Ink "feel" - Getting Used To A New Ink

[NewPenMan]

until recently, I've only used quink and waterman and my hand/brain connection is used to the feel of those inks; to me, they "feel" the same.

 

I've been using some great noodler's inks lately, including 2 "warden" inks which to me feel a bit "sticky" for lack of a better word...

 

there's a type of feedback that's not scratchy, not nib-related (I think) but feels like the ink itself making itself felt or known.

 

I love the colors, and I am wondering - at the risk of sounding weird - if people experience having to get used to a new ink.

 

Not all inks are the same, aside from the color, obviously...I've read about some with lubrication, some dry fast, some dry slowly..

 

can anyone weigh in on getting used to an ink? My penmanship is a bit thrown off by the feel of these new inks...hoping that with time writing with them, my hand/brain connection will get used to the feel of these inks, as they did with quink and waterman..

 

thanks for any ideas on this!

[lapis]

Good question! IMO Quink's and Waterman's blue-blacks are the same ink. They at least look the same and write the same in my pens on my papers. I haven't tried out all other colour combos here. For a "real" difference in feeling(s) you should compare any Quink and/or Waterman inks with 2 or more completely different brands like Diamine, R&K, Skrip, Iroshi, Noodler's....

 

Mike

[inkstainedruth]

One of my first brown inks was Noodler's Walnut. I liked it's permanence, but thought the ink was a bit too dark a color -- and *way* too dry. But awhile back I tried it in my wet-writing Pelikan M400 -- and it was like I had a completely different ink.

So, sometimes it's just a matter of finding a good pen/ink combo.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[SallyLyn]

Waterman is most often the ink repairers use to test a pen. It has good flow and does not cause clogging problems. So likely any other ink will be different from what I call the gold standard.

 

As mentioned it often takes a few tries to get the right pen ink combo. Other things that can help - using a drop of safe dishwashing detergent in your water when you clean your pen. The soap has some lubricants and a tiny bit may remain in the pen to help the flow of ink. Some inks do better in situations with a bit of added water to the fill.

[Randal6393]

Noodler's inks definitely have a feel of their own. I use a pretty wet set of pens and a fairly sharp italic nib. The Bad Belted Kingfisher, Lexington Gray, and Black inks do great, as do Walnut, Apache Sunset, and Navajo Turquoise. The old Black Swan in Australian Roses also writes very well. But all Noodler's seem to give a noticeable amount of feedback. Thus, I tend to keep my pens wet.

 

Best of luck,

[NewPenMan]

Keep your pens wet? In the sense of opening up the feeds?

[tinkerteacher]

"Many other [manufacturers] focus on color only, forgetting that what makes an ink truly great is not how it looks, but how it 'feels'. Both in your hand as it comes out of your pen and the feeling in your mind as your eyes see the ink putting your thoughts onto paper." - Osamu Ishimaru, Sailor's 'Ink Master'

 

Edited July 11, 2015 by tinkerteacher

[ac12]

I will evaluate how a new ink writes, and if necessary make nib adjustments to increase or decrease the ink flow.

Example1, if I feel resistance/drag on the paper, I will increase the ink flow, so that the pens writes smoother, with less drag.

Example2, I just replaced a nib on my Esterbrook with a 1461, and the ink line was light and thin, and the nib had more drag on the paper. I adjusted the nib for more flow, and got the nib to behave like I want it to.

 

As was mentioned, sometimes an ink just does not behave in certain pens, so I search for a pen that it works ink.

Example, a really WET ink, does not work in most of my pens. I have to pull out my Pilot 78G, which is a DRY pen, and that pen will reduce the ink flow of those WET inks enough to make it usable.

 

Also different inks behave differently on different papers.

 

But these things interact. Ink X may feather more than ink Y. So you may also have to change papers to a paper that is less absorbent, or switch to a dryer pen that has a slower flow rate than your other pen.

[Randal6393]

Keep your pens wet? In the sense of opening up the feeds?

 

Well, working with the feed is a last resort,IMHO. Most work on the feed alters the characteristics and going too far is easy to do. Can't be repaired. Having used all the pens you have listed, would say most can be made wetter by cleaning and adjusting the nib slit, adjusting the spacing between the nib and feed, etc.

