Gel-Ink Look But With Fountain Pen Ink?

[CoolBreeze]

I am relatively new to fountain pens but have lots of experience with rollerball/gel testing disposables. My favorites are the Uniball 307 or the Pentel Energel. While I love the experience of writing with a fountain pen, I don't know where to start with ink. So far I have only used Pilot Blue and Pilot Black because they came with my pens and I like the relative water resistance of them. That being said, they look so washed out and faded compared to my gel refills. Are there any fountain pen inks that have that glossy saturated deep look that I have been getting with my gels? If so, can you make some recommendations? Also, what should I look for in terms of terminology of fountain pen ink descriptors when doing my own search... Is that kind of look referred to as glossy, saturated, deep or something else? Thank you!

[LizEF]

You're going to want saturated, perhaps sheen. I wonder if lubricated might also have an effect in this regard. Noodler's comes to mind, as does Private Reserve. Perhaps Organics Studio. (I only have little to no experience with these brands.)

 

One problem you're going to run into is that ballpoint / gel pens generally have some form of oil in the ink (at least, that's my understanding) which is going to render the output more glossy. Fountain pen inks, however, are water-based. Thus, any gloss will have to come from the dye or pigment (or some other additive).

 

Am curious to see what people come up with.

 

ETA: You probably want a wet nib as well.

Edited June 30, 2018 by LizEF

[LizEF]

I'm just guessing, since I can't see what you see, but some possibilities from inks I have used:

• KWZI Azure #5
• Organics Studio Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue (sheen monster)
• Callifolio Bleu Equinoxe #5
• Colorverse Extra Dimension

Those seem like they're more saturated and a bit shinier even after a time. Except maybe the KWZI, they all sheen.

[Amory]

You could try Platinum carbon black for a black black black ink that is waterproof. Or Platinum black for non waterproof that puts down a line with the look of a new sharpie, it is available in a cartridge with a preppy for a couple of currency units on that auction site. Perfect for a cheap try out. Amory

Edited June 30, 2018 by Amory

[FPFan]

I've just in the last 6-8 months or so fallen for a blue ink! In the past I had been primarily partial to greens and permanent Black - Mostly Platinum's Carbon Black, which once dried on the paper absolutely will not budge till the paper is in shreds. The most vibrant and colorful blue so far is Levenger's Cobalt Blue. It seems to be a more wet ink than usual, and a fire hose nib would not be recommended by me But it has a great flow from the Pelikan Iconic Blue 120 that recently came out. I got the M nib and it lays down a beautiful wet line that even on Rhodia paper seems to dry fairly fast. Now, sadly, it isn't very water proof, but the color, to me, kind of glows! It has no sheen that I can tell, but vibrant is an understatement to my old eyes.

 

Now given that the closest I typically came to using a blue in was blue/black and going way back the no longer made Parker Sapphire blue. The Cobalt Blue isn't a bad substitute for the sapphire blue. It cost $15 for a 50 ml bottle with approx. $4 shipping.

[Olya]

You could evaporate some water from the fpen inks, that would make them more saturated (I recommend having some of the ink in a sample vial or cartridge or similar and let that small sample evaporate, not the whole bottle!).

 

I think you might like Monteverde Horizon Blue. Perhaps also J Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire Blue, Oxford Blue, Blue Black, Majestic Blue, Asa Blue, Sailor Jentle Blue too.

 

That's off the top of my head. Those inks are nicely saturated, perform well and are pretty trouble free (at least in my experience).

[minddance]

You could evaporate some water from the fpen inks, that would make them more saturated (I recommend having some of the ink in a sample vial or cartridge or similar and let that small sample evaporate, not the whole bottle!).

 

I think you might like Monteverde Horizon Blue. Perhaps also J Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire Blue, Oxford Blue, Blue Black, Majestic Blue, Asa Blue, Sailor Jentle Blue too.

 

That's off the top of my head. Those inks are nicely saturated, perform well and are pretty trouble free (at least in my experience).

+1, +herbin perle noir + diamine green black + rohrer and klingner dokument brown.

 

To OP: my guess is that you want a solid line, saturated and without shadings (i.e. no nuances and variations in ink tones).

 

If this is what you want, I seek a similar look too at times and I would use a rather wet pen and/or papers that absorb inks. I write very lightly and I avoid Rhodia/Clairefontaine Papers/pads/books.

 

Also, Dry pens and/or light inks would not help you achieve your goal. I avoid Pilot stainless steel nibs (way too dry) and Pilot gold nibs (too shadey) in general. Of course, this depends on writing habits and angles.

