Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'fountain pen ink'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • FPN Community
    • FPN News
    • Introductions
    • Clubs, Meetings and Events
    • Pay It Forward, Loaner Programs & Group Buys
  • The Market Place
    • The Mall
    • Market Watch
    • Historical Sales Forums
  • Writing Instruments
    • Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop
    • Fountain Pen Reviews
    • Of Nibs & Tines
    • It Writes, But It Is Not A Fountain Pen ....
    • Pen History
    • Repair Q&A
  • Brand Focus
    • Cross
    • Esterbrook
    • Lamy
    • Mabie Todd Research/Special Interest Forum/Group
    • Montblanc
    • Parker
    • Pelikan
    • Sheaffer
    • TWSBI
    • Wahl-Eversharp
    • Waterman
  • Regional Focus
    • China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia)
    • Great Britain & Ireland - Europe
    • India & Subcontinent (Asia)
    • Italy - Europe
    • Japan - Asia
    • USA - North America
    • Other Brands - Europe
  • Inks, Inc.
    • Inky Thoughts
    • Ink Reviews
    • Ink Comparisons
    • Co-Razy-Views
    • Th-INKing Outside the Bottle
    • Inky Recipes
  • Paper, and Pen Accessories
    • Paper and Pen Paraphernalia
    • Paper & Pen Paraphernalia Reviews and Articles
  • Creative Expressions
    • Pen Turning and Making
    • Pictures & Pen Photography
    • The Write Stuff
    • Handwriting & Handwriting Improvement
    • Calligraphy Discussions
    • Pointed Pen Calligraphy
    • Broad (or Edged) Pen Calligraphy

Blogs

  • FPN Board Talk
  • Incoherent Ramblings from Murphy Towers
  • The Blogg of Me
  • FPN Admin Column
  • Rules, Guidelines, FAQs, Guides
  • Musings on matters pen
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Iguana Sell Pens Blog
  • Newton Pens' Blog
  • Peyton Street Pens Blog
  • holygrail's Blog
  • A Gift For Words
  • I Don't Have a Name; So This Will Do
  • Karas Kustoms' Blog
  • Debbie Ohi's Inky Journal
  • Sus Minervam docet
  • Crud!
  • Clut and Clutter
  • Federalist Pens

Product Groups

  • FPN Pens
  • FPN Inks
  • FPN Donations
  • Premium/Trading/Retailer Accounts

Categories

  • Fonts
  • Tools & Software
  • Rules for Notepads & Paper

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

  1. Hello Today I'd like to share with you some information about ink in nowadays Russia. We only have one brand which survived from the USSR time - "Радуга" which means "Rainbow". This brand produces 2 different types of ink: 1. For fountain pens. 2. For dip nibs. It's very important not to mess them. Because if you put a wrong liquid inside your fountain pen it has a chance to be blocked forever. Almost nothing can wash away Russian dip nib ink - checked by sad experience of many Russians Dip nibs were widely used in the USSR to create propaganda posters and wall news papers. Each organization, or for ex. school class published such newspapers every week and displayed it on the wall. Dip nib inks are called "Тушь" in Russian [Tush] and fountain pen inks are called "Чернила" [Chernila] - this spelling can help you to make sure what you buy in case you want to get these ink online from a Russian seller. "Rainbow" inks have very beautiful colors - black, blue, violet, red or green. Black, blue and violet are the easiest to find. And they are cheap. If you deside to use this brand ink, please, remember, that this ink dries very fast and if you don't plan to use a pen inked with "Rainbow" in the nearest 2 days, better remove the ink from the pen and wash it carefully with slightly warm water. It will help your pen not get blocked, especially in case of a hooded nib. "Rainbow" ink can get very sticky and difficult to wash away after drying. For the same reason it's better not use it in pens with white grip section or grip sections or light colors - they can easily pick the color of ink within seconds. On the other hand the stability of this ink can be a plus on paper. I attached the pictures to see the difference - which jars are for dip nibs and which jars are for fountain pens. If you have any questions feel free to ask
  2. Tasmith