 

There are a video or two on nib/feed tuning on YouTube. And some on Goulet Pens. A search should be productive.

 

Best of luck,

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

The feel of an ink is one of those intangibles that I find hard to express.

 

I thank Member tinkertecher for contributing the quotation of Osamu Ishimaru.

 

My 'normal' is largely set by my daily writer + ink combo: Parker Sonnet + M nib + Parker BlBk c/w Solv-X. A rather lean pairing, that provides a bit of feedback on copy/printer paper.

 

My natural hand is also rather large, and I write with a brisk light hand - the mass of the pen is sufficient that I rarely consciously press down on the nib. (Which explains why I need to develop new mechanics to get the best from flexi nibs.)

 

When I switch to another pen+ink+paper combo for off-duty personal writing, using an ink with higher lubricity on a coated paper can indeed take me a bit to get used to. I often write-out the excess ink until the flow is stable, then carry on a bit more while I get the feel of the combo I've chosen.

 

IIRC the only ink that struck me as having an awkward feel was Noodler's Tiananmen, which I described as, 'The ink has a strange feel, rather viscous, which muffles feedback.' I've since taken to pairing that ink with Waverley nibs.

 

I reckon there's two main factors involved: the lubricity of the ink, and just how the ink comes off the nib to be absorbed by the paper. Nib width/shape and wetness certainly figure into it, but those aspects seem to be more a matter of degree than causal. (I prattled on about such in my IR of tsuki-yo @ Post № 68 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/221159-pilot-iroshizuku-tsuki-yo/?p=2424828.)

 

Bye,

S1

Edited July 11, 2015 by Sandy1

[WaskiSquirrel]

There is a feel to certain inks. I purchased a bottle of Stipula Saffron ink and it makes even my nicest pens draggy on the paper. De Atramentis inks also have a funny feel, but not in a bad way like the Stipula, but clearly different from my other inks.

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

[tinkerteacher]

amberleadavis, thanks for that great post(s)

[amberleadavis]

amberleadavis, thanks for that great post(s)

 

Thank you! You had the best quote!

[NewPenMan]

...

Thank you for taking time to pen, scan and post your thoughtful response, amberleadavis!

 

You may be happy to know that while I'm not all warm and fuzzy about some inks' performance for writing, I love their colors and they will likely end up in pen and ink drawings of mine. I appreciate the various reasons they may not work for my penmanship, but as the saying goes, there's a lid for every pot.

 

Also, what is, the Great PPS CRV?

[Betweenthelines]

until recently, I've only used quink and waterman and my hand/brain connection is used to the feel of those inks; to me, they "feel" the same.

 

I've been using some great noodler's inks lately, including 2 "warden" inks which to me feel a bit "sticky" for lack of a better word...

 

there's a type of feedback that's not scratchy, not nib-related (I think) but feels like the ink itself making itself felt or known.

 

I love the colors, and I am wondering - at the risk of sounding weird - if people experience having to get used to a new ink.

 

Not all inks are the same, aside from the color, obviously...I've read about some with lubrication, some dry fast, some dry slowly..

 

can anyone weigh in on getting used to an ink? My penmanship is a bit thrown off by the feel of these new inks...hoping that with time writing with them, my hand/brain connection will get used to the feel of these inks, as they did with quink and waterman..

 

thanks for any ideas on this!

 

Yep, had the same exact experience with both Bad Belted Kingfisher and Bad Blue Heron - they feel kind of like writing with toothpaste - have this grainy draggy feel to them. One of the reasons I just sold both bottles. Going from Bad Blue Heron to Iroshizuku Ku Jaku was like going from sandpaper to silk.

 

The more inks you try, the more you really start to pay attention to that "feel". And it's why I love Iroshizuku inks - I find them to be the best in terms of flow and lubrication. Japanese inks (Sailor too) have really spoiled me.

[NewPenMan]

Glad to hear that from another. BBK and 54th feel a little different from each other to me; BBK flows better, but both seem to "catch" under the nib....

I love both colors. ..excellent in every way but that drag just ain't no good for me

Edited July 13, 2015 by NewPenMan