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Hello! I am pretty new to the world of fountain pens but especially so when it comes to inks. I have been using Noodler's and Quink and have had decent experiences with both. However, since joining this site, I've realized that there is a whole world of ink out there. I'd been mostly sticking to Noodler's since it was recommended to me by my uncle. But now I'd like to branch out and be more adventurous. So I'd like to hear your recommendations. A few criterias for what I'm looking for: 1. gentle on vintage pens 2. bright, vibrant, and/or unusual colors (particularly pinks, oranges, greens, and purples) 3. Not Noodler's Thanks! P.S. I also adore inks with shading.

Hello again to all my FP friends, [This review has been sitting on my desk for months and I finally got around to posting it. Stay tuned for a comparison of Diamine Cornflower and Penbbs #116 Cornflower.] Diamine needs no introduction on this board. Suffice it to say that they have been making inks for over a century and produce many, many beautiful hues, a lot of which are prone to feathering and bleed through on everyday office paper. This ink up for review is from Diamine’s Flower Series. It is named after the cornflower (centaurea cyanus) which can be various shades of blue or lavender. I’ve never seen the flower in person, but by just comparing with various photographs online, the ink looks like a pretty good match to the flower. Diamine Cornflower is a deep and very saturated blue with a dash of purple. This ink dries quickly on absorbent paper, but has an average dry time on nicer papers. Sheening is nice and shading possible with wet nibs on good paper. It can be quite a stunning color with the write combination. Unfortunately, this ink’s downfall as a daily work ink is its tendency to feather and bleed through. Although feathering with finer nibs wasn’t too bad on copy paper, even the Japanese fine nib produced noticeable bleed. Water resistance is passible; a dark purplish line remains legible. This is a lovely vibrant color that reminds me of a dark counterpart to Noodler’s Baystate Blue. The color is also standard enough that it could be used in most professional environments. They only thing that keeps me from buying a bottle is that the feathering and bleed through make it impossible to use on any paper I would run into outside the house. However, if you like saturated, slightly purplish dark blues and mostly use good paper, then this is not an ink you’ll want to miss. *A special thanks to lapis for sending a sample of this ink to me! Pens used (in order): 1. Pilot 78G Fine 2. Lamy Safari Broad 3. Pilot Plumix Italic 4. Noodler’s Nib Creaper Flex 5. Hero 5028 1.9mm Stub Swab Paper Towel Drop 80gsm Rhodia Tomoe River *Many thanks to Lord Epic for kindly sending me some of this paper! Check out that subtle sheen! 70gms Deli Copy Paper Moleskine Water Resistance Comparison (More blues to be added later) Thanks for reading! SDG

Hello all! I'm doing a little art project (specifically, a kid's story book for my cousins) and wanted recommendations on some inks. I usually work in water color, but I'm interested in exploring the potential of ink as a medium as well. Specifically, I'm looking recommendations of inks that are either very intensely vibrant ("saturated" in the traditional sense), have a high degree of shading, or produce an interesting sheen or sparkle. The particular color doesn't matter, I'm looking to combine a wide palette. I want things that really create visual draw or intricacy. I'll be doing it on Tomoe river paper so feathering/bleed through won't be a concern. Some examples of the type of inks I like: Bright/Vibrant/Saturated Diamine Pumpkin Noodler's Baystate Blue Private Reserve DC Electric Purple High Level of Shading Rohrer & Klinger Alt-Goldgrun Private Reserve Avocado Noodler's Navajo Turquoise Interesting Sheen or Sparkle J. Herbin Emerald de Chivor Graff von Faber-Castell Moss Green Robert Oster Fire & Ice Thank you all for your recommendations! With so many inks and ink reviews, it's maddening making choices.

I just love the color of the red-crested cardinal because it's really rich and eye catching. These birds can really capture my attention even though I've seen them a lot and they're fairly common here. Can anyone recommend a red ink that's as vibrant and rich as the red-crested cardinal's head? Do you know of any inks that closely resembles it? I will be grateful for any recommendations that you can provide. 😀

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