What Do You Use Your Inks For

[Cause]

I was just curious to find out what you guys use your inks for. I love my Ink. I love the freedom to write in blue one day and burgandy red the next. I love being able to write a note on a gift for a friend in a nice green ink that will get noticed. I don't have ink regrets but I own some inks that will last forever I use them so seldom. Orange is not an ink colour I find myself thinking of often.

So just out of curiosity and maybe for some inspiration what do you do with your ink collection. Anyone here brave or eccentric enough to use an orange or pink as their everyday ink colour? I know some people draw in fountain pen ink. Personal Journals etc

 

I own 8 inks:

Lamy Black - Every day use, the first ink I bought to go with my Lamy Safari

 

MB Royal Blue - Every day use. the second ink I bought. Black and blue are staple inks after all

MB Lavender Purple - A beautiful ink that is more exciting than blue but still fit for every day use. My Royal blue is left unused because of this

MB Burgandy Red - I wanted a red ink for marking and this failed me abysmally. In the wrong pen (Lamy safari M) it looks the same as black. Recently I found that in a Broad or italic nib I can see the red. suitable for every day use.

MB Irish Green - I love this ink and use it to write thank you cards and to use with presents and whenever I write correspondence. My lone 60 ml bottle will last years. Also use it for notes I write to myself

MB Ink of Joy - No idea why I bought this. Its a beautiful orange but never find myself needing or wanting orange writing. The 30 ml bottle may last my lifetime.

MB Ink of Love - This ink is red and works for grading paper. In hindsight Corn poppy red would have served as well but I dont think it existed at the time.

 

JH Stormy Grey 1670 - I had to try one of the 1670 ink and this looked best to my eyes. The sheen so far is inconsistent (im trying to see if that is my fault) but I love it. The Grey would be fine for every day use but with the sheen I think it will have to remain as an ink for special occosions. Under such circumstances I see it lasting a long time.

On Order:

 

Iro Yama Budo - I think I bought this ink as much for the bottle as anything else. The colour looks amazing but again its hardly suitable for every day use.

Wish List:

 

MB Toffee Brown - Like lavender purple this ink seems to be perfect for every day use but unique and exciting all the same

JH 1670 collection - The sheen on these inks is beautiful and I want them all, just not sure I can justify it. Too fancy for anything but the rarest of writing, it seems to me, I wish you could buy a set with 20 ml in each color rather

[ENewton]

I own ten bottles of ink, nine of them different shades of purple. I use the purple ones mainly for taking notes at work and for recording my thoughts at home.

 

For drawing diagrams that require a main color and an accent color, I often use sepia (my one non-purple ink) as the main color and my brightest purple (Rohrer and Klingner Solferino) as the accent.

 

Lately I have had one pen inked with a sample of Noodler's Apache Sunset, a predominantly orange ink. I have been using it in meetings to make a star next to every note I take that records something I personally need to do.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I have a fairly broad array of inks, used for pretty much all writing, drawing, doodling, etc. Also, while I use FPs for the most part, if I just want to do a short bit of writing, out comes a dip pen.

 

On duty I use BlBk inks, with Red for error correction, and a Turquoise/Bright Blue to mark-up things that need a 2^nd look. Lately R&K Sepia for graphics.

 

For personal writing, I've tried using warm Red-centric inks to lure the dove of love, but all I get is pigeons.

 

My roller balls, ball points, Sharpies and pencils are called-upon when FPs / DPs aren't up to the task at hand.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 19, 2016 by Sandy1

[Cause]

I own ten bottles of ink, nine of them different shades of purple. I use the purple ones mainly for taking notes at work and for recording my thoughts at home.

 

For drawing diagrams that require a main color and an accent color, I often use sepia (my one non-purple ink) as the main color and my brightest purple (Rohrer and Klingner Solferino) as the accent.

 

Lately I have had one pen inked with a sample of Noodler's Apache Sunset, a predominantly orange ink. I have been using it in meetings to make a star next to every note I take that records something I personally need to do.

You own 9 purple inks! Impressive. Why such dedication to one colour?

 

I must say though actually, that even though I am colour blind, I find it easy to distinguish FP inks even of the same colour. I think its the colour saturation and sheen that allows me to tell the difference when under normal circumstances I cant tell a purple shirt from a blue one.

[NinthSphere]

Blues, browns, greens, & purples are all fair game for everyday use. At the moment, that means Ku-jaku, Syo-ro, Tsuki-yo, Pel Turquoise, Kiowa Pecan, Yama-guri, & Nightshade.

