Some Ink Tests

[USG]

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Lots of great comparisons here @USG 👍 thanks! And a great idea to mix both Waterman inks.

 

Speaking of Waterman soporific blue, here's a (dusty) Pilot feed picture:

 

 

Left Custom 74 is brand new never inked, middle 74 was inked once for a few hours with an ink I forgot, wasn't a great match, and 743 on the right was inked countless time with various inks over the last 2 or 3 years, but never with IG or pigmented stuff.

IRL they look pretty similar, the middle 74 looks a touch bluer, probably a different batch of feeds from the left 74.

 

Now the eternal question, what ink to use in these pens? I got the Pelikan IoftY Apricot Achat, that looks awfully light. Maybe just some Waterman blue, but in Japanese pens? I did give away many bottles and samples at the hub, and have now some storage space available to fill  

 

Great feed pics LTM... 👍😀

Haha, another LTM'ism: First there was "Matured ink" now "The Eternal Question"

And a good question it is.....😀  I still haven't landed on an ink for the 823, although today I'm thinking strongly about Sailor Illinois.

 

What ink do you have in the other 2 pens?  And what paper are you using these days?

 

@Penguincollector  I keep referring back to you swatches... 😀👍

What 'letter' is to the left of the '8' in you swatches? 

Is that a 'D' (you know how clueless I am),  and What ink is it?

[Lithium466]

19 minutes ago, USG said:

 

Great feed pics LTM... 👍😀

Haha, another LTM'ism: First there was "Matured ink" now "The Eternal Question"

And a good question it is.....😀  I still haven't landed on an ink for the 823, although today I'm thinking strongly about Sailor Illinois.

 

What ink do you have in the other 2 pens?  And what paper are you using these days?

😂 

All 3 pens are uninked for now. EF and F nibs for the 74s, SFM for the 743. Not happy with the 743 grind (it's more of a SF in its current state, without much personality, and I don't know what to do with it). I also have a 1911L lined up uninked, in the same paralysis state.

Saturated Sailor inks have been good matches with the Pilot #15 nibs, in my experience 👍 May I suggest some Kuretake Ink Café inks too?

 

Papers of the moment are again Kokuyo Business 64gsm, and some Iroful. I have been working to reduce paper stocks. I have some Excompta 70gsm lined up (FAF).

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, USG said:

What 'letter' is to the left of the '8' in you swatches? 

Is that a 'D' (you know how clueless I am),  and What ink is it?

  It’s either a capital “U” or “V”  (they look alike) in Gothic script, written with my old Sheaffer No Nonsense with an italic broad nib. The ink is a Sheaffer Deluxe Blue cartridge- can’t remember how old, with holographic sky blue mica added. 

[USG]

STAIN REMOVAL FAILURE:

 

To recap: This was the initial condition of a stained Oamas 360.  I think the ink that stained it might have been Private Reserve Naples from the late '90s.

 

Here it is with a fill of Rapido Eze to clean out the mess from the cleaning inks. The cleaning inks stained the piston.

 

Now: the pen after 2 Rapido Eze soaks, & with a 3rd Rapido Eze fill in place.  The top of the piston is fairly clean but the initial stain remains.

 

This pen has only had cleaner inks in it for over 2 years or just water and Rapido Eze to clean out the Cleaner inks.  I'm giving up.  This is what it looks like in it's current state.

 

I really don't see any improvement.  Quink with Solv-X didn't do anything.   Sailor DoYou didn't do anything.  Rapido Eze was able to clean up most of the residue left from the cleaning inks, but, the piston looks like it's stained more.

 

Trying out Sailor Mississippi "Outlining" ink

[USG]

23 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

😂

All 3 pens are uninked for now. EF and F nibs for the 74s, SFM for the 743. Not happy with the 743 grind (it's more of a SF in its current state, without much personality, and I don't know what to do with it). I also have a 1911L lined up uninked, in the same paralysis state.

