Everyday College Ink?

[dgreenwood116]

So i've been wondering this for a bit regarding a good ink for university everyday use. I like a wet ink, mainly because of the extra smoothness they seem to offer any given pen. However, the requirements for my daily university ink would have to be fairly fast drying and well behaved so i would imagine they wouldn't mix. Though if you do know of a fast drying ink that seems smooth in the pen be sure to let me know!

 

So the requirements for my ink, preferably, is:

-also, i know some of these properties may not mix, but it's worth a shot.

 

Fast Drying

Works good on cheap paper

Permanent

Smooth Feel

Blue/ Black/ Mediocre colored ink

Reliable?/Not prone to hard starting - an ink that's not prone to dry out fast if the cap is left off a few seconds.

-I know this can rely on the pen performance also/ assume the pen is in tip top shape!

 

 

So, any inks come to mind?

[dgreenwood116]

Well i may just answer my own question! Awkward!

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/293440-best-ink-for-new-college-student/

 

Pretty much the same, but still if anybody has something to add feel free to do so!

 

I think i've come down to two inks. Anybody have an opinion on these, or any experience?

 

Sailor Sei Boku

http://www.andersonpens.com/Sailor-Sei-Boku-Pigmented-Nano-Blue-Black-50ml-p/13-2001-244.htm?CartID=1

 

KWZ Iron Gall Blue #3

https://vanness1938.com/?q=ink-detail/KWZ%20Ink%20Iron%20Gall%20Blue%203#slide-0-field_image-2117

Edited August 3, 2015 by dgreenwood116

[DrDebG]

Waterman Serenity Blue or Inspired Blue

[ac12]

Except for permanent, I would recommend

• Parker Quink (I used Qunik thru under grad and grad school)
• Sheaffer Skrip
• Waterman
• Pelikan
• Pilot (you can even buy huge 350ml bottles)

The part about 'works good on cheap paper,' is something I have an issue with.

• You should find and get fountain pen friendly paper for your note taking. And this does NOT have to be expensive paper. This is the best time to look for good sales on decent paper for school.
  IMHO it is not worth the hassle of using cheap junk paper.

• On the other hand, if you have to write on paper provided by the school, like for exams, you really have no choice. In which case, I would also carry gel and ball pens and pencils for those situations.

As you noted, if the pen is properly adjusted for the ink, you should not have a problem with the ink.

Edited August 3, 2015 by ac12

[J85909266]

Rohrer and Klinger Salix

Noodler's Black

 

Permanence - both are permanent and water proof

Dry Time - Both take 5 to 10 seconds to dry on standard paper

Feathering - Salix will not feather on even the worst paper. Noodler's black feathers very slightly on the bottom barrel xerox paper

Color - Salix goes down vibrant blue but dries a dark, greyish blue with tons of shading. Noodler's black is black as night in all but the driest pens

Wetness/Reliability - Both are very juicy and smooth, and can be relied upon to start up every time

 

The only con?

Both inks need to be cleaned out and flushed from pens every couple of weeks.

[dompred]

Rohrer and Klinger Salix

Noodler's Black

 

Permanence - both are permanent and water proof

Dry Time - Both take 5 to 10 seconds to dry on standard paper

Feathering - Salix will not feather on even the worst paper. Noodler's black feathers very slightly on the bottom barrel xerox paper

Color - Salix goes down vibrant blue but dries a dark, greyish blue with tons of shading. Noodler's black is black as night in all but the driest pens

Wetness/Reliability - Both are very juicy and smooth, and can be relied upon to start up every time

 

The only con?

Both inks need to be cleaned out and flushed from pens every couple of weeks.

 

Are you sure?

 

From my experience Noodler's Black takes quite a time to dry, I remember having to wait for some seconds before I can turn the page. I wouldn't call it slow drying, but for me it definitely isn't a fast drying ink.

 

Also Noodler's Black has never failed my when it comes to feathering. In every paper I've tried it, it never feathers (even X-Feather has feathered in some papers).

 

Coming to OP's request I can recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Black as a purchase. Either it can be used as a great black ink or it can diluted to a great grey which retains all the properties of the black with a much faster drying time. My dilution is 4 parts of distilled water for every 1 part of ink. Of course you can experiment with other dilutions as well.

[PDW]

Lamy blue - no spread even on the cheap paper they'll probably use for any handouts they may give you!

[fplover01]

If you dont need a waterproof ink, I second Lamy blue. inexpensive, great bottle design, looks much nicer than other royal blue inks in the same price class and writes well on almost any kind of paper. Also no special demands for pen maintenance which might be important if you write a lot.

 

Pelikan Blue-Black is another good choice, particularly for a wet and smooth pen. It is also much more difficult to erase than lamy blue.

Edited August 3, 2015 by fplover01

[J_MM]

If you get one of the Pilot 350ml bottles you'll have enough for a undergrad degree and perhaps a graduate degree!

