Do You Keep An Ink Journal?

[Daisy25]

I've been thinking about how best to do this. I want a combination that allows me to mix paper as well so I'm thinking an ARC notebook will do that -- I can put in some samples of all the papers I use and then I can keep a record for how the ink performs with different paper/pen combinations. There's great inspiration in the comments here.

 

I had no idea when I got back into fountain pens just how involved this would all get. Fortunately, I enjoy all the fuss and bother, so its working out fine.

[NedC]

I'm using a Fabriano A5 squared spiral bound notebook to keep track of which inks I have in which pens and the date at which I first filled them with that specific colour. I usually enter a small writing/drawing sample and leave room for notes about any problems that may arise with some specific pen and ink combinations e.g. my Rosetta North Star with a fine nib writes beautifully with Lamy blue black (ig) but chokes on Noodler's FPN GMB - the feed clogs - while my Konrad just loves the stuff.

[N2theBreach]

I use an ARC notebook, too, the smallest they have, I think (~4x6?). Nothing formal. I make an entry for each ink-- ink name; pen/nib I'm writing with; my thoughts about it; a few figure-8s; a few water drops, and so forth. One ink per page.

 

I chose an ARC notebook because: a ) they are so flexible, and b ) the quality of their paper. I've only just started it, but after I get a few more entries, I can see myself sorting them by color (most likely), or by brand, or by "favorites/OK/never buy again". I can also pull out a few possibilities and compare them side by side.

 

I chose the size for simplicity's sake--easy to store, convenient to use.

 

I like Daisy's idea of using different quality papers. Another example of the flexibility of the Arc.

 

Good luck choosing.

Edited July 23, 2013 by N2theBreach

[NativeTxn]

I have gone through quite a lot of ink samples over the last couple of months, just to test them out, see what I liked and didn't, etc. and to sort of pick one or two inks from each color to buy to use in my journals and just to break up the monotony of the standard blue or black. I tried about 11 or 12 greens, 7-8 reds and oranges, and about 5-7 blues (I previously tried about 7 or 8 black samples as well but didn't go through the entire process below - only the "formal" ink reviews for the most part).

 

For each one, I did a full blown ink "review" using one of the templates off FPN that I printed on HP Laserjet 24 lb paper. I make sure to put all of the greens in the comparison section of each green review, same with the reds/oranges, etc. so that there will always be a comparison to go back to in person as opposed to the color comparisons you find online, and so that all of the different greens or reds can be found on one page if desired.

 

Then I just write something simple, like "Pilot 78G Fine - Diamine Sherwood Green" in the following notebooks/on the following paper:

 

Leuchtturm 1917 (I tore out all 8 perforated pages from the back of one of the notebooks I use for a journal to my daughter and use those pages for this part of it)

Rhodia

Rhodia Webnotebook (that I currently use for my journal)

Apica regular

Piccadilly

Ecosystem (Barnes & Noble)

C.R. Gibson (Staples)

 

I do a sample line in each of the above (as well as the ink reviews) using both a fine tipped pen (either my Esterbrook J with a 9556 nib, or the Pilot 78G with fine nib) and a broad/italic nib (the Pilot 78G "broads" that are really stubs since they will tend to show more shading and what not).

 

Once I am done with the review and the "simple" samples in the above notebooks/paper, I keep a more formal "ink journal" in a 6 x 8 (or whatever the exact measurement is) Black n' Red Casebound Notebook. In that one, I dedicate one side of each sheet to one ink color and I use two pens for each color (a fine tipped and the Pilot 78G broad, as mentioned above).

 

Using each of the two different pens, I put a sample in both block print and cursive (Pen model and nib size - Ink Name), a few doodles to show line width, variation, etc., an "ink patch", as well as dry time tests. Then I use the rest of the page to give some of my thoughts on the ink as far as color, flow, etc. so that if I ever want to look back on it in the future, I can remember some of the properties (both good and bad) aside from simply looking at the color and I will know the properties from each nib size as well. Then I sign and date each page when I am done.

 

All of that generally takes at least 15-20 minutes per ink, but part of the reason that I do all of the other tests besides just the ink journal is so that I know what nib/ink combos tend to work okay with what papers/notebooks for future reference. And, it's also sort of fun so that helps.

