Ink Formula

[NickyNewGuy]

I tried to switch to a bottled ink which was not Mont Blanc (MB). It appears to bleed a little and is not as clean looking at MB ink in a cartridge. Would the MB bottled ink be better than the cartridge? What makes it better than other bottled ink? Do you recommend any other color other than Black? All comments welcome.

[Kalessin]

As far as I know, MB puts the exact same formula ink in cartridges as in the bottles.

 

There's nothing really magic about MB ink or its formula, though of course they recommend it for use in their pens. In addition to MB ink, I've used Parker, Waterman, Pelikan, Herbin, Namiki, and vintage Sheaffer Skrip in my MB pens.

 

In the current era of many hundreds of color choices from dozens of ink makers, you can find Inks with all kinds of different characteristics. There's often a balance of wet/dry, permanent/non, light resistance, highly saturated color may have a tendency to clog versus low-saturated colors, red and red-brown may stain more, or there may be tendency of the ink to creep up onto the nib or even cover it with a layer of gunk, as Montblanc Lucky Orange did to one of my pens when I didn't write with it for a few weeks.

 

So experiment and test with what's available. In black I like Pelikan, Aurora, and Namiki (which is the same ink as Pilot), and I've been planning to try Herbin's Perle Noir. All of these brands should be safe choices in any MB pen.

 

Are there any other colors that you're thinking of?

[NickyNewGuy]

As far as I know, MB puts the exact same formula ink in cartridges as in the bottles.

 

There's nothing really magic about MB ink or its formula, though of course they recommend it for use in their pens. In addition to MB ink, I've used Parker, Waterman, Pelikan, Herbin, Namiki, and vintage Sheaffer Skrip in my MB pens.

 

In the current era of many hundreds of color choices from dozens of ink makers, you can find Inks with all kinds of different characteristics. There's often a balance of wet/dry, permanent/non, light resistance, highly saturated color may have a tendency to clog versus low-saturated colors, red and red-brown may stain more, or there may be tendency of the ink to creep up onto the nib or even cover it with a layer of gunk, as Montblanc Lucky Orange did to one of my pens when I didn't write with it for a few weeks.

 

So experiment and test with what's available. In black I like Pelikan, Aurora, and Namiki (which is the same ink as Pilot), and I've been planning to try Herbin's Perle Noir. All of these brands should be safe choices in any MB pen.

 

Are there any other colors that you're thinking of?

 

Thank you for your very thorough response. It put my mind at ease.

I have only a few inks: Monteverde - Garnet, Monteverde - California Teal, Diamine - Oxblood, Noodles - Blue/Black. I think these will hold me for some time. As I only practice with the fountain pens I do not require more than these.

[Kalessin]

 

Thank you for your very thorough response. It put my mind at ease.

I have only a few inks: Monteverde - Garnet, Monteverde - California Teal, Diamine - Oxblood, Noodles - Blue/Black. I think these will hold me for some time. As I only practice with the fountain pens I do not require more than these.

 

The only Monteverde ink I have is Horizon Blue; it's a good color very reminiscent of the legendary Parker Penman Sapphire, and works well. I just got Diamine's Oxblood, it's up next after I finish a fill of Waterman Havana Brown in a Pelikan pen (it's called "Absolute Brown" these days, but I prefer the name it had for decades).

 

I don't tend to use much in the way of blue-black ink, but there are many good choices. Since I used it all the way through college and then changed color preferences for blue, brown and green, I still have some decades-old bottles of blue-black Sheaffer Skrip, Parker Quink and Pelikan 4001 that I'm slowly working through.

[NickyNewGuy]

 

The only Monteverde ink I have is Horizon Blue; it's a good color very reminiscent of the legendary Parker Penman Sapphire, and works well. I just got Diamine's Oxblood, it's up next after I finish a fill of Waterman Havana Brown in a Pelikan pen (it's called "Absolute Brown" these days, but I prefer the name it had for decades).

 

I don't tend to use much in the way of blue-black ink, but there are many good choices. Since I used it all the way through college and then changed color preferences for blue, brown and green, I still have some decades-old bottles of blue-black Sheaffer Skrip, Parker Quink and Pelikan 4001 that I'm slowly working through.

 

I will have to look into the Horizon Blue which sounds like something I would want. I purchased a sample of the Diamine's Oxblood and it displays very well. With Garnet being my birth stone I picked up a bottle and like the way it writes too. So many inks so little time and money.

[PyroclasticJoe]

- creep up onto the nib or even cover it with a layer of gunk, as Montblanc Lucky Orange did to one of my pens when I didn't write with it for a few weeks.

 

Pretty much all orange inks I've used give nib crud sadly.

 

Montblanc has now apparently recalled the Lucky Orange ink.

 

I'm assuming it's because of the crud issue, I'm quite sad as I love the colour.

 

Good thing I stockpiled

[pwsuba]

I personally only use mb ink in my mb pens, but Im also paranoid about damaging them. Even though I know using quality inks wont.

In my other pens I will use most any ink. So along with my collection of mb inks (I have collected pretty much all the special edition inks, less the elixirs, that have been released since I received my first mb) then I also have some noodlers ink (will not use noodlers in my mb ever) Iroshizuku inks and edelstein ink.

 

I also wont use and shimmer or sheeing inks in my mb (inks with addded particles).

 

 

 

I love lucky orange but that gunk appears so fast with out use its a bit of a bummer.

[meiers]

 

Pretty much all orange inks I've used give nib crud sadly.

 

Montblanc has now apparently recalled the Lucky Orange ink.

 

I'm assuming it's because of the crud issue, I'm quite sad as I love the colour.

 

Good thing I stockpiled

Rollerball and ballpoint refills are still available

 

I find the idea of having a ballpoint pen writing in orange very tempting.

 

2 Ballpoint Pen Refills (M) Lucky Orange $23.00

 

Ballpoint Pen Refills (M) Lucky Orange

Ident Number: 115977

Edited January 30, 2019 by meiers