How Do You Keep Track Of Inks You've Used?

[GardenWeasel]

Within the past year I started losing track of what ink is in what nib...so in addition to my color journal, I keep the following notes (iPad)

[LizEF]

LOL. I already annoy them enough. Washing my pens, Waiting for limited edition inks, Show and Tell (when they don't really care, I show them anyways). =)

 

People just roll their eyes at me. (Although sometimes, if I don't include pen and ink info, someone will point out to me that I forgot it, and expect me to add it.)

[Noihvo]

[tamiya]

Within the past year I started losing track of what ink is in what nib...

yeah memory is bad. Too lazy to washout every time, I might reink a dried pen & can't remember exact bottle = big risk of filling wrong ink. Nowadays I stick a tiny paper label with ink name & date inked on the converter.

[Arkanabar]

I use the bullet journal indexing system, both in my actual bullet journal and in my demented scribblings reflection journal. I always have ink and/or pen usage logs. referenced in the index area.

Furthermore, I have a composition book in which I record my impressions/reviews of various pens, inks, and papers (all of which affect writing). This one also has an ink usage log and a separate pen usage log.

[Driften]

I used to keep a small notebook sorted by pen with which ink was in each pen written in the ink, but that was not the best. Right now I used Figboot's EDC spreadsheet that has a tab for Ink, Pens, and EDC. That shows all of my ink and which are in my pen rotation and which pen has which ink. It also gives a top 5 for how many pens use what ink. For example I have 5 pens will RO Blue water ice and 3 with Diamine Ancient Copper.

 

His spreadsheet doesn't have all the features you might want to keep track of, but it's a good tool for me right now when trying to decide on what to fill up next.

 

Here is a link to the spread sheet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc_9aKLbh3A

I he talks about a better version in his top 10 Next Level Pens video but has not put it up yet.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Driften

[A Smug Dill]

I currently only have one bottle of ink right now, but I have gone through quite a few samples. I regret not keeping a record of what inks I've used and in which pen.

 

I take it you're talking about 'logging' actual ink and pen combinations used (and most likely have since been flushed out), with perhaps some notes on, or visual record of, the writing performance. I don't keep that and don't intend to do so; I have trouble enough keeping track of which ink is in which pen right now (or when I last filled the pen, without having flushed it clean since), let alone of what the previous two or three or ten fills for each pen were. Keeping a spreadsheet of my current ink-and-pen combinations, and what I intend to do with other inks I have, is getting to be quite a chore.

 

I don't regard buying ink samples piecemeal as a favourable value proposition, once (international, or even domestic Australian) delivery charges have been factored in, so every fountain pen ink I've used was acquired in retail bottles as offered by its manufacturer. As it stands, I have over 200 bottles in 177 different ink colours (after having recently given some bottles away), and about 110 pens currently inked. I really don't need a log or notebook to remind me which inks I may want to acquire next.

 

As for inks I disliked and want to avoid in the future... I have a long memory.

[DrDebG]

Past:

 

A detailed spreadsheet of all my pens on the y axis and inks on the x axis with a point system (1-10) and notes. It worked - for a while until I got too busy.

 

A notebook with ink reviews of each ink and listings of the pens used with the ink. - Again, it worked for a while until I got too busy.

 

Now:

 

I have one list on my computer of each pen I own, and each bottle of ink I own. I don't keep track of the samples anymore.

 

A simple page in my daily journal at the beginning of each week listing each pen being used and the ink in the pen. At the end of the week, I give the combination a score of 1=great, 2=average, 3=never use this combo again! This seems to work for me.

[Kuo24]

I use one of my A5 inserts as 'inkventory' to remind me of what's currently inked. I back that up with a spreadsheet showing historical data about which pens used which inks and when they were inked.

 

Though I'm curious with some suggestions here about adding notes per ink + pen performance.

[WirsPlm]

I use one of my A5 inserts as 'inkventory' to remind me of what's currently inked. I back that up with a spreadsheet showing historical data about which pens used which inks and when they were inked.

 

Though I'm curious with some suggestions here about adding notes per ink + pen performance.

I tracked pen-ink interactions while I was working out which pens and inks I liked, it was very helpful, although I did it on index cards and not a notebook so I could compare different ones more easily and then toss the whole thing once I'd sorted out my preferences.

 

I don't bother tracking which ink I'm using, I limit my ink stash to a single bin that I can view easily and then use whatever I feel like, after a while it's clear which inks I'm going to keep using and which ones I should probably give away, no need for detailed tracking when I can just eyeball the relative ink levels, but if I had more inks I'd probably have to be more systematic about it.

[benjitzu]

I fall into the category of completely OCD with tracking my pen & ink rotation hahaha! You've been warned...

