How Many Pens Do You Keep Inked At One Time?

[Chouffleur]

I have a modest number of fountain pens, four, of which two are not working. When I finish replacing the sacs on those I will need to choose how many to keep inked at one time.

 

I don't write a great deal although in the rollerball universe I like having a number of color choices available to me.

 

Given a medium-volume ink use profile, what is a reasonable number of inked pens to keep in rotation? The ink I'm using so far (and the probable brand of the next one or two) is Pilot Iroshizuku.

 

If you have any thoughts I'd like to hear them.

 

Bonus question: What's the best way to store an inked pen not in use? At a downward angle like a champagne bottle? Tip-up in order to avoid leaks?

[jar]

I usually have one, maybe two inked at a time but there is no right number. And store filled pens anyway you want, nib up, nib down, sitting flat, at an incline; unless the pen is a real dud it should make no difference.

[poxy51]

I usually have one inked in blue, one in black, one in red and one in green.

 

Blue is when I am writing an original note, meaning started by me.

 

Black is when I sign checks or documents.

 

Red or green is when I am writing comments on notes, invoices, etc --documents not orgininated by me, so the ink color makes it stand out a bit.

 

Not really great reasons, just what I do.

[deepak23]

I have 7 inked up now. Three in different blue, the other three in different colors. The number inked up varies from 6 to 10 purely on whims and fancies.

 

I store my pens horizontally. As Jar said, you can store good pens any way you want. With cheaper oens, you can get a capful of ink if you store it nib down.

[linearM]

I have about 10 inked. I have several cursive italics, about four flex nibs, two extra fine, and a couple of others. I use about 3 different scripts depending on my mood, and write about 5 letters a week, plus practicing different scripts. So, my pens get a pretty good workout. I usually use about two ink fills before I take one out of rotation.

[Glenn Atkins]

~12-15.

 

Glenn

[Ian the Jock]

19

Coincidentally, exactly the same amount of inks that I have.

 

Ian

[ac12]

Too much, I need to reduce the number, cuz an unused pen evaporates ink $$.

• Waterman blue (desk pen, 4 clip pens)
• PR DCSS blue (desk pen)
• Waterman Green (desk pen, 2 clip pens)
• Diamine Sherwood Green (desk pen, 1 clip pen)
• Diamine Ultra Green (1 clip pen)
• Cross black (1 clip pen)
• Waterman black (2 desk pens, 1 clip pen)
• Sheaffer turquoise (1 clip pen)
• Sheaffer red (1 clip pen)
• PR black cherry (1 clip pen)

As you can see there are several duplicates that need to be trimmed down.

I am considering deinking the Sheaffer red, as I hardly use it, except at Christmas card time.

 

I use a dip pen for inks that I don't have a pen inked up in.

 

Clip pens should be stored nib up, like they were clipped to your pocket.

I keep my clip pens in a container with paper tubes for each pen.

[hbdk]

Usually 10 - I tried to keep it down to 5 at one time, but I have very little impulse control when I see a shiny pen and a nice bottle of ink

Edited June 2, 2015 by hbdk

[HandLikeAFist]

Four pens inked: Montegrappa large sterling Reminiscence, 2 Kaweco sports, fire-engine red Lamy Safari, all fine, all inked with J. Herbin Violette Pensee.

[Sasha Royale]

FOUR

[Occipital Lobe]

7 at this moment

 

3 stubs, 1 fine, 3 mediums

 

Master Scrivener: Tsuki Yo

Pelikan M800: Kon Peki

TWSBI 580: R&K Blu Mare

Lamy 2000: Homemixed Parker/Diamine Blue-Black mix

Lamy Al-Star: Noodlers Dark Matter

Scriptorium Idyll: GvFC Hazwlnut Brown

Visconti HS: Diamine Ancient Copper

[NinthSphere]

Between 6 & 12. Currently 11, although I'm going to end up dropping back to 8 or 9 tonight.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Lets see...

 

- Five in the standard "today in my pocket at work" line-up (because I like each day to be different):

- The desk pen at work;

- The fiction-writing eyedropper;

- The week-end rough-housing pen;

- The home by-the-pen phone (a Pelikan Level 5 which is really not safe for pockets but writes like a dream).

 

So... nine. At the moment, because I was at a writing workshop and thought I might be in a position to infect someone lend a pen, I've got fourteen in battery. I'll write my way down to baseline soon enough.

[catbert]

Right now, 13 because of new ink samples and because I can’t resist inking new pens.

‘Normally’ 8-10: 3 in a Nock case, the Noodlers in a pen cup, the rest flat in a drawer.

Aiming to get down to around 6 but there are some nibs I like to use often.

Edited June 2, 2015 by catbert

[requiescat]

Five. I carry all inked pens in a Franklin-Christoph Penvelope Six. So it could be six, but I'm waiting on a pen for that sixth slot.

 

Right now the lineup is a Waterman 3V, a Waterman Lady Patricia, an azure pearl Parker Vacumatic, a Webster Four-Star, and a Pelikan M200 demonstrator.

[masterguns]

5 at the moment, with the following inks:

Noodlers Black

Noodles Black swan

Diamine Blue black

Diamine Green Black

Private Reserve DC SS blue

 

I use each pen everyday for at least a page of writing notes, etc.

[requiescat]

The current inks I have are:

 

Waterman Lady Patricia - Diamine Tyrian Purple

Waterman 3V - Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro

Parker Vacumatic - Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki

Webster Four-Star - Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo

Pelikan M200 - Diamine Autumn Oak

 

I should probably go for more variety in colors when I next refill I pen; right now I'm kind of heavy on the blues.

[Chouffleur]

 

I should probably go for more variety in colors when I next refill I pen; right now I'm kind of heavy on the blues.

Think of it as a B.B. King tribute week. ;-)

[langere]

Usually three. I let people know what pens and what inks in my "Signature" space below. You will notice the changing of pens and inks there, if you care about those kinds of things...

 

Erick