Best Inks For Flex Pens

[agnes]

Just came into the Noodler's Ivory Darkness, which is playing very nicely with the Black Swan in Australian Roses (hereafter, BSIAR!) But I need more! I have the impression that one needs to stick to drier inks in the flexies. So what other inks have nice shading that keep to the dry side?

 

I am more worried about the latter criterion (as long as it's a pretty colour, of course!)

[mori45]

BoBo Olsen put together a list which would be a good place to start. My personal favorite is Waterman South Sea Blue; it's wet, but I love the color. I've used it in an extremely wet and flexible nib with no ill effects.

[Yoda4561]

Just came into the Noodler's Ivory Darkness, which is playing very nicely with the Black Swan in Australian Roses (hereafter, BSIAR!) But I need more! I have the impression that one needs to stick to drier inks in the flexies. So what other inks have nice shading that keep to the dry side?

 

I am more worried about the latter criterion (as long as it's a pretty colour, of course!)

 

 

Dry inks do tend to work better, and the "sticky" inks (the ones that coat the inside of sample vials when shaken) seem to prevent railroading. One of the best inks I've tried so far is Burma Road Brown, it does run a bit wet but the shading is great and I'm a fan of the earth-tone green brown color. I've also had good luck with Baystate blue diluted 50/50. Because of how wet the flex pens are it doesn't lose much color, and is also pretty railroad proof.

[Mongo]

I've been going through the Noodler's V-Mail inks in my Noodler's flex pen, and so far they've all worked well. I've used the red, violet, and blue, and will continue with the others for that series as I run the pen dry. I also tried Dark Matter, which performed very well.

[Hangglidernerd]

J.Herbin 1670 has been fun in my flexie.

[Surnia]

- I have an ebonite flex, and Diamine Chocolate Brown is AMAZING in the flex. I do NOT need to slow down for it at all! I can flex it fully and it can handle 4-5 3.5cm lines before it even begins to railroad. A great bonus is that its a great dark brown, plus it shades great.

 

 

- Apache is great for colour... dry times and flow are something to be desired.

- Sailor Oku Yama looks great, better flow than Apache and shades a LOT. However, since you already have BSIAR, it might not be a good idea (plus the new Sailors are already starting to poke around the corner...)

 

Have not tried anything else in it yet, so I can't really say. However, I'm just amazed with Chocolate Brown right now.

[xiewadu]

Out of curiosity, what is 'railroading'?

- Jen

[kcunvong]

Out of curiosity, what is 'railroading'?

- Jen

 

That's when the rate at which you write exceeds the pen's capacity to delve out ink. Hence, you'll make two parallel (tine) lines on your paper, instead of a single broad mark.

[Mauricio]

Here are a few of my favorite inks to achieve great shading with flexible nibs:

 

Waterman South Seas Blue

Noodler's Turquoise American Eel

Noodler's Golden Brown

Diamine Amber

Diamine Golden Brown

Diamine Sepia

Diamine Raw Sienna

Diamine Light Green

Diamine Jade Green

Diamine Kelly Green

Diamine Turquoise

Diamine Aqua Blue

Diamine Florida Blue

J. Herbin Vert Olive

 

I love writing with super flex and wet noodle nibs which lay lots of ink on paper. Due to that factor, I prefer lighter ink colors to achieve a wider shading spectrum, from light to a darker color (see pictures below). Darker inks tend to look almost black in the heavily saturated areas. As much as I love other Noodler's colors, their much longer drying times cause them to be less used. But, of course, all this is a matter of personal preferences ... and how much pressure you apply to the nib when writing. One more observation: A lot of the inks above will look a lot lighter when used with fine and medium firm nibs.

 

Waterman South Seas Bluehttp://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1234.jpg

 

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1298-1.jpg

 

Noodler''s Turquoise American Eel

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1074.jpg

 

Diamine Turquoise

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_3359.jpg

 

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_3370-1.jpg

 

Diamine Light Green

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_3421.jpg

 

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_3451.jpg

 

 

Diamine Jade Green ink

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1982.jpg

 

J. Herbin Vert Olive

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_2060.jpg

 

Diamine Raw Sienna

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_2100.jpg

 

Diamine Amber

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_2380.jpg

 

Noodler's Golden Brown http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_2444.jpg

 

 

Diamine Golden Brown

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_2926.jpg

 

 

I still have lots of additional ink colors to try. What do you think?

