Your Pen/ink Combinations For The Perfect Writing Experience

[truthpil]

The best pen-ink combination for me would be the one that best loosened the ideas from the inside of my skull; allowed me to get lost in my writing, not thinking about anything but what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it (until time for a refill, that is); and left behind on the page a pleasing yet distinctive writing line. These days I'm partial to my Esterbrooks (Messrs J/#9668 and Dollar/#9550) filled with good old Waterman Bleu Sérénité.

 

Beautiful! That makes perfect sense. Since discovering this board, I've gotten so absorbed in ink colors and nib types that I've forgotten the purposes of pens in the first place haha. Thanks for bringing me back to my senses!

 

I guess you could say the perfect writing experience is the one in which you don't even think about the fact that you are writing because the pen/ink/paper combination is so perfect that it gets out of the way. Now that's​ an experience I find to be quite rare, perhaps for me it has only been achieved with wet stub nibs and a slippery smooth Sailor ink. The balance of the pen would have to be perfect as well, so that it feels like an extension of the arm. Pelikans have a way of achieving that effect and I'm sure there are others. I've been able to experience such with a Japanese pen, because the toothiness of the nib constantly reminds me that the pen is there.

[Gasquolet]

Mulling over a potential problem with a rather nice pen where the ink has miraculously changed colour in two days, I consoled myself with the fact that it's a really nice pen to write with still. It made me this about just this subject, then I read through this thread.

 

I have a small list of pens from my accumulation that I've said I'll not part with. These are my top 5 if you like, whatever the number, it's because of the way they write for me that I love them and interestingly, despite bouts of purchasing and selling, changes of interest from broad, stub nibs to fines, the ones that are on this list have been there for years for the most part.

 

I just don't use copy paper except very occasionally, I have no need as for work I use ring bound books that I get myself and I use much the same for most of my recreational writing. Oxford Optik paper sold in many Hamelin products including the Black'n'Red notebooks now too. What I would say is that the feel of this paper is very like decent copy paper, it's just the bleed and feather resistance is leagues better.

 

My top pick for the best feel in the hand, the most intuitive writer I have, something that complements me and my normally poor writing, seeming to help me produce better writing while also freeing my mind to keep the thoughts flowing too...

 

Platinum Izumo Akatame with medium nib and Diamine Ancient Copper. Since finding that combination it has never changed, I've used the ink in other pens but that pen is always inked with Ancient Copper, has been continuously for well over 2 years now.

 

There's something just unique about the feel of that very rigid nib in that pen on the page that is unique among all my pens, it's almost grainy in texture but the deft feel of a big, light pen with a super stiffly sprung nib is superb, bit like getting in a track prepared touring car after driving a road car; the feeling of something having performance that is on another plain from those that look a bit like it, so much more accessible than it would seem from the outside, in a package that doesn't look like performance at all in its pretty urushi lacquer and svelte lines.

 

Another of note is my Visconti Opera with old 14k nib that is responsive (I won't say particularly soft, let alone flexible because it's not), this nib has a spring that is all about the return, not the give. It also has a tactile feedback that is pencilly and has given me goosebumps when I've used it in the past. I can't think when I've used anything other than Iroshuzuku Tsuki-yo in that pen.

A favourite letter writing pen, I don't use it as much as I should.

 

Last is a cop out - A bit like your Pelikan 140s and 400s I'm going to say almost any 60's Geha 700 series; the German piston filler, with both steel and 14k nib, mostly with nib larger than medium but also EF if it's a really good one. I've not had a bad one unless it's been damaged. They are exquisite writers when the nib and feed are set up well, or if they have not been messed about and you get one that has had 50+ years of careful use. Smooth as you like but so controllable, and soft like a hydropneumatic Citroen (yes,I did say that )

I have one that when inked with J Herbin poussière de lune is just the best of them all, a small pen by modern standards anyway but it just disappears in use and I can write with an almost detached sense, able to watch the words form without even thinking that I am writing them...

 

[KLscribbler]

 

Argh...I wish I could trade P45 nibs with you, because what you have is exactly what I was hunting for and couldn't find.

 

Hmm, did I just kick-start another round of UK P45 nib hunting?

 

I think my hypothetical ideal P45 nib would be one that combines the US-style tipping with the squared-off corners, and the UK-style broadness and softness. I might try to hunt down an Argentinian nib next, as I've heard sporadic reports of the Argentinian P45 nibs being soft. Haven't found any discussion on tipping characteristics for those nibs, though.

 

Actually there is a pen with a nib exactly fitting that description. It's the Lamy 2000, otherwise called by me the P45's obese brother from another maker . I've test-written with a 2000 several times. Each time my conclusions were that I really love that nib but I dislike the ergonomics of that pen body. Something about its midsection fatness combined with the rather severe taper of the section rubs me the wrong way. Odd, considering I get along with the P45 just fine. And what a pity. Now, if Lamy would make a slim version of the 2000...

 

 

 

Vintage Pelikans have become my thing of late and I have two 400s and one 140. The 1950s Pelikan nibs are varying degrees of semi-flex and are indeed stubbish. They are my most favorite of pens, along with the P51 OBB italic I mentioned earlier. However, the vintage Pelikan gold nibs in any width broader than EF tend to be too smooth for your liking. It's the 1930s-1950s CN (chrome nickel) nibs that might interest you. They have some real tooth to them and can be very flexible. I have a 100 CN BB nib on my 400 and it's a true wet noodle with significant tooth. It feels like writing with broad soft pencil lead. Someone is selling spare vintage steel nibs on eBay for a reasonable price if you know someone who can swap the nib for you. I also have a 1950s Artus with steel OB nib that has the same characteristics...very flexible and toothy.

 

Hmm, I think my posts in this thread have painted a somewhat skewed picture of my preferences. I like softness + some feedback, true, but that's not the only possible combination that could lead me to love a nib. A more comprehensive summary would be:

 

1. Softness. As a general rule, anything softer than an M200 or a Platinum Balance/Cool is good, anything like a Pilot soft nib or softer is great, up to about a vintage semiflex level or so. Nibs more flexible than semiflex are welcome but rather wasted on me, since I write lightly and do not actually flex out my nibs. It's the soft writing feel that I'm after, more so than line variation.

 

2a. Feedback. I like a little bit of feedback, not too much or too harsh. This is perhaps the area in which I'm most picky and subjective. In general I like types of feedback that range from feeling satiny (like brushing over soft fabric) to feedback that is like writing with a soft pencil (say, 2B or softer).

 

2b. A non-spherical, palpably shaped tipping. Certain nibs have a "foot", a distinctly ground contact surface with the paper which you can clearly feel the shape of as you write. Other nibs are stubbish, such that you can feel the squarishness of the nib tip as you write. Then there are more esoteric grinds such as the Sailor naginata togi. I tend to like nibs that are like that - the shape of the tipping provides tactile information about pen orientation which improves the sense of control when writing. