Inky T O D - Oh, The Places You'll Go, Or, Waypoints On The Inky Journey

[Arkanabar]

Pilot BB is solid enough on waterproofness and is a little less finicky. Tsuki-yo doesn't know what water resistance is, sadly.

Well. That certainly tips me a bit towards the Pilot basic BB over the Tsuki-Yo. That Pilot BB can be had dirt cheap doesn't hurt either. I mean, you can have a 30ml bottle of Pilot BB for less than two samples of Tsuki-Yo.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Arkanabar

[chromantic]

OK, my turn.

 

Colors!!!! Isn't that the whole point of fountain pens, that you can write in colors beyond the 4-6 standard ballpoint or gel-pen colors available at the corner drugstore? I used to paint (mostly watercolor) so I've done the 'colors' thing before. With inks, I see a lot of beautiful colors but that doesn't mean I want to write with them.

 

Blackest black! Yes, a nice black can be every bit as interesting as any other color and the search to find a good one as difficult as finding that perfect brown (or green or orange or red). I went ahead and loaded my Plaisir with the black cartridge that came with it, just to have a pen with black ink handy but, of course, I will eventually chose 'my' black, most likely Herbin Perle Noir or Levenger Raven.

 

Bright colors!!! Oh, yeah, count me in. Rose Cyclamen is calling my name.

 

Preserved! Meh, nothing lasts

 

Love!!! Browns

 

Quest! The perfect blue. Well, something reasonably close to it.

 

Shady! We talking something like this? https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/225953-diamine-steel-blue/

I can appreciate the talent involved in creating this but no interest in doing it myself.

 

Or something like this? https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/257375-lindauer-grun/

Aside from being a hideous color in a scan that I can never un-see, that just looks like the pen is broken.

 

I personally like a somewhat consistent line with perhaps a bit of shading; something like this is nice https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/124335-herbin-ambre-de-birmanie/

 

Sheeny! Like this? https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/304225-j-herbing-1670-emerald-of-chivor-emeraude-de-chivor-an-extremely-photo-heavy-structureless-and-biased-review/ I really like the color of the ink but ...

 

No, not for me either. I almost passed on Yama-budo when I saw those pics of the sheen (which I can't find now) but I figured I'd be using it in a fine so I probably would see it and, if I do and it's too much, I can always go with Sagauro Wine instead.

　

Subtle! Yes, firmly at the opposite end from Team Amber. Those indeterminate colors, like Cacao du Bresil, those greyed colors like Poussiere de Lune or Vert Empire, those colors that look black until you look closer, like VGSN. Count me in there, too.

 

And, finally, Work, dammit! I covered that earlier in the thread - if the pen works, the ink will follow.

 

So, that's my stations. Very interesting reading other people's takes on their places on this journey.

[Flaxmoore]

OK, my turn.

 

Colors!!!! Isn't that the whole point of fountain pens, that you can write in colors beyond the 4-6 standard ballpoint or gel-pen colors available at the corner drugstore? I used to paint (mostly watercolor) so I've done the 'colors' thing before. With inks, I see a lot of beautiful colors but that doesn't mean I want to write with them.

 

My journey with FPs actually started as a way to prevent carpal tunnel. It was starting in my dominant hand due to tons of writing with a mediocre pen, and a cheap FP fixed that.

[ac12]

"Blackest Black" continued.

 

I have to make an addition to my comment on 'Blackest Black.'

Recently I tried a sample of Noodler's Lexington Grey, not expecting very much. Boy was I surprised, and in an unexpected way. Turns out that I liked the Lexington Grey. huh ?????

 

Then I started to think about WHY I liked the gray ink. In college I HATED the dark grey shade that my black Parker Quink looked, I bought black so I wanted BLACK. Then after writing with the Lexington Grey for a while, it clicked. The grey ink was not as dark as black ink, so there was less visual contrast with the white paper. This made it easier on my senior citizen eyes than the darker BLACK ink. So yes, there is such a thing as too much visual contrast. This was something that I did not expect to run into.