[Felix1]

I use an Avery three-ring binder with tabs. One section holds ink reviews (using a format posted on one of the fountain pen forums), another section has a page (or more) arranged alphabetically by pen with writing samples of all the inks which have been through each pen and yet another section has journal entries about inks, pens, retailers, anything pen-hobby related which I run across and want to retain for future reference.

 

The sheets are H-P Premium Choice LaserJet paper, white, 32#, 98 brightness, three-hole punched to fit the binder. Paper in the writing sample and journal areas is run through an inkjet printer (no heat versus the color laser printer) and overprinted with very light/thin lines 7.5 mm apart since I can't write in a straight line without some help.

 

Last, the clear flap on the Avery binder has a color photo of some of my favorite pens.

 

 

 

[terim]

I keep a simple log like sargetalon's, for the sole reason that I want to refill the pen with the same ink that is already in it .... just enough info to identify the pen and the ink. And when I forget to make a notation, I kick myself.

[Plume145]

Wow, there are so many options that hadn't even ocurred to me! I should have known that it would be more sophisticated than the ink journals you see around :-) I think everyone who posted all the wonderful ideas in this thread as well as the other one should work together to summarize all of it into a guide on how to set up and keep an ink journal, I'm sure it'd get pinned in a heartbeat!

 

It's clear for example that there's many ways to keep an ink journal, depending on what you're using it to find out. For instance, you could be more about what kind of maintenance your pens need, and then you want to write down a lot of details about what you did to clean the pen before using it (eg rinse under the tap vs flush with a bulb syringe vs soak, and whether you used a special solution or just plain water). Or you could be more focused on what pens go best with what inks, and then you might organize your journal by pen. Or you might be more interested in how an ink looks, and then you might always use the same pen on the same paper to test it. And so on.

 

But my favorite idea of all is the one that betsypreston introduced towards the beginning of this thread (and others took up): separating the log of what each inked pen contains from the actual samples of ink. I put that into effect right away because all it takes is a few quick notes on a bog-standard piece of memo paper. Then you could put that on a bulletin board, stash it inside a notebook, journal, or planner, or even just in an 'ink station'; when an entry is no longer valid you just cross it off, then when the piece of paper is full, just throw it away and start over. Simple, easy, and low-maintenance, all of which I really appreciate right now as I've got a very full plate with lots to do.

 

That left the actual ink sampling part. Now, I quickly realized that right now, I just don't have the focus or the patience to do something as systematic or as sophisticated as some of the examples in this thread; I'm just not in that place. So I decided to keep it simple and go on with just a slightly stepped up, better organized version of what I was doing before. So I'll augment each entry by adding a few extra lines with comments on flow, shading, etc, and I'll adopt the idea of a binder (with removable/repositionable pages) rather than a bound notebook, so that I can rearrange the pages by color and make it that little bit easier to browse. It's not much, but there's something to be said for not biting off more than you can chew by trying to go from the basic 'what's in each pen' log I was doing before (on random paper, no less) to a setup like NativeTxn's or even inkstainedruth's

 

So to cut a long story short, yesterday I sat down and cut up and punched some paper, then bound it in this cute miniature binder (the pen is a sheaffer no-nonsense, just for scale):

 

 

 

 

The paper is manga paper from Jetpens, specifically this one, that I had lying around. I tested it and found it was white enough to display color accurately, but pleasingly matte, not the bright white I can't stand, and that it shades beautifully. I also created a template for the ink sampling, based on the layout of the Ink Journals, but I didn't print more than a test sheet yet; didn't want to bother because I might not want or need it after all :-)

 

So in short, this thread really helped me figure out what to do with something when I was stuck; oh man, was I ever stuck! So, thanks a lot for that, everyone :-)

[Sandy1]

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/6300000/Ice-Cream-Cone-Wallpaper-ice-cream-6333735-1024-768.jpg

[N2theBreach]

You're welcome. Now, if I can just figure a way to get one of those lucious looking cookies off the screen. Somehow, I don't even think a 3D printer would help.

[stevekolt]

This may not be what you are asking, but I will share it with you. I am a daily writer in my journal, and I change pens and ink every two pages or so. Each time I change, I write ---- right in the journal --- the name of the pen and the ink being used. I put a mark in the margin so I can find it again later. I hope this helps.

