Inky T O D - What Makes An Ink Boring?

[JustWrite Pen Company]

I believe no ink is boring, but only different. An exception maybe the inks that damages pens, but I'm not sure even in this regard.

 

I think some of the most exciting links are the ones that can damage pens if you aren't careful. Like some of Noodlers and of course Parker Penman. They are dangerous and risky like so many good things in life.

[bayindirh]

 

I think some of the most exciting links are the ones that can damage pens if you aren't careful. Like some of Noodlers and of course Parker Penman. They are dangerous and risky like so many good things in life.

 

This is the reason why I'm not sure about it. While Noodler's inks are not available here, I'm reading about them a lot lately and I'm still undecided whether they are safe or not (considered BBB, AirCorp BB, Zhivago and like). However, I have two bottles of bulletproof Anikis, I didn't try them yet.

 

On the other hand, if you can't use a beautiful (or exciting) ink without damaging a decent pen / nib / feed, what is the purpose then?

[Mercian]

On the other hand, if you can't use a beautiful (or exciting) ink without damaging a decent pen / nib / feed, what is the purpose then?

You can use them without damaging your pen; you just need to make the effort to never let the ink dry-out in the pen, and also to clean out your pen occasionally.

 

Highly acidic or highly alkaline inks will damage pen components made of metals other than stainless steel or gold/platinum/rhodium - but only after long term use.

 

The only exception to this is the ink that Parker made for the launch of the Parker "51" - that stuff is like an alkaline version of the blood of HR Giger's Alien :-o

Which is why Parker discontinued it almost immediately, and replaced it with 'Superchrome'. Which was instead nastily acidic, so also killed pens, so also got replaced (by Quink).

 

Nowadays one can even buy pigment-based and nano-carbon inks that are safe for use in fountain pens (these inks are available e.g. from Pelikan, Montblanc, and Sailor).

Cellulose-reactive inks like Noodler's inks are also safe in fountain pens - you just need to make sure to NOT spill them on any clothes made from cotton.

 

Some inks are known to cause staining in pens.

See e.g. the various threads on FPN about Noodler's Bay State Blue; it is a peerlessly vibrant colour, but is also regarded as the Stainiest Stain-Monster in Stainsville ;-) It even stains ceramic sinks :-o

As such, I am one of the many here who is 'frit' of it. In my opinion, its astonishing colour is only available at what I consider to be too-high a cost. Other people like its colour enough to take the extra care that it demands.

 

We are lucky enough to be living in the 'Golden Age of Inks' - lots and lots of choices of colours, and also a wide range of ink-performance profiles :-)

 

The only modern inks your fountain pens need to completely avoid are dip-pen inks, and the drawing inks made for use in isographic pens - these contain thickeners and/or particulates that will clog the fine channels in fountain pens.

[bayindirh]

Mercian, thanks for the very detailed and long answer. I really appreciate your effort. I ink as few pens as possible and only use a fountain pen where possible, so my pens have near-everyday ink flow.

 

I heard the notorious BSB. I will not touch that with a ten yard stick, even if I'm capable to take the care it needs. As I said before, Noodler's already unavailable here, so I cannot even if I wanted to. On the other hand, your reply enlightened me a lot. While I'm using fountain pens for a long time, my history is more of Lamy and Pelikan 4001 inks in Blue and Black (and occasional Blue-Black), so I'm admittedly a modern ink noob.

 

I will keep your answer as a pocket note

 

Thanks again.

Edited March 17, 2017 by bayindirh

[BradGad]

...I heard the notorious BSB. I will not touch that with a ten yard stick, even if I'm capable to take the care it needs...

 

 

You know those signs they put up in work places, about how this facility has gone X days without a reportable chemical-spill/safety-violation/bedbug/zombie-outbreak incident?

 

I need one of those for my house. "This household has gone 6 days without an ink incident." (That's my record.)

