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Found this grey striped Watermans lever fill fountain pen at a local flea mart for under $15. I am having a hard time figuring out the model of the pen. The pen says Watermans made in USA and has some Chinese/ Japanese characters below it. The clip also has the same characters and the clip shape is a similar shape to a Parker arrow one. The nib says 502 and other Chinese/ Japanese characters on it. (See Pictures) Any help on this pen or any information would be awesome. Thanks

http://www.rdwarf.com/users/wwonko/images/fpn/iro/05-Fuyu-syogun-header.jpg Iroshizuku - Fuyu-Syogun (Old Man Winter) - CRV - Group Review - 2015-02 The Iroshizuku Group Review color for February 2015 is Fuyu-Syogun ”Old Man Winter”. It is a cool grey, reminding me of the endless grey skies of the Seattle winters I grew up with. Please post your reviews and scans of the ink in this thread. If you want to a partner for a Co-Razy View (CRV) of this ink, please write it up and mail it to Lou Erickson. (PM for the address.) If you want to do a Co-Razy View on your own, please do! Other reviews are welcome, too. NOTE: I have a new address as of January! If you have sent me things in the past, please PM for the new address - the old one will stop forwarding eventually. You can look at the full description of the Iroshizuku Group Review to see how this should work and what we’re doing.http://www.rdwarf.com/users/wwonko/images/fpn/iro/05-Fuyu-syogun-product.jpgThanks to Rachel Goulet, who gave permission to me to use their beautiful product photo and swab.More thanks to Amberlea who gives so much of her time to herding these inky kittens. Please PM me with any questions. I'll admit this month's ink does little for me, yet I know there are people who adore it. Show me what I'm missing!

I am looking for recommendations on purchasing a grey ink. If anyone has both MB Permanent Grey and Oyster Grey, I would like to hear your preference and why. If anyone has any writing comparisons that would be a bonus. Also anxious to hear about any other greys that I should consider. Thanks to all.

I haven't written a review or posted a new review in a while, so I thought I'd go a little beyond what I used to do (and enjoy my new scanner I got for digitizing old Kodachrome slides, which happens to also scan about ten times faster than my old one …) http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/MtlGRx.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/BJ12xk.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/n7rYOT.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/MkBNqA.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/909/LhjoI7.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/wlUIP3.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/673/sjqrfx.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/OLx2q3.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/901/xZdVPz.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/674/Q7jTQe.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/674/D6K2gp.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/DhlZpO.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/lFZXhg.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/681l3g.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/kSPDNA.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/vVifeI.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/hGpCZO.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/674/cSdJfx.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/7S4aKx.jpg And some obligatory bottle shots. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/631/WeE0Tx.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/K69BjR.jpg Stormy Grey's metallic component is much more mobile in the bottle, and as a consequence takes much less time to fully integrate by shaking the bottle. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/746/ofYoGc.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/540/xWriyB.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/631/brfiaX.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/901/NXRtia.jpg There is some buildup in pens, but after a week of testing I haven't encountered one clog. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/673/0lyll0.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/N9wYoS.jpg http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/ASpqS4.jpg While I think I still like Rouge Hematite more, this ink is a must buy. Well done to J. Herbin for making up for the disapopointment that was Bleu Ocean.

A few months ago I don't know what got to me and I purchased a 30ml bottle of Diamine Grey (possibly after reading some comparison of grey inks and found this one to be the true grey for me). I wrote one or two convertors of it and I wasn't very interested. It's just not exciting and I don't see me using it again. So I am thinking about mixing it with another ink to see if that'll make any fun colours. What colours (or inks) can you suggest that I mix with this grey? I have no idea at all how the colour will change when mixed with a grey ink.

http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-nazwa.png Presenting J. Herbin ink test Gris Nuage colored diluted Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun. The ink is quite wet, not to say, the impression that the colored water. However, it is written very well and most importantly without breaks. Drying in the range of 3 to 5 seconds. The only drawback is the color. Although, as you look at the time, the text darkens. I am a fan of gray-blue, but for me it's poorly saturated color. I think that the alchemist had such a color in mind. Producent: J. Herbin Series, colour: Gris Nuage Pen: Waterman Hemisphere "F" Paper: Image Volume 80 g / cm2 1. A drop of ink smeared with a nib http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-kleks.jpg 2. The ink smudged with a cotton pad http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-wacik.jpg 3. Lines http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-kreski.jpg 4. Water Resistance http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-woda.jpg 5. Ink drops on a handkerchief http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-chromatografia-1.jpg 6. Sample text http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-txt.jpg Specifications: 7. Flow rate: good 8. Lubrication: weak 9. Bleed through: unnoticeable 10. Shading: noticeable (soft) 11. Feathering: unnoticeable 12. Saturation: difficult to assess 13. Ink drying time: ~ 3-5 sec. Other tests carried out: 13. Sample text in an Oxford notebook http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-Oxford.jpg 14. Sample letters in a Rhodia notebook http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-Rhodia.jpg 15. Chromatography http://inks.pencyklopedia.pl/wp-content/uploads/J.-Herbin-Gris-Nuage-chromatografia-2.jpg