 

C.

What a GREAT idea. Will begin implementation tomorrow...THANK YOU!!!

[fiberdrunk]

I just have a 3-ring notebook with various papers and ink samples written on them. My permanence tests are in there as well as color samples. I'm always adding to the thing. It has a lot of other pen-related materials in it, including calligraphy info and even how to cut quills.

[cadfael_tex]

Just started one because of this thread. Gonna read it again and digest some more of the ideas.

[JDR]

Similar to what others have posted ... starting with the last page of my journal I write a pen/nib combination header for each pen on a different page. (I only have three pens.) Whenever I ink a pen, I go to the back page with its name and write a short paragraph identifying the ink and my reactions to writing with it. I also number my pens for identification; nothing fancy just Pen 1, Pen 2, Pen 3. When I write in the journal with a new pen and/or ink combination I simply put a small P1 (or whatever pen I am using) in the upper left corner. Once I know what pen I used I can easily go to the back and identify the ink and its properties.

Edited July 25, 2013 by JDR

[Opooh]

One of the great aspects of this forum, very nice idea, needs implementation.

[corniche]

Hello Plume, et al,

 

My ink journal isn't really a journal. I keep an ink file on 4x6" index cards, stored alphabetically in a card file box. On each card, I give the name of the ink, some writing samples with two or three different pens, (more to the point- NIBS), discuss it's basic characteristics and have a Q-Tip swab. A separate card, (which follows directly behind the primary card), contains the water tests, (these will always wrinkle up, so I do them on a separate card).

 

Hope this helps,

 

Sean C.

[Ted A]

I do something similar, except that I use 3 x 5 cards and sort first by color and then alphabetically. I tried using a notebook and couldn't easily find an ink when I looked for it because the were sorted chronologically by test date in the notebook

[Water Ouzel]

I'm fairly new (back) to fountain pens, and I keep sort of a couple of ink journals just to try keep from getting even more confused than I already am, what with almost a dozen pens, a half-dozen inks (four different blacks)...

 

There's a Mnemosyne (Maruman) spiral-bound journal that gets a line or three every time a pen is re-inked, dated. Also a Twsbi large journal, because the paper is different. The Miquelrius spiral notebook, which keeps track of daily weight and blood glucose reading, and odds and ends of the day, either intended or actual, and switching in mid-paragraph sometimes gets an ink-note.

 

I was a tech writer for 30+ years, and feel guilty about not being more organized.

 

Maybe next week...

[sirach]

I keep a separate journal for each time I ink a pen. I also mark when I clean it out. It is nice to go through and compare it to an entry in my daily journal and see what ink I was using at that point and what pen it was in, etc...

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jaqFy9bZgio/UX_xrggLahI/AAAAAAAAB4g/0RstKYHHME8/s640/03+7dec12-1april13.jpg

[corniche]

I'm fairly new (back) to fountain pens, and I keep sort of a couple of ink journals just to try keep from getting even more confused than I already am, what with almost a dozen pens, a half-dozen inks (four different blacks)...

 

There's a Mnemosyne (Maruman) spiral-bound journal that gets a line or three every time a pen is re-inked, dated. Also a Twsbi large journal, because the paper is different. The Miquelrius spiral notebook, which keeps track of daily weight and blood glucose reading, and odds and ends of the day, either intended or actual, and switching in mid-paragraph sometimes gets an ink-note.

 

I was a tech writer for 30+ years, and feel guilty about not being more organized.

 

Maybe next week...

 

Hello Water Ouzel,

 

 

Welcome aboard! This is a great pen/ink site; it's almost driven me to bankruptcy three times.

 

Diabetic, huh? Me too.

 

Try setting up a dedicated ink journal, it will be a big help and a money saver over the long haul. By having a dedicated journal or file, (I personally recommend the latter), you won't have to sift through countless non-related entries to find the ink you're trying to find.

 

Enjoy life,

 

Sean

Edited July 28, 2013 by S. P. Colfer

[BillZ]

From my post regarding keeping pen/ink combos straight--I keep a simple 3x5 in pen journal where I make short notes about purchases of pens and ink, what colour is in which pen, wheh I flushes a pen and when I changed colours. I keep a running list of what inks I have so I don't forget one.