Inky T O D - If You Had To Rebuild Your Ink Collection From Scratch, What Would Be Your Initial Selections?

[AkitaMom]

Aloha,

  Mahalo for your welcome.  Just went to my bookshelf and found these: 

Empty: MontBlanc 50 ml. shoe

             Pelikan 4001: Brilliant Black half full; Brilliant Red 2/3 full; almost empty Brilliant Brown

Parker Sapphire 1/4 ink left

Waterman Serenity Blue mostly full

Aurora Black mostly full

and an as yet to be opened Private reserve Sherwood Green

 

   I recently acquired a previously owned Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 B, and in what can only be described as a " Series of Uncontrollable impulse buying" 

Montblanc : Mystery Black, Midnight Blue, and Toffee Brown

and to top it all off: Iroshizuku collection: 15 ml Asa-gao, Shin-kai, and Yama-budo collection

 

When or how I will ever finish these I have absolutely no idea.  I do have six pens, including my newest acquisition that I could fill the inks with.  However . . . that means making decisions, which ink into which pen.  I will contemplate this later. If you have read this far, I greatly appreciate your tolerance and indulgence.

 

 

 

[txomsy]

FWIW, doodling and sketching is a great way to consume ink, master the pen and master your hand. It helps a lot improving control over one's hand movements and that later reflects in writing as well. Plus, it is lots of fun.

[AkitaMom]

Iʻve decided to ink three pens with different inks, these have different nibs.  Lots of paper in my stack, and time to play.  Mahalo for your suggestions!

 

[pgcauk]

Here's my current "top-flight" pens and inks.

Basically the same river thrice; a green, a rust and a violet, all tending towards brown at various levels.

First iteration: Kobes #49, 54 and 40 (Taupe o' the day!).

Second ("The Classic"!): Diamine Classic Green, Akkerman Steen Rood, Scabiosa

Third (2/3): Sailor Manyo Shirakashi, Oster Burned Orange.

Dated, maybe, but these make me happy! 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

A few weeks ago, wondering what inks I should get that I don't already have, I found this thread.

This seemed like a darn good place to start. I figured I could Crowd-Source the answer!

 

I also found a thread of people's "favourite" inks

 

I noticed that in both threads, some inks would come up repeatedly... (nothing particularly unusual there...)

 

So I compiled the answers from both threads and counted the answers. 

 

Here is what I found (sorted by popularity, and only down to inks with more than one "vote")

Spoiler: people here REALLY like their blues... (Can't say I blame them... still thinking of getting a huge bottle of Midway Blue...)

 

Ink  VS  Number of "votes"

