Your Personal Go-To Wet Ink

[EbonitePen]

A bit of background to this question: I purchased my first Pilot recently - a Custom 74 with Music nib - and been very disappointed with the flow. The pen is dry and skippy. And so I tried some of my wetter inks in the pen, among which were two Iroshizukus as well as my trusty Parker Quink Permanent Blue which flows beautifully in all of my pens. Once this failed as well I knew the time has come for my Noodler's Ink Rome Burning, which nearly drips from any of my wetter nibs. I love the hue shift as the ink dries, I love the color, the fact that there is yet another hue shift upon contact with water and that the ink smells the way it does, not to mention the wetness. The one thing I don't love is the bleedthrough but what can you do, can't have it all. I have the usual wet inks such as few Iroshizuku inks, Aurora Black, Herbin's Perle Noire and several others, Monteverde ITF ink, Noodler's Eel inks, PR Tanzanite, etc. but nothing comes close to my bottle of Rome Burning. There may be some inconsistency in Noodler's batches so your RB may not be the same but my bottle is that wet and it is defintiely my go-to ink for drier writers.

 

And so it occurred to me, what are other people's go-to wettest inks? I am aware that there is a lot of threads discussing wet inks and dry inks and all the inks in between but really I am interested in your personal preferred choice of ink (one you do/did own) when you want to turn your pen into a "fire hose", or just want to deal with a dry writer. I am not interested in the usual general ideas about wet inks but specifically in your own personal ones that you actually use. This is just a fun question really - not a troubleshooting one - and I'm looking forward to hear about your experience.

Edited August 19, 2016 by EbonitePen

[lgsoltek]

Try some Levenger and De Atramentis inks.

[EbonitePen]

Try some Levenger and De Atramentis inks.

I have found mine, I'm asking about yours.

[PaganArcher]

Private Reserve Avocado, Noodler's Bad Green Gator, and Noodler's Texas Live Oak. BGG and TLO turn my TWSBI fine nib into a broad line.

[lgsoltek]

I have found mine, I'm asking about yours.

Oh sorry, I thought you were asking for more suggestions of wet ink. Personally I'd choose something from these two brands, as well as some very wet Sailor inks.

[EbonitePen]

Private Reserve Avocado, Noodler's Bad Green Gator, and Noodler's Texas Live Oak. BGG and TLO turn my TWSBI fine nib into a broad line.

You like greens I see, I don't personally but I do have the BGG. And while it is true that it's very wet, it behaves similarly to Bad Blue Heron which I don't enjoy all that much.

 

Oh sorry, I thought you were asking for more suggestions of wet ink. Personally I'd choose something from these two brands, as well as some very wet Sailor inks.

That's all right, no problem at all! I have emptied a few bottles of De Atramentis and they are indeed quite wet. But I find their wetness to be just right, not fire hose-y wet, at least those I had. Sailors are nice too, the bottle of Grenade I have is quite wet and enjoyable.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[lgsoltek]

You like greens I see, I don't personally but I do have the BGG. And while it is true that it's very wet, it behaves similarly to Bad Blue Heron which I don't enjoy all that much.

 

That's all right, no problem at all! I have emptied a few bottles of De Atramentis and they are indeed quite wet. But I find their wetness to be just right, not fire hose-y wet, at least those I had. Sailors are nice too, the bottle of Grenade I have is quite wet and enjoyable.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

 

I have a 742 Music nib too, so I understand how you feel about your pen. It's quite a finicky nib. It oftens skips at one tine.

 

Have you tried Sailor Doyou? It's a very wet and smooth ink. The colour isn't that appealing though.

[roklpokl]

My Pilot custom 92 was also dry, skipped here and there even with Iroshizuku. Right now I have Herbin Vert Empire in it and it flows very well. Probably the wettest ink I've tried.

[Bill Wood]

Sailor Any color. Noodlers nightshade and De Atramentis ebony. Tanzanite as well.

[PenFisher]

Noodler's Black is my go-to wet ink and has virtually no feathering or bleed-thru. I also appreciate the water-proof and archival qualities of the ink. I have used this ink for many years and the properties of the ink IMHO have remained consistent over time.

Edited August 20, 2016 by PenFisher

[TSherbs]

Diamine Midnight

Levenger Cobalt Blue

[haruka337]

I find wet ink to be absolutely useless for my needs (I don't use dry nibbed pens). However, I do have one bottle of wet ink (for the color). It's rarely used: J . Herbin Lie de Thé.

----------

I wouldn't call Aurora, Noodler Eel inks or some Montverde "wet" inks-- lubricant is more accurate. Lubricant inks (Like Sailor) have great flow and provide a silky writing experience. Nibs literally glide smoothly across the page and such inks quiet and tame troubled nibs. Can minimize or eliminate feed-back too.

Wet inks, as you noted, can appear to almost drip off the nib, but typically do not provide a smooth writing experience and one may experience a lot of feedback and feathering/bleed-through. However, it works extremely well with dry nibs, though poorly on glass dipped pens. On the right paper, feathering will not be an issue.

