Wettest Inks for Pelikan Fine Point

[GNL]

Hello FPNers,

 

It’s been a long time since I posted here, as I fell out of love with my many fountain pens for a while due to inky fingers.  But I’ve recently returned to the fold and ordered a new pen, a Pelikan M600 in blue, fine point.  I would have probably bought medium point, but fine was all the retailer had left in time for my upcoming birthday, so I went for it.  I’ve been reading quite a bit since and discovered that Pelikan’s fine is wider than most, so perhaps it was serendipitous.  

 

In any case, to get the most out of my fine-point Pelikan, I’d like to know what brands of bottled ink are the wettest, so that my fine-point pen will write as juicy and broad as possible.  Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

Gary

[yazeh]

Welcome back Gary. And congrats on your new Pelikan.

 

 

What colour range do you want? Do you want waterproof ink? 

Also note sometimes a very wet ink, in a wet pen might not be as fun as you think....

 

[Karmachanic]

Is there a special reason you asked this question four times in different sections of the forum?

[LizEF]

I'm hoping the mods will merge them all into the one in Inky Thoughts (probably the most appropriate place).

 

@GNL, do you know that Pelikans are reputed to be very wet writers?  (If you do, and are asking for a wet ink anyway, then I'm happy to answer.  But if you don't, then that might modify the request, and I'd rather answer the modified one.)

 

Also, as @yazeh said, knowing if there are colors or other limitations would help.

 

Finally, FYI, my m405 (fine) came writing absurdly dry, and I finally had to take a brass shim to it (you might want to order in anticipation) because manual manipulation wouldn't do the job.  Now it writes nice and wet, like I expected, and yes, it's more like a western medium.  (Of course, my nib could be a fluke and yours may arrive suitably wet already, just thought I'd mention it in case yours is like mine.)

[GNL]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Welcome back Gary. And congrats on your new Pelikan.

 

 

What colour range do you want? Do you want waterproof ink? 

Also note sometimes a very wet ink, in a wet pen might not be as fun as you think....

 

Those are good questions, Yazeh!  You can tell I've been out of the FP world for a while.  I tend toward blue, black or blue-black, and I like turquoise shades as long as they're not too pale.  Think more Blue Suede than South Sea Blue.

 

Being waterproof would be a big plus, but it's not a deal breaker.

 

Since medium nibs are generally my favorite, and the Pelikan that's on its way to me is a fine point, I think wetter ink would give me the width of lines I desire.  Right?  Wrong?  Open to your input.  Thanks!

[GNL]

55 minutes ago, LizEF said:

I'm hoping the mods will merge them all into the one in Inky Thoughts (probably the most appropriate place).

 

@GNL, do you know that Pelikans are reputed to be very wet writers?  (If you do, and are asking for a wet ink anyway, then I'm happy to answer.  But if you don't, then that might modify the request, and I'd rather answer the modified one.)

 

Also, as @yazeh said, knowing if there are colors or other limitations would help.

 

Finally, FYI, my m405 (fine) came writing absurdly dry, and I finally had to take a brass shim to it (you might want to order in anticipation) because manual manipulation wouldn't do the job.  Now it writes nice and wet, like I expected, and yes, it's more like a western medium.  (Of course, my nib could be a fluke and yours may arrive suitably wet already, just thought I'd mention it in case yours is like mine.)

Yes, Liz, I'm aware that Pelikans are reputed to be wet writers, which is what I always prefer.  With that in mind, I'd welcome your ink recommendations.

[yazeh]

Do you do Noodler's? 

54th Massachusetts is one of the wettest inks, I know. 

If you like greys Pasternak is very wet. 

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, GNL said:

Yes, Liz, I'm aware that Pelikans are reputed to be wet writers, which is what I always prefer.  With that in mind, I'd welcome your ink recommendations.