 

Lesson learned. Be open to trying other inks, you might find something you like.

Edited April 13, 2016 by ac12

[thudthwacker]

What a fun topic. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's inky journeys.

 

 

•   You mean there's COLORS???!?!?!??

 

I loved the fact that fountain pen inks came in a massive array of colors before I even thought I'd be able to use a fountain pen. I was trying to gethandwriting that was legible by other humans, mentioned it to a friend, and she (who has loved pens and ink forever) immediately offered to be mypen pal so I would have a regular reason to write. I think the first letter she sent was written in J. Herbin 1670 Blue Ocean on Crown Mill paper.I decided around that time that, should I ever find myself with a fountain pen, I'd have a parade of colors available to me.

•   Blackest Black EVAR!!

 

This is something I'm just starting to get interested in. And even so, I'd be more likely to enjoy a glossy, sheeny black than a matte hole-cut-into-the-negative-material-plane kind of black.

•   Brightest Colors EVAR!!

 

I've already got a couple of oranges, and magenta is starting to become a color I want a collection of. And when I finally haul my carcass in to the Fountain Pen Hospital, I think I'm going to pick up a bottle of Dragon's Napalm (if only because I've got a framed print of the label art in my office).

•   My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!!

 

Nah, not so much. Though I am in the market for a quick-drying water-resistant ink just for ye olde gym notebook.

•   I'm in love with !

 

Turquoise. Started with Noodler's Navajo Turquoise, and led to Lamy Turquoise and Waterman Inspired Blue. Turquoise makes me happy.

•   Quest for the perfect .

 

The first bottle of ink I bought was Diamine Imperial Blue, after a long process of trying to find just the perfect purple-leaning-blue to matcha favorite springtime wildflower. Got 80ml, as I really had no clue just how much ink that was. I don't really turn to Imperial Blue veryoften these days (due to a lack of shading and sheen), but I still use it every now and then.

•   Oooooh, shady!

 

I love dramatically-shading inks. It's one of the reasons I like turquoise so much -- turqoise inks tend to be really nice shaders. I picked up awee bottle of J. Herbin Lie de Thé entirely because I like how it shades (not a huge fan of brown -- yet).

•   Oooooh, sheeny!

 

I love sheen, too. Again, one of the things I like about turqoise is that many of them (Lamy and Waterman Inspired Blue, for sure) have a subtlemetallic pink sheen edging the darker-shading parts. But I like all the different kinds of sheen -- the sheen that halos around wetter areas; thesheen that kinda replaces shading; the sheen that shows up as sort of a translucent metallic glow over top of the color.

•   Oooooh, subtle!

 

I like complex, like Emerald of Chivor, but not much I'd really call subtle (aside, perhaps, from the slight pink-red sheen inturquoise inks). However, after using Lie de Thé and not being knocked out by the basic color, I've begun wondering what it would be likewith maybe some subtle green undertone, and maybe a slight gold sheen. And now I really want to try to lay hands on Sailor Cigar which, let'snot kid ourselves, is unlikely to happen.

•   I just want it to work!

 

 

Yeah, I get there sometimes. I definitely find myself leaning towards inks which will dry readily (if not necessarily fast), don't featheror bleed, don't give me grief with clogging, and lubricate the nib so I don't feel my pen scraping along on the paper.

[Aelie]

This is a very interesting thread indeed!

 

All the phases listed really are different aspects of inks that we value in an ink. For me, my ink purchases have been driven by the ink's subtlety and the convenience having my inks just work. Those two factors are important to me, as I mainly use my fountain pens for writing personal letters at the end of the day. For my letters, I believe the ink should help convey the message, instead of being the message in itself. And I just want my ink to behave since I don't want to deal with a troublesome ink after a 12 hour long day.

 

Things would be very different if my primary use of fountain pens was something else. I sometimes use my pens to edit articles and essays, and I certainly use the brightest colors I have for that. Most of my pens have Japanese fine nibs, but if I had pens with broader and wetter nibs, I am sure I would value shading and sheening a lot more.