    Japanese Custom Ink Blender

    Watched a wonderful story tonight on NHK World News about a Japanese gentleman who blends custom colored inks for his customer's fountain pens. Story starts at 08:31: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/programs/#1005
  3. This is the fourth and final review of four I'm posting, to showcase the new line of inks from Fountain Pen Revolution - I trust you'll forgive a little repetition! A few months ago Fountain Pen Revolution released a new line of inks under their brand - starting with three colours, though it's now expanded to six. These inks, according to their webpage, are made in the US, in partnership with "another small family business". Technically, Blue Black doesn't belong to the new range - and I'm not sure whether it's made by the same "small family business" as the others. It's a more "sober" ink, a dark strong blue, that according to my limited testing is more colourfast than the others. This ink would not look out of place in an official setting (where the Royal Flush Blue may be a little *too* cheery?), and I've had one of my pens inked with it constantly since it arrived in July. Like the other 3 inks I purchased at the time, FPR Blue Black is very reasonably priced - $8.50 for a 30ml bottle - and for those who are interested, the bottles have a wide enough mouth to accommodate the largest of pens. I don't know if FPR are planning to release this in larger bottles for the more budget-conscious - for me, though, 30ml is more than enough, given the number other inks in my drawer! A photo of the review page: A copy of the water test: All four inks on Rhodia paper: All four inks on Tomoe River paper:
  4. Inspired by a Goulet blog and instructional video, I've discovered a new way to clean Waterman fountain pens which use converters or cartridges. I've always flushed the pen by filling and rinsing, filling and rinsing, etc., with a converter. The new way is to remove the converter or cartridge, then use running water to flush out the nib and feed, and fill and rinse the converter by itself. I've got a bulb syringe on order. However, I've immediately run into a problem. After doing this flushing, if I insert an ink cartridge and start writing, the writing is very faint. It takes a lot of writing before the writing darkens to a usable level. Dipping the pen in ink makes very little difference. Any suggestions on how to speed up the process of getting my writing to be dark enough? Relevant details: Waterman Expert GT and Waterman Phileas pens, Waterman Intense Black and Serenity Blue 75mm cartridges. The Phileas is about 10 years old, the Expert ir 6 months old. I use a variety of inks.
  5. Art today sadly seems to be more about plagarism, pastiche and poor rendering than creative exploration and expression! That is why fountain pen ink art is such a special medium. Here is my Major Arcana Tarot Deck created with Fountain Pen Ink, water and bleach with the minimal amount of computer assistance to set up the print artwork. Art from destruction and totally authentic utilising the natural chromatography, serendipity and alchemy inherent in this genre. Once these are back from the printers and photographed, I will post a more detailed account about the Personal Tarot project both here and on my blog. FOUNTAIN PEN INK BACKGROUNDS I. Diamine Oxblood II. FPUK Scribble Purple III. Noodler's Rome Burning IV. Parker Quink Black V. Diamine Seasons Greetings VI. Diamine Nutcracker VII. Robert Oster Australian Opal Mauve VIII. Diamine Winter Miracle IX. J. Herbin Emeraude de Chivor X. Diamine Golden Sands XI. Robert Oster River of Fire XII. Diamine Elf XIII. Diamine Solstice XIV. Waterman Green XV. Cult Pens Robert XVI. De Atramentis Ebony XVII. Diamine Purple Bow XVIII. Robert Oster Graphite XIX. Diamine A Night in Jodhpur XX. Waterman Purple XXI. Edelstein Olivine XXII. Diamine Happy Holidays
  6. can anyone suggest a cheap student friendly ink that I can acquire in nagpur, the only ink I can find is camlin (I want to know what other options I have here in nagpur also camlin offers only 3 colors) thanks for answering
  7. With increasing frequency a number of fountain pen manufacturers have used magnetic closures for attaching the cap to the barrel. Prior to that, the only magnetic closures I recall seeing - were used on some kit pens. In part, I believe this helped avoid the age-old thread alignment problem between the pen clip and the nib when the cap was posted. I wonder, however, if magnets and fountain pen inks are a good marriage of materials? Some inks have metallic elements such as those that have the special sheen quality. Under certain conditions, couldn't this lead to problems with ink flow, clogged tines and perhaps erosion of the nib and/or other metallic parts near the magnetic closures? Anyone experience problems along these lines they would like to share? Bennett
  8. Fountain pen lovers, Bril, India's leading fountain pen ink brand will ship internationally in 2019 and we have just started a Global Handwriting Movement to make children write properly again. Our crowdfunding campaign has awesome perks whether you are an adult who loves world-class, pocket-friendly ink and fountain pens or you want your kids to learn to write the proper way. Do visit our Indiegogo campaign and support us, so we can ensure that the dying art of handwriting is brought back to life again, and our children's lives are enhanced in more ways than one! Thank You! :-) https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bril-ink-make-children-write-again#/
  9. JustWrite Pen Company

    New Australian Made Fountain Pen Ink At Justwrite

    I'm delighted to announce we have a new locally made fountain pen ink available at JustWrite. Toucan Fountain Pen Ink comes in 14 colours and is made right here in Brisbane by Dye Manufacturers of Australia, a company that has been around since 1918. Toucan fountain pen ink is formulated with water soluble dyes, with absolutely no pigments, no harmful additives and is pH neutral (7). Toucan Fountain Pen Inks can be freely mixed with each other to make your own custom coloured inks. All 14 colours can be blended together in varying ratios and can be diluted with distilled water to create an almost infinite range of unique coloured inks. We've been testing this ink for about 3 months and it's not a highly saturated ink, but that's our only minor criticism - it may not suit people who like highly saturated inks. Available in: 2ml individual samples: $1.25 5ml individual samples: $1.60 2ml sample packs of all 14 colours: $14.00 (Free Postage) 5ml sample/mixing packs of all 14 colours: $18.00 (Free Postage) 30ml plastic pouches: $3.50 30ml plastic pouches pack of all 14 colours: $40.00 150ml plastic pouches: $8.50 (Available soon) 400ml plastic pouches: $15.00 Postage is $5.00 per order and we're offering free postage on the sample packs of 14 colours for a short time. If any Australian FPN members would like to review the ink or just check it out, send me an email with your address and I'll send you a free sample pack. (Only for a limited time though.) Unfortunately we can only ship this ink within Australia. Australia Post packaging requirements for liquids and their costs for International postage make it prohibitively expensive to send overseas.
  10. birchtine

    Some Blues And Feathering

    Some time ago, while looking for a blue ink I could use at work, I decided to test my potential candidates for feathering. It's not a definitive test and the results may be misleading and disputed. Also, the fact that one ink feathers does not mean that it's worse than those which don't. It may just have some other equally important qualities. In a dry pen most of these inks will behave acceptably. However, for me this testing was important mainly because some of my favourite pens are wet writers and if not paired with a right ink they become almost useless on copy papers. I used a single, old and fairly wet (high flow) pen and tested 25 mainly blue(ish) inks on two types of paper: one relatively fountain pen friendly and another more absorbent. Below are the results and low resolution photos. For more detailed images please follow the link to the album. None to minimal feathering R&K Salix Diamine Registrar's Akkerman 10 BB Callifolio Equinoxe 6 Minimal feathering Pelikan Royal Blue Callifolio Mediterranee Callifolio Atlantique Mild spread and feathering Sheaffer Skrip Blue Aurora Blue R&K Scabiosa Callifolio Azure Waterman Serenity On the absorbent type of paper (front and back): On the fountain pen friendly type of paper:
  11. In Indian Fountain Pen industry or Circles, Dr. Sreekumar is quite known for his hand-turned fountain pens and almost 20 types of nib tuning. However recently he has shelved in to making fountain pen inks under the brand name of KRISHNA. I am really happy to see someone in India has taken initiative to standup and make good quality and non standard color Inks. These inks are sold for Rs. 100 (1.5 USD) each for 30 ml ink bottle plus shipping. The inks that are being produced are currently limited to 28 nos. : GOLD RUSH MEADOW GREEN BLUE MAGIC AFTER DARK SAPPHIRE BLUE LAKE BLUE BRONZE LEAF ORANGE CRUSH AUTUMN SINDHOOR GLORY VINE DARK ROSE NJAVAL WILD CHERRY PURPLE PEACOCK YELLOW VALLEY MELLOW BLUE VIVID VIOLET ORCHARD LILY DARK CHOCOLATE COOL BREEZE SILENT NIGHT SKY FORGET ME NOT SKY BLUE GHAT GREEN PUMPKIN GIRL PINK Krishna Inks – Color Chart 1 Krishna Inks – Color Chart 2 I will be reviewing all inks one by one.And I have reviewed the Bronze Leaf Ink Here : LINK Ink can be bought from : LINK (Ebay India Store)
  12. Sailor, as most of you are aware is one of the Big 3 companies in Japanese fountain pen industry. Apart from some great nibs, Sailor does manufacture some amazing inks. Probably, Sailor is the only Japanese company that has released many more variants of ink along the lines of store-speciality inks than under its own umbrella. The ink I am reviewing is the old Sailor Jentle Sky High Ink with product code (13-1000-241). It been one of my favourite blue inks, although I do have a bottle of similarly hued and a gentler newer Souten (13-1005-205). Here goes the review. Below is a link to the review on my blog.Sailor Jentle Sky High Ink (Old) Review Bottle/Packaging Sailor Sky High came in a 50 ml bottle and looked like the below one. It was packaged in white cardboard box with everything except brand and volume of ink, in Japanese There is a plastic funnel insert to help fill your pen with ink, which in my humble opinion is equally useless, given the pan-like structure of the bottle.Writing with Sky High The ink is a well behaved with absence of any noticeable feathering on most papers. Depending on the paper thickness there could be some ghosting in case you have used multiple layers of ink, else it a pretty much 'no worries' vibrant blue ink.Feathering: None Ghosting: A bit on Muji notebook Color Variation: Great, Vibrant from light to dark azure shades Sheen: Towards Violet & Red Wetness: High-Medium-Low Saturation : High-Medium-LowWater Resistance: High-Medium-Low Ease of Cleaning: Easy-Moderate-DifficultShading: High-Medium-LowFlow: Good-BadLubrication: Good-BadDrying Time: 30 seconds+ Water Resistance: High-Medium-Low Price: High-Moderate-Low (Around $ 12 as landed price in 2014) Digital Colour Meter Nibs Main SuppliesPelikan M200 Cognac - Italic Nib Muji B6 PP Cover Notebook, Dotted PaperThank you for going through my very first fountain pen ink review.
  13. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Daytone Blue Black

    DAYTONE BLUE BLACK INK REVIEW is simultaneously posted at my blog. Recently I received few Ink bottles from one of my friend from Indore and they are Daytone Fountain Pen Ink. Daytone Inks are manufactured by Daylight industries and they are in to ink manufacturing since 1956. More information can be found about the company here : Daytone Webpage Apart from Inks they manufacture lot of other stationary items. But this review is about one of the fountain pen inks that they manufacture. The inks that they manufacture ( 8 Nos.) are as follows: Blue Black Emerald Green Brilliant Red Crimson Turquoise Blue Deep Black Royal Blue Bright Violet Brown (In Process) My earlier Ink reviews are listed as below: Bril Royal BlueBril Laurel RoseCamlin Scarlet RedChelpark Black Also I would like to add that I got the inks as a gift from one of my friend and fountain pen enthusiast, Ricky Bhasin. This review is about BLUE-BLACK ink from Daytone. Daytone Blue Black Daytone BlueBlack comes in 60 ml plastic bottles and are priced at Rs. 20 Each (Indian Rupees). I found out that the ink is more of dark blue rather than blue black. It certainly is bit darker than Bril Royal Blue. But I was expecting something else from BlueBlack Ink. INK SPLASH Daytone Ink Splash on JK Cedar -100 gsm – Top View There is negligible sheen in this ink even if there is some massive ink pools on paper. DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Daytone Blue-Black – Ink Drop COLOR MATCH Daytone Blue Black – Color Range WRITING SAMPLES Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Tomoe River Cream Paper Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm White Paper Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Bilt Matrix 70 gsm Off White Paper INK SWABS Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on Tomoe River Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on JK Cedar 100 gsm Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on BILT Matrix 70 gsm Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) PEN SCRIBBLE Daytone Blue Black – Pen Scribble on JK Cedar 100 gsm Paper The ink flow is smooth and the ink looks bit faded for blue black. WATERPROOF TEST The ink was quite water resistant and it was pretty mush clear and visible even after running it under tap water for 5 min and then keeping it in water container for another 5 more minutes. I must say I am pretty impressed with this property of the ink. Daytone Blue Black – Under tap Water Daytone Blue Black – After Waterproof Test CHROMATOGRAPHY Daytone Blue Black – Chromatography INK DRYING TIMES Ink drying times were tested on the Bilt Matrix paper and pen used was Jinhao 165. Daytone Blue Black – Ink Drying Test BLOW-UP WRITING SAMPLES Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Tomoe River – Blown Up Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on JK Cedar – Blown Up Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Bilt Matrix – Blown Up Close up Pictures show that there is no shading and also no sheen and also no feathering. CONCLUSION I don’t like this blue black ink too much but it has good water resistance. Manufacturer must take note of the fact that this ink needs to have more black character. My always goto blue black ink is Edelstien Tanzanite or Pilot Blue Black. Following are the summation of ink properties: Feathering : No Sheen : No Shading : No Lubrication : Acceptable Flow : Good Water Resistance : Good Drying Times : Medium
  14. I need a black ink that has permanent properties (water resistant, lasts in a notebook over the years) but that isn't pigmented; anyone have any suggestions?
  15. Hey All, You might be familiar with Goulet's Ink Drop subscription that had been discontinued some time ago. Now in its third month, the Ink Flight has taken up the task of supplying a fun, mystery set of fountain pen inks to the worldwide pen community. And, it's gained quite a following! The last two months have sold out within a day of announcing Flight. This month, the number of spots have grown to accommodate more people who have otherwise missed out. Plenty of spots remain, but they're going rapidly. It isn't a subscription with any commitment. There are three options which are listed in the image below: If you're interested to see what was put in the last two month's of Flights, you can check out the reviews written by SquishyInk and by Michael Elson. If you have any questions about the Flight, feel free to comment below. I run the program, so I can answer any questions you have. Thanks!
  16. First of all, I've gained Rishi's (T2MR guy) permission to post this video here. As he is very busy with his work, I am sharing this link here. Glare India, after successfully launching Glare Pens, have come up with the Glare Inks. They come in not just a handful, but 15 different ink colors. You can view all of them in the following video: Now, these inks seem to be of fairly high quality as the flow and ink saturation both look very good. They come in plastic bottles (something i don't prefer, and can see the reasons why plastic bottles is the future) and carry 60 mls of ink. Also, the quality (of the bottle) looks better than that of Krishna Inks. I will order the New Ochre bottle from their ebay store (for Rs.250 i.e. $4) and hope it would not disappoint me. I've talked personally to Rishi, and he seems to be fairly impressed by the inks. And finally - This video is a proof of the hardwork that this guy puts in his every video. His mobile review videos are bringing him a lot of notice (and subscribers). And i hope he doesn't stop reviewing fountain pens. We need people like him to review fountain pens related stuff.
  17. Register to get a bottle of the new J Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre Anniversary Ink coming this July. This brown with gold specks is the 5th edition of the 1670 Anniversary ink following Rouge Hermatite, Bleu Ocean, Stormy Grey, and Emeraude de Chivor. It comes in the same style packaing and square glass 50ml ink bottle. https://www.penchalet.com/ink_refills/fountain_pen_ink/j-herbin_1670_caroube_de_chypre_ink.html
  18. PenChalet

