How Many Inked Pens?

[ReadyFireAim]

A regular F nib pen with conservative ink & a CI nib with something more interesting.

 

The F pen is a Nemosine & the CI is a MB 146. (currently with Dragon Napalm)

 

The answer is 2

[wallylynn]

Just one in my EDC pen (currently noodler's creaper). Trying to get back to journaling but my days are quite boring. Also using more ink practicing my penmanship. But it's not enough to ink multiple pens.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Max is 17.....have been 'striving' to get down to 5-7....so I can use more of my ink.

Unfortunately my wife bought me three new or new to me MB LE inks...so I had to ink some pens.

 

That right after I inked two pens one with semi-flex and the other with old true regular flex in I'd decided it was time to start using MB Diamond.

 

13

There I was down to 8 pens.....just last week!

 

Any time I come to either Thoughts or Reviews....I ink a pen.

[flyingfox]

As of right now... 19.

 

Right after Philly Pen Show, it was up to 24- I just NEEDED to ink up the pens I got there, try the new ink, and wanted to compare some of those to other ink colors. I have been trying to write them dry, slowly but surely, and get the total count down to 12. I do some journaling, but it is WAY more of fun and playful than serious LOL.

[bigkahuna]

At minimum, I keep 4 pens inked. Each pen has a specific role/purpose:

• Signatory pen (Cosu/BB/B nib)
• Marginalia pen (EF /F nib)
• GP pen worn in pocket/placket (FM/M nib)
• Fun pen (cursive italic)

My bullet journal gets the most visits from the GP pen and Fun pen.

[inkotheque]

I tend to have a number of inked pens that is way bigger than any reasonable rotation set. Reality is that I’m an ink addict and I usually don’t fill up my converters or piston fillers completely just to have the chance to change the ink I use more often.

I end up having, as now, some 20-30 pens containing some ink. I love changing pen and ink colour so much that, when I’m journaling, I switch pen on average once every 1 or 2 pages.

In the office things are different. Not all my inks are suitable for the office environment so I tend to stick to 3 pens max, fully charged to avoid unpractical pen refills during meetings.

My routine has forced me to keep a register of which pen holds which ink. I’ve been keeping such register for quite a long time and, while I appreciate the glamour of a little notebook plenty of different colours I found this quite unpractical to answer simple questions like ‘which pen is currently holding this ink?’ or ‘which ink do I have now in this pen?’.

Some inks are so similar that, for me, is pretty difficult to distinguish them by scribbling few words. Sometimes the available lighting in the environment does not help such guessing too.

Having a degree in computing science and having spent most of my life programming apps and web apps I thought to try building a simple web based app able to help me keep my registry. I needed something on the web so that I could use it with my phone so not to need to have my laptop on the same table I was writing with my pens. I did it just for my personal use and this led me to build a little web app named Inkdrinks.

As I’ve learned most of what I know about fountain pens thanks to the community of the Fountain Pen Network, I thought that I was getting a lot without giving back anything. I’ve been a non registered user, a guest, of FPN for too long and only recently I decided to create my own account.

It has been quite natural for me to think that, not being at all a fountain pen expert, the best way to give back to the community was to make Inkdrinks available to as many FPN members as possible.

Running a web app has some associated costs and I can not cover the costs of running an expensive server suitable to manage a community of thousands of people. This is the main reason why I’m currently limiting the number of free accounts to 100.

If you are interested in using such a tool you can use it at https://inkotheque.com . Hope you find it useful.

[evyxmsj]

 

I tend to have a number of inked pens that is way bigger than any reasonable rotation set. Reality is that Im an ink addict and I usually dont fill up my converters or piston fillers completely just to have the chance to change the ink I use more often.

I end up having, as now, some 20-30 pens containing some ink. I love changing pen and ink colour so much that, when Im journaling, I switch pen on average once every 1 or 2 pages.

In the office things are different. Not all my inks are suitable for the office environment so I tend to stick to 3 pens max, fully charged to avoid unpractical pen refills during meetings.

My routine has forced me to keep a register of which pen holds which ink. Ive been keeping such register for quite a long time and, while I appreciate the glamour of a little notebook plenty of different colours I found this quite unpractical to answer simple questions like which pen is currently holding this ink? or which ink do I have now in this pen?.

Some inks are so similar that, for me, is pretty difficult to distinguish them by scribbling few words. Sometimes the available lighting in the environment does not help such guessing too.

Having a degree in computing science and having spent most of my life programming apps and web apps I thought to try building a simple web based app able to help me keep my registry. I needed something on the web so that I could use it with my phone so not to need to have my laptop on the same table I was writing with my pens. I did it just for my personal use and this led me to build a little web app named Inkdrinks.

As Ive learned most of what I know about fountain pens thanks to the community of the Fountain Pen Network, I thought that I was getting a lot without giving back anything. Ive been a non registered user, a guest, of FPN for too long and only recently I decided to create my own account.

It has been quite natural for me to think that, not being at all a fountain pen expert, the best way to give back to the community was to make Inkdrinks available to as many FPN members as possible.

Running a web app has some associated costs and I can not cover the costs of running an expensive server suitable to manage a community of thousands of people. This is the main reason why Im currently limiting the number of free accounts to 100.

If you are interested in using such a tool you can use it at https://inkotheque.com . Hope you find it useful.

Wow, that looks cool! I'd love to try it, but I don't think I have enough combinations to really benefit. I use a spreadsheet at the moment. I'll let other FPN members with grwater collections take precedence!