 

 

[amble63]

Here are a few of my favorite inks to achieve great shading with flexible nibs:

 

Waterman South Seas Blue

Noodler's Turquoise American Eel

Noodler's Golden Brown

Diamine Amber

Diamine Golden Brown

Diamine Sepia

Diamine Raw Sienna

Diamine Light Green

Diamine Jade Green

Diamine Kelly Green

Diamine Turquoise

Diamine Aqua Blue

Diamine Florida Blue

J. Herbin Vert Olive

 

I love writing with super flex and wet noodle nibs which lay lots of ink on paper. Due to that factor, I prefer lighter ink colors to achieve a wider shading spectrum, from light to a darker color (see pictures below). Darker inks tend to look almost black in the heavily saturated areas. As much as I love other Noodler's colors, their much longer drying times cause them to be less used. But, of course, all this is a matter of personal preferences ... and how much pressure you apply to the nib when writing. One more observation: A lot of the inks above will look a lot lighter when used with fine and medium firm nibs.

 

Waterman South Seas Bluehttp://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1234.jpg

 

http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/IMG_1298-1.jpg

 

 

I still have lots of additional ink colors to try. What do you think?

 

Your handwriting!

[agnes]

Thanks, mauricio! I may soon be prowling for Waterman SSB and the Diamine Jade Green - they look lovely, and your handwriting doesn't hurt the impression either!

[Horseknitter]

Wow, Mauricio, I have some of those inks but they never look that good for me!!

[tenney]

I just inked my Noodler's flex pen with a sample of Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng that I got a the Fairfield pen posse last month.

 

But looking at that fantastic handwriting makes me envious...

[KCat]

I believe Mauricio is the only person that has made Diamine Golden Brown look lovely. Very beautiful work.

 

Someday I will invest in a Waterman with wet noodle nib. It will mean I've won the lottery or something. I have a nice flexy Estie that is more flexible than it's supposed to be, but nothing like these nibs.

[jgrasty]

Here's a few:

 

• Monblanc Bordeaux
  
• J. Herbin Ambre de Birmanie
  
• J. Herbin Cafe des Iles
  
• Private Reserve Electric DC Blue
  
• Private Reserve Copper Burst
  
• Montblanc Blue-Black
  
• Montblanc Racing Green
  
• Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa
  
• J. Herbin 1670
  
• Montblanc Love Letter
  
• Caran d'Ache Storm
  
• Caran d'Ache Saffron
  
• Caran d'Ache Amazon
  
• Iroshizuku Yu-Yake
  
• Noodler's Apache Sunset
  
• Sailor Jentle Yama-Dori
  
• Sailor Jentle Oku-Yama
  
• Aurora Black
  

[SamCapote]

MAURICIO !!! That is such a wonderful and beautifully written list. Thanks for posting that!!!!!!

[Mauricio]

:embarrassed_smile:

 

Your handwriting!

 

Amble63 ... Thanks for your kind words. Believe me, when I still have lots of room for improvement, especially after seen some professional "renditions" in the Penmanship subforum

 

 

Thanks, mauricio! I may soon be prowling for Waterman SSB and the Diamine Jade Green - they look lovely, and your handwriting doesn't hurt the impression either!

 

Agnes ... Thanks for starting this thread and for the compliments. The Diamine Jade Green ink is indeed a very nice color, but it is also one of those inks that seem to prefer nibs that lay lots of ink on paper. otherwise, they will leave a very pale finished writing and not very attractive to the eye.

 

 

Wow, Mauricio, I have some of those inks but they never look that good for me!!

 

Horseknitter ... Thanks for your compliments. Ink is very important. However, without the proper combination of a good nib, good ink flow in the pen, good paper, and at least some basic skills related to the proper pressure and speed applied to the nib when writing, ink alone will not leave the best results. I have found those wonderful pen/nib/ink combinations and I try to stick with them as I know will guarantee nicer results.

 

 

I just inked my Noodler's flex pen with a sample of Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng that I got a the Fairfield pen posse last month.

But looking at that fantastic handwriting makes me envious...

 

tenney ... Thanks for your kiind words. If you just knew that I went for a long period of time in which my handwritng had deteriorated so much I did not even write in cursive. It was until the pen bug hit me that I started reshaping my humble handwriting skills about 5 years ago. Still have a long way to go.

 

 

I believe Mauricio is the only person that has made Diamine Golden Brown look lovely. Very beautiful work.

Someday I will invest in a Waterman with wet noodle nib. It will mean I've won the lottery or something. I have a nice flexy Estie that is more flexible than it's supposed to be, but nothing like these nibs.

 

KCat ... Thanks for your compliments. They mean a lot to me. Glad you likes my writing samples. Vintage Pelikan pens have WONDERFUL nibs. They are not as flexible as a lot of vintage waterman nibs, but they are very smooth, great writers with wonderful ink flow and a real pleasure to write with.

 

 

MAURICIO !!! That is such a wonderful and beautifully written list. Thanks for posting that!!!!!!

 

SamCapote ... Thanks my friend. Glad you found this little info helpful.