Saturated Sailor inks have been good matches with the Pilot #15 nibs, in my experience 👍 May I suggest some Kuretake Ink Café inks too?

 

Papers of the moment are again Kokuyo Business 64gsm, and some Iroful. I have been working to reduce paper stocks. I have some Excompta 70gsm lined up (FAF).

 

Thanks for reminding me about the Kokuyo Business 64.  I made a notebook of it but haven't used it in a while.  (Now to find the notebook)

 

I see you have your Fine and EF nibs at the ready.  I remember your 743<SFM>.  Maybe just polish it up the way it is and use it for a while.  Maybe you'll hit on an outlining ink or one with character.  

 

Hey, speaking of fine nibs that write well, I forgot, do you have a Moonman P136?  The fine on that pen is incredibly nice.  Smooth as a Pilot but not slippery.

 

What nib is on your Sailor 19911 L?  Mine are all medium nibs except one that's a MF. 

 

I couldn't log on the other day so I dipped the  Pilot 823 in Sailor Illinois trying to approximate Platinum Blue Black.  In some instances it's pretty close...  in others not so much...

 

Target ink color

 

Attempt with Sailor Illinois (close in some instances but no cigar atm)

 

This is from my Celluloid 3776 from a long time ago.  It has an 18k nib and it's marked with the symbol for 'Course' in Japanese.  It writes wetter than the newer one in Bold.

 

22 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  It’s either a capital “U” or “V”  (they look alike) in Gothic script, written with my old Sheaffer No Nonsense with an italic broad nib. The ink is a Sheaffer Deluxe Blue cartridge- can’t remember how old, with holographic sky blue mica added. 

 

NIce work with you Italic nib...😀👍  That Sheaffer ink is a nice color. 😀

PS - I like those swatches 😀👍

[Mechanical]

@USG I have a bottle of Rapido Eze in the closet as kind of an ultimate stain remover.  Doesn't seem like it's "ultimate" at all!

 

Of course there are other brands of cleaner... but no way to know if they are worth trying.

[USG]

On 10/26/2025 at 12:30 PM, Mechanical said:

@USG I have a bottle of Rapido Eze in the closet as kind of an ultimate stain remover.  Doesn't seem like it's "ultimate" at all!

 

Of course there are other brands of cleaner... but no way to know if they are worth trying.

 

Humm, you're always ahead of me on stuff like cleaners, but it's too late, I gave up and dipped the pen.  I want to use it with something besides cleaner ink.... 😀   One of the problems with the Omas 360 is that I can't take it apart and gain access to the inside of the barrel.

 

I don't know if Rapido Eze is the ultimate cleaner, it's just the one I had on hand.  I've used it for a long time.  It usually does a good job of cleaning out a pen. 

 

@Lithium466 Anyway, two things: 

- Other than the obvious, Why do you always ask if an ink is erasable? 

- I think You once mentioned Athol Violet.  What was it about that ink? 

 

Meanwhile while I couldn't log on I ended up dipping the 823 in Sailor Illinois trying to get close to Platinum BB (above).  I don't know if it's a keeper... got any ideas?

[USG]

CONTINUED:

 

 

I wanted to use Pilot BB in the 823<M> because It was a very nice color after it "matured" and it was a permanent ink but when I tested it out of the bottle (with a dip pen) it came out lighter and without the characterization it developed after it matured.

 

This was the initial test:  Note that the Parker Duofold nib had a wider line than the either the Jinahao or the Pilot

 

The 'Matured' Pilot BB ink had lots of character, (shading and subtle sheen out of the Jinhao X159<F>) and I thought it might be a waterproof substitute for the Platinum BB

 

But out of the bottle with a dip pen, it was a whole other animal.  It didn't come close in color or character and I didn't know if I could guarantee it's level of "maturity" in the barrel of  a Vac filler.

