Inks That Help Solve Problem Pens

[senzen]

One of my first pens is a Waterman Lauréat, and while I managed not to destroy its nib it did gush ink, so that every time I tried to use it there were big drops of ink in the cap; it was a shame as the nib is quite smooth. After years of trying I finally got a donor pen and after trying all section / feed / nib / converter / cap permutations it's finally working as it should, also thanks to Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Gaki; there is some ink on the nib but no more gushing. I always intended to use Vert Empire, Lie de Thé or Mandarin but they didn't like this pen. If someone told me the ink could make this much difference I wouldn't have believed it, but hey, it does, and I like the combination of stodgy pen / wild ink.

 

Anyone else have a similar situation? We might need a database of pens and inks that get along, although except for Rouge Hematite (a.k.a. SuperGunker, on a Lamy Vista) and Platinum Cool (not very cool, that it starts when it wants, now with Mandarin) my other 19 pens / inks haven't been this troublesome .

 

 

 

 

[pajaro]

Wouldn't any of those Pilot Iro inks do the same? I only have the turquoise color of that stuff. My Laureats tended to dry out too fast. I never believed that ink made a difference in pen performance until I used Sailor ink in some pens with extra fine nibs. They were then writing too wide a line for my taste. Went to Pelikan 4001 and the line is thinner. Mix of 4001 black and 4001 violet.

[senzen]

Wouldn't any of those Pilot Iro inks do the same? I only have the turquoise color of that stuff. My Laureats tended to dry out too fast. I never believed that ink made a difference in pen performance until I used Sailor ink in some pens with extra fine nibs. They were then writing too wide a line for my taste. Went to Pelikan 4001 and the line is thinner. Mix of 4001 black and 4001 violet.

 

It's a good point, I don't know but It's the one I tried and I ain't jinxing it by trying with others!

[pajaro]

 

It's a good point, I don't know but It's the one I tried and I ain't jinxing it by trying with others!

 

I don't blame you. One of those inks costs enough anyway.

[Uncial]

Much as I love Fuyu gaki it does not get along with the FC Stabilis. I've tried to eyedropper this pen with this ink and both times it leaked horribly. Never had any kind of problem with this ink in any other pen. It's very weird and I have no idea why it happened.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

In very general terms - we have no metrics - dry (low flow inks such as the Pelikan 4001 series, and iron gall inks) do very well in balancing high flow pens.

 

Some practitioners prefer a wet glistening line from their pens. I do not, I only want to dye the paper to the extent that the desired appearance is achieved.

(High flow often gives higher lubricity, hence a more 'luxurious' writing experience, but it seems I am more austere, putting appearance ahead of the writing experience.)

 

I use two techniques to fine-tune the ink+pen combo: adding surfactant if things are too dry, and diluting the ink withD.water if things are too wet.

 

Most certainly we have the option of changing paper.

 

Oh, as for "a database of pens and inks that get along", I really don't envision that. I've run some 138 Ink Reviews which typically involved six pens on four+ papers, and found that there were only very rare instances of incompatibility which were limited to only one of the four papers; and most of those were totally unexpected. e.g. Monblanc Albert Einstein ink from a Pilot C74+MS nib onto G Lalo Verge de France. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/241919-montblanc-albert-einstein/?p=2628076

 

Bye,

S1

Edited August 19, 2017 by Sandy1

[A_Tone]

Pelikan 4001 and Aurora Black are my WD-40 and Duct tape of inks.

[senzen]

 

I don't blame you. One of those inks costs enough anyway.

 

My sanity also has some value!

[senzen]

Much as I love Fuyu gaki it does not get along with the FC Stabilis. I've tried to eyedropper this pen with this ink and both times it leaked horribly. Never had any kind of problem with this ink in any other pen. It's very weird and I have no idea why it happened.

 

What a shame, is that a transparent-ish pen? Would look awesome.

[pajaro]

i filled my Laureat with the Pilot Iro turquoise, and it writes much better than with the Montbland Midnight Blue, and it doesn't dry up. Success!

 

The Laureat has an extra fine nib.

Edited August 22, 2017 by pajaro

[senzen]

i filled my Laureat with the Pilot Iro turquoise, and it writes much better than with the Montbland Midnight Blue, and it doesn't dry up. Success!

 

The Laureat has an extra fine nib.

 

Awesome!

[Guest Gracie]

Pelikan 4001 and Aurora Black are my WD-40 and Duct tape of inks.

 

I like the images . I have a Sailor Pro Gear Realo that I love as a pen, but even though I usually write clearly, I tend to scribble with it for some reason that I have not been able to determine. It is a H-F nib, but it slides all over the paper and turns my writing into a scribble. I've just filled it with Pelikan Royal Blue for the first time, and that seems to have tamed it somewhat. Do you have any suggestions for taming it further?