My beloved husband of 33 years passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after having another stroke. When I saw him on Tuesday, it was heartbreaking; but I know he is at peace now. The reason Im writing this is because I want to buy myself a special pen, to use to write in a Filofax which I'd just recently bought, just things about us, and him....trying to help myself. Anyway, Im pretty new here, and I know that everyone's tastes in pens differ greatly, but I would be so grateful for any suggestions. The Filofax is a beautiful grey Malden A5, and I had not started using it, so I decided I wanted to keep it for this. I also recently got some lovely grey inks.....the grey/ silver theme seems to fit this purpose perfectly. He had silver hair(used to kid me that it was black when we first met, which is true) so Im thinking of something grey or silver .....but not something I would have to polish to keep pristine. Budget....around £100, but willing to go to £150. I had a gift from a friend of a bit of cash, so it would be a nice and specific way to use it, rather than just being lost in gobbling up bills and daily ordinary things. Oh, and Ive discovered that I like the sight of a beautiful full nib, rather than the hooded type(learned that after getting a Parker 51, which I like, but not as much as I thought I would) and am fond of quite big, weighty pens. And I favour a fine nib. Hoping this makes sense...Im pretty fragile right now... Alexcat

Im keen to get grey ink, in an 'almost black' shade.....the only greys I have seen so far are very light coloured. If anyone knows of anything charcoalish in colour, available in the UK, I'd be very grateful Thanks Alex

Be sure to see the review for Bosphore here. http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/slides/2014-Ink_146.jpg http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/slides/2014-Ink_145.jpg http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/slides/2014-Ink_147.jpg

This forum is so useful and helpful; this is my small contribution. I noticed a few posts of late comparing grey ink to the colour of writing with a pencil. So I decided to do an actual comparison (see the images below). Diamine Grey really does look quite close to the colour of a pencil lead (of course, this will depend as well on the pencil used and how hard you press - I used a 2B lead for my comparison). This is my only grey ink, but I'd be interested to see how other grey inks compare... after I've finished off this bottle first of course! I'm the type of person that uses a black ink more than any other colour, but I find this ink is a nice change for personal note-taking. All ink components of the review were written using a LAMY 2000 with a fine nib.

I'm not starting an ink war, please don't ban me. I recently got a bottle of bulletproof black and have been using it in a brand new faber-castell ambition. Disappointingly, the ink writes like a grey instead of a black. Sometimes, it even writes like a light grey. Only sometimes it's black. The problem is not with ink flow because I squeezed more ink into the feed with my converter, still, without increasing darkness. Is someone else experiencing this problem? Please help.

I'm surprised that I never posted this review. OOPS. Generally, I don't use black or gray inks. Because Tyler at Organics Studio sent inks for the Fade Olympics, I inked up my pens and started doodling to get the OS inks in the window. Alas, not all the inks made it into the 2013 line up, but they will appear in the 2014 windows. Anyway, this gray ink is wonderful. Depending on the paper, I saw more shading. The color is a keeper. So, here are my doodles. http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inklings/slides/2013-Ink_611.jpg And here is how it reacts to water. http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Inklings/slides/2013-Ink_611c%20.jpg

I've always liked grey in clothes or on paper but it was relatively recently that I added a grey ink to my daily users. Having become quite satisfied with Diamine, I restricted my search to their Graphite and Grey. Graphite I liked a lot but it wasn't a pure grey, so the choice was easy. Recently I received a bottle of J. Herbin's Encre Grise Nuage so I tried that one too. The results of a brief comparison were as follows: http://www.re-h.nl/alexander/pens/greys_dry_s.jpg Probably the most interesting part was that Gris Nuage didn't appear that much lighter as in other comparisons (e.g. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/6567-herbin-gris-nuage/). As usually after every trial, I put the paper under the tap. In this case I was impressed by both inks because they exhibited enough resistance to water. Even on the top right where it hit Diamine Grey rather violently, causing some smudging, the text remained clear enough for any practical purpose. After thirty seconds or so I turned the tap off. Diamine Grey was the winner by a slight margin: it had remained grey, while Gris Nuage had turned a bit beige. http://www.re-h.nl/alexander/pens/greys_wet_s.jpg The conclusion is that I'm going to trust Diamine Grey more in my note-taking. Its pencil-like appearance makes it appropriate for rough notes and being reasonably resistant to water means I can use it under more circumstances than I had expected initially. Links to large versions of the figures: http://www.re-h.nl/alexander/pens/greys_dry.jpg http://www.re-h.nl/alexander/pens/greys_wet.jpg

