Do You Save Your Ink Samples?

[Tina Lee]

Hey folks!

 

I have a question for you all: What do you do with the ink samples that you have? Do you use up the samples you like, or save some for a rainy day?

 

What's your preferred method of storage or organization?

 

And how do you sample? Dip pen, glass pen, or just dip a nib?

[Guest Ray Cornett]

I have only been a member of the Goulet Pens ink drop club for about 3 months or so and I already have too many samples. I may probably cancel soon since I already have a favorite red, black, blue, and green. The funky colors like orange and the neon looking ones don't do it for me. Having favorites already I see no real need to go on. I will probably do a PIF or two with the ones I don't want. As for sampling I fill the pen and try it for a day or so to make sure I do or don't like it.

[FayeV]

I'm interested in the answers to those question too ... and I'll add a few of my own questions to your list...

 

Do you use the same pen to test samples, for consistency?

Or use the same pen to keep your more precious pens safe?

Or do you use any pen, whatever you happen to have un-inked at the time?

 

Do you "decant" your bottled ink into emptied sample vials and then refill pens from the sample vials in order to prevent contamination in your ink bottles (which might happen from dipping your pen into the bottled of ink)?

[amberleadavis]

Oh dear, I do ALL of the things listed above, and sometimes none of them. And sometimes, I give them away. I never discard them. Look at some of the links about the strange things some of us do with left over inks.

[macaddicted]

I have mine in trays of 50, about 225 samples total. I've been a member of the Ink Drop from the beginning. I generally don't use the sample, but check the color with a glass pen. That kind of pen is really easy to load and clean.

 

The best way I've found to find the ink I'm looking for quickly among so many is to write the name of the ink on a 3/4" white sticker in pencil then swab the sticker with a q-tip. Stick it on top of the cap and it's easy to see what color it is, and I can group the samples by general color. With that I have an ink library from which to choose new colors. I can also check the appearance against samples on the web. It's become somewhat bulky as the number of samples has grown, but I'm happy to have it.

[Tina Lee]

I'm interested in the answers to those question too ... and I'll add a few of my own questions to your list...

 

Do you use the same pen to test samples, for consistency?

Or use the same pen to keep your more precious pens safe?

Or do you use any pen, whatever you happen to have un-inked at the time?

 

Do you "decant" your bottled ink into emptied sample vials and then refill pens from the sample vials in order to prevent contamination in your ink bottles (which might happen from dipping your pen into the bottled of ink)?

Wow! Never thought to decant bottled ink into sample vials to prevent contamination... Might have to start doing this.

 

 

I have mine in trays of 50, about 225 samples total. I've been a member of the Ink Drop from the beginning. I generally don't use the sample, but check the color with a glass pen. That kind of pen is really easy to load and clean.

 

The best way I've found to find the ink I'm looking for quickly among so many is to write the name of the ink on a 3/4" white sticker in pencil then swab the sticker with a q-tip. Stick it on top of the cap and it's easy to see what color it is, and I can group the samples by general color. With that I have an ink library from which to choose new colors. I can also check the appearance against samples on the web. It's become somewhat bulky as the number of samples has grown, but I'm happy to have it.

 

That sticker idea is fantastic. Do you change inks / use a bunch of different samples very frequently?

[macaddicted]

That sticker idea is fantastic. Do you change inks / use a bunch of different samples very frequently?

I change inks from my bottles somewhat regularly, but limit using my samples to a glass pen.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I don't keep samples, unless I like them. I usually try out my sample with a glass pen. If I like the sample, I ink up a pen. If I still like it, I keep the sample bottle to refill the pen some way in order to use it up. (And I mark the sample in my notebook so that I remember to order it later. I had one in this month's Ink Drop that took me entirely by surprise. I don't like scented inks. I don't like this one's scent, but I liked it.

 

But I do not keep the bottles. I clean some out to recycle for my own refilling. I have some ink in dropper bottles, so these little plastic bottles are much nicer for refilling.

[PS104]

I've been on FPN for several years now but this is the first time I've heard of the Ink Drop

Is this a secret society?

How do I join?

Thanks

[KBeezie]

It's mainly been saved for the most part, the ink drop samples I've gotten over the last 3 months don't get often used, in fact I think the only ones I've been using consistently was whatever I have left of the Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo and Ama-iro, but oddly the others don't see that much use. And I gave my sample of R&K Scabiosa to a friend who loves purple, and right now I got R&K Salix in my 1.5mm stub nib pen, because that seemed to be the most visual place to put it (otherwise I don't use it normally)

 

In the last 3 months it's either been bright reds, orange, yellows, purples, with the occasional greens. And while there was one black (Platinum Carbon Black), I was not a huge fan of it, the pigmented ink does weird things to the flow on some of my pens.

[amberleadavis]

I've been on FPN for several years now but this is the first time I've heard of the Ink Drop

Is this a secret society?

How do I join?

Thanks

 

Goulet pens has a special monthly subscription. They pick the samples and send them out each month. It's a lot of fun.

