Teal Ink For A Pilot 78G With A Bb Nib

[Cassotto]

Hello,

 

I'd like to know you recommendations about some ink I want to use with a Pilot 78G with a BB nib. I've got this mania that the colour of the ink should more or less match that of the pen, and this is a teal pen. So I'm looking for some sort of ink between green and blue.

 

From reviews I've read, I find I like J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor, but that falls outside my budget. Not that I have a definite amount of money I want to spend; it's more a matter of extravagance. I'm a newbie, my pens are cheapo ones, and I don't think I'd feel comfortable using such an expensive ink. I'd feel like the swine staring at the pearls in front of me.

 

I had also thought of buying Private Reserve Blue Suede, but I've read in dcwaites's very informative "A Newbie's Guide to Inks" post here that this brand is something we beginners should perhaps be a bit wary of, since they are highly saturated inks that impose a high level of maintenance on pens (something I'm not sure I can do properly). Their stains seem also to be difficult to remove, and I'm afraid I always rest my hand inadvertently on the edge of the ink bottle, get my fingers stained when folding the cloth I wipe the nib with after filling, splash some drops of ink on the table... A highly saturated ink doesn't seem to be the ink for me.

 

So, do you think you could recommend some ink which is similar to these two I've mentioned, but more appropriate for me, considering it'll be used with a BB nib (not that I know this to be important)? I think I'd like some ink with shading, because I believe (I may be wrong) that it could look good with such a broad nib. I think my only other restriction is that I'd like it to be very different to Waterman Serenity Blue and Harmonious Green (I already have those two).

 

Thanks in advance!

[Padawan]

I would suggest Pelikan Edelstein Topaz if available.

Or, perhaps, Aquamarine when available.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I just mixed one-half Pelikan Blue-Black with one-half Pelikan Turquoise. Spectacular result.

 

Teal is one of my favorite ink colors. Chesterfield makes a reasonably-priced version, and it might be worth reading reviews of Iroshizuku's Tsuki-yo and Ku-Jaku.

 

Diamine Misty Blue has the base shade, but no shading. Diamine Steel Blue was hard to clean and stained badly. This is off the top of my head and away from my ink collection.

 

If you want further comparisons, Goulet Pens has a feature where you can select ink by color family.

 

PS: I share your 'mania!'

Edited April 17, 2016 by Sailor Kenshin

[Rita_K]

Take a look at Diamine Eau de Nil. A nice tealish color and well behaved.

+1 for the Iroshizuku Tsuki- yo.

[cobalt]

diamine teal exists

[Gofixmix]

Hi,

Have you ever tried mixing your inks?

I know, more mess.

 

But try to mix Waterman Serenity Blue and Harmonious Green - you'll get lots of beautiful blue-green shades, maybe add bit black for teal.

Waterman Mysterious blue + bit of green - perfect teal

[Gofixmix]

Ah, now I realised yours is "serenity" blue, I have "inspired" blue, yours might be darker.

 

Still, you can try to mix them and maybe little bit dilute to get lighter color. It's fun, just do it in separate container so you don't contaminate the original inks...

[swanjun]

It's not cheap, but I used Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-Ro in my teal 78G with B nib, and performed beautifully and more or less matched.

[ENewton]

Consider getting a sample of Iroshizuku Kujaku to see whether you like it. Iroshizuku inks are relatively expensive, but a bottle (if you decide to buy one) will last you for a very long time.

 

A less expensive ink to consider is Rohrer and Klingner Verdigris. It has a more sober look, which you might or might not like. I happen to love Rohrer and Klingner inks, and they flush out of pens very easily.

[catbert]

Iroshizuku tsuki-yo is a pretty good match in my teal 78G.

[Cassotto]

Thanks to everyone! All your contributions are very valuable, no matter what I finally decide. As I said, I'm a newbie, so you've mentioned many brands I didn't know. Reading about each of the inks you've suggested has been (is being) an agreeable way to spend my time, and while I do so I'm learning a lot about inks.

 

Pelikan Edelstein Topaz and Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo seem to be too blue for what I'm looking for. But I do like those shades, so I might get myself one of them when I run out of my Waterman. Or is it that my screen isn't properly calibrated? You say Tsuki-yo is teal, but I do see it very blue. Also, isn't Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris more of a blue-grey than a blue-green? I'm trying to compare all shades using Goulet Pens' comparison feature (I didn't know it, and it's been quite a discovery).

 

I think my favourite among those you've mentioned (although I still need more looking them up) is Iroshiyuku Syo-ro. The problem I see is the same Private Reserve Blue Suede had, its been highly saturated (and even if I didn't heed that, I don't know which one I'd like better).

 

Or do you think I'm being a chicken, not wanting to buy highly saturated inks? I try to be cautious, because I know I'm somewhat sloppy and maintenance is likely going to be less than it should be. But well, it's not sulphuric acid!

 

Another problem is the availability of each ink in my area, and how much each bottle will amount to after adding shipping costs. I thought that Chesterfield might be a good option (it seems to be something like the British version of Diamine, although perhaps not so straighforwardly so), but every seller I find is in the US. Anyway, I suppose I'll be able to sort that out after I've decided what to buy.