 

So for me, the reason for writing matters more than the phase I am feeling that day. Of course, this isn't a choice between one phase or another - the true beauty of inks is that we can always find a gorgeous ink for any circumstance!

[pickwickink]

Love this thread! As someone who is rather new FPs and inks, I'm at many waypoints at once and also, I've found another waypoint that seems less frequented.

 

I did start out with You mean there are colors?!?. My first modern FP was a Varsity and the only reason i ordered that was because it was purple. I had always used blue ink in school. Never even black. So I had no idea there were other colors. Needless to say, I went sample crazy with the colors. Oh the colors! I feel like i'm still hanging around this stop.

 

My second stop was one not in your post - OOOOOOO SHINY BOTTLE! I'll admit, this is the reason I tried Iroshizuku and ended up finding my perfect blue (Asa-Gao). It is also the reason I have a bottle of MB Lavender Purple. Fortunately I love the color. It is also the reason I have a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein instead of Private Reserve. I also love Diamine's Blue Velvet and thankfully they have it in that pretty anniversary bottle. Still hanging around this one.

 

Blackest Black - I sort of slowed down here but never stopped. I got a few samples of the big ones in this color and finally just got a bottle of Iro Take Sumi.

 

Brightest Colors EVAR! - I love pinks and magentas so i've been trying out a few bright ones. Ultimately though I discovered that my eyes hurt trying to read anything in such colors back. Apologies to any penpals whose retinas I may have damaged while at this stop.

 

My writing shall be preserved forever - never stopped at this one. Question for OP, how long before you notice fade in the Waterman? Is it weeks? Months? Is the writing sitting out in the sun?

 

I'm in love with - I mentioned I'm a fan of pinks and magentas. While pink is too difficult for me to read, I do enjoy magentas very much. So far, I've found Yama-Budo which is very toned down and very readable and I love Iro anyway. The other favorite I've found is Noodler's Saguaro Wine but I'm not sure I want to get another bottle of Noodler's. I'm sure I'll catch flack for that comment but that's where I'm at.

 

Quest for perfect color - I was fortunate to find Asa-Gao fairly early in my journey but recently i've been reading the Co-Razy thread about PPS/FPS#9 and that has got me curious. I think my next ink purchase will include the ones needed to make FPS#9 and a couple of others so I can make my own mixes. I really want to make some mixes with the Waterman Purple I already have.

 

Ooooh Shady - This is the reason I bought my bottle of De Atramentis Jane Austen. It is also the reason I am using Tomoe River paper more and more.

 

Oooh Sheeny - I'll admit, I am a bit intimidated by this type of ink. After reading about all the clogged pens and mess with Emerald of Chivor, I dismissed this type of ink. But recently I saw several beautiful writing samples of Diamine Blue Lightning plus they have OOOOH SHINY BOTTLE! so I think I will try this ink also.

 

Oooh Subtle - I think I sort of live here except for that brief foray into the brights where Hope Pink and Dragon's Napalm almost blinded me. Then again, I'm of the opinion that Saguaro Wine is a subtle color though I'm sure others disagree.

 

I just want it to work - I've not had any problems with this so far. Sure I've had pens sputter ink all over the place but changing inks to a drier one did not fix the issue. So far, these problems have been with the pen and not the ink. Who knows, I may be stopping here when I start using the Blue Lightning.

 

Anyway, thanks for the thread. It has been very nice thinking about my inks in this way.

[dcwaites]

I think you should add The Blending Disease to your list. That is when you can never buy an ink that is The Perfect Colour, so you buy two, one on each side of the desired colour, and blend them to get The Perfect Colour.

 

I live in the intersection of I just want it to work! and Quest for the perfect colour, so I just want The Perfect Colour to be Perfectly Behaved.

