How Do You Keep Track Of What Inks Are In Each Pen?

[JLZenor]

Just curious about how everyone here keeps track of what inks are in each pen. Some are easy, but as I start to get various shades of similar colors sometimes I forget exactly which ink is in each pen.

 

Now, the solution seems simple, just have a piece of paper next to my inks that lists what is loaded in each pen. But I'm curious how everyone else does it.

[Joane]

Simple: I only have one ink of each basic colour; so, for example, if it's blue it's MB Royal Blue. Same for the others. There's only one ink each one could be.

[Frank C]

I bought some bound Clairfontaine Journals from the Goulets. When I fill a pen with ink, I use that pen to make an entry in the journal listing the pen, nib, ink, and a few comments about how well it writes, etc. If I have a similar ink in another pen, I may add a few lines for comparison. I have been doing this for about four years. It is fun to go back and read the entries.

 

If it is a new pen, I also list where I bought it and the price paid.

 

I have some work pens that I fill once or twice a week with the same ink. I don't necessarily make an entry every time I fill them.

[macaddicted]

Same thing, except mine is an inexpensive journal. Allows me to see how the ink performs on poor paper.

[knarflj]

I just add a line to my regular journal whenever I ink a pen, in larger writing than I normally use so that it's easy to spot when I'm flipping back through: name of ink, which pen, and what size nib. I have also taken to making tiny pencil notes in the crease or at the bottom of the page of my various notebooks that tell me what pen and ink I used to write any particular page or day's worth of notes. That's after too many times flipping back through a sermon or other notebook and wondering what that gorgeous (or not) ink was.

 

Jenny

[MKB]

I use the default "Notes" app on my phone to list the pens with the ink, and just edit any time I make a change.

[JLZenor]

I bought some bound Clairfontaine Journals from the Goulets. When I fill a pen with ink, I use that pen to make an entry in the journal listing the pen, nib, ink, and a few comments about how well it writes, etc. If I have a similar ink in another pen, I may add a few lines for comparison. I have been doing this for about four years. It is fun to go back and read the entries.

 

If it is a new pen, I also list where I bought it and the price paid.

 

I have some work pens that I fill once or twice a week with the same ink. I don't necessarily make an entry every time I fill them.

A pen and ink journal, I like it!

[Chthulhu]

I use a simple database in LibreOffice Base with all the specs on my pens and what, if any, ink is in them, and the date of the fill.

[tmenyc]

Currently inked pens and their inks are in my signature, see below. I update ink log and signature. Takes two minutes each change.

 

Tim

[Ereshkigal]

excel spreadsheet.

[langere]

tmenyc has it just right - just put the information on your Signature page below!

 

Erick

[T4TEXAS]

All this is much too simple. How about making a note on a scrap of paper, then entering it in your ink journal, and finally cross-indexing that with your spreadsheet. That would make the effort truly worthwhile, and your children and your childrens' children can look back in wonder at your efforts.

Edited June 13, 2015 by T4TEXAS

[naimitsu]

I have a Ricksaw Bag Works journal cover with a business card window and 4 pen pockets on the inside of the front cover.

I write down the ink name and pen with the pen that has the named ink in it on an old business card from work, and slot it in the business card window.

 

I came up with this solution as I'm in the process of trying out some 150+ ink samples through up to 8 pens at any given time. It started filling up one of my small notebooks too quickly and it wasn't immediately available whenever I went to pull one of the four pens in the journal cover. And since we just moved buildings, I have a few hundred old business cards with the wrong address and telephone number on them, so I'm repurposing rather than simply wasting all of the decent card stock! As a bonus, it seems to show the shading of an ink rather well!

Edited June 13, 2015 by naimitsu

[NinthSphere]

I did the pen/ink list thing when my ink count hit more than three, but it didn't last. I don't tend to change inks super often, so I work from memory. There's also a degree of color matching in some cases. The three 51s that go out with me always have a blue shade in the gray, Nightshade in the burgundy, & a red in the cocoa. The burgundy 51 stub also uses Nightshade. The Captain's Commission runs on GMB. The Passaporto only uses Majestic Blue carts. The Monteverde, appropriately enough, loves PR Sherwood Green. The 144 has been through a bunch, but atm, it seems to love KWZI Violet 2.

[ac12]

I keep an inking log of what ink I put into a pen when.

But when it comes time to refill the pen, I have to think about which blue ink is in the pen, was it Cross, Waterman, PR DCSS blue, or .....

 

To solve this I plan to make a simple list with 2 columns.

- name and color of the pen.

- name and color of the ink.

 

Examples:

- Black Parker Classic - Waterman Black

- Parker 51 Special - PR DCSS blue

- Blue Parker 45 - Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise

 

Each line would be written with that pen and ink combo.

I would keep that list next to my pen cup.

Edited June 13, 2015 by ac12

[KaB]

Currently inked pens and their inks are in my signature, see below. I update ink log and signature. Takes two minutes each change.

 

Tim

 

 

Great idea! Started using it immediately.

[fountainpagan]

I have a Calepino small notebook where I write a line with the newly inked pen, and tell about the ink used.

[blINK]

I use a Black N Red notebook - the roughly A5 sized one. On the top of each page, a pen is listed. When I fill said pen, I write the date and what it has been filled with. So if I forget, I just flip through the notebook and there it is.

 

For the pens I have dedicated to certain colors, I just list the color and then add refill dates as necessary.

[Buzz_130]

I use a Black N Red hardback journal for a pen and ink log. I started with filling each new line every time I refilled a pen. I modified the book at the beginning of 2014 to now have a page per pen. So one page is dedicated to a Parker 51 in plum w/ F nib. I then have the date and brand/name ink on each line beneath it.

 

I chose this method because I had read many discussions about wet and dry inks and others on the right ink for the pen/nib combination. Now I can see clearly on the page how the nib and ink combinations work together, and with the date of fills, I can also see how my rotation is working out.

 

Buzz

[Chrissy]

I have a Tomoe River journal, and each pen is given a page. Then when I fill it with ink, I write what ink is in the pen and the date. When that changes, I strike through it and write the next ink