Waterman Serenity Blue    15
Monteverde Horizon Blue/Parker Penman Sapphire    14
Sailor Sou-Boku    11
Aurora Black    10
Iroshizuku kon peki    10
Platinum Carbon Black    10
Diamine Oxblood    9
Noodler's Black    8
Pilot Blue Black    8
R&K Scabiosa    8
Diamine Oxford Blue    7
Montblanc Royal Blue    7
Pelikan 4001 Blue Black    7
Pilot Blue    7
J. Herbin Perle Noire    6
Iroshizuku Asa Gao    5
Iroshizuku Take Sumi    5
Iroshizuku Yama Budo    5
J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune    5
Lamy Turquoise    5
MontBlanc Irish Green    5
Noodler’s Baystate Blue    5
Parker Quink Blue Black    5
Platinum Blue Black    5
R&K Alt GoldGrun    5
Sailor Sei-boku    5
Sheaffer Skrip Red    5
Diamine Ancient Copper    4
Diamine Autumn Oak    4
Diamine Blue Black    4
Diamine Blue Velvet    4
Diamine Eau De Nil    4
Diamine Sherwood Green    4
Iroshizuku ku-jaku    4
Iroshizuku Tsuki yo    4
R&K Salix    4
Sailor Do-you    4
Waterman Inspired Blue    4
Waterman Purple    4
Diamine Aurora Borealis    3
Diamine China Blue    3
Diamine Earl Grey    3
Diamine Mediterranean Blue    3
Diamine Red Dragon    3
Iroshizuku Yama Guri    3
KWZ Honey    3
Montblanc Toffee Brown    3
Noodler's Apache Sunset    3
Pelikan 4001 Turquoise    3
Platinum Classic Citrus Black    3
R&K Sepia    3
Sailor Kiwa-Guro    3
Sailor Oku Yama    3
Sailor Rikyu-cha    3
De Atramentis Aubergine    2
Diamine Asa Blue    2
Diamine Bilberry    2
Diamine Chocolate Brown    2
Diamine Classic Green    2
Diamine Graphite    2
Diamine Grey    2
Diamine Imperial Blue    2
Diamine Macassar    2
Diamine Majestic Blue    2
Diamine Midnight    2
Diamine Pelham Blue    2
Diamine Pumpkin    2
Diamine Safari    2
Diamine Skull & Roses    2
Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun    2
Iroshizuku Tsuyu kusa    2
Iroshizuku Yu Yake    2
KWZI IG Turquoise    2
Lamy Black    2
Montblanc Racing Green/Diamine Racing Green    2
Montblanc Corn Poppy Red    2
Montblanc Unicef Blue/Diamine Aqua Blue    2
Montblanc William Shakespear Velvet Red    2
Monteverde California Teal    2
Monteverde Copper Noir    2
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Rose    2
Noodler's Black Swan in English Rose    2
Noodler's Heart of Darkness    2
Noodler's Legal Lapis    2
Noodler's Lexington Grey    2
Noodler's Midway Blue    2
Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium    2
Noodler’s North Afican Violet    2
Organics Studio Nitrogen    2
Parker Quink Blue    2
Pelikan 4001 Black    2
Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown    2
Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue    2
Pelikan 4001 Violet    2
Pelikan Edelstein Smokey Quartz    2
Platinum Classic Ink Khaki Black iron-gall ink    2
Platinum Classic Ink Lavender Black iron-gall ink    2
Robert Oster Blue Sea    2
Robert Oster Fire & Ice    2
Sailor Kin Mokusei    2
Sailor Yama Dori    2
Sheaffer Peacock Blue/Sheaffer Turquoise    2
Visconti Blue    2
Waterman Black    2
Waterman Mysterious Blue    2

[RBLemberg]

This is a great thread. 

 

@IThinkIHaveAProblem, I love the statistics! Let me add to them 🤣

 

No doubt my selections will change overtime.

 

If I could only repurchase five, it would be:

- Pure Pens Celtic Sea - a lesser-known ink with great shading and a bit of red sheen.

- Scribo Blu Cosmico (20ml sample bottle - I like that size better than the gigantic jam jar) - like all Scribo inks, this one is wet and flows well. It's a beautiful blue-black with a tiny copper sheen.

- Scribo Notturno Viola (20ml sample bottle) - a very dark purple, almost black. It's luscious.

- Montblanc Red Fox  - Rust-colored, interesting, a joy to write with.

- Iroshizuku Kon-Peki - needs no explanation. In principle I do not need both Kon-Peki and Celtic Sea, but in practice I use both a lot :))

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I'm using the stats to try and convince my 'financial advisor' (aka my better half) that we REALLY should try these inks,.. i mean, look how many people consider them essential!

 

[amberleadavis]

On 5/13/2021 at 9:22 AM, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

I'm using the stats to try and convince my 'financial advisor' (aka my better half) that we REALLY should try these inks,.. i mean, look how many people consider them essential!

 

 

Exactly!

Let us know how that goes!

[Detman101]

On 4/16/2021 at 9:32 AM, Detman101 said:

1. Pilot Iroshizuku - Kon Peki (Was my first way back then, would be my first again! 🥰)
2. Penbbs - 💖#390 Guilin 💖(This color-changing ink can be any shade of brown you need, it's so amazing!)

3. Yoseka - 💓Origin .01💓 (My heart, my love, this is the ink of my soul!! It's just perfect!!)
4. Sailor - Manyo Nekoyanagi (This variable chromo-shading beautiful purple ink is always interesting...wish I'd found it sooner)

Need to revise my choices...

[pgcauk]

I have made it easier for myself! If I restrict myself to inks from the Kobe range only, then my irreplaceables are apparent and, in fact, these would suffice (as a base).

 

[pgcauk]

The three above, plus a few friends, make a good working microcosm.

