What Color Are Your Fingers Today?

[WaskiSquirrel]

I'm coated with Rohrer and Klingner Verdura. I did a little nib straightening while filming a video on a vintage Markant 165. Darn that's a wet pen!

[LWJ2]

This morning they're blue, specifically Pelikan's 4001 Konigsblau — filling my Onoto is a somewhat messy process, if you're me.

 

Ta, be well.

[AmandaW]

Mine have been a multi-hued mix of Kaweco Summer Purple and Black Pearl for a couple of days since I received a package in which both had leaked. Gloves next time. Or maybe not: I think I've lost my ink-ordering nerve.

[ParramattaPaul]

Oxford Blue -- and the shopping list I was writing is smeared.

[inkstainedruth]

Today it's been Ferris Wheel Press Tanzanite Sky. Because of the crazy weather (and we're not even to the point of getting any dregs of the former Hurricane Laura this far north yet) I think there has been some serious fluctuations of air pressure since yesterday. So this morning, I discovered (after the fact) that ink may have burped into the cap of the Cross Solo, and had gotten on the threading and also the cap threading....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JanisOnTheFarmette]

I love that this thread is 10 years old and still going strong!

 

Last night, I decided to re-swatch 100 samples of different inks and to ink up little stickers placed on each sample vial cap. Cotton swabs were the tool of choice, and inking up each tip with a different ink had a fairly predictable outcome. Scrub as I might last night, I still woke up with some pretty inky fingers (but all good now).

 

I didn’t touch all of my sample vials, but of those I did, the vast majority came from the same company as the originator of this thread. That makes me happy.

[A Smug Dill]

Purple. Trying to find the right purple ink for my wife (whose favourite colours are olive and purple) to fill "her" new Aurora Optima Oliva Viola with rose gold trim and nib — that I ordered originally for myself, but since it's close to her birthday, so what the hell — and unfortunately still not getting my ink testing/swatching technique right.

 

Last night, I decided to re-swatch 100 samples of different inks and to ink up little stickers placed on each sample vial cap. Cotton swabs were the tool of choice,

 

I just received my order of >2,000 round matt white labels (on 20 sheets of 113 labels each). I'm still trying to decide on how to use them for my less than 400 bottles of ink. I dread having to ink up a pen to scribble on one part for each ink/label, but the "other" half is right now a toss up between a swab by q-tip or a splatter with a very fine gauge syringe (but the latter may smear even when "dry").

 

Edit: Eh, what was I thinking? She already got the since-discontinued-limited-edition Optima Oliva I ordered last time.

Edited August 29, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[JanisOnTheFarmette]

I just received my order of >2,000 round matt white labels (on 20 sheets of 113 labels each). I'm still trying to decide on how to use them for my less than 400 bottles of ink. I dread having to ink up a pen to scribble on one part for each ink/label, but the "other" half is right now a toss up between a swab by q-tip or a splatter with a very fine gauge syringe (but the latter may smear even when "dry").

The splatters would be lovely, but I shudder to think of the inky mess that is likely to result. Better you than me, as my father-in-law used to say. For my sample vials, I simply used notebook paper reinforcement labels, the matte kind. I tried to keep a light hand and not make multiple passes, but to allow a little ink to pool in one or two spots. The reinforcement labels are supposed to be permanent, but aren’t meant to be soaked in ink. I’m pleased with the results since they’re only meant for a general reference, with further details to be found in swatch cards and my ink journal.

 

On topic, my fingers are Noodler’s Blue-Black this morning. We’re having a Battle of the Blue-Black Inks this week as I scratch an itch to try out various blue-black inks from Kaweco, Monteverde, Noodler’s, Parker, Pilot, and Waterman.

[AmandaW]

I dread having to ink up a pen to scribble on one part for each ink/label

I used a glass pen for a while, then found I preferred a dip pen with an Italic nib. There are many dip pens available.

[ENewton]

Purple. Trying to find the right purple ink for my wife (whose favourite colours are olive and purple) to fill "her" new Aurora Optima Oliva Viola with rose gold trim and nib — that I ordered originally for myself, but since it's close to her birthday, so what the hell — and unfortunately still not getting my ink testing/swatching technique right.

 

How charming that you are making the effort to find just the right purple for your wife. Do you plan to choose an ink for her or present her with swatches from which she can choose?

[A Smug Dill]

How charming that you are making the effort to find just the right purple for your wife.

Thanks.

 

Do you plan to choose an ink for her or present her with swatches from which she can choose?

I did both. Still developing/refining my approach to ink cataloguing and swatching, but I showed her ten^† swatch cards I freshly prepared (but didn't bother to show her the matching chromatography strips, because I don't think she cares about that), and made a recommendation for the top two candidates. Diamine Bilberry is probably the best match with the colour of the pen body, even though both of us have expressed concern (not specifically to do with this ink) about staining the piston-filler's ink window; I'd already looked at several reviews of the ink by then, but it seems there is no agreement as to whether the ink stains or not.

 

^† I'm lazy. We have 29 purple inks here.

[Runnin_Ute]

Blackstone Sydney Harbour Blue

[carola]

Herbin Vert Empire

 

I use it in my Pilot Myu 701 to write my bee journal. Seems I got my middle finger a little bit too close to the feed when writing and now I have a nice green ink stain there...

[Tas]

BAYSTATE BLUE !

I finally bought some. It's everywhere

 

I now feel like a belong

(It's like writing with neon)

[amberleadavis]

Tas, welcome to the club.

[I-am-not-really-here]

Sheaffer Lavender but, a quick rinse and fingers clean.

[PDW]

Sheaffer Peacock Blue. I had an old-style bottle with some dried-out ink in it, so I poured in some cooled boiled water to revive it. Metal bottle top back on, a quick shake to mix the dried-out stuff up and ...

 

Cleaning the kitchen work surface, cupboard front and floor were easer than scrubbing my fingers.

[Tas]

Tas, welcome to the club.

I blame you, again

 

The lovely luridness of Bad Blue Heron got me thinking . . .

 

(PS. THe Koi are still waiting. Let me know when & where . . . )

[Muncle]

I have some KTC. I was swabbing, and held the qtip in the ink a little longer than I should have. Went all the way up the "stem" and onto my fingers.

[Muncle]

Double post

Edited September 1, 2020 by Muncle