 

You mentioned Pilot Blue and I have it too in a bottle form. Yes, it can appear very pale and washed out and dull in dry pens. For Pilot Blue, you will need a very very very wet pen + absorbent papers. Or, as Olya suggested, evaporate the ink. Pilot Blue is very resistant to evaporation (and dryout). In my opinion, Pilot Blue is, ironically, not suitable with many Pilot pens unless one writes on absorbent japanese calligraphy papers (?) or kitchen-towel-absorbency papers.

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, many fountain pen inks interact with the papers to a greater extent than a gel rollerball pen. With a gel pen, the only variation is probably line width (? Pls correct me if I am wrong), i.e. broader on absorbent papers and finer on harder, non-absorbent papers. And also line variations (pressurized down strokes appear thicker, trails thinner, but that depends on angles and how one writes).

 

But many fountain pen inks have more variables with papers than a gel pen: shade and shading of inks, and line width can vary quite abit too.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Also, the colour samples/swabs on many websites disappoint in terms of saturation and the final look you get. You need a real pen, your own pen to test inks out on your papers

 

If you are interested only in a Black ink, then you might be happy with Sailor pigmented black ink and possibly Herbin Perle Noir - in my limited experience. I am not a black ink user and I am sure there might be plenty other solid black inks around.

Edited June 30, 2018 by minddance

[milkb0at]

I can barely tell the difference between Pilot G-2 black gel & Aurora Black fountain pen ink.

 

Platinum Carbon Black is excellent and very useful, but looks different to me. Perhaps more matte?

Edited June 30, 2018 by milkb0at

[Torrilin]

Fountain pen ink is liquid, so sometimes that aspect really shows. It can be avoided some based on your choices of paper and pen. But it’s impossible to dodge it 100%.

 

Pilot Black should be acceptably dark if your paper doesn’t have an overly slow drying surface. You’ll still get some differences from line variation, but on paper with a nice balance between absorption and smooth it should be good. Some posters here complain that Pilot nibs run on the dry side, and a dry nib applies less ink which enhances shading. So it’s possible that is affecting things.

 

Platinum Carbon Black is my holy grail ink. I love it. It’s my precious. If you’re looking for black hole black, it’s not the right ink, because it does dry to a silvery reflective sheen in heavy application. And it does this on most papers. If you’ve run into the way graphite pencil can get very shiny in heavy applications the ink is doing a similar thing. As long as you stay on the right side of the sheen it should be pleasingly black.

 

For colored ink, saturation is going to be a big factor in whether you get the look you like. Black ink tends to have a fairly saturated line, even if the ink is less saturated. But colored ink often has shading (the light to dark variation) as a feature. Blue counts as a color. And very saturated inks can be ill behaved in pens, not drying properly or smearing. Or staining the pen. I’d recommend looking at some of the Parker Penman Sapphire threads, because in many ways those inks set up what gel inks and super saturated fountain pen inks do. And the threads offer a host of suggestions for inks that give a similar vibe. (Unfortunately mostly those inks aren’t doing what I’m after, so I haven’t tried many of them)

[Olya]

I forgot about black inks... J Herbin Perle Noire is very black. Sailor Jentle Black is imo darker than Pilot Black.

 

Diamine Blue Velvet and Monteverde Horizon Blue seem to be identical to Parker Penman Sapphire Blue.

 

You're bound to find sth with Diamine or Sailor (all those Sailor inks, I think they cover pretty much all colours, the downside is they are or can be very costly).

 

Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao might be a good one too. Also a bit costly.

 

Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue & Carbon Black might be good choices, the only inks I haven't personally tried though & rather expensive (also the Carbon Black is a dye based ink, as are all my recommendations so far, and not a pigment ink as the name would suggest!).

 

Robert Oster & KWZI are two brands I haven't tried either, but there should be (at least a blue) that would fit your taste, both brands have a wide selection of blue inks that seem to be quite saturated.

 

Take a look at the ink reviews and search your desired ink via a Google picture search, I'm sure you'll find sth soon!

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/160612-index-of-ink-reviews/

[CoolBreeze]

You're going to want saturated, perhaps sheen. I wonder if lubricated might also have an effect in this regard. Noodler's comes to mind, as does Private Reserve. Perhaps Organics Studio. (I only have little to no experience with these brands.)