[Wahl]

Parker Quink.

[New_Falcon]

I used Quink through my University days.

 

More recently I've used Noodlers black that I diluted 20% to decrease drying time. However, after ruining a couple of good shirts, completely my mistakes, I switched to Waterman Serenity Blue.

[Parse Error]

If you don't mind feathering, most cheap paper sucks up Noodler's HOD

[Paddler]

Choose an ink you can buy in the campus bookstore. If you need two colors, use two pens.

 

[dgreenwood116]

If you get one of the Pilot 350ml bottles you'll have enough for a undergrad degree and perhaps a graduate degree!

Definitely love the ideal of that! Do you know any of its properties?

 

Thanks everybody for the suggestions! So what's been agreed on so far is lamy blue and noodlers black. I have lamy black cartridges and I just tried them on some of my college documents, it faired okay, but still had feathering. Should I expect the same from the blue ink, as in are the lamy Blues and blacks about the same?

 

Also I have noodlers black eel, is this a far stretch from just plain noodlers black?

[Boniface]

Pilot blue or blue-black ink.

 

They are cheap, water resistant, flow well and look good enough for notes.

Iron galls work well too, but only in a wet pen.

[J85909266]

 

Are you sure?

 

From my experience Noodler's Black takes quite a time to dry, I remember having to wait for some seconds before I can turn the page. I wouldn't call it slow drying, but for me it definitely isn't a fast drying ink.

 

Also Noodler's Black has never failed my when it comes to feathering. In every paper I've tried it, it never feathers (even X-Feather has feathered in some papers).

 

Coming to OP's request I can recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Black as a purchase. Either it can be used as a great black ink or it can diluted to a great grey which retains all the properties of the black with a much faster drying time. My dilution is 4 parts of distilled water for every 1 part of ink. Of course you can experiment with other dilutions as well.

On nice, dense paper, sure, but on standard notebook or copy paper, I've seen very quick dry times with my bottle.

 

As far as feathering, I've only seen Noodler's Black feather on one paper, which is the bottom barrel Xerox machine paper at my work. Even there, the feathering is minimal.

[haruka337]

You already mentioned Sailor Sei-boku, but allow me to add to that with the following recommendations:

Sailor Kiwa-guro
Iroshizuku Take-sumi
Bungbox Silent Night (surprise hit of the summer!)

These three fit the prerequisite. Also, keep to western extra fine nibs and Japanese fine nibs--helps to minimize feathering on low quality paper.

[sandy101]

Pelikan brilliant black or royal blue

 

Waterman Serenity blue or Black

 

Parker Quink (probably the dullest ink, but probably the cheapest bottled ink out there).

[jkingrph]

It has been almost 50 years since I graduated college. Back in those days there was not a lot of choice so the inks I used were Schaeffer Script, blue or blue black, in one of their cartridge pens. Papers, including the blue exam books were generally more fountain pen friendly and of better quality than nowdays. My dad worked in an office equipment/stationer business so I had access and knowledge to fall on in getting quality products there and I even worked part time there several years before starting my practical work in pharmacy.

 

What you want may depend in part upon your major. A liberal arts major can choose from a broader range of ink types, whereas a science major with a lot of labs will need a waterproof, or water resistant ink at least, espicially if using a fountain pen for notes in a lab. Even a major where notes are not subject to the rigors of a lab, may encounter a spilled drink in long study sessions, so even there I would recommend water resistant at least.

 

I always used a 3 ring binder with quality paper for my notes, and would bind them periodically with acco type binders. My notes held up well enough that my sister used some of them seven years later when she followed me by majoring in pharmacy also.

 

When you choose your pen, get two, and rotate them. You always need a filled, reliable spare when in class.

[Sasha Royale]

Seems like you want a fast-drying ink that is also not fast drying.

Smooth ink tends to be slower drying because it is wet longer.

When speaking in absolutes, contradictions are apparent. However, I believe all the stated values are relative to some of your standards. Why not try some of the recommendations and see if they are "good enough" ? Do you tend to drag your sleeve through your writing ? Do you try to take notes on both sides of the paper ? Do you recopy notes after class ? (great for studying)

If you are attending college in an arid region, ink will dry pretty fast.

 

I, respectfully, propose a wet ink, as non-stop ink flow is more important than fast-drying.

For note-taking, black is a better all-around ink, since even the smallest lines are easily readable.

Bulletproof ink : You wouldn't believe some of the things that can be spilled in college.

 

Try Noodler's Heart Of Darkness. It's total qualities might combine to be "good enough".

 

Recommendation : A piston filler, topped-off every evening, before bedtime. OR A cartridge feed pen for quick recharge of ink from spare cartridges, carried in a candy tin.

 

Forty-five years ago, I used Parker Quink in a Parker 45 for four years of University. It was "good enough", though today I wish I had Heart Of Darkness.