These are, I'm pretty sure, the inks that I will be returning for a second or third bottle of.

[pgcauk]

The above looked like circle, which there was no intention behind, so I wondered what a more meaningful arrangement might look like.

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by pgcauk
Added a scan.

[PithyProlix]

On 8/18/2021 at 8:42 PM, pgcauk said:

The above looked like circle, which there was no intention behind, so I wondered what a more meaningful arrangement might look like.

 

 

Beautiful, both display and palette!  Are these all Kobe inks, then?

[pgcauk]

8 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Beautiful, both display and palette!  Are these all Kobe inks, then?

Nope, but three of them are and a fourth would usually be, but I'm always switching my greens around. I think it's the zones rather than the colors; I'm honing in on my favorite representatives, but there's always alternatives and substitutes (and my natural inclination is to try them all!!).

In this iteration then:

 

Earth Colors - observations, sketching etc:

Green = KWZ IG Green Gold

(but could be any number of Greens, Kobe #49 Kitano Olive is a favorite).

Brown = Kobe #40 Sumiyoshi

(R&K Sepia would do nicely. Taupe has become one of my favorite ranges - useful in all circumstances without being blue or black).

 

Heavenly Colors - thoughts, ideas, wishes and dreams:

R&K Scabiosa

Robert Oster Summer Storm

Kobe #54 Goshikiyama Ochre

(Was Herbin Rouille D'Ancre for years!)

 

Action Colors:

Kobe #21 Taisanji Yellow

(I think Herbin Ambre De Birmanie is close?)

Robert Oster Burned Orange = Rust

Taccia Ukio-e Koiame = Fox Red

 

My initial choices when I first realized you could write in color five or six years ago were Scabiosa, KWZ IG Green #4 and Diamine Autumn Oak, which I still love, so I think the basic set-up has been there from the start, prose speakers might call it a secondary color triangle, and I have just added brown, expanded orange through pink and refined my greens.

 

I might dig out a sample of the original three once the computer wakes up?

 

[Detman101]

Updated list:
The only inks I would buy now, knowing what I know...

1. Kobe - Sumiyoshi Brown (#40)
2. Yoseka - Origin .01
3. Sailor Manyo - Nadeshiko
4. Pelikan - Smoky Quartz
5. Herbin - Cacao du Bresil
6. Diamine - Tobacco Sunburst

After finally finding my perfect pen/nib combo...these are the inks I find myself using constantly.
I, literally, have a full collection of inks that I bought and never use...and likely will never use again.
I hold on to them for emergency purposes, but in reality...they will never see usage. I'm not trying out new pens anytime soon...I have no likely candidates for fountain-pen-peer-pressure...
Hmmm...I may buy a new storage cigar box for my 6 favorite inks and offload the remainder of the inks to the basement storage. Make some room on the man-cave bookshelf... 😀

[ParramattaPaul]

I'd buy the same three inks I use every day. 

[dragondazd]

I would start by buying a couple semi waterproof Noodler's inks (bsar and Baltimore canyon) to tide me over as I consider my options. I would re-buy a couple sailor manyos, shikioris, and jentles with samples of ones I haven't tried yet, then decide if I want to make any new additions or re-buys. Same with vinta. Somewhere along the line I would buy some small diamine and herbin bottles.

 

Then I would resume hoarding samples and amassing a large collection of inks.

 

I would probably not get half the bottles I own now, but realistically they'll just be replaced with other stuff.

[PPPR]

My initial purchases would be the last iterations of US-made Parker Quink and Sheaffer Skrip because of their reputations as FP-safe inks. That's not to say their other inks aren't safe. In fact, I have some Skrip from Slovenia. Granted the color range for both is limited compared to today's vast array, but the question is where to start.

 

Just my two cents.

[Rebbe]

Diamine: Golden Honey, Poppy Red, Imperial Purple, Ancient Copper

Noodlers: Black
Pilot: Iroshizuku Tsuyu-Kusa (Asiatic Dayflower Blue)

Those would be my essentials. And I know in my heart of hearts I'd start with Ancient Copper and Imperial Purple. 

[amberleadavis]

Lately, Birmingham Angel Fish would be on my list.  It's a great ink.