 

Reds tend to be used as a means of standing out. In notes, that's usually more important bits mixed in with other information. Sort of used in place of a highlighter as I'm writing. Notes written on a calendar or entirely written in red denote something important or time sensitive. Antietam used to be my go-to, but long drying time caused me to shift over to the reddish batch of Galileo's Manuscript Brown.

 

Orange & yellows I play around with, but tend not to be colors I tolerate well for long periods. Apache Sunset & Ina-ho have been used for lists & such, but nothing I have to consult with frequency or worry about lasting long.

 

Blacks & greys, as far as I'm concerned, don't exist. I have a bottle of Borealis Black, but if I want black or grey, I reach for a rollerball or a pencil.

[northstar]

I use FPS for my everyday use and also pen paling and also some sketching, you can find some examples of my sketches on this forum .( this is an example https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/310329-fpn-exclusive-inks/ )

 

Best regards.

[Midx]

I only have three bottles of ink:

 

MB Toffee Brown - this was the first bottl I bought. I use it every day in my journal

Diamine Bilberry - This is my work pen ink, again every day use

De Atramentis Document Black - I wanted a permanent black for signing forms or cheques or whatever. I use this so infrequently it'll probably last forever...

[Runnin_Ute]

Among those currently in a pen:

Diamine - Saddle Brown,Steel Blue and Sherwood Green

Blackstone - Barrier Reef Blue, Red Cashmere & Green Cashmere

Noodler's - Apache Sunset

Levenger Pomegranate

Waterman Serenity Blue

Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

KWZI iron gall turquoise

 

Of those not in a pen

Diamine -Classic Red & blue black

Noodlers - 54th Massachusetts, black,eel blue

Blackstone -black cashmere, Uluru Red, Sydney Harbour Blue & Daintree Green

Akkerman - Voorhout Violet and Shocking Blue

 

Almost all can be used daily for one purpose or another. I rarely use black, but thats ok.

[Arkanabar]

I'm to the point that I'll use just about any ink for anything. But I'm only going to list bottles.

As for my ideas regarding ink for writing, and my plans for what to buy going forward, see my thread, "Oh, the Places You'll Go."

Let's see ....

MontBlanc-Simplo Black with SuperCleaner SC21: Used for everyday writing of any sort, but ONLY in my Dad's Parker "51", in which I prefer to use inks that have phenol.

Parker Quink Permanent Black with Solv-X: When the MB-S black runs out, this takes its place.

Noodler's Borealis Black: This will probably find a home in one of my Hero 616s when the two prior black inks run out, perhaps diluted 5:1 or so.

Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin: This gets diluted 1:1 with water to tame its featherocious nature, and put into Indian eyedroppers to use during the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent as my sole ink as a penance for my many grave and serious sins. See, my wife let a fill of this ink dry up in an Ivory Darkness Nib Creaper a while back, and I haven't managed to get it all out yet.

If I ever use up all these inks, I'll probably buy Heart of Darkness, my Essential Black, next. I might alternately or additionally buy J. Herbin Perle Noire.

Waterman Purple: I put this in pens I want to test, to see how they behave with it. It's my wettest ink. I also put it into my 3.8mm Parallel, because I want to use it up. I'll probably buy Noodler's Purple at some point.

Noodler's Blue: I usually put this into my blue stripe M400. I use it for any type of writing. It's my Essential Blue.

"Waterman Florida Blue": I strongly suspect that this bottle is either adulterated or concentrated, as it writes really dark and has excellent lightfastness (thus far). I'll use it for just about anything in just about any pen.

Noodler's VMail Midway Blue: My wife bought this to match her Truk Lagoon Nib Creaper. I find it too bright to use for writing, and not bright enough for markup. I may adulterate it with Borealis Black to make a blue-black at some point.

Iro Ku-Jaku: This stuff feathers kinda much. I put it in a pen when I'm bored with the ink it usually has. It's just not super appealing to me.

Sheaffer (Slovenian) Turquoise: Used for markup. I put one squeeze into a Hero 616, and flush it a week later.

Diamine Sherwood: This goes into my CM nib Pilot Prera. It just really, really needs a stub. It is my Essential Green, so if I ever use it up, I'll get more.

Noodler's Red-Black: I diluted this to eliminate its propensity to smudge. It is a workhorse ink, and I put it into my blue swirl M200. But when I use it all up, I won't buy any more. I'll probably get Yama-Guri to fill in my Essential Brown slot.

Noodler's Widow Maker: Again, a little bit dark for markup, and too bright for writing. It's my wife's ink, and I don't know what (if anything) I'll do with it.

Noodler's Rattler Red Eel: This one is bright enough for markup. And, when I'm not using the Sheaffer Turquoise for markup, I'll use this.

My wife also has bottles of J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey and Emeraude de Chivor. They haven't been opened, and I have no plans to use them (yet).

