Favorite Low Maintenance Inks

[haziz]

What are your favorite low maintenance inks? We should probably set up a group wiki for the goto fill it up and forget it inks. Ideally you should nominate inks that have worked well and reliably for you in multiple pens (at least ten, with this crowd this should be easy), and that have transformed some of your problem pens and nibs (skipping or scratchy nibs etc.). Don't list an ink unless you have very extensive knowledge of it's use in multiple pens. I may try to turn this thread into a sort of group wiki.

 

Criteria to look for are good, reliable flow, no or little feathering, low or preferably no maintenance, fast drying, no staining. and high predictability. I have amassed a massive collection of inks over the last few years but find myself consistently only using a handful precisely because of their low maintenance and reliability.

 

These are currently my low maintenace and reliable inks:

 

1. Aurora Black: Great intense black. Great flow. My favorite black ink. Has "cured" many a balky pen or nib.

2. Waterman Florida Blue: Lovely blue ink. Good reliable flow.

3. Waterman Blue Black: Nice conservative color. Great flow. A very reliable ink.

4. Pelikan Royal Blue: Somewhat drier than the Waterman inks, though not as dry as Pelikan's Brilliant Black or Blue Black. Still a solid reliable ink. A lovely true royal blue with mild hints of purple (in it's post 2005 iteration).

 

Waterman Black and Havana Brown, J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir and Perle Noir, Sheaffer Skrip Blue, and Sailor Jentle Black probably belong on the list but while I have used all of them, I have not used them in enough pens and with enough problem nibs etc. to truly judge.

 

I have used Pelikan Brilliant Black almost as much as Aurora's if not more and love it in my wet pens. It is too dry overall however for me to unequivocally recommend it as a low maintenance ink.

 

So what are your favorite low maintenance inks?

Edited November 29, 2011 by haziz

[Pen Nut]

I second your choice of Waterman Florida blue. I have used this ink over the years and never had any issues, even when left un touched for a couple of weeks the pen that it is in fires up first stroke.

 

Herbin Perle Noire (Black) is another non fussy ink which I use a lot and another coming up in my favourites for being 'low maintenance' is Visconti Blue.

 

I have wrestled with a few of the other brands but clogging,bleed through,eternity to dry & stench have decided me aginst further use.

[JLT]

Noodler's Bulletproof Black. I've never had a problem with this ink and I've never had a pen, sometimes sitting idle for days, fail to start immediately. Yeah, it's just 'black', but it's a wonderful ink.

[Ad_Astra]

My list is definitely going to shorter than the lists of those with a ton more experience and inks, but my stalwarts are:

 

Waterman FL Blue

Waterman Black

Aurora Black

 

All three flow very nicely from any pen, and if a pen won't work with any of those, I eliminate ink as the problem and start troubleshooting the nib/feed/converter.

 

Love them all!

[FLJeepGuy]

Anything from Diamine. I've not had a single issue with any of their inks. Great flow and lubrication, easy cleanup in pens and converters, excellent saturation. Diamine is the best all around, trouble free ink brand I've used. Private Reserve and Levenger come in close seconds.

[Trebster]

Sheaffer Blue and Waterman Florida Blue top my list of low-maintenance inks. One or the other is always in use in at least one my pens.

Edited November 29, 2011 by Trebster

[nxn96]

Quink Blue/Black. Performs well in every pen I've tried using it. Waterman B/B or Black would be next in line.

 

Quink Black is a little too grey for my taste. I've tried a couple of Diamine inks (B/B and Twilight Blue), but both seem to come out a little more "green" than "blue" to my eye, and can often run a little dry in a fine nib pen vs. Quink.

Edited November 29, 2011 by nxn96

[ThirdeYe]

Noodler's Black and Waterman Florida Blue are very reliable and easy to clean. I can leave them in pens unused for long periods of time and they do not clog/stain.

[reprieve]

Montblanc Racing Green

Herbin Eclat de Saphir

Herbin Bleu Nuit

Herbin Poussiere de Lune

Herbin Vert Empire

Aurora Blue

Aurora Black

Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun

Iroshizuku Ajisai

Diamine Midnight

Noodler's Walnut

[JimB]

1- Waterman Florida Blue (stay away from any water)

2- Visconti Blue

3- Noodler's Bulletproof Black

4- Noodler's Black Swan/Australian Roses

5- Private Reserve Sherwood

[celesul]

Is Waterman Purple low maintenance? I just won a vintage pen off ebay that I'll probably be babying, and I don't want to screw up and accidentally end up with a clogged pen because I forgot about it... I know I've some pens that never, ever dry up, but I don't know if this one will be finicky.

 

The inks I have that I'd guess would be lower maintenance are Waterman Purple, Diamine Claret, Diamine Blaze Orange, Diamine Eclipse, and Diamine Green-Black, and they are all quite lovely to use and look at. My highest maintenance ink is definitely Noodlers North African Violet, which I adore and use in a pen that I'm pretty sure is simply indestructible. Noodlers North African Violet and Noodlers Baystate Blue tend to result in scrubbing the sink with bleach.

[KCat]

Waterman Violet is not a clogging ink. However, it is an intense purple and if the pens you're getting have ink windows there's the very slight potential for some minor staining. I used it in a Pelikan 200 for a long time without any problem but that wasn't a vintage pen. It did stain converters I had it in which used a slightly thinner plastic. I've never had it stain any other part of the pen and never had it clog or anything like that. It's easy to rinse out of a pen and is a lovely ink.

 

It might not be an issue at all. Like I said, I've never used it in a vintage pen and the only staining I saw was in a converter. A Waterman converter.

[celesul]

Okay. It doesn't have ink windows, so I guess I don't really need to worry about the staining. Would the Diamine inks work, do you think? I just don't want to screw up the pen if I forget to flush it occasionally. Right now, all of my pens are super cheap, so it's less important.

[bwnewton]

You might find this link helpful as well: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=114555&st=0

Edited December 1, 2011 by bwnewton

[bwnewton]

Lamy Blue is very low-maintenance. It doesn't feather or bleed through. It's very affordable and comes in a user-friendly bottle. I use it daily. Lamy Black is also very low maintenance and well behaved.