OK, well, Diamine Writer's Blood is reported to be a gusher (though I haven't tried it so I couldn't say personally).  Meanwhile, I filtered my spreadsheet for all the inks on the wet side.  Here are several that I classified as wet.  The ones in bold are the ones I remember (likely from more use rather than from them being more wet):

• Caran D'Ache Magnetic Blue
• Colorverse Extra Dimension
• Colorverse Ham #65
• De Atramentis Document Blue
• De Atramentis Document Urban Grey
• De Atramentis Fog Grey
• De Atramentis Indigo Blue
• De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes
• De Atramentis Steel Blue
• Diamine Blue Lightning
• Diamine Blue-Black
• Diamine Classic Green
• Diamine Graphite
• Diamine Oxblood
• Diamine Prussian Blue
• Diamine Red Dragon
• Diamine Regency Blue
• Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs (just buy this one)
• Jacques Herbin 1670 Collection Émeraude de Chivor (This is very wet, but you may not want glitter in your piston-filler)
• KWZ Grey Plum
• Montblanc Royal Blue
• Noodler's Baystate Blue (this would leave you seeing after-images)
• Noodler's Heart of Darkness
• Noodler's Shah's Rose
• Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao
• Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho (Rice Ear)
• Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai (Deep Sea)
• Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo
• Robert Oster Blue Denim
• Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean
• Rohrer & Klingner Limited Edition Aubergine
• Rohrer & Klingner Solferino (this would likely burn your eyes right out)
• Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris
• Sailor Jentle Black (cartridge)
• Sailor Kobe INK Story #38 Kitanozaka Night Blue
• Sailor Kujukuri Coast Hamanasu
• Sailor Shikiori Chushu
• Sailor Shikiori Tokiwa-Matsu
• Sailor Shikiori Yonaga

Some of those have long dry times.  If I had to pick two for my own use, it would be Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs and R&K Verdigris.  Though the Colorverse and De Atramentis may be wetter.  I remember Ham #65 being really wet, though I haven't done a review yet.

[GNL]

3 hours ago, yazeh said:

Welcome back Gary. And congrats on your new Pelikan.

 

 

What colour range do you want? Do you want waterproof ink? 

Also note sometimes a very wet ink, in a wet pen might not be as fun as you think....

 

 

[GNL]

Liz EF, Thanks so much!  I’m goin to have a lot of fun checking these out.  

 

Gary

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, GNL said:

Liz EF, Thanks so much!  I’m goin to have a lot of fun checking these out.  

 

Gary

You're very welcome!  Enjoy the shopping trip.  (I recommend samples, where possible!)

[chromantic]

Pilot Iroshizuku. Monteverde inks have a secret ingredient to optimize flow so they're on the wet side, too.

[inkstainedruth]

Are you sure you really want a wet ink, GNL?  Because IME Pelikan nibs are very wet for the most part (the only exceptions I've found are in an older P22 with an F nib, and the (new) M205 Blue Marble I bought at a pen show a couple of months ago.  

My first bird was a 1990s era M400 with an F nib and I had planned to use it for drawing -- but Iroshizuku Yama-guri was way too wet an ink for that pen.

Even the EF nibs on my M405 Striated Blue and M600 Violet and White are not what I would call "dry".

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[chromantic]

7 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Are you sure you really want a wet ink, GNL?

 

Well, he asked.

 

I won't use Iros in my Pels, either. I bought Take-sumi specifically for my Stresemann and it was a firehose; the Stipula Fading Grey works much better and I use Stipulas in my other birds as well.

[lgsoltek]

Blackstone, DeAtramentis.

[inkstainedruth]

Not all De Atramentis inks are wet.  I bought a bottle of Albrecht Dürer/Anthracite and it's very dry.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[gerigo]

Most Japanese inks that are made by either Sailor, Pilot or Platinum are wet. Iroshizuku's are on the wet side as are most of the regular production Sailor Inks.

 

The only Japanese I would not recommend are  Kyo-Iro and Kyo-no-oto as they are dry as a bone.

[mtcn77]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:03 PM, GNL said:

as I fell out of love with my many fountain pens for a while due to inky fingers.

I can help with that. Get a pomace stone and rub the stains after the stone has been wetting some time. Soap your hands foamy while you are rubbing your hands to the stone. I don't know the precise chemistry, though. Something about valence I suppose. Calcium is the most valent metal, even more than iron.

[sombrueil]

Diamine Asa Blue, if it hasn't been mentioned, is one of my very wettest inks. It's a deep brilliant turquoise.

 

[ENewton]

I have a dry Pelikan 140 and tried many inks before discovering that Iroshizuku Kujaku worked well.

 

Right now I have the pen inked with J Herbin Cacao du Bresil, which is a lovely ink but not the best choice for a fine, dry nib.  Every time I use the pen, I have to shake it to start the flow.