 

As far as My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!! I generally don't fuss about water resistance, but I don't like fading. I will use a Document Certified or better ink for important things like shopping lists* or signing documents because there permanence is more important than The Perfect Colour. I don't think there is any intersection between The Perfect Colour and Permanently Permanent inks. (Except for those poor souls who think that Mont Blanc Permanent Blue is The Perfect Colour ) Although Koh-i-Noor Document Blue is pretty close to my ideal ink.

 

 

 

*Just ask an archaeologist. The sort of thing they love to find most are documents about ordinary everyday things. Your shopping lists are of far more interest in the far future than your musings about inks.

.

[Pensei]

Well. That certainly tips me a bit towards the Pilot basic BB over the Tsuki-Yo. That Pilot BB can be had dirt cheap doesn't hurt either. I mean, you can have a 30ml bottle of Pilot BB for less than two samples of Tsuki-Yo.

Either I would like to find your ink vendor or I would like to avoid your sample vendor.

[BlazeOrangeGuy]

The original post is great - it made me chuckle quite a bit because I have been on every one of those *expensive* journeys!

 

The funny thing is, having gone through all of that, that I pretty much stick with Montblanc (Perm. Blue, Violet, Brown, Perm. Black, Midnight Blue, & Burgundy), Akkerman Shocking Blue, and Noodler's Black. Oh, and Sailor's Nano Black too. That Nano Black looks great with my TWSBI ECO stub. For whatever reason, I really enjoy the sheen from the wider line the stub gives.

 

I've given the rest of my inks away to budding fountain pen geeks. I've gotten 6 people involved in fountain pens in the last 6 months!

Edited April 17, 2016 by BlazeOrangeGuy

[Arkanabar]

Love this thread! As someone who is rather new FPs and inks, I'm at many waypoints at once and also, I've found another waypoint that seems less frequented.

 

I did start out with You mean there are colors?!?. My first modern FP was a Varsity and the only reason i ordered that was because it was purple. I had always used blue ink in school. Never even black. So I had no idea there were other colors. Needless to say, I went sample crazy with the colors. Oh the colors! I feel like i'm still hanging around this stop.

 

My second stop was one not in your post - OOOOOOO SHINY BOTTLE! I'll admit, this is the reason I tried Iroshizuku and ended up finding my perfect blue (Asa-Gao). It is also the reason I have a bottle of MB Lavender Purple. Fortunately I love the color. It is also the reason I have a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein instead of Private Reserve. I also love Diamine's Blue Velvet and thankfully they have it in that pretty anniversary bottle. Still hanging around this one.

Brightest Colors EVAR! - I love pinks and magentas so i've been trying out a few bright ones. Ultimately though I discovered that my eyes hurt trying to read anything in such colors back. Apologies to any penpals whose retinas I may have damaged while at this stop.

 

My writing shall be preserved forever - never stopped at this one. Question for OP, how long before you notice fade in the Waterman? Is it weeks? Months? Is the writing sitting out in the sun?

Oooh Sheeny - I'll admit, I am a bit intimidated by this type of ink. After reading about all the clogged pens and mess with Emerald of Chivor, I dismissed this type of ink. But recently I saw several beautiful writing samples of Diamine Blue Lightning plus they have OOOOH SHINY BOTTLE! so I think I will try this ink also.

 

Anyway, thanks for the thread. It has been very nice thinking about my inks in this way.

Never thought about SHINY BOTTLE!! Unfortunately, the original post is too old for me to edit at this point. You should take a look at the PW Akkerman bottles, which are a really cool technical solution for using the whole thing, and look really neat besides.

 

Different inks fade at different rates. Waterman Violet fades pretty quick; see this thread. And Amberlea Davis has a big spreadsheet of results from her Las Vegas desert windows.

 

Some sheeny inks sheen because they are pigmented, and the pigments almost axiomatically move through paper at different rates than dyes. Those definitely require extra maintenance. Others shade even though all color is fully dissolved aniline dyes. They are usually less problematic.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Arkanabar

[pickwickink]

Never thought about SHINY BOTTLE!! Unfortunately, the original post is too old for me to edit at this point. You should take a look at the PW Akkerman bottles, which are a really cool technical solution for using the whole thing, and look really neat besides.