 

One problem you're going to run into is that ballpoint / gel pens generally have some form of oil in the ink (at least, that's my understanding) which is going to render the output more glossy. Fountain pen inks, however, are water-based. Thus, any gloss will have to come from the dye or pigment (or some other additive).

 

Am curious to see what people come up with.

 

ETA: You probably want a wet nib as well.

 

 

I'm just guessing, since I can't see what you see, but some possibilities from inks I have used:

• KWZI Azure #5
• Organics Studio Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue (sheen monster)
• Callifolio Bleu Equinoxe #5
• Colorverse Extra Dimension

Those seem like they're more saturated and a bit shinier even after a time. Except maybe the KWZI, they all sheen.

Thanks LizEF - I didn't realize that ballpoints/gels have oil in the ink which gives them that look. So I know at least I will have to adjust my expectations accordingly. That being said, I do still want a more saturated ink. Thank you for the recommendations, I never really thought about sheen, but that would totally work too. The Ralph Waldo Emerson is beautiful but with all sheen it is hard to still see the actual blue. But a total winner nonetheless. Ill take a look at the others too! Thanks again.

Edited July 2, 2018 by CoolBreeze

[CoolBreeze]

You could try Platinum carbon black for a black black black ink that is waterproof. Or Platinum black for non waterproof that puts down a line with the look of a new sharpie, it is available in a cartridge with a preppy for a couple of currency units on that auction site. Perfect for a cheap try out. Amory

 

 

I can barely tell the difference between Pilot G-2 black gel & Aurora Black fountain pen ink.

 

Platinum Carbon Black is excellent and very useful, but looks different to me. Perhaps more matte?

 

Good to know about those blacks. I will definitely look into them. I'm hoping to stay with inks that are non-black, but I do need a good black too. Thank you.

[CoolBreeze]

You could evaporate some water from the fpen inks, that would make them more saturated (I recommend having some of the ink in a sample vial or cartridge or similar and let that small sample evaporate, not the whole bottle!).

 

I think you might like Monteverde Horizon Blue. Perhaps also J Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire Blue, Oxford Blue, Blue Black, Majestic Blue, Asa Blue, Sailor Jentle Blue too.

 

That's off the top of my head. Those inks are nicely saturated, perform well and are pretty trouble free (at least in my experience).

Is there a recommended way to evaporate ink?

[LizEF]

Is there a recommended way to evaporate ink?

• Go to the desert.
• Remove the lid from the ink bottle.
• When you're so raving mad that you're ready to drink the ink, have some water instead and cap your ink.

Just kidding. If you're in a buggy place, I'm not sure how best to deal with that - some sort of mesh (oh, maybe nylons) over the opening held tight with a rubber band? Otherwise, decant a measured quantity into the evaporation container (like a sample vial), make sure it's in a safe place where it won't tip over / get knocked around, and wait. How long you have to wait will depend on humidity and temperature at least. I doubt anyone has an existing chart for how long. I'd say check frequently to compare the current quantity to the original...

 

FWIW.

[CoolBreeze]

+1, +herbin perle noir + diamine green black + rohrer and klingner dokument brown.

 

To OP: my guess is that you want a solid line, saturated and without shadings (i.e. no nuances and variations in ink tones).

 

If this is what you want, I seek a similar look too at times and I would use a rather wet pen and/or papers that absorb inks. I write very lightly and I avoid Rhodia/Clairefontaine Papers/pads/books.

 

Also, Dry pens and/or light inks would not help you achieve your goal. I avoid Pilot stainless steel nibs (way too dry) and Pilot gold nibs (too shadey) in general. Of course, this depends on writing habits and angles.

 

You mentioned Pilot Blue and I have it too in a bottle form. Yes, it can appear very pale and washed out and dull in dry pens. For Pilot Blue, you will need a very very very wet pen + absorbent papers. Or, as Olya suggested, evaporate the ink. Pilot Blue is very resistant to evaporation (and dryout). In my opinion, Pilot Blue is, ironically, not suitable with many Pilot pens unless one writes on absorbent japanese calligraphy papers (?) or kitchen-towel-absorbency papers.

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, many fountain pen inks interact with the papers to a greater extent than a gel rollerball pen. With a gel pen, the only variation is probably line width (? Pls correct me if I am wrong), i.e. broader on absorbent papers and finer on harder, non-absorbent papers. And also line variations (pressurized down strokes appear thicker, trails thinner, but that depends on angles and how one writes).