    Rohrer & Klingner Bottled Ink

    Pen Chalet is now proud to offer Rohrer & Klingner bottled fountain ink. Made in Germany with 18 great colors to choose from. 50 ml bottles which retail for $11.95. Add a reusable Rohrer & Klingner Erka Rapid Reservoir inside the bottles for easier fountain pen filling.
  19. meilinpo

    Take-Sumi Vs Aurora Black?

    Hi! I just purchased my first fountain pen (a Vanishing-Point), and am wondering about inks to fill it with. The Iroshizuku Take-sumi and the Aurora black both seem to be great inks, and I am wondering about differences between them? As far as I can tell (with my inexperienced...ness), they seem to look and perform almost the same, but the Iroshizuku is about twice the cost. Is there something I am missing, that makes it worth the extra expense? Thanks!
  20. JustWrite Pen Company

    Blackstone Inks Now Available At Justwrite

    Blackstone Inks are very much a product of the FPN. They have their genesis back in 2013 in a thread discussing powdered inks. The original SuSeMai powdered inks evolved into Blackstone ink concentrates and the Colours of Australia are based on those concentrates. The evolution of these inks has been directly influenced by the feedback and advice of FPN members who tested this ink in its different forms. I've always believed that the people who use fountain pens on a regular basis know best how a fountain pen ink should appear and how it should behave. We will continue to invite and encourage feedback, comments and advice from the fountain pen community as we refine, improve and develop new inks. These five inks are just the beginning. Prices: 30ml Nalgene Bottles: $7.95 60ml Pouches: $11.95 Complete Set of 5 x 30ml Bottles: $35.00 Complete set of 60ml pouches: $54.95 5ml samples: $1.75 Complete set of 5ml samples: $7.87 Domestic Shipping: $7.15 International Shipping: $25.00
  21. We just got another shipment of J Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor ink and it is now back in Stock! Get it while it lasts
  22. PenChalet