 

Glad to see more 78Gs over here. It seemed a bit scratchy when I tried it, but I haven't really written much with it yet.

[Cassotto]

I forgot to ask, mixing inks sounds like a good idea, although perhaps not too easily reproduced. What bottles do you use? You buy new ones, or reuse old empty bottles? If they're new, where do you get them? Must they have any special feature for this use?

[Sailor Kenshin]

I forgot to ask, mixing inks sounds like a good idea, although perhaps not too easily reproduced. What bottles do you use? You buy new ones, or reuse old empty bottles? If they're new, where do you get them? Must they have any special feature for this use?

When I mixed the Pelikan inks, I just poured the Turquoise (smaller bottle) into the Blue-Black (larger bottle). I hoard empty ink bottles, lol, and some US sellers offer 'inky empty bottles.'

 

You can also mix in plastic sample vials, and I admit to once keeping an ink mix in a tiny marmalade bottle that had gone through the dishwasher. I just sealed it with a cork.

[ScienceChick]

I think a beautiful member of the teal family is Akkerman #24. I second Iroshizuku Ku-jaku (available in 15mL bottles) and Diamine Eau de Nile and will add Sailor Yama-dori. Noodlers Squeteague is also a lovely teal but may be difficult for you to get.

 

Lots of turquoise + a little black = teal

 

Edited to add Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine. Yep, love me some teal.

Edited April 17, 2016 by ScienceChick

[Gofixmix]

Here's my little guide to painless mixing:

[stonezebra]

I agree with other Teals mentioned (PI Ku-Jaku, D. Eau de Nile and Sailor Yama-dori, and the new PE Aquamarine looks terrific) and highly recommend Levenger True Teal (though it might be hard to get in Spain). You might also check out DeAtramentis Petrol. Also, I'm sure there are some other topics on Teal inks you might enjoy.

[kronion]

There have been some great suggestions for teal ink, so I will not add more.

 

I just checked some notes in my drawer written with Syo-Ro (I am a big fan of this ink and use it frequently), but I do not see especially much shading and would not call it "teal", rather "blueish green" - but perception seems to be quite subjective in this range of colors... Fantastic ink anyway!

 

You do not need to be afraid of the maintenance of a 78G, since it is very easily disassembled (should be on Youtube somewhere). Just take out the converter and pull out the nib and feed - easy to get out, wash and assemble again. So, even if you experience cloggin issues or something like that (which does not happen as easily as you might think after reading all those threads here about every possible source of trouble), it is easily fixed. Thus, I am using my 78G for all those inks that I will not use in a more expensive pen that is harder to clean.

 

Also, if you found the pen a bit scratchy, you can use this rather inexpensive pen to learn how to diagnose and fix some basic problems.

 

BTW: Diamine is British, as far as I know. They offer smaller bottles at a reasonable price and the number of different colors is huge - certainly a good starting point for you!

[Padawan]

If ink mixing is discussed I would recommend to consider 'Mix Free' system by Platinum Pen, JP.

There are 9 colours ( + mixing tools set) which can be mixed in any proportions to achieve virtually any colour .

[Cassotto]

How much new information!

 

I was just thinking what kronion says: the range of colours between blue and green seems to be a very subjective one. The same colour may look blue to a person and green to another. And my head is about to explode when I try to compare so many shades. I'm starting to doubt I have enough discernment to appreciate the differences among different colours. Now that it's been mentioned that Syo-ro is more green than teal, I've gone again to Goulet Pens, and I think the blot in the example looks much more teal than the writing, which is sort of a dark bluish green. Perhaps I should pay more attention to writing, not to blots, when checking what a colour looks like. After all, I intend to use the ink for writing, not for splashing it around.

 

I think that I'm going to make a list of inks with your suggestions, in approximate order or preference. I'll take it with me the first time I go to a shop specializing in fountain pens and buy the first one available.

 

I'm glad to know that the 78G is easily disassembled. Somwhere else in the forum I've read that pens shouldn't be disassembled unless absolutely necessary, so I'm glad to know that clogging is not that common. But I'm still a bit wary of breaking this pen. It's inexpensive, but it's not so easy to find with a BB nib, is it?

 

Re mixing inks: that Japanese mixing set makes you want to buy all the inks! Although I suppose mixing is something that can be done with any ink, reading the information on their page has made me wonder, is it important to mix always inks of the same brand? Gofixmix, thanks a lot for your clear graphic explanation of how to do it. I had thought that you'd transfer the ink directly from one bottle to an empty bottle, and then do the same with the second colour, and stir. But I see you make the mixture every time you want to fill the pen. The syringes allow to measure the exact amount of ink so you get always the same colour, isn't it so? And now the silliest question: is it normal to fill the converter by dipping it directly in the ink? I always fill my pens by dipping the nib in the ink. Shouldn't I do it like that?

[Sailor Kenshin]

You can fill a pen either way, don't worry too much.

 

When mixing inks of different brands, do it in a sample vial and then let the vial sit for a few days to see whether bad reactions occur. In all my years of willy-nilly ink mixing I only had two mixes that developed 'strands' in the ink.

 

The exception is Noodler's Baystate line. Should never, ever be mixed with any other kind of ink. Hope this helps!