 

Then there are dry inks (yuck) for hose pens, but lubricant inks work just as well in such a pen, so I have no dry ink at this point.

All in all, it may be a matter of semantics and how one breaks down ink in their own mind.

[EbonitePen]

I find wet ink to be absolutely useless for my needs (I don't use dry nibbed pens). However, I do have one bottle of wet ink (for the color). It's rarely used: J . Herbin Lie de Thé.

 

----------

 

I wouldn't call Aurora, Noodler Eel inks or some Montverde "wet" inks-- lubricant is more accurate. Lubricant inks (Like Sailor) have great flow and provide a silky writing experience. Nibs literally glide smoothly across the page and such inks quiet and tame troubled nibs. Can minimize or eliminate feed-back too.

 

Wet inks, as you noted, can appear to almost drip off the nib, but typically do not provide a smooth writing experience and one may experience a lot of feedback and feathering/bleed-through. However, it works extremely well with dry nibs, though poorly on glass dipped pens. On the right paper, feathering will not be an issue.

 

Then there are dry inks (yuck) for hose pens, but lubricant inks work just as well in such a pen, so I have no dry ink at this point.

 

All in all, it may be a matter of semantics and how one breaks down ink in their own mind.

Yes, that's why I dislike the Warden series' BBH or BGG, wet but low on lubrication. Rome Burning is wet and considerably more lubricated and so it's both drippy and smooth.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Kindly consider both Diamine Denim and Bilberry.

 

They are not the most well behaved inks, especially when dancing with naughty paper.

 

I particularly like them for blending with some of the rather boring lean Blue-Black inks (e.g. Sheaffer & Lamy) to put a little spring in their step.

 

It is also possible to increase the flow of an ink by adding a bit of surfactant: IToD https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/268124-inky-t-o-d-improving-ink-flow-make-a-dry-writing-ink-wetter-or-help-ignition-problems/?p=3016908

 

As I;ve used the C74 + MS a fair bit, take heed that writing with a 3-tine nib is quite different than a 2-tine nib : the 'sweet spot' can be tricky to find; and to keep the nib running on the sweet spot can be a challenge, at least for me, who needs to practice writing/drawing A4 spirals with such lovely nibs.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited August 19, 2016 by Sandy1

[EbonitePen]

Hi,

 

Kindly consider both Diamine Denim and Bilberry.

 

They are not the most well behaved inks, especially when dancing with naughty paper.

 

I particularly like them for blending with some of the rather boring lean Blue-Black inks (e.g. Sheaffer & Lamy) to put a little spring in their step.

 

It is also possible to increase the flow of an ink by adding a bit of surfactant: IToD https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/268124-inky-t-o-d-improving-ink-flow-make-a-dry-writing-ink-wetter-or-help-ignition-problems/?p=3016908

 

As I;ve used the C74 + MS a fair bit, take heed that writing with a 3-tine nib is quite different than a 2-tine nib : the 'sweet spot' can be tricky to find; and to keep the nib running on the sweet spot can be a challenge, at least for me, who needs to practice writing/drawing A4 spirals with such lovely nibs.

 

Bye,

S1

Hi and thanks.

Haven't used either of the two Diamine inks you mentioned, I'll check them out.

 

I agree that there is a considerable sweet spot on the nib due to its stubby nature but that unfortunately isn't the issue.

 

Thanks for the link. I've read such recipes here before but haven't tried experimenting yet despite being around fountain pens for quite some time, I should give it a shot.

[EbonitePen]

My Pilot custom 92 was also dry, skipped here and there even with Iroshizuku. Right now I have Herbin Vert Empire in it and it flows very well. Probably the wettest ink I've tried.

I actually have only a few mils of Vert Empire left in my bottle but surprisingly I don't find it especially wet. But I like that one. Nice, understated, shading green.

[EbonitePen]

 

 

I have a 742 Music nib too, so I understand how you feel about your pen. It's quite a finicky nib. It oftens skips at one tine.

 

Have you tried Sailor Doyou? It's a very wet and smooth ink. The colour isn't that appealing though.

No I have not but I very well may in the future, I like those sepia colored inks. I am just waiting for Sailor's Rikyu-Cha so that could potentially be a good one too.

[ink-syringe]

The wet ink of last resort for me is Diamine Midnight. If the pen is so stingy that it still writes dry with Diamine midnight then it goes back or out for repair. Ain't nobody got time for that.

[glorfindel]

At the risk of confusing "wet" with "well lubricated", I always reach for either Noodlers Blue Eel or De Atramentis Forget-me-Not when working with a dry pen.

I have a feeling that F-m-N in particular will find its way out of the pen even if the feed was completely plugged.

[ac12]

Waterman

 

If it does not flow with Waterman ink, then I adjust the nib to flow the ink as I want it to.