Jump to content

Journeyman Question - Your Perennial Inks


Chouffleur

Recommended Posts

I keep an ink journal. Pretty simple - a line or two every time I fill a pen. From the front, Ink by Pens. From the back, Pens by Ink.

 

Looking at it today, Ink # 1 was Iroshizuku ama-iro loaded into a Parker 51 (Aerometric). But that ink hasn't been used all that often. My two most frequently loaded inks are # 2 Noodler's Ottoman Rose (because it exactly matches the color of my wife's Montblanc Classique Bordeaux 144) and #3 Levenger's Amethyst (because I have garish tastes in ink).

 

I've reached # 50 but none of my other inks get anywhere near as frequent usage.

 

So - what are your two or three most frequently used inks - and why?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 16
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • displacermoose

    2

  • KellyMcJ

    2

  • DrDebG

    1

  • Chouffleur

    1

Only just approaching the two-year mark on all this so I doubt perennial applies but I've found myself using Kana-cho Midnight the most (on an almost daily basis) this past year, followed by Lamy Petrol these last several months since its release. Third would be the handful of other inks that accompany one of those two to work, um, KWZ Maroon, Cross Violet, Yama-guri, Deep Sea Green most frequently, I guess.

 

Oops, didn't see the second question "why". While I like bright colors as much as amberlea, I find myself gravitating toward the darker colors, especially those mysterious ones where a quick glance may show there is color there but a closer look is required to determine just what​ that color is - Petrol, Miruai and the new van Gogh Dark Green are good examples of this. I joke that Kana-cho looks almost black but it's easily seen as a dark blue.

Edited by chromantic

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until I finally hung up the grading pen I used Noodler's Nikita to mark student work. 4.5 ounce bottle lasted a little over 4 years of essentially daily use.

After that, Blakwa. All the vintage pens I restore get a fill with it for final nib adjustments and because I like the way it behaves.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For work purposes, I've used Pilot Red daily for the past year or so; the 30mL bottle will last me just about one year flat. The previous year was primarily Diamine Wild Strawberry for the same tasks, and I will likely choose another red for the next year.

 

For personal use, however, it's hard to say. I keep an ink journal of sorts, but part of the reason is to remind myself which inks I've used recently so as to not repeat them until others have gotten their turn. Even inks I like a lot do not see consistent use because I like to keep them "fresh" (I think I would get bored of colors if I overuse them). For example, in the "blues" section I can see that I haven't repeated a blue ink since April. Due to this habit, my most-used inks are generally my earliest purchases.

 

That being said, the few exceptions are the two Sailor Nano inks (Sei-Boku and Kiwa-Guro), which I will use semi-regularly for their properties, not necessarily for their colors. Kano-Cho Midnight from the Kobe line is another that gets used more frequently, as I use its high lubrication to pair with feedback-y nibs. And because they are among a smaller subgroup of iron gall inks, KWZ's IG Turquoise and IGL Aztec Gold get used slightly more frequently. I don't think these really represent my favorite colors; they are just the inks that happen to have distinguishing properties.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have two inks in use all the time :

Diamine Classic Red for mark-up

Montblanc Permanent Blue + 5% Black. A lightish blue black which is totally waterproof and well behaved

 

My everyday ink is Diamine Eau de Nil. Not waterproof but it performs well, shades nicely and I like the rather unusual colour. Not in use all the time because occasionally I get bored and put something else in the EDC, but only ever for a few days. So, EdN not in use all the time, but I use more of it than all others together (about an 80ml bottle a year).

 

Reading this through, one would think most of the 75 inks in my draw could go. But I have already had a thinning and I do enjoy them all from time to time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My ink purchases have a fairly strong utilitarian bent to them, as does my ink usage. (I have been given the vast majority of my inks.) I have chosen five of the Six Essential Inks that I'm going to buy going forward (I want to make sure that Noodler's Purple is sufficiently well-behaved before buying a bottle). But I'm not willing to buy an ink when I have something close enough in the color family, with decent fade resistance.

For a while, Noodler's Red-Black was my go-to workhorse ink. It behaves well and is partly bulletproof. But I got sick of the color.

As it's currently the pentitential season of Advent, I'm sticking by Noodler's Borealis Black diluted 1:1 to somewhat mitigate its feathering and reduce how much it spreads when splashed with water. It's actually one of my three least favorite inks (the others being Waterman Purple, which is beautiful but fugitive, and Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin, which only goes in a pen if its feed can be removed and scrubbed with a toothbrush).

In truth, many times I choose an ink on the basis of, "I'm too cheap to throw this away, and would like not to see it any more, so let's try to use it up."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Currently two: Sailor Sei Boku (I require indellibility for work and this stuff seems to be impervious to everything) and Iroshizuku Ajisai (I adore the color).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I very much admire Arkanabar's Six Essential Inks I doubt I could ever restrain myself that much. At any given time I typically have a blurple/purple, a burgundy/magenta, a gold brown and/or a murky green (typically borderline brown), a teal/blue-green, and something "normal" (however I define that on whatever day) ready to go. I keep returning to two or three inks in most of the categories, but am always open to exploring.