I have samples of some other inks, but none of them are anything I'm likely to buy a bottle of.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Arkanabar

[inkstainedruth]

I'm afraid my list would be way longer than anyone else's here. I use more water resistant or waterproof ones for in my checkbook and addressing envelopes, but everything else is pretty much fair game for note taking or my journal entries, or for doing creative writing or drawing (although some are better than others for that last one).

Some pens get dedicated ink: the Red Shadow Wave Vac gets Waterman Mysterious Blue. (Still trying to decide what to put in the Green Shadow Wave I got down at the Triangle Pen Show in June, once the initial fill after rehab was also WMB -- and I really don't need two pens inked up with the same stuff...). One of the Noodler's Charlie eyedropper pens has become the dedicated Bay State Blue pen, because I can see what I'm doing better when I dilute the ink to combat it's tendency towards feathering. And one of the Konrads is the dedicated pen for Kung Te Cheng.

A few pens get dedicated colors: For some reason, the Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoise likes brown ink (some play better with it than others, because it's such a wet writer -- you'd never know it was an F nib). The two M200s, though, have seen a variety of brands and colors. Part of the reason I bought the M400 (besides it being a gorgeous pen for a really special occasion) is that I wanted it for drawing with -- and when drawing with pen and ink, I've always kinda like how brown and sepia tones look on paper.

Some pens get specific types of inks: the wetter writing Vectors in particular get iron gall inks to tame them, or stuff like the R&K Document inks (where I'm not sure about behavior to put into a "better" pen); while the Parker 61s get inks that are either more free flowing or less saturated. Oddball inks such as the J Herbin 1670 and Diamine Shimmertastic lines go into pens with slightly more exotic nibs, where they can show off (although I'm thinking that Shimmertastic Blue Pearl may be a little too wet for the M100 with the 1 mm nib on it...

And some inks go in whatever pens I happen to have empty.... Or what I think might look good coming out of them: I have a Morrison ringtop with a gold-filled filigree overlay and a juicy (and possibly at *least* an M) nib --and that pen just looks good with Diamine Emerald coming out of it, but also did pretty well with some vintage Quink Violet ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[chromantic]

I mainly use my pens for writing at work which, while it isn't really a lot, I do have the freedom to use pretty much whatever I want. I have about 40 pens inked up (a few inks are in more than 1 pen) but as time goes on, I am ordering fewer new inks and am somewhat gravitating, if not quite as rigorously, towards Arkanabar's concept of a 'core group' of inks. While there are some inks I will never part with, even if I don't use them every day, I do think it's time to start flushing some pens and giving away those inks which haven't exerted a lasting appeal. I'll still try new colors but hopefully I can be more ruthless in deciding what stays and what goes.

[senzen]

I've been trying without much success to group ink combinations by topic, taking into account that some combinations look good, others look horrible; I particularly dislike purplish inks like Ajisai, Myosotis and Asa Gao next to oranges like Mandarin, Orange Indien, Fuyu Gaki.

 

 

Upper left (left to right): Ama Iro, Fuyu Gaki, Orange Indien, Mandarin.

Upper right: Chiku Rin, Vert Empire, Verde Muschiato.

Center: Perle Noire, Myosotis.

Lower left: Rouge Hematite, Ajisai, Asa Gao, Tsuyu Kusa.

Lower right: Kon Peki, Lie de Thé, yama Guri, Lamy turquoise.

 

Missing in this picture is Roher & Klingner Verdigris. It seems a shame to group all oranges, greens and blues together. I could also go from oranges to greens to blues to purples. Ajisai looks a lot lighter than in this picture when I switched from a Platinum in F or MF to a Lamy in F.

 

So about 19 inks, for 10 topics, which can be also regrouped.

[mike.jane]

Wow, these little Ink-essays (yes this word could be contracted....) really are taking of. I'd like to try, too.

But it's like this; I have about 8 pens inked, some inks change often, and many of the inks are blended. I'm gonna describe some of the more interesting pairings though:

 

- I have a Pentel pocket Brush pen that's in my pocket every day just for fun and for drawing sometimes: I was excited to fit that with a converter. A Platinum converter fits it after some mild 'modding': Too bad, the pen writes really wet with fountain pen inks. I must assume the original brush pen ink is much thicker with pigments. So I needed a dry ink that's also interesting enough to look at to warrant the whole ordeal: I settled on Pelikan Blue-black, which in these extra wide strokes comes out surprisingly pale (thus it shades when in layers or pooled). It's good paper-properties make it quite usable when drawing. I also sometimes hand it to people who are more talented artists and they are normally amazed by how fun and encouraging it 'writes'.