[Papermint]

Newbie question: Why does everyone seem to try to have inked as few pens as possible?
I know that inks can dry when you don't use the pen for a longer period of time but... other than that? Any reasons? What's the point of having many pens and not being able to use them ?

[ReadyFireAim]

One is out for repair.

One has a hissy fit every time I clean it and writes wet for an hour unless I use an ink I don't like.

Another one does the freight train thing and scratches horribly on ascenders but has huge, beautiful line variation.

 

That leaves 2

[jburchett]

Newbie question: Why does everyone seem to try to have inked as few pens as possible?

I know that inks can dry when you don't use the pen for a longer period of time but... other than that? Any reasons? What's the point of having many pens and not being able to use them ?

 

I would assume because the longer the pen is inked, the harder it will be to fully clean it. And some inks can cause damage to the pen if left inked for an extended time (ie: an iron gall ink in a steel nib for a long time).

Edited March 14, 2017 by jburchett

[inkfade]

I try to journal every day, and if not that a few times a week. Currently I have seven pens inked (two with the same color, as I was comparing shading with different sized nibs) but only typically use maybe five. Every journal entry I try to use a different color, but sometimes if I'm liking the ink two or three entries in a row will be with the same pen and ink combo. It just depends on my mood.

Edited March 15, 2017 by inkfade

[Ada]

I'm not a serious journal writer (or even an unserious journal writer), and I generally have a ridiculous number of pens inked. At the moment that number is 9, only because several pens ran out of ink and I didn't refill them (yet).

[ItsMeDave]

Nine.

Three Pelikans, three Sailors, three Platinums.

[mallymal1]

Newbie question: Why does everyone seem to try to have inked as few pens as possible?

I know that inks can dry when you don't use the pen for a longer period of time but... other than that? Any reasons? What's the point of having many pens and not being able to use them ?

 

If you have pens...use them. Use them all.

[jmccarty3]

I have so little opportunity to write that I would not have the chance to try very many inks if I waited until one pen were empty before filling another. I figure I have about 15-20 pens inked at any one time, and I try to write a little with each every day or so, even if it's just a short sentence. I'm just playing with them instead of actually writing.

[jmccarty3]

We appear to have duplicate threads here. Can an admin combine them?

[inkotheque]

Newbie question: Why does everyone seem to try to have inked as few pens as possible?

I know that inks can dry when you don't use the pen for a longer period of time but... other than that? Any reasons? What's the point of having many pens and not being able to use them ?

 

Given the number of pens I keep inked I'm probably the worst person to try an answer to your question

Nevertheless I think each of us has a number. Above and you start messing around and below and you start getting sad.

Problem is it is sometimes difficult to accept someone else's number. Just follow what is in your signature from Eleanor Roosevelt

[TSherbs]

Nowadays I only have two pens inked at any one time (or I'd be forever letting ink dry-out in pens that I'd forgotten were inked).

I pick contrasting ink colours (i.e. never two blacks, or two washable blues at the same time), usually one conservative 'work-like' colour, while the other is whatever ink takes my fancy at the time I need to re-fill.

 

My own journaling practice is to write each individual journal entry with only one pen.

I do not habitually write all entries with the same ink until the pen runs dry (although that has been known to happen), but choose whichever I fancy at the start of each entry.

 

That said, I have on occasion used the other pen/ink that is in current use to underline/highlight particular words/sentences.

I should use this approach. I currently have nine inked, which is really just indulgence. I don't use all mine even over 14 days.

[bayindirh]

Actually I keep four pens inked at most. The breakdown is as follows:

• One for every day carry (Lamy Al-Star Medium) with a semi-formal ink, which is Lamy Blue Black currently.
• One for colored inks (Lamy Vista Medium) for highlighting, titles, fun writing, etc. It's on Lamy Green now.
• One for blue (Sheaffer Targa 1001X with 14K Medium). I use gentle and washable inks on it, which is Lamy Blue for now.
• One for black (Lamy CP1 Medium) since black is a fairly permanent ink. I use it for journalling. It runs on Lamy Black for now.

 

Newbie question: Why does everyone seem to try to have inked as few pens as possible?
I know that inks can dry when you don't use the pen for a longer period of time but... other than that? Any reasons? What's the point of having many pens and not being able to use them ?

 

I have reasons for keeping as few inked pens as possible:

• Maintenance: I don't have enough time to maintain 10 pens at once. I'm not that rich to re-buy a pen if it's damaged from dry ink. Also knowing their presence creates mental pressure.
• Anxiety of choice: Having more items to choose from creates mental pressure, hence making you lose time while trying to choose a pen to write.
• Minimalism: I use fountain pens, because I don't want myriad of pens on my desk. Having more pens just defeat the purpose.
• Being frugal: Yes inks are not that expensive and they last a very long time, however I can't justify letting them dry in a pen and just flushing them out.

When I open a bottle of ink, I use it till the last drop before opening another one. This forces me to buy that inks I will really use and to ink just correct amount of pens to use. See, it's a self-regulating system.

Edited March 15, 2017 by bayindirh

[Sasha Royale]

In addition to "serious", CS, I think of you as an "eccentric" journal writer. I think that is a lot of pens. However, the heart wants what the heart wants. Ten seems to be the number of pens that gives you joy. Ten is the correct number.

 

"Joy" is best in life . . . . . . , next to crushing " your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women. "

Edited March 15, 2017 by Sasha Royale