 

Different inks fade at different rates. Waterman Violet fades pretty quick; see this thread. And Amberlea Davis has a big spreadsheet of results from her Las Vegas desert windows.

 

Some sheeny inks sheen because they are pigmented, and the pigments almost axiomatically move through paper at different rates than dyes. Those definitely require extra maintenance. Others shade even though all color is fully dissolved aniline dyes. They are usually less problematic.

Thanks for the links. Very interesting stuff.

[Guardy]

You mean there's COLORS???!?!?!??

Fifth grade. We finally got to choose our own writing materials after a long, loooong period of mandatory fountain pens and royal blue ink.
I was vaguely aware that there was black ink, but everything else was news to me.

Blackest Black EVAR!!

Followed straight after - I was a very stern young kid who used to interact mainly with adults and wanted to be taken seriously - therefore, black ink, to lend some gravity to that pesky German homework.
Besides, I was chasing that certain old-fashioned look that I now know can only really be achieved with iron gall inks. Or probably with highly shading black inks (suggestions for that are always welcome, by the way), but the Pelikan one is not one of those and I didn't have access to much else.

Brightest Colors EVAR!!

Followed after black, when I realized that Pelikan 4001 brilliant black will never be what I want it to be.
So then came the purple ink and the bright turquoise ink and the red ink for stuff I didn't have to hand in and the green ink for absolutely everything.

My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!!

Nah. No (good) ink I've used so far faded fast enough to be of any concern, I'm not in the habit of dumping water over my writing and if anything big were to happen to my written stuff - say, a flooded basement - I'd be too lazy to recover it anyway.

I'm in love with warm colors!

Brown, red, dark orange, you name it. Have been for a long, long time.
Funnily, I have far more inks leaning toward cool colors, mostly because I'm really wary of anything containing red for pen cleaning reasons.

Quest for the perfect .

Blue, blue-black, grey, black; basically anything serious and University-compatible. This has also been going on for many, many years.
Also brown, lately. Haven't gotten very far yet.

Oooooh, shady!

I recently discovered J. Herbin...
*cough* Ambre de Birmanie shades absolutely lovely and I want more of that *cough*
That said, in retrospect shading inks have always fascinated me, I just didn't draw a connection between a general "Ooooh, nice ink!" and "Oooooh, shady!"

Oooooh, sheeny!

nnNNNnNNNNNNNOPE.
Pelikan 4001 turquoise used to give the loveliest sheen one some of my papers. Gold-copper and all.
It also tended to smear a lot, even when dry, on any given paper. Maybe I just had a bad pack of cartridges, but I still have turquoise-smeared nightmares about that, so I tend to avoid anything even remotely similar.

Oooooh, subtle!

I tend to go from "Brightest colors evar!!!" to this and back in some sort of wave pattern...
But this is my usual opinion on inks.
One of my very favorite inks used to be Pelikan 4001 blue-black, so...

I just want it to work!

Always has been and always will be my first concern.
A lot of this community seems to have (re-)discovered fountain pens well into adulthood and treats it as some sort of holy grail of writing - I have been using fountain pens pretty much since I started writing, for no other reason than the perfect combination of functionality and aesthetics.
They've always been tools for me - tools I love very dearly, but also tools I expect to work, dangit.
If something dries up or is too much of a hassle cleaning out of pens or tends to smear or show inordinate amounts of feathering, it's the last time I've used it.

[Shavely Manden]

• Blackest Black EVAR!!
• My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!!

 

Just covered both of these in the past couple of days! I'd decided I needed an everything-proof, archival, ISO-certified black that looked like it was made of tiny black holes, and had just about driven myself mad looking at color swatches before realizing (a) they're all pretty darn black and (b\) I don't even write checks anymore, and even if I did, I have no use for an ink more hardcore than the Benevolent Badger Blue I've already got.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Shavely Manden

[Hedgepig]

I'm currently sitting at

 

"Oh Dear Lard, I really like the look of that ink but how can I justify buying it when I'm never going to use all the ones I have already? Maybe if I got another pen..."