 

So, yeah, no BSB here. My wife would kill me. I'm amazed she's been as forgiving and understanding as she has been so far. I think if there were some BSB in the house I'd be sleeping in the chicken coop.

Edited March 17, 2017 by BradGad

[amberleadavis]

Around here my kids call those outbreaks --- Inksidents.

[bayindirh]

 

 

You know those signs they put up in work places, about how this facility has gone X days without a reportable chemical-spill/safety-violation/bedbug/zombie-outbreak incident?

 

I need one of those for my house. "This household has gone 6 days without an ink incident." (That's my record.)

 

So, yeah, no BSB here. My wife would kill me. I'm amazed she's been as forgiving and understanding as she has been so far. I think if there were some BSB in the house I'd be sleeping in the chicken coop.

 

I think you can do that kind of sign, maybe using some calligraphic font, used in 60s or 70s? Btw, 6 days isn't a kind of... too short?

 

Also, I think you're a very lucky man. An understanding wife is an amazing thing.

 

Around here my kids call those outbreaks --- Inksidents.

 

 

They are smart and cute

Edited March 18, 2017 by bayindirh

[BradGad]

Btw, 6 days isn't a kind of... too short?

Baby steps

[ReadyFireAim]

I'm a late comer to FP in general and have only tried about a dozen inks so far. (different companies and colors)

 

The least boring of those has been PR Electric DC Blue.

(I'm not even a fan of blue)

 

The shading is amazing.

It gives the appearance of line variation when none exists.

 

I'd like to find shading like that in a dark green.

Edited March 18, 2017 by ReadyFireAim

[antichresis]

There are three factors that apply to me. These are all negative. To me, there is a difference between "understated" and "boring". I love blue-black and understated blue-blacks (for example: Sheaffer) have value.

 

1. ubiquity.

If you look at reddit, FPN, FB groups that are focused on fountain pens, there are certain inks that seem like everyone has them. There are tens of thousands of different inks available worldwide. I'm sure a lot of people use x ink because it is a very good ink but to get a bottle for myself is the boring thing to do.

 

2. a common colour.

Many royal blues appear to me as clones of each other. Many of the default greens also look quite close to each other. This has the same effect as ubiquity.

 

3. flatness.

Dragon's Napalm is not a common colour but on the paper it is just so monotonous and flat. It very closely resembles what happens when you click "fill colour" in Paint.

[bayindirh]

Baby steps

 

Oh, alright. Sorry if I'm offended you :/

[chromantic]

While it may be a small distinction, I tend to think of inks as "just not very interesting" rather than "boring". Certain color ranges - blurples, red-leaning browns - don't interest me; those might qualify as boring. And I'm with antichresis on the flatness thing - I like inks that have a bit of 'presense' on the page.

 

Not sure whether trendiness is necessarily a detriment, though. There's usually a good reason why something becomes popular.

[bayindirh]

While it may be a small distinction, I tend to think of inks as "just not very interesting" rather than "boring". Certain color ranges - blurples, red-leaning browns - don't interest me; those might qualify as boring. And I'm with antichresis on the flatness thing - I like inks that have a bit of 'presense' on the page.

 

Not sure whether trendiness is necessarily a detriment, though. There's usually a good reason why something becomes popular.

 

Some color ranges may not interest a person, that's normal for me. Yellows, some of the red-oranges (e.g. The beloved Ancient Copper) doesn't pique my interest too much (I'm more of an Edelstein Amber guy), however as you, I know that it has its users, uses, and lovers.

 

Some colors have much more utility then others. Royal blue is washable and most prominent for a reason. Same for black and blue-black. I cannot imagine many people sign their documents with a Diamine Sepia for example

 

Not all shading inks doesn't lack presence I think, but if you like your inks bold & uniform, I can only bow to you and accept your choices, and sign them with my pen containing shading ink

[chromantic]

I probably didn't express myself well. I was taking antichresis' "flat" meaning monotonous. Some inks look flat in terms of their surface appearance, which doesn't prevent them from having presence.