I know there's already been a superb comparison of green that included these three inks, but I wanted to add my own -- since the reviews of Zhivago seem so variable, from "just black" to an obvious green. Clearly Zhivago is greener that Graphite but not as green as Evergreen. Colour laid down is not far from the "fresh" evergreen before it lightens over 24 hours. I have tried diluting Zhivago. It does not make the ink any greener; the end result is something even closer to Graphite, though a tad greener. And ye gods, Noodler's ink smells.

C. Roberson & Co is a well-regarded supplier of artists' materials. Their 'Classical Transparent' series of Penman Inks come in 24 colours and are labelled as being suitable for fountain pens. The catalogue says: Note, however, that the bottle also says 'shake or stir well' which is normally a warning sign not to use it. I have used it in three Safaris for three days, and they still work perfectly and write instantly in the mornings. The bottle is a utilitarian standard form circa 61mm high and 39mm diameter containing 30ml of ink. I got mine for £4.90 from Scribblers.co.uk (no affiliation). This colour for some reason reminds me of Navy ships. I would call it grey-blue: grey dominates but with a noticeable blue undertone. Suggested usage DAILY WRITER: Very possible. BUSINESS: Yes. I don't think even the strict 'Ms Blue-Black' (aka @Sandy1) would disapprove. Lower impact than black, for sure, but perfectly reasonable, especially, perhaps, where the user has a navy background. NOTES AND JOURNALS: Yes. INFORMAL LETTERS: Yes, but may feel a little cool. FORMAL LETTERS: Unlikely. LOVE LETTERS: No no no. Review Soak test Writing on Rhodia No 18 dotpad Writing on Rhodia 'R' Writing on corporate 'cartridge' stock I hope this is useful to someone.

INK : DIAMINE PRUSSIAN BLUE 
PAPER : RHODIA #16 A5 white lined

 PEN : Onoto Magna 261 Medium nib tweaked for wet flow by John Sorowka (Oxonian).

 Scanner : IT8-calibrated Epson V600 flatbed 
Colour Space : Adobe RGB 
Matte : 50% grey and 100% white 
Post-process : Unsharp Mask Colour Balance : Neutral http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewPrussianBlue.jpg

 WATER RESISTANCE : I found that once dry, Diamine Prussian Blue is reasonably water-resistant. A fair amount of the colour lifts but what is left behind is clearly legible. DRYING TIME : Typical for a Diamine. About 20s on copy paper and a little longer on hard papers like Rhodia. This was from a well-cleaned pen with very high flow however. BLEED THROUGH : I saw slight bleed-through on Pukka 80gsm copy paper but none on Rhodia. LUBRICATION : Diamine Prussian Blue feels a little dry under the nib - more so than other Diamines. It gives a very sharp line. There were no starting issues in my Medium nib with wet flow. Here is a close-up of the swab. 
http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewPrussianBlueSwab.jpg Diamine Prussian Blue is a medium blue with no tints. It has a slight grey cast and is one of Diamine's older colours. It is not a densely saturated ink and cleans up well. And a close-up of the shading. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewPrussianBlueShade.jpg There was a little shading visible under magnification but it is not really evident on my paper. The ink does not smudge at all once dry. Water tests were interesting... http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewPrussianBlueWater.jpg The ink was fairly water-resistant and clung to the paper reasonably well. While a lot of the blue did lift and run, a good residual grey remained behind.

COMPARISON : DIAMINE GREY, DIAMINE GRAPHITE, DIAMINE JET BLACK PAPER : RHODIA #16 A5 white lined PEN : Onoto Magna 261 Medium nib tweaked for wet flow by John Sorowka (Oxonian). Scanner : IT8-calibrated Epson V600 flatbed Colour Space : Adobe RGB Matte : 50% grey and 100% white Post-process : Unsharp Mask Colour Balance : Neutral === This is a side-by-side comparison of three of the Diamine Greys. In order top to bottom on the scan... 1. Grey, a mid-grey with a neutral tone. 2. Graphite, a dark grey with a slight hint of green. 3. Jet Black, a black that, with the right pen, can behave as a dark grey. There are many "blacker" blacks now and folks do mention this when dark greys are needed. All three inks were scanned from their own pieces of paper at the same time then moved about in Photoshop. http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ComparisonGreyGraphiteJetBlack.jpg http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ComparisonGreyGraphiteJetBlackSwab.jpg