 

So I dipped it in Sailor States Illinois which was also close.  Not horrible but also not waterproof.  I would have taken a chance with the Pilot BB but my hesitation was that in the past I've had other inks "mature" and become darker but it was only the "feed ink" and when that was used up the ink from the cartridge or barrel was the original lighter color.

 

This was the target color.

 

The Pilot 823<M> and a Parker Duofold<F> in a dip pen holder. [I'm guessing nib is from the late 1920s]

 

Close ups:  The Pilot 823<M> and a Parker Duofold<F> in a dip pen holder.

[USG]

(The forum is working atm so I'm going to keep going....)

 

Changed ink in a Parker Sonnet.

 

It had Parker Penman Mocha residue in it

 

Changed to Monteverde Capri Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lithium466]

On 10/26/2025 at 1:57 PM, USG said:

 

Hey, speaking of fine nibs that write well, I forgot, do you have a Moonman P136?  The fine on that pen is incredibly nice.  Smooth as a Pilot but not slippery.

 

Ha, no P136 but I've been eyeing the titanium version. 
 

On 10/26/2025 at 1:57 PM, USG said:

What nib is on your Sailor 19911 L?  Mine are all medium nibs except one that's a MF. 

I have EF/F/MF. EF is next in line for inking...got overtaken by another WS 601 yesterday (with Sailor 743).

 

On 10/26/2025 at 1:57 PM, USG said:

I couldn't log on the other day so I dipped the  Pilot 823 in Sailor Illinois trying to approximate Platinum Blue Black.  In some instances it's pretty close...  in others not so much...

 

Target ink color

 

Attempt with Sailor Illinois (close in some instances but no cigar atm)

 

This is from my Celluloid 3776 from a long time ago.  It has an 18k nib and it's marked with the symbol for 'Course' in Japanese.  It writes wetter than the newer one in Bold.

 

Perhaps you could try to let Pilot BB mature in the bottle? Or set a sample aside and let it concentrate. I do that with Herbin EdS.

 

Have you tried Taccia Ao? Or Diamine Festive Cheer.

 

 

 

Is that Omas from with a particularly porous or "stainable" resin? I would recommend some long EDTA acid baths and perhaps some ultrasonic cleaner rounds, but if you can't dismantle the piston maybe that's a bad idea. Do you know which inks stained it initially?

 

 

[USG]

On 10/25/2025 at 9:20 AM, Lithium466 said:

All 3 pens are uninked for now. EF and F nibs for the 74s, SFM for the 743. Not happy with the 743 grind (it's more of a SF in its current state, without much personality, and I don't know what to do with it). I also have a 1911L lined up uninked,

 

Time for an update... 😀👍

[Lithium466]

5 hours ago, USG said:

 

@Lithium466 Anyway, two things: 

- Other than the obvious, Why do you always ask if an ink is erasable? 

- I think You once mentioned Athol Violet.  What was it about that ink? 

 

Meanwhile while I couldn't log on I ended up dipping the 823 in Sailor Illinois trying to get close to Platinum BB (above).  I don't know if it's a keeper... got any ideas?

I ask about "erasability" as that's a cue for a methyl blue/violet base. Usually meaning something that will eventually fade into a duller colour. Also most of the time high surface tension

 

Athol violet is nice but lacks lubrication. It isn't erasable, and it seemed to me (perhaps erroneously) that Diamine tried to stray away from their usual dies or formulations. You'd need a wet pen to get the most of it. Oh and it comes in a huge 75mL bottle  
 

 

15 minutes ago, USG said:

Changed ink in a Parker Sonnet.

 

It had Parker Penman Mocha residue in it

 

Changed to Monteverde Capri Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice blue on Canopus!

[Lithium466]

4 minutes ago, USG said:

 

Time for an update... 😀👍

Haha, nothing happened  Using a WS 601 with Sailor ink studio 743 instead. That is one nail of a pen, which made me want to try grinding a Pilot CH912 FA into something thinner 🤦‍♂️

And then I thought of the Magna Carta 600 or 650...but it probably starts too thick already.