 

[amberleadavis]

Arkanbar, do you mind if we add this to the Inky TOD list?

[Arkanabar]

Not in the least! I'd be honored!

[Runnin_Ute]

This has been an interesting thread. To be honest, I never really thought about inks in this context until I read it. Now to address each one.

• You mean there's COLORS???!?!?!??

My first bottles of ink were Levenger Raven Black and Levenger Cobalt Blue. I had two pens, and one got one and the other got the other. Ran out of the blue first. I didn't have a clue as to what was available or where at the time. I even bought my first two pens (Lamy Al Star & red marbled Waterman Phileas) from Levenger. I know they had at least 6 colors at the time. (the ones they call the Classic Colors: Raven Black, Cobalt Blue, Cocoa, Gemstone Green, Amethyst, and Cardinal Red)

 

But it took the FPN and especially the enabling talents of Amberlea Davis to really explore color. I was looking for a replacement bottle of Pelikan 4001 Blue Black when I found FPN! I did find a bottle that a member was willing to part with to replace one I had recently finished off. That was December 2012.

• Blackest Black EVAR!!

I never really felt much of a need to scratch this itch. Maybe because of that initial bottle of Raven Black. I do have a bottle of Noodler's Black which came in a package deal of pen, ink and notebook I got from Goulet. I do have another black – Susemai/Blackstone Black Cashmere. Neither gets much use. But of the Blackstone Colours of Australia inks, Black Stump is the only one I passed on.

• Brightest Colors EVAR!!

Let's see….. Noodler's Apache Sunset, then there was the vintage Sterling Violet which I still have some of. Amber or someone recently sent me some De A Goat and some De A Cherry Blossom. Neither is something I would use much though…. I do like some of the colors like Diamine Classic Red, Diamine Steel Blue, KWZI I.G. Turquoise...

• My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!!

This isn't to much of a concern for me. Yes, I have a couple of Noodler's bulletproof inks. Black, 54^th Massachusetts, of course there is IG Turquoise. (which is more of a favorite than either of the other two)

• I'm in love with !

Orange – Apache Sunset. For me what is so fun about this ink is not just it's shading properties, but the fact that with some pen/paper combos it is just a plain old orange and other times you can see a lot of yellow in it. It was the first ink after discovering samples that I bought without buying a sample first. I never regretted it.

 

Another no regret color? Levenger Pomegranate. Downside of this wonderful ink? It is discontinued and they are out of stock. I do have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I first got it. A red that sometimes looks brown. Oh, and it sheens. I have three reds (Pomegranate, Red Cashmere and Classic Red) that get regular use, same with greens.

• Quest for the perfect .

I just enjoy the breadth of colors. Whether it is blues, greens, turquoise, purples, blue blacks, reds and more. Isn't that the point of having all the different colors? To make life interesting.

• Oooooh, shady!/ Oooooh, sheeny!

Shaders…. Pelikan 4001 Blue Black, Diamine Saddle Brown (browns are a current interest), a couple of the Blackstone inks – Barrier Reef Blue and Sydney Harbour Blue….oh of course Apache Sunset..

 

Sheening inks…. Levenger Pomegranate, Blackstone Red Cashmere, Sydney Harbour Blue, Barrier Reef Blue are just a sampling of the sheening inks I have.

 

I have samples of all ten of the Diamine Shimmering inks. Of the ones I have tried so far (Golden Sands, Blue Lightning, Red Lustre, Brandy Dazzle, Magical Forest) I would say I like Golden Sands and Blue Lightning the best.

 

Oooooh, subtle!

Not that important, but not unimportant either.

• I just want it to work!

The fussiest ink I have ever dropped money on was a KWZI ink. And a color I liked, and I really wanted it to like it: Azure of Sky. The bottle I got is so dry it is virtually unusable. I have tried adding not just a little dish soap but a LOT. And even in a pretty wet pen it turned it into a hard starter.