 

- I have a Noodler's Ahab (lightly 'Ease-my-Flex-modded), great pen, but also writes really wet. Played around with fancier inks like R&K Scabiosa and some blends, but in the end settled for Pelikan Black. It feels and behaves great and I've found that in this kind of writing black just shines, brings out all the curves and character. 'Less can be more' sometimes.

Edited September 20, 2016 by mike.jane

[Sandy1]

OFF TOPIC

 

I've been trying without much success to group ink combinations by topic, taking into account that some combinations look good, others look horrible; I particularly dislike purplish inks like Ajisai, Myosotis and Asa Gao next to oranges like Mandarin, Orange Indien, Fuyu Gaki.

 

<snip>

 

 

So about 19 inks, for 10 topics, which can be also regrouped.

 

 

Hi,

 

Instead of the grid (Cartesian) means of establishing relationships, you might consider circular / spiral configurations, then go from there.

 

Bye,

S1

[senzen]

OFF TOPIC

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Instead of the grid (Cartesian) means of establishing relationships, you might consider circular / spiral configurations, then go from there.

 

Bye,

S1

 

Good idea, thank you!

[senzen]

I was just curious to find out what you guys use your inks for. I love my Ink. I love the freedom to write in blue one day and burgandy red the next. I love being able to write a note on a gift for a friend in a nice green ink that will get noticed. I don't have ink regrets but I own some inks that will last forever I use them so seldom. Orange is not an ink colour I find myself thinking of often.

 

So just out of curiosity and maybe for some inspiration what do you do with your ink collection. Anyone here brave or eccentric enough to use an orange or pink as their everyday ink colour? I know some people draw in fountain pen ink. Personal Journals etc

 

I own 8 inks:

 

Lamy Black - Every day use, the first ink I bought to go with my Lamy Safari

 

As black was the only colour available, I gave up on using it for a long time; I recently got Perle Noire, it's an amazing ink; I wasn't sure an EF Pilot was doing it any favours, but maybe I can use it to complement text with sketches.

 

MB Royal Blue - Every day use. the second ink I bought. Black and blue are staple inks after all

 

My equivalent is Asa Gao, which is stunning, but I use Tsuyu Kusa, which is more subdued but a "truer" blue.

 

MB Lavender Purple - A beautiful ink that is more exciting than blue but still fit for every day use. My Royal blue is left unused because of this

 

This is the tone I was going for, but instead got J herbin Violette Pensée, which I can't stand. Doh!

 

MB Burgandy Red - I wanted a red ink for marking and this failed me abysmally. In the wrong pen (Lamy safari M) it looks the same as black. Recently I found that in a Broad or italic nib I can see the red. suitable for every day use.

 

My equivalent is probably J herbin Rouge Hematite, lovely colour, high maintenance ink, gunks up everything. or a true, vivid red, Diamine Poppy red.

 

MB Irish Green - I love this ink and use it to write thank you cards and to use with presents and whenever I write correspondence. My lone 60 ml bottle will last years. Also use it for notes I write to myself

 

For some time I couldn't imagine writing in green; Vert Empire changed that, and then Chiku Rin and Verde Muschiato.

 

MB Ink of Joy - No idea why I bought this. Its a beautiful orange but never find myself needing or wanting orange writing. The 30 ml bottle may last my lifetime.

 

I love writing in orange, Mandarin, Orange Indien, even Fuyu Gaki which sometimes veers perilously towards pink.

 

MB Ink of Love - This ink is red and works for grading paper. In hindsight Corn poppy red would have served as well but I dont think it existed at the time.

 

JH Stormy Grey 1670 - I had to try one of the 1670 ink and this looked best to my eyes. The sheen so far is inconsistent (im trying to see if that is my fault) but I love it. The Grey would be fine for every day use but with the sheen I think it will have to remain as an ink for special occosions. Under such circumstances I see it lasting a long time.

 

I like these ink innovations, but can't stand "disco" inks; to each his own.

 

On Order:

 

Iro Yama Budo - I think I bought this ink as much for the bottle as anything else. The colour looks amazing but again its hardly suitable for every day use.

 

Wish List:

 

MB Toffee Brown - Like lavender purple this ink seems to be perfect for every day use but unique and exciting all the same

JH 1670 collection - The sheen on these inks is beautiful and I want them all, just not sure I can justify it. Too fancy for anything but the rarest of writing, it seems to me, I wish you could buy a set with 20 ml in each color rather

[Noihvo]

 

[chromantic]

That's a nice green, Noihvo, may I ask what it is?

[Noihvo]

 

 

Sorry for crappy camera...

[chromantic]

Thanks for the info. I finding I like having a dark choice and a brighter choice (possibly a medium as well) for each color and that green took my fancy but I'll heed your words or caution.