    Sailor Storia Ink Now In Stock

    We now have the new Sailor Storia inks in stock! All colors are available
  23. PenChalet

    Free Sailor Storia Fountain Pen Ink

    That's right, get a free bottle of Sailor Storia fountain pen ink while supplies last. View Details... Sailor Storia ink is a new pigmented ink from Sailor. It is colorful and quick drying. The ink has been release in Japan but because of the demand there the ink has not yet been released in the United States. The US distributor has been able to get a few bottles of this hot new ink and is giving them away! Find out how.
  24. Hello, So purple is my favorite color but I don't really like Brighter shades or red tinted purples. I tend to prefer darker shades of purple/violets and started liking blue tinged purple inks. I tried out Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu as one of my first purple inks and although I like it, It doesn't fit my preference for me to be using it everyday. I have tried out Diamine Eclipse and Diamine Grape. Diamine Eclipse seemed too dark and the purple barely seeps through and Grape is a little red tinged for my liking. The two inks that I have fallen in love with and actually use in daily usage is Sailor Jentle Shigure and Sailor Jentle Ultra Marine. Sailor Jentle Shigure actually fits my dark purple preference. I fell in love with that ink as soon as I started writing with it. It's easily my favorite ink. Ultra Marine for some reason speaks out to me even though it's a little bright. I consider it a blueish purple. Ultra Marine is my second favorite ink. These are the pens I have inked up with: Pilot Custom 74 in Violet - Sailor Jentle Shigure TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Violet - Sailor Jentle Ultra Marine Pilot Metropolitan - Sailor Jentle Ultra Marine I was thinking about trying Bung Box Ink of the Witch but that's a little hard to get. I was also thinking about Kobe Ink #32 Tamon Purple Gray, but I don't really know. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
  25. Two bottles of P.W. Akkerman ink arrived by post this afternoon. One bottle is called “Shocking Blue;” the other, “Het Zwarte Pad,” or The Black Path. P.W. Akkerman is a boutique pen store located in Den Haag, the Netherlands. The ink and bottle is exclusive to them. I have wanted at least one Akkerman ink bottle to add to my collection of encre for years now, but I was put off by the high cost, especially for shipping. Each 150ml bottle runs 13.64 euro or about $18 each with an additional $30 to transport both bottles to the United States. What changed my mind? Well, look at the design of the bottle, to begin with. It’s beautiful; a marvel of industrial design. The rounded base is actually made up of eight beveled sides. You see that blue marble-like ball in the bottle neck? That ball keeps the ink inside the neck when it is made to stand straight. The ball effectively creates a small reservoir in the neck ready for dipping. Look at the cap on the center bottle. It has a tiny air-pistol built into the cap which acts as a sort of ventilator. That little needle nose helps decrease any internal air pressure that invariably occurs every time you turn the cap closed. It also prevents the ink from spouting like a geyser when reopened. The label, calligraphy, and artwork on the bottle itself as well as on the box it comes in is just old world charming. It is these details that distinguish this brand of fountain pen ink and make it easier for me to justify the high cost of shipping. What made me feel better about spending the $65 for two bottles, including shipping, was knowing that the design is unique to P.W. Akkerman. To the best of my knowledge, you cannot find these bottles made by any other pen company. And while $65 may seem like a lot of money, the bottles are big, 150ml or 5 fluid oz. Even so, 30 bucks is still a lot of money, but cheaper than swimming the Atlantic for it, I guess. In the end, pride in my Dutch heritage was the tipping point. There is so much pleasure in writing with a fountain pen, and for the past few years I have begun to collect fountain pen inks in the same way that wine connoisseurs collect bottles of vin. The P.W. Akkerman fountain pen ink bottle is really a smart set up as far as ink bottles go. The only other bottle design that comes close to being as much fun to use and to look at are the 4.5 oz Noodler’s bottles with the eyedropper tops. I’m impressed with how the folks at P.W. Akkerman packed the bottles. They actually opened each box before hand, wrapped the bottle in a tiny plastic bag and then added Styrofoam peanuts to the box before putting it inside the larger cardboard box meant for shipping. It was thoughtful and actually quite a brilliant idea to pack this way because if they hadn’t taken this extra step, the bottle would certainly have bounced around during its flight to New York City and could have broken as a result. Attention to detail is the mark of excellence in my book. Thought I’d share this fountain pen ink moment with you in the hope that you take as much delight in the art of writing as I do.





×
×
  • Create New...