 

One of my standard inks on the other hand, and I usually keep it in my Parker 51 Special – Waterman Serenity Blue. Easy to clean out – which is a blessing with a 51. The only other ink I have run through it? Diamine Blue Black. I just don't have to worry about either one.

 

If I had to pick one color from each color family….

 

Black – hard to say, I don't normally keep a pen inked with black. But I think it must be in ones stable of inks.

 

Blue Black – really? Pelikan 4001 of course. Diamine Blue Black is my #2 and taking up the rear for me is Noodler's 54^th Massachusetts. There are some others I like too. Like Levenger Empyrean. This could also be classified as a very dark blue.

 

Blues – Serenity Blue for a “boring, but just works” blue, Akkerman Shocking Blue, Blackstone Barrier Reef Blue, Blackstone Syndey Harbour Blue are some other great blues.

 

Red – for a classic true red, what else but Diamine Classic Red. For something more interesting? Levenger Pomegranate or Blackstone Red Cashmere.

 

Brown – Parker Penman Mocha is great, but since I won't pay the kind of money in order to get it, I found for me is the next best thing. Diamine Saddle Brown.

 

Turquoise – Diamine Steel Blue and KWZI Iron Gall Turquoise are my favorites.

 

Green - Diamine Sherwood Green, Blackstone Daintree Green and Green Cashmere.

Purple - Akkerman Voorhout Violet and Sterling Violet

[Aysun]

You mean there's COLORS???!?!?!??

 

This was definitely the first stop for me.

I have so much calligraphy ink in many colors, but when I started a project where I did not want to have to constantly dip a pen I moved to fountain pens.

 

I was so excited to find just as many, if not more, colors available in fountain pen ink.

 

I am glad that multiple stores offer ink samples so that I can purchase many different colors without having to commit to full bottles.

 

 

Blackest Black EVAR!!

 

I have had these feels, though I am torn between a glossy black or a black hole black.

 

I am most interested in a blacks ability to obscure any color underneath it.

 

Brightest Colors EVAR!!

 

I am not overly obsessed with brightness for the sake of brightness, though there are some bright colors I am rather fond of. E.G. Diamine Autumn Oak or DeA Elderberry.

 

My writing shall be preserved for EVAR!!

 

I was so irked when I made a pretty ink blot and my dog came over and licked it, smearing the day old ink.

 

I don't really think my writing will last forever, especially since I burn scrap paper, but I would like it to not be obliterated by a drink ring or an accidental spill.

 

Also, sometimes I want to put ink and water around writing, and would like the writing to stay if it gets spritzed.

 

I'm in love with !

 

I adore the tri-color-ness of Emerald of Chivor.

 

I also really love the golden-ness of Golden Sands.

 

I cotton on to odd inks for odd reasons.

 

There is not a specific range of colors that I am obsessed with at this time.

 

Quest for the perfect .

 

I am looking for a perfect blue, like many, but for a weird reason. I want to find an ink to match the blue of the mermaid tail I perform in at festivals and events.

 

Oooooh, shady!

 

One of my favorite things about ink is the potential for shading. That is one of the reasons I prefer stub nibs. I like a bit of shading more so than so much that it makes writing tricky to read.

 

Oooooh, sheeny!

 

Yes, please. I really like sheen.

 

Oooooh, subtle!

 

I prefer more complex inks, though I am very fond of Lie De The.

 

 

I just want it to work!

 

I think this may be the most important. No matter how pretty it is, if it does not work, there is little point to have it.

 

This is another reason I really like the ability to purchase samples and not be stuck with whole bottles.

[BlazeOrangeGuy]

 

My journey with FPs actually started as a way to prevent carpal tunnel. It was starting in my dominant hand due to tons of writing with a mediocre pen, and a cheap FP fixed that.

 

Me too. I was starting to have symptoms of CTS, as well as arthritis from writing in medical charts. A switch over to a Pelikan M100 cured my problems. I recommend FP to this day to folks struggling with CTS and tendinitis.