[senzen]

 

I like the images . I have a Sailor Pro Gear Realo that I love as a pen, but even though I usually write clearly, I tend to scribble with it for some reason that I have not been able to determine. It is a H-F nib, but it slides all over the paper and turns my writing into a scribble. I've just filled it with Pelikan Royal Blue for the first time, and that seems to have tamed it somewhat. Do you have any suggestions for taming it further?

 

I had to think about this, I tend to scribble with finer nibs / drier inks, write better (well, more legible at least) with thicker nibs / wetter inks. I hadn't realized this before... Is that the case for you too? Most of my inks seem wet, I have an H-M Sailor, the H-F might be too thin for me. Of my blues, Asa Gao, Tsuyu Kusa, Kon Peki, Ama Iro would probably work well. Callifolio Équinoxe 6 too, but I have less experience with it, and it seems to change colour dramatically depending on the pen and nib...

[clazbill]

My only odd pairing was a Pelican M205 with a Medium nib. Skipped, hard start, all that stuff. Was really surprised, given the brand and especially since I bought it from Richard Binder back when he sold pens on his website.

 

The savior ink was Noodler's El Lawrence... which is probably more of a surprise. Usually that ink is super temperamental and troublesome.

 

Anyway, the two together work perfectly.

[Misfit]

I've heard Waterman Florida Blue was the ink that would work in a pen when no others would. If Florida Blue did not work, poor pen.

[ENewton]

I use two techniques to fine-tune the ink+pen combo: adding surfactant if things are too dry, and diluting the ink withD.water if things are too wet.

 

 

 

How much distilled water do you find typically makes a difference? I recently acquired a Duofold Junior pen and filled it with my favorite ink, Kyo-iro Soft Snow of Ohara, not realizing that the pen is very, very wet, which limits my choice of paper and also robs the ink of its distinctive color and shading qualities.

[Guest Gracie]

 

I had to think about this, I tend to scribble with finer nibs / drier inks, write better (well, more legible at least) with thicker nibs / wetter inks. I hadn't realized this before... Is that the case for you too? Most of my inks seem wet, I have an H-M Sailor, the H-F might be too thin for me. Of my blues, Asa Gao, Tsuyu Kusa, Kon Peki, Ama Iro would probably work well. Callifolio Équinoxe 6 too, but I have less experience with it, and it seems to change colour dramatically depending on the pen and nib...

 

My problem is the opposite - I write more legibly with a drier ink, as I tend toward Spencerian/Copperplate style (nothing professional here) so I like some variation of line width. I have the same problem with my Pilot VP, which I never use because it runs so wet. Any insights into that one? I have your Iro blues, and love them all, but again I have to find a pen that runs quite dry in order to use them. My most used pen is a Pilot Phoenix with Kon Peki, the one ink I have ever used in it.

[Sailor Kenshin]

One of my first pens is a Waterman Lauréat, and while I managed not to destroy its nib it did gush ink, so that every time I tried to use it there were big drops of ink in the cap; it was a shame as the nib is quite smooth. After years of trying I finally got a donor pen and after trying all section / feed / nib / converter / cap permutations it's finally working as it should, also thanks to Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Gaki; there is some ink on the nib but no more gushing. I always intended to use Vert Empire, Lie de Thé or Mandarin but they didn't like this pen. If someone told me the ink could make this much difference I wouldn't have believed it, but hey, it does, and I like the combination of stodgy pen / wild ink.

 

Anyone else have a similar situation? We might need a database of pens and inks that get along, although except for Rouge Hematite (a.k.a. SuperGunker, on a Lamy Vista) and Platinum Cool (not very cool, that it starts when it wants, now with Mandarin) my other 19 pens / inks haven't been this troublesome .

 

 

 

 

After buying a pen I really wanted (okay, a Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue, B, ya forced it outta me!), because I thought it would provide a cool line with much shading, but is instead a firehose with six different inks, I am wondering the very same things.

[Sandy1]

 

How much distilled water do you find typically makes a difference? I recently acquired a Duofold Junior pen and filled it with my favorite ink, Kyo-iro Soft Snow of Ohara, not realizing that the pen is very, very wet, which limits my choice of paper and also robs the ink of its distinctive color and shading qualities.

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Very dependent on the dye-load of the ink and the desired appearance on the page. Some inks get a mere drop of dew from a rose, others I prefer at 40% concentration (2 parts ink + 3 parts D.water).

 

Please take at look at this prior entry and follow-on to the links within : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/297923-what-to-use-in-ink-to-reduce-its-spreading/?p=3471410

 

> I have learned much from looking over the shoulders of watercolour painters : wet brush, dry brush, and so on.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 6, 2017 by Sandy1

[ENewton]

Thank you, Sandy1.