 

Skrip ink has always struck me as looking flat in this sense: Orange shades profusely (see Sodul's sample on the last page of Thornton Inks thread in Inky Thoughts) yet looks flat on the page, Red doesn't shade and looks flat, even my beloved Turquoise, which shades nicely and has a delicate pink sheen, still looks 'flat', as does Yellow, with its silver sheen. Diamine Yellow shades nicely, yet looks flat from a surface perspective. None of these would I consider monotonous (though I don't find Skrip Orange all that interesting color-wise).

[eharriett]

If I keep an ink in a pen for too long, I get bored.

[bayindirh]

I probably didn't express myself well. I was taking antichresis' "flat" meaning monotonous. Some inks look flat in terms of their surface appearance, which doesn't prevent them from having presence.

 

Skrip ink has always struck me as looking flat in this sense: Orange shades profusely (see Sodul's sample on the last page of Thornton Inks thread in Inky Thoughts) yet looks flat on the page, Red doesn't shade and looks flat, even my beloved Turquoise, which shades nicely and has a delicate pink sheen, still looks 'flat', as does Yellow, with its silver sheen. Diamine Yellow shades nicely, yet looks flat from a surface perspective. None of these would I consider monotonous (though I don't find Skrip Orange all that interesting color-wise).

 

Oh, you mean "flat" about the impression an ink makes on the page, regardless of color, shading and other properties, like a bottom line. So, a flat ink doesn't look impressive, or doesn't get the attention to itself and just makes the thing readable, and only conveys the information that it needs to.

 

Hope I understood you correctly this time

 

Edit: The last sentence didn't sound kind enough.

Edited March 18, 2017 by bayindirh

[BradGad]

Oh, alright. Sorry if I'm offended you :/

Not at all!

[chromantic]

 

Oh, you mean "flat" about the impression an ink makes on the page, regardless of color, shading and other properties, like a bottom line. So, a flat ink doesn't look impressive, or doesn't get the attention to itself and just makes the thing readable, and only conveys the information that it needs to.

 

I mean flat in terms of texture so, in that sense, yes, regardless of color, shading and other properties. Most inks tend to look flat on standard paper because the ink is absorbed into the paper. On good paper, the ink sits on the surface, forming a layer of ink when it dries - this is the texture I mean. Highly saturated inks leave a thicker layer while inks like Skrip leave a thinner layer, which looks flat in comparison with, say, Sailor. These "flat" inks can be equally as impressive as their thicker counterparts, Skrip Turquoise being a prime example.

 

"... doesn't look impressive, or doesn't get the attention to itself and just makes the thing readable, and only conveys the information that it needs to", to my mind, conjures bog standard black, blue-black, dark blue, etc. - antichresis' flat as in monotonous.

 

** ETA: Not to say that those colors are boring, per se, but those qualities are the very reasons businesses use them.

Edited March 19, 2017 by chromantic

[Noihvo]

[eyesa]

Since boring by its nature is an adjective (a descriptive) it's no wonder it cannot be agreed upon. Everyone would have a different opinion, and even within that, I would agree that no ink is truly 'boring.' Even black ink can be exciting, given the right situation. And yes, probably ordinary,expected or mundane would be a better word, but in the right situations those kind of inks can be spectacular. I agree too, that some inks, which may at first seem 'sleepers', later reveal their depth and charm with further use. An ink's charms may be enhanced by good behavior and usefulness, much like a personality can overshadow or color one's appearance. Add to all of this the absolute mystery of personal enchantment. I've met inks I had no reason to think I'd like and fallen in love with. It's a magical mix of allure, which varies from person to person and moment to moment. I've also fallen out of love with inks, sometimes for equally uncertain reasons.

In the end, I guess that's why so many of us end up with so many inks.

Edited March 19, 2017 by eyesa