What Are Your Favorite Ink Swatching Tools?

[Penguincollector]

  I have been cycling through several different pen types for ink swatching since I started trying to keep an archive of the inks I use. I have used different dip pen nibs, a glass pen, brushes, and lately- a fude nib to keep things from getting too messy. Ideally, I’d like one tool that both writes fine enough to read and broad enough to fill in the little ink bottle on my swatch cards. Is the Kakimori pen the best match for me? Are the Hocoro pens useful for swatching? Is there something else that you recommend? 

[XYZZY]

I bought a Sailor Hocoro with M nib thinking it would be the answer to that question.  A fresh dip would start blobby and be written dry in about 10 characters.  Nothing at all like the reviews, so I promptly returned it.  Perhaps I got a dud?

[Penguincollector]

10 minutes ago, XYZZY said:

I bought a Sailor Hocoro with M nib thinking it would be the answer to that question.  A fresh dip would start blobby and be written dry in about 10 characters.  Nothing at all like the reviews, so I promptly returned it.  Perhaps I got a dud?

  That sounds terrible. I almost bought one the last time I was at Oblation, but now I’m glad I didn’t. Let’s see if others who tried one chime in.  

[Sailor Kenshin]

Glass pens, cotton swabs, and...toothpicks.  Yes.

[Penguincollector]

21 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Glass pens, cotton swabs, and...toothpicks.  Yes.

   I haven’t tried swabs yet, I am afraid they’re going to soak up too much ink. Am I just being paranoid? 

[Sailor Kenshin]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

   I haven’t tried swabs yet, I am afraid they’re going to soak up too much ink. Am I just being paranoid? 

 

They do soak up a lot of ink but the results are pretty (anyway, I like 'em).  You could always swirl the swab in the cap.

[Penguincollector]

3 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

You could always swirl the swab in the cap.

   That’s what I do with a brush, I will give it a try. It’s not too much of a concern with bottles, but some ink samples are a bit precious. 

[yazeh]

I'm like @Sailor Kenshin minus the tooth picks. I use a cheap glass pen and cotton swabs

 

[tde44x]

After many different tools/methods, I finally decided to try and have the swatches reflect what I use the most for paper and to simplify the process.

 

For laying down the ink and writing samples I now use a KAKIMORI brass nib in a dip pen holder.

 

For paper, I cut all the types I use regularly into 3x5 (inch) rectangles and punch/insert them into disc bound notebooks.

[Sailor Kenshin]

5 hours ago, yazeh said:

I'm like @Sailor Kenshin minus the tooth picks. I use a cheap glass pen and cotton swabs

 

I will have to find pics!

 

[Penguincollector]

  So far in my own swatching the best combo has been the glass pen, like @Sailor Kenshin and @yazeh, but I will try Q-Tips as well for the blob. Thanks for the photo, SK- the colors on the sample page are right up my alley as well (currently my hair color)! 

 

   @tde44x , is the brass line fine when held upright? I heard it’s both wider and softer than the steel, the softness is intriguing, but I haven’t seen any line width comparisons to fountain pens. What pen of yours would you say the line width at its finest is closest to? Did you get the holder as well, or do you have a different brand? The only holder I have that may be compatible is an oblique one, and I think I would rather use a straight holder instead.  I have also tried a few different papers for swatches, I watch The Wet Pen’s YouTube channel during Inkvent and loved the crafting factor in making swatch rings. They are really bulky though, so when @fireant gifted me some lovely Tsubame swatch cards made with OK Fools paper, I switched to those and a card album. It’s all a work in progress. 

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have that brass nib, too, but haven't used it recently.  I might have bought a holder at the same time.  
 

I got the nib when looking at InkVent swatch cards being made with them.  Can't recall the store but it's in NYC.

 

PS: Found it.  Mesmerizing, you bet.
 

On da toobn

[tde44x]

3 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  So far in my own swatching the best combo has been the glass pen, like @Sailor Kenshin and @yazeh, but I will try Q-Tips as well for the blob. Thanks for the photo, SK- the colors on the sample page are right up my alley as well (currently my hair color)! 

 

   @tde44x , is the brass line fine when held upright? I heard it’s both wider and softer than the steel, the softness is intriguing, but I haven’t seen any line width comparisons to fountain pens. What pen of yours would you say the line width at its finest is closest to? Did you get the holder as well, or do you have a different brand? The only holder I have that may be compatible is an oblique one, and I think I would rather use a straight holder instead.  I have also tried a few different papers for swatches, I watch The Wet Pen’s YouTube channel during Inkvent and loved the crafting factor in making swatch rings. They are really bulky though, so when @fireant gifted me some lovely Tsubame swatch cards made with OK Fools paper, I switched to those and a card album. It’s all a work in progress. 