Yet another Sarah.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first is Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao. Blue is my favorite ink color to use, and this is my go-to blue. I love its deep shade and rich color. If you told me I could only use one ink for the rest of my life, this would be it. The second is Sailor Jentle Irori. I use red to make edits or corrections over drafts, and this is the only true red I use regularly. The bright color provides a nice contrast to the other ink on the page.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am currently on my third bottle of Pelikan 4001 Blue Black. I haven't finished more than one of any other ink I have ever had. It's my old reliable I am a few ml short of finishing the only bottle of Levenger Pomegranate I ever had. Unfortunately, they discontinued it before I could buy a second bottle.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi all,

 

My perennial favorites, (by color group), are:

 

Aurora Black: Because it is a deep, rich and silky-smooth black that is very low maintenance.

 

R&K Verdigris: A nice blue/black, but with a unique blue-green hue.

 

Quink Permanent Blue: A nice "blurple" that has a rich tone, but also the huge benefit of being erasable with an eradicator pen for a PICTURE-PERFECT presentation... sometimes the stroke just doesn't come out right... this ink is fixable. :D

 

Diamine Chocolate: A beautiful, rich brown that exudes warmth, but still works well in business applications, too. :)

 

Diamine Asa Blue: A bright, deep blue that jumps off the page.

 

J. Herbin Vert Reseda: A great turquoise ink, but a unique green turquoise.

 

Monteverde Olivine: A rich, earthy olive/avocado green that takes me back to the '70s.

 

Favorite Editing Ink: Tie between Diamine Matador Red, (a true red, but a deep red), and Diamine Pumpkin Orange, (a brilliant, true orange).

 

Favorite Permanent Ink: Monteverde Document Blue

 

Favorite Mystery Ink: J. Herbin Cacao du Brasil... my favorite "what is it?" color. :unsure:

 

Be well all. :)

 

 

- Anthony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am currently on my third bottle of Pelikan 4001 Blue Black. I haven't finished more than one of any other ink I have ever had. It's my old reliable I am a few ml short of finishing the only bottle of Levenger Pomegranate I ever had. Unfortunately, they discontinued it before I could buy a second bottle.

One review I read here suggests that Sailor Oku-Yama is similar to Pomegranate (at least it is in a wet pen). I haven't tried Pomegranate but I can vouch for Oku-Yama being a wonderful ink.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recently it's been KWZ Honey. Love the dark orange and beautiful shading. It's also quite unique in that "what color is that" kind of way. When not using that, I tend to lean towards darker inks such as Lamy Dark Lilac, Sailor Jentle Shigure, Montblanc JFK Navy Blue, and Aurora Black and Delta Black.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My most used inks for modern pens are:

 

Kyo-Iro Soft Snow of Ohara (dusty blurple)

Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa (dusty purple)

Sailor Shigure (very dark purple)

Murasaki Shikibu (medium floral purple)

 

I would never want to be without any of these, and most of my ink exploration is to find alternatives to these inks if one were to be discontinued.

 

In vintage pens I use almost exclusively:

 

Montblanc Lavender Purple (dark purple)

J Herbin Poussiere de Lune (dusty burgundy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My most used inks for modern pens are:

 

Kyo-Iro Soft Snow of Ohara (dusty blurple)

Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa (dusty purple)

Sailor Shigure (very dark purple)

Murasaki Shikibu (medium floral purple)

 

I would never want to be without any of these, and most of my ink exploration is to find alternatives to these inks if one were to be discontinued.

 

In vintage pens I use almost exclusively:

 

Montblanc Lavender Purple (dark purple)

J Herbin Poussiere de Lune (dusty burgundy)

I've been tempted by Soft Snow of Ohara for quite a while now. Given that all of my favorite purples are on this list I may just have to get some on my next ink binge.

Yet another Sarah.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've gone through more Sailor Jentle Blue and Waterman Bleu Sérénité/Florida Blue than any others. I bought several bottles of Visconti Blue and Aurora Blue over the years, but in the last few years they've had to share pen time with Diamine Sapphire Blue and Akkerman #4, and now Diamine Sargasso Sea, Diamine Bilberry, and Monteverde Charoite. I like blue ink, especially if it shades toward violet.

Edited by Bookman

I love the smell of fountain pen ink in the morning.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Multiple purchases: J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche and Waterman Inspired Blue (formerly South Seas).

 

Other frequently used inks:

 

Pilot Iro. Murasaki

Pilot Iro Ajisai

Pilot Iro Shin-kai

Pilot Iro Yama-budo

 

GvFC Hazelnut Brown

GvFC Cobalt Blue

 

Montblanc Lavender Purple

 

Callifolio Bleu Atlantique

 

DeAtramentis Pearl Violet

 

J. Herbin Eclat d' Saphir

J. Herbin Rouge Bourgoyne

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...