[FayeV]

I have mine in trays of 50, about 225 samples total. I've been a member of the Ink Drop from the beginning. I generally don't use the sample, but check the color with a glass pen. That kind of pen is really easy to load and clean.

 

The best way I've found to find the ink I'm looking for quickly among so many is to write the name of the ink on a 3/4" white sticker in pencil then swab the sticker with a q-tip. Stick it on top of the cap and it's easy to see what color it is, and I can group the samples by general color. With that I have an ink library from which to choose new colors. I can also check the appearance against samples on the web. It's become somewhat bulky as the number of samples has grown, but I'm happy to have it.

 

Wow, 2 great ideas! Thanks!

 

{goes to do a search on glass pens}

 

I found FiberDrunk's post on glass pen comparisons here:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/216558-glass-pen-comparison/

 

And then went to look at Rohrer & Klingner glass pens. They're gorgeous.

 

She shared a link to the Goulet video on using glass pens, so I got to see how you use one:

 

Now I really want one!

 

Where do you normally keep your glass dip pen? They look easy to break.

 

 

[ac12]

I use a Morriset dip pen with a M and F nib. This is a nib with a feed so it behaves more like a fountain pen than a dip pen.

I also test on 4 different papers, to see the effect on the ink line.

 

However. This is not foolproof.

Example, Waterman green tested as a mid shade, rather clean green. However, I have a pen that writes that ink so dark that it is almost black, more like a green-black.

So the ink testing can completely fail if the flow characteristic of your pen(s) do not match the flow characteristic of your test pen.

 

The best you can do is as Waski does.

1. Test first with your test pen; dip pen, glass pen, etc.
2. Then if it looks good, ink up one of your pens to test.
   • Note that even if the test in step 1 did not look good, because of different flow characteristics between the test pen and your fountain pen, it just may look good out of a pen. So you may still want to test out of a fountain pen anyway.

As for test pen.

• Dan suggested a Goulet #6 nib in a straight dip pen holder. Then you are using a fountain pen nib, vs a glass pen which usually does not behave like a fountain pen. I just got my Goulet #6 nib, so I have not tested this idea. It did not work with the Esterbrook nibs that I tried, so I am hoping for better results with the Goulet nib.
• I use a Morriset dip pen, because it has a feed.
• Others use a dip pen nib that approximates the ink flow from a fountain pen.
• One guy I know uses a Lamy Safari with all the nibs XF, F, M, B, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9. He just swaps the nibs during his test.
• Other use a glass pen because it is easy to clean. But yes it is FRAGILE.

Edited May 5, 2014 by ac12

[KBeezie]

I've been on FPN for several years now but this is the first time I've heard of the Ink Drop

Is this a secret society?

How do I join?

Thanks

 

Better yet, here's a Link.

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/Ink_Drop_s/795.htm

[FayeV]

• One guy I know uses a Lamy Safari with all the nibs XF, F, M, B, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9. He just swaps the nibs during his test.
• Other use a glass pen because it is easy to clean. But yes it is FRAGILE.

 

 

I'll have to admit that it was the easy clean feature that sold me on the glass pens.

 

I'll definitely need to pick up a variety of Lamy nib sizes now that I'm on speaking terms again with my Lamy Safari.

Plus it won't hurt if it gets thrashed while being used as a testing pen.

[mhguda]

I am aware of the Goulet samples program, but it's a bit too expensive to be fun for me, so I find other ways to get ink samples.

There have been a number of generous fellow FPNers who have given me some, and those I have mostly used up or am planning to use at a future date. Usually when the vial is almost empty I pour the last drops into an eyedropper pen. The ink gets all used up, unless I don't like it. In that case it will go into the experiments rack - to see what interesting colors I can come up with from an original that I don't particularly like.

I also like to try my own mixes, and for that I use recycled sample bottles or vials, or, lately, 15ml plastic medicine bottles. I tend to use a lot of those, because when mixing I try to be systematic: do I like 1:1, 1:2, 2:1,... you see the idea. Those samples, if I do not like them, do not have a very long independent existence: they end up in the big mixing pot where random inks are tossed. Starts life as a bottle of dipping water, to dip hard starters in. At a certain point when that's been going on for a while, I change the water, and the inky stuff becomes a receptacle for small volumes of temporarily unwanted ink. The mixture is always interesting, and sometimes amazing. Lately it has been tending to purple, or violet, or something deep and dark. I may fill a pen with that, or use a dip pen.

[jmccarty3]

I buy the racks that Goulet sells. They remind me of the test tube racks that I used for lab experiments when I was an undergraduate. I already have more ink that I'll ever use in my lifetime!

[KBeezie]

I buy the racks that Goulet sells. They remind me of the test tube racks that I used for lab experiments when I was an undergraduate. I already have more ink that I'll ever use in my lifetime!

 

I suspect though there are cheaper places to get it.

[ellenspn]

 

I suspect though there are cheaper places to get it.

I'm sure there are but amazon is not the place.

[Tina Lee]

Wow, fantastic response. These are all great ideas! I'm definitely going to invest in a glass dip pen, and maybe some Goulet racks.