I don't seek-out the 'wet glistening line' that seems the current fashion.

 

One thing that writing with a slightly dry pen on toothy papers requires is a very good nib - well aligned tines, and tipping that's well shaped and polished.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 14, 2014 by Sandy1

[Bronze]

Nice and juicy, all the way. The better to see and enjoy these incredible inks!

 

That's how I feel as well. However, for pens with sharper italic nibs I prefer it to be less wet, to keep the lines crisp.

[KBeezie]

I prefer somewhat towards the dry side without any skipping or hard starting, basically dry enough that the ink's lighter shade shows first, allowing for some potential for shading, but not so wet that bleeding/feathering is a problem or that it has absolutely no shading (ie: I have a wet-ish vanishing point medium nib that shows Tsuki-yo as more of a dark blue).

 

Within reason you can adjust the nibs to your taste, if the feed is the reason for the wet/dry flow then there's not quite as much you can do about it. It's rather easy to make a nib wetter, it's a little harder to make it drier especially if you're trying to close the tipping or tines closer together, but it can be done.

 

For example on my Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral I closed the tines a tad tighter because it was flowing somewhat like a firehose which is pretty annoying especially in what would be a fine/extra-fine nib.

 

I also did somewhat the same with my Pelikan M250 but opened it up a tiny bit (the nib itself was sprung from the previous owner so it'd have the behavior of a hard starting nib, when it was actually the nib not making contact with the feed until you pressed the nib towards the feed). The Pelikan is kind of more like I like, not wet, but not too dry, and allows for some shading and smooth flow.

 

Both the Pelikan M250 w/ 14K M and Snorkel Admiral w/ 14K EF~F are inked with the same ink (Noodler's Texas Blue Steel)

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer/snorkel/admiral_burgundy/write_sept14.jpg

 

I know *Some* people like it juicy wet because it also makes the strokes feel silky smooth, but I don't care for it being quite that wet because some papers I have just can't handle it.

 

I kind of like how I got the snorkel now, since it starts right up, it's smooth, and has an even consistent flow that dries quickly, but I wouldn't mind making it slightly wetter but it took a couple days to get it where it's at now.

Edited September 14, 2014 by KBeezie

[Anirban4u]

All three; wet, medium and dry....depends on which ink I want to use. I'd not put a dry ink in an over dry pen....like say a Waterman.

A dry ink is what a Pelikan wants and was designed for being a wetter writing pen..

 

I have a couple of pens I could have made wetter, but didn't. Had I done so....wet inks would have made that pen wetter. Now wetter inks do that pen just fine.

 

I have a lot of wetter writing semi-flex and 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex....a wet ink would be too much...a dry ink just fine.

 

There are medium inks for medium in the wet/dry ratings...that would do just fine for them.

 

Some folks want a big wet line....fine with monotone inks, but with shading inks one don't want it too wet or it will not shade.

I agree completely.

I have a gusher sheaffer 300 in blue swirl that I have started avoiding deliberately. Nothing but Pelikan BB for that. (note to self, fill 'er up next week)

on the other hand, my metro F is scratchy with Pelikan RB, it'll be quink or waterman next time.

 

Having said that, I own a few pens, that write perfectly, irrespective of dry or wet inks. Schneider base,almost all indian EDs come to my mind.

 

I believe the rudimentary feed in most Indian EDs (no grooves, simple 1 or 2 channel, friction fit) contributes to it. (Disclaimer: I am yet to experience burping in these EDs, so 'rudimentary', gets the job done excellently for me...)

 

*typos

Edited September 14, 2014 by Anirban4u

[Baric]

This is another one of those very individual decisions, there is no right ot wrong, it's purely each user's preference.

 

I'm pretty middle of the road, a 6 out of 10. While I like really wet broad nibs, they just aren't pracitical for me. I'm a lefty overwriter, so dry time is VERY important to me. Wet nibs lay down a lot of ink which takes longer to dry, so I have to go very slow or risk a smearing mess, maybe even pause or blot each line. The 6/10 M and B left obliques I typically use are just right for me.

 

Like everyone here, I have pens with different "personalities". I want wet and juciy, I go to my Conway Stewart Wellington with a M nib. Wider obliques/stubs with slightly less flow, my M605 and Bellivers. Really fine oblique, my Nakaya Neo Standard. My Conway Stewart Winston with slightly juicy IB for sigs and and just plain fooling around. Juicy and semi-flex is my Danitrio Hyotan. But for sustained writing and sheer comfort, I always go back to the Pelikan M800, medium flow with a very smooth OM nib.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Baric

[max dog]

I like wet and juicy always.

 

Keep in mind not all wet nibs are equal. Some of my nicer wet nibs leave a nice wet juicy ink trail but maintains shading so you can see all the character of the ink. Montblanc and Pelikan wet nibs are awesome for this.

 

Other lesser wet nibs just over saturate, and everything looks dark with no shading.

 

 

 

 

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[Runnin_Ute]

I like a variety from wet to dry in my collection. Different needs, different moods, different desired effects at different times. Why limit myself to one type of ink/nib/paper combination? Sure would make things boring.