 

My 'system' evolved over years of traveling full-time and writing/journaling consistently. Back when I first started using fountain pens, I wanted to remember where I'd been and what pen & ink combo I had at the time. Though I've toned it down a bit now, I used to have anywhere from 12-20 pens inked up at once and write with them each every day.

 

With all the inks and pens I was trying out, sampling, and exploring, it was a great way for me to remember what I liked and have physical proof of it too (inks, pens, and nib sizes, etc.).

 

Here's what works for me now (and by no means am I saying any of this will work for you):

 

Anytime and every time I write, journal, or take notes, I include the date, day of the week, location & who I'm visiting (or if in a business meeting, the company or client's name), pen & ink, and time on the page. An example from the other day while visiting my parents:

 

 

Once every week or so I'll do a 'Currently Inked' section in whatever notebook I'm using that has a quick sketch of the ink next to the pen & nib size and the ink used. Example from a month or so ago:

 

 

I keep a detailed record of my Pen & Ink Rotation on Rhodia paper and in Numbers/Google Sheets.

 

 

 

 

The digital version looks like this:

 

 

I made a *blank* version on Google Sheets if you want to duplicate it and use however you want. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a5RdEna4kVqXWxmqkmZ4eHsFWit1MvJkF2zesQnt-q4/edit?usp=sharing

 

As I acquired more and more inks, I made sheets of the small Rhodia square Nº 12 pad (8.5cm X 12cm - 3.3" X 4.7") of every ink I own and every ink I've ever sampled, separated by color. This allows me to easily compare different inks next to each other (color, shading, sheen, behavior, etc.,). It's my own version of the Goulet Pens or Anderson Pens ink tool (theirs are still way better with a lot more inks).

 

Because I am also curious how different inks behave on different papers, I have a folder full of all kinds of fountain pen friendly and NOT so friendly paper -Tomoe River, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, G. Lalo, #32 & #24 HP Laserjet, standard #20 copy paper, Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine, and a bunch more types of crappy paper). Each time I fill a pen, I'll scribble a few words, do a bunch of figure-8 loops and lines, do a color block similar to the Pen & Ink Rotation, sign my name, and write the name of the ink & pen on every page in the folder. This quickly shows me what inks behave the best on which papers. It's also been a great way to discover unique papers that are fountain pen friendly (besides the usual Rhodia and Tomoe River).

 

That may seem like a lot of stuff but it's really simple and fun. I'm always doodling and writing everywhere I go, so I had an easy excuse to do it even more.

 

Long answer to your simple question, I know. I trust you'll find my OCD system helpful or at least entertaining hahaha

Edited January 4, 2019 by benjitzu

[A Smug Dill]

@benjitzu, that's beautiful.

[benjitzu]

@benjitzu, that's beautiful.

Thanks!

 

I still have much to learn before mastering my pens and inks the way you do. My jaw dropped when I read your post earlier - 110 currently inked pens?!?! That's ridiculously amazing and awesome in so many ways! Beyond impressed and inspired by that. Well played mate

[Noihvo]

[Muncle]

benjitzu that's an amazing display!

 

I used to have more and more pens inked, but I had to keep trimming it down as ink would dry up and be wasted. I do my swatches on three types of paper: Rhodia, blue G. Lalo, and the cheapest yellow legal pad I can find. A dream would be to do them on more, but I'm already 60+ swatches in and time is limited.

When notetaking in university, I did write down the pen/ink combination. Nice selection of pens, by the way!

[KARD]

Thank you all for sharing. There's some really great ideas I might try in the future, but for now I would like to keep it simple.

[Kuo24]

Loving the Rhodia paper compilation, benjitzu.

[ethernautrix]

I've seen some amazing pens-and-inks records, and I've thought, "Oo! I should have done that! Oh well, too late." And so... I have scattered around in various notebooks a page here, a page there of "Pens & Inks." Nothing easily located. I didn't know decades ago that I would be interested in knowing, "Oh, that's a nice ink. What was it? Oo, nice lines, what pen was that?"

 

Not always, but sometimes I'll note at the very bottom the pens and inks used on that page.

 

These days, if I were to keep a detailed record, it might look something like:

 

Nakaya Piccolo "Kurouac" (F), NOodler's Black

Pilot CH912 (PO), Noodler's Black

Pilot CH92 (F), NOodler's Black

Pilot Falcon (SEF), Noodler's Lexington Gray

Nakaya Piccolo "UShu" (UEF), KWŻ Flame Red

Nakaya Piccolo "Heki" (F), Sailor Rikyu Cha

Danitrio Komori (steel F/PO), Noodler's Black

Danitrio Fellowship (seetl EF/PO), Noodler's Black

 

 

So, you know, not as dazzling as others' lists and records, but... I LAHVE EET!