 

I would say when near vertical the nib width is like a western fine. The nib holder I use is a Tachikawa T36 aka comic nib holder that I already had.

[inkstainedruth]

I just use whatever pen I decide to try the ink in.  And then later on, if I use the ink in a different pen (or several different pens) I'll make a note of that.

I DON'T use cotton swabs when I'm testing inks, because I don't think the colors are as true as they are coming out of a pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

I only use index cards to tell me what ink I have in what pen....I don't swatch.

I can do a mini-comparison ... looking at what ink was in the pen in the last 3-4 color changes. Nothing organized.

[XYZZY]

I don't keep ink swatches per se.  I do keep a log of what I fill each pen with:  it's both in a spreadsheet as well as a notebook dedicated to just that log.  The former because I'm a nerd, and I do use the ability to query what I've used in the past (whether what pens I've tried a particular ink with, or what inks I've tried in a specific pen).

 

The latter (the notebook) because the visual record is nice.  Mostly it's just a record of ink/pen/date, which is nice because it shows a ink/pen combo, far more representative of what the ink looks like than a swab.  I don't remember who I got the idea from, but I didn't invent this.  I'm fairly sure I got it from a picture posted by somebody here on FPN.  Hopefully I'll remember to post a picture later.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I just jot what ink/pen combo I'm using at the head of each page.  I do the teeny swatches on the first page of the notebook.

[Penguincollector]

3 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I just use whatever pen I decide to try the ink in.  And then later on, if I use the ink in a different pen (or several different pens) I'll make a note of that.

I DON'T use cotton swabs when I'm testing inks, because I don't think the colors are as true as they are coming out of a pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

  I also keep a log of every pen I have inked . It’s nice because I also remark on how the pen and ink feel together, if it’s a combination worth repeating, and over time can see the color differences in nib widths and other details. I can also track any changes in bottles as they get older.  My only problem with my pen log is that I am woefully unorganized and have to flip through to reference things.
  The swatches are a bit more fun, like finger painting.  It’s a bit meditative and calming. I make time every day to swatch one ink and write with it in my daily ink journal after dinner. Then I write- it’s like a warm up before dance class. When I have tried to fill in a wide space on a swatch card with a pen, it sometimes tears up the paper, especially if it’s a fine nib. 

 

4 hours ago, tde44x said:

I would say when near vertical the nib width is like a western fine. The nib holder I use is a Tachikawa T36 aka comic nib holder that I already had.

 

  I think I may end up buying one. Western Fine is a good size. I really like the Tachikawa T40, which seems the same as the T36 in most respects but also has a cap, and comes in blue, which is important.  The ones from Kakimori are a bit much. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Kakimori with me.
 

57 minutes ago, XYZZY said:

I do keep a log of what I fill each pen with:  it's both in a spreadsheet as well as a notebook dedicated to just that log.  The former because I'm a nerd, and I do use the ability to query what I've used in the past (whether what pens I've tried a particular ink with, or what inks I've tried in a specific pen).

   I keep a written log as well, but it’s not super organized. A spreadsheet sounds helpful, but I don’t know where to start. Would you mind posting a screenshot of your spreadsheet? 

 

7 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I have that brass nib, too, but haven't used it recently.  I might have bought a holder at the same time.  
 

I got the nib when looking at InkVent swatch cards being made with them.  Can't recall the store but it's in NYC.

 

PS: Found it.  Mesmerizing, you bet.
 

On da toobn

  That is definitely a mesmerizing watch!  May I ask why you don’t use yours for swatching? 
 

2 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I only use index cards to tell me what ink I have in what pen....I don't swatch.

I can do a mini-comparison ... looking at what ink was in the pen in the last 3-4 color changes. Nothing organized.

 

  I keep a notebook, it’s not organized at all, just chronologically written with each inked pen and names the ink. It would be smarter to have a system that tells you what other inks have been used without having to go looking.  XYZZY mentioned upthread that they use a spreadsheet, which is intriguing. 

[Sailor Kenshin]

@Penguincollector, I think I sorta forget about it....

 

I don't use it for shimmer inks, that's for sure.

[Penguincollector]

6 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@Penguincollector, I think I sorta forget about it....

 

I don't use it for shimmer inks, that's for sure.

  I get forgetting about tools, it’s easy to do. Would shimmer inks cause problems with it?