Only One Ink

[bonsaiboy]

 

Love that answer. For months, we have been waiting for Blue Bell ice cream to be back in production. We couldn't wait to get...vanilla.

 

Yes our family is the same. With the huge variety of ice cream flavours on offer, we always end up buying the vanilla.

[DustyR]

Two answers:

 

1. Emeraude de Chivor (but only in a wet Japanese fine or European extra fine)

 

2. Impossible

Edited February 8, 2016 by DustyR

[theolu]

Assuming I could get a lifetime supply, Sailor Sky High.

[Coop]

For the sake of this thread I'll say Iroshizuku Asa-gao. A well behaved ink, some shading and sheen to make it look interesting, but still suitable for professional use.

 

That being said, the real world answer would most likely be: "The blood of the person that puts me in that position"...

[arrScott]

Noodler's Midway Blue.

[tonybelding]

Unfortunately, I need different inks for some different tasks. Being reduced to only one ink would force me to make some tough choices about pens as well, and about the kinds of things I can use a fountain pen for. For example, right now my favorite and most often used ink is Noodler's Texas Bluebonnet. However, it's high-maintenance, and I don't like to use it in most of my vintage pens, and especially not in pens with rubber sacs or bulbs.

[johniem]

For my Parker 51, Waterman Mysterious Blue. The other pens can share or go empty.

[donmcnel]

Only one ink? Then I'd go with Iroshizuku Shin-kai. Performs really well and the color is generally acceptable in most situations.

[lynxcat]

only one ink isn't realistic. but if i absolutely had to, it'd be Noodler's Bulletproof Black.

 

partly because it's an everything (almost) -proof black, and black goes with everything, eventually; but mostly because it's the best behaved ink i know.

 

still, in any realistic world, there'd be room for more colours. a few iron galls, some Kung Te-Cheng, ...

[tonybelding]

No one answered my answer:

 

Noodler's Lexington Gray

 

Dark enough to be formal, shading enough to be interesting- and the added "double-take" of having a pen look like graphite.

Add in that it bulletproof, waterproof, and fast drying... that makes it a pretty darn versatile ink.

 

 

Well, if you actually want an answer. . . It might possibly damage rubber sacs, which means I would be afraid to use it regularly in most of my vintage pens or a few modern ones, like my two Edison bulb fillers or my New Postal Jr. And thus, there is no ink that does everything. Which is why the original question was really unfair.

[MarkTrain]

If only one ink available today, that would be Pelikan 4001 blue-black,

If only one ink period, that would be MontBlanc blue-black

[Oldtimer]

For an Italic 1.1 to 1.5 nib I would choose Hero Blue. It is nor blue or gray and shades nicely.

For an extra fine nib I would use Noodlers Blue Eel or Kon-Peki on finer nibs because they both maintain their brilliance and sharpness

Of course, you must know these [references change like the seasons.

 

I just wrote down with most of my Italics and EFs and could see the effect crearly.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/INKINGS/Italics%20and%20EFs_0368%20copy_zpsfwov71vb.jpg

 

 

 

In a very Fine nib, Noodler's Blue Eel shines

 

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/INKINGS/Italics%20and%20EFs_0370%20copy_zpsye9nllxy.jpg

 

 

And Pilot's Kon-Peki does the same:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/anangeli/INKINGS/Italics%20and%20EFs_0369%20copy_zpsjikzt5lr.jpg

Edited February 15, 2016 by Oldtimer

[LuckyKate]

Aurora Black

[Oldtimer]

Aurora Black

Is it water resistant?

[meiers]

Montblanc midnight blue.

[AlanO]

Realistic reponse now...

 

If I had to choose only one ink, it would be vintage Parker Quink blue black (with solv-X), providing I could get enough of it.

 

I used it almost exclusively for decades, then when I came back to fountain pens and bought a new bottle of blue black last year I was horrified by what they've done to it! (After recovering from my shock, I actually think the new version is quite a nice teal colour and it's well behaved, but it is *not* Quink blue black.)

 

Thankfully I found a vintage bottle for a modest price on the famous auction site, so I'm a happy writer again

 

Alan

[vectorbundle]

Noodler's Heart of Darkness: You can't beat the look of (non-feathering) very black ink on good white paper. Plus it dries very quickly.

[LionRoar]

Waterman Serenity (previously Florida) Blue.

 

I'm surprised that only one other person has answered with this ink. It's a basic blue similar to the blue in blue Pilot Precise rollerball pens. It's well behaved in all of my pens. It's a little bit more saturated and less watery than other safe pen-manufacturer blues that I'm familiar with such as Parker Washable Blue.

 

I often go back to this ink more even though I have six other bottles of ink (plus four other bottles that I gave to my father). (This is probably a lot fewer bottles of ink than some of the hardcore FP gurus on this forum.)

[Scrivener1]

Current answer: Noodler's Walnut.

[WaskiSquirrel]

Noodler's Black: I own lots of different inks, but this is the only one which regularly need to replace. I use up 2-3 bottles per year when I'm in the heat of writing a novel.