Search the Community

I often have four or five different fountain pens inked up and ready to use at any one time, and I kept forgetting what kind of ink was in each pen. Which pen has the blue ink, and which one has the black or brown ink? So I started making paper tag labels to put on the pen clip, identifying what kind of ink is currently in the pen. That has helped a lot, and so I know which pen has the ink color I am looking for at the moment. It also helps with refilling, so that I know which kind of ink was in the pen that needs to be refilled. Some ink manufacturers specifically say on the bottle, "please do not mix different kinds of ink," so, in order to avoid clogging from pigments, or some kind of chemical reaction between different ink formulations, it is safer to know exactly what is in each pen by using a label so I don't have to remember. I wanted to know if other FP users have a different or better system for keeping track of what kind of ink is currently in their fountain pens. I haven't seen any commercially available products to make such labels, either. I just cut a little strip of paper, write the ink brand and color name on it, fold the paper, and tape it closed to make a loop on the pen clip. I usually will write the label using the actual ink that is in the pen, so I know what color it is and what the writing line thickness looks like. Does somebody else have a better idea? Thanks so much for your suggestions.