[USG]

15 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Ha, no P136 but I've been eyeing the titanium version. 

 

I didn't know there was a titanium P136.   I went for the Asvine J16.  It's a very nice pen, feels solid. Writes well.  Very smooth  I almost never use it.  I don't know why.  🤷‍♂️

 

17 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

have EF/F/MF. EF is next in line for inking...got overtaken by another WS 601 yesterday (with Sailor 743).

 

The gang is waiting to see your ink choices...😀👍

Gotta love those 601s, and 743 is a winner, it's become one of my favorite inks since you turned me on to it. 😀👍

 

21 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Perhaps you could try to let Pilot BB mature in the bottle? Or set a sample aside and let it concentrate. I do that with Herbin EdS.

 

Have you tried Taccia Ao? Or Diamine Festive Cheer.

 

The bottle has been sitting around since I bought it and the color isn't changing.  I suppose I could try to concentrate it...

 

Herbin EdS contrate:  Could you post a writing ample?

 

I've been looking at Taccia Ao, so maybe...  Diamine Festive Cheer definitely looks interesting.  Does it do any tricks?  I have their Royal Blue but it doesn't do anything.

 

1 hour ago, Lithium466 said:

Is that Omas from with a particularly porous or "stainable" resin? 

 

I don't know what kind of plastic it's made out of.  I got it a long time ago.

 

I'm pretty sure the ink that stained it was Private Reserve Naples from the late '90s.

 

 

 

 

[USG]

1 hour ago, Lithium466 said:

which made me want to try grinding a Pilot CH912 FA into something thinner 🤦‍♂️

And then I thought of the Magna Carta 600 or 650...but it probably starts too thick already.

 

Instead of grinding the FA you could scissor the tines and reduce the flow.  I did that with the flex nibs and it had the effect of giving me a much finer line.   The Magna Carta is a strange pen,  You have to use a very light hand or it's too wet and writes too wide.  I'm using Waterman Inspired blue which is one of the dryest inks around, according to InesF ink chart, to slow down the flow and it's still very wet.  The Pilot 743 FA is pretty fine but not so with the 743FA wihich is a lot softer.  The finest nib I have is on the Moonman Ti200.... btw, did you get yours working?

[USG]

After hearing all the hype about Fabriano paper I ordered some.  It took weeks to get here from overseas and now it's here.  It's not for me.  My first impression is that colors are muted, it's slippery and it feathers.  It's so thick-opaque that I can barely see a guide sheet under it, but almost all the inks soak through so there's no using the back of the sheet.  It's clearly not on the level of Canopus, TR-S, Iroful or Cosmo Snow.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE AND SEE FEATHERING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[InkyProf]

@USG, how frustrating that must be! As one of the people who had mentioned Fabriano here, I'm sorry that this didn't prove to be to your liking. But I'm also wondering what exactly you have there, because it doesn't sound much like the paper I've been using, which doesn't come across as slippery at all, and which hasn't given me much if any feathering or bleedthrough. Does it say, on the back or the inside back cover of the notebook, whether it's "EcoQua" paper (85gsm)?

I think @Penguincollector mentioned having heard that Fabriano was changing or had recently changed, too; if this is the new paper, it seems pretty terrible.

In any case, apologies for any role I played in this disappointment!

[Penguincollector]

What kind of Fabriano did you get, @USG? They make several different types. I have a EcoQua spiral as a journal at the moment and it doesn’t exhibit any feathering. Although I have heard that this paper may also be changing. 😔 I can use the Clairefontaine Triomphe guide sheet under mine with no issues. 

 

  @InkyProfand I were posting at the same time. I also extend apologies if this is the new EcoQua. 

[USG]

8 hours ago, InkyProf said:

@USG, how frustrating that must be! As one of the people who had mentioned Fabriano here, I'm sorry that this didn't prove to be to your liking. But I'm also wondering what exactly you have there, because it doesn't sound much like the paper I've been using, which doesn't come across as slippery at all, and which hasn't given me much if any feathering or bleedthrough. Does it say, on the back or the inside back cover of the notebook, whether it's "EcoQua" paper (85gsm)?