 

But many fountain pen inks have more variables with papers than a gel pen: shade and shading of inks, and line width can vary quite abit too.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Also, the colour samples/swabs on many websites disappoint in terms of saturation and the final look you get. You need a real pen, your own pen to test inks out on your papers

 

If you are interested only in a Black ink, then you might be happy with Sailor pigmented black ink and possibly Herbin Perle Noir - in my limited experience. I am not a black ink user and I am sure there might be plenty other solid black inks around.

Solid line, saturated and without shadings (i.e. no nuances and variations in ink tones - Yes, exactly! I appreciate shading, I just don't want it at this moment. I don't necessarily need dark inks as I like lighter inks too, I just want them to be rich,uniform, and saturated in color. I don't want half the word or letter to be light and the others to be normal.

 

I hear you about the paper and I see what you mean after playing around on the cheaper stuff yesterday. I do love my Clairfontaine and Rhodia though - its going to be hard to break away from that but I have been looking at a Franklin-Christoph Journal that looks pretty sweet and its paper is more absorbent.

 

May I ask what you mean about "Pilot gold nibs (too shadey)" - is that what someone else refereed to later is the thread as well? My Pilot Custom Heritage 91 came with the tines together without any daylight. It wouldn't write at all unless I used pressure (which I don't like) and shaded like crazy. I finally opened the tines on it - what a pain. That being said, my medium nib Prera and Loom seem to be pretty wet, albeit the Loom is a thicker line.

Edited July 2, 2018 by CoolBreeze

[Olya]

Is there a recommended way to evaporate ink?

Depends on what material you have.

Fill a bit in a syringe and decant into either a sample vial, cartridge or converter and leave them overnight on your desk - open of course. Water will evaporate much quicker than you'd imagine, so test the ink if you like the saturation, if not, leave some longer open so water can evaporate. You'll see visibly how less ink is in your vial or cartridge.

 

Ballpoints contain oil, gels only gel. Uni Jetstream might contain both, it's said to be a "hybrid" ink (of the two) but behaves more like a ballpoint.

[CoolBreeze]

Fountain pen ink is liquid, so sometimes that aspect really shows. It can be avoided some based on your choices of paper and pen. But it’s impossible to dodge it 100%.

 

Pilot Black should be acceptably dark if your paper doesn’t have an overly slow drying surface. You’ll still get some differences from line variation, but on paper with a nice balance between absorption and smooth it should be good. Some posters here complain that Pilot nibs run on the dry side, and a dry nib applies less ink which enhances shading. So it’s possible that is affecting things.

 

Platinum Carbon Black is my holy grail ink. I love it. It’s my precious. If you’re looking for black hole black, it’s not the right ink, because it does dry to a silvery reflective sheen in heavy application. And it does this on most papers. If you’ve run into the way graphite pencil can get very shiny in heavy applications the ink is doing a similar thing. As long as you stay on the right side of the sheen it should be pleasingly black.

 

For colored ink, saturation is going to be a big factor in whether you get the look you like. Black ink tends to have a fairly saturated line, even if the ink is less saturated. But colored ink often has shading (the light to dark variation) as a feature. Blue counts as a color. And very saturated inks can be ill behaved in pens, not drying properly or smearing. Or staining the pen. I’d recommend looking at some of the Parker Penman Sapphire threads, because in many ways those inks set up what gel inks and super saturated fountain pen inks do. And the threads offer a host of suggestions for inks that give a similar vibe. (Unfortunately mostly those inks aren’t doing what I’m after, so I haven’t tried many of them)

Re: Pilot nibs - yes I can understand that. My P91 had to have the tines opened up so I could write without having to press down. I finally did so but I am still getting a lot of shading with Pilot Blue even though it is wetter.

Re: Platinum Carbon Black - since you are not the first one to recommend that, I will definitely check it out. Now I just need to find some other colors!

Re: Parker Penman Sapphire threads - great idea and I would have never thought of it because I know it is long since discontinued. but if it was very saturated and there are some alternatives in the thread, it could be a good avenue to explore. Thanks!

[CoolBreeze]

Thanks for the tips for evaporation - it seems relatively straightforward. Probably one of the most straightforward things in this little journey! I'll give that a try too.

[Amory]

[quote If you're in a buggy place, I'm not sure how best to deal with that - some sort of mesh (oh, maybe nylons) over the opening held tight with a rubber band?

 

FWIW.

 

Experience tells me it is best to take nylons off first

Amory

[LizEF]

Experience tells me it is best to take nylons off first

Amory

 

Naughty Amory!