I think @Penguincollector mentioned having heard that Fabriano was changing or had recently changed, too; if this is the new paper, it seems pretty terrible.

In any case, apologies for any role I played in this disappointment!

 

8 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

What kind of Fabriano did you get, @USG? They make several different types. I have a EcoQua spiral as a journal at the moment and it doesn’t exhibit any feathering. Although I have heard that this paper may also be changing. 😔 I can use the Clairefontaine Triomphe guide sheet under mine with no issues. 

 

  @InkyProfand I were posting at the same time. I also extend apologies if this is the new EcoQua. 

 

https://a.co/d/5zdu9IX    <---  This is what I ordered.

 

You guys are not at fault.   I was aware of the paper and would have tried it anyway.  But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Fabriano changed their formulation.

 

I had been reading all the rave reviews online and on Amazon and was expecting a Canopus like paper.  'Spoiled I was', because even though Canopus did not live up to it's hype, and was not on the level of Cosmo Snow or Iroful, it turned out to be pretty decent paper, which for me means a nice surface, nuances, and NO feathering or woolly lines.  Primarily, NO feathering.  There's no reason to have to deal with feathering when Tomoe River-S is around and relatively inexpensive.

 

I've posted examples of feathering from 3 types of Kokuyo (but NOT Kokuyo KB), APPICA, Maruman, Stalogy, Mnemosyne and others.  Life paper wasn't horrible but it was yellow.  OPTIK was OK and reminded me of Clairefontaine and Rhodia; relatively 'nuanceless'.  I had a brief fling with Sugar Cane paper a couple of years ago when I found 3 notebooks in an unopened bag from 'Staples'.  I liked the concept but the paper wasn't up to the task and drifted off into obscurity.

 

[Lithium466]

 

 

21 hours ago, USG said:

 

The gang is waiting to see your ink choices...😀👍

Gotta love those 601s, and 743 is a winner, it's become one of my favorite inks since you turned me on to it. 😀👍

 

743 is great indeed! I'm starting to appreciate some of the Ink studio inks more and more. 730 is becoming one of my favourite reds.

 

Ink choice for the 1911L EF was a bit lame: PR Lake Placid blue. A nice blue, that glows a bit under fluorescent light.

I put Edelstein Apricot Achat from the Hub in another 601 but then realized that it had floating flakes (many of our hub bottles were seemingly contaminated or have that issue, whatever it is. Normal orange red or pink can be a little oversaturated with some cristallisation happening but that's clearly not the case for Apricot Achat!)

 

21 hours ago, USG said:

The bottle has been sitting around since I bought it and the color isn't changing.  I suppose I could try to concentrate it...

 

Herbin EdS contrate:  Could you post a writing ample?

 

I've been looking at Taccia Ao, so maybe...  Diamine Festive Cheer definitely looks interesting.  Does it do any tricks?  I have their Royal Blue but it doesn't do anything.
 

It turns out I was out of concentrated EdS so I'm currently maturing some more for you. I remember it can feather if you overdo it though...and it's probably not worth compared to PR Lake Placid blue.

 

Diamine Festive Cheer is a sheener according to Diamine, my bottle doesn't appear to be particularly violent for that. I see it as a more concentrated (and with better lubrication) version of Waterman S blue...one I actually want to use 🤭 It is mostly "erasable" as well, but very well done.

Diamine Royal blue isn't erasable and is just one of their regular inks, also I want to say bluer, less blurplish than Festive Cheer.

 

21 hours ago, USG said:

I don't know what kind of plastic it's made out of.  I got it a long time ago.

 

I'm pretty sure the ink that stained it was Private Reserve Naples from the late '90s.

 

Well then you have the bleach option, if not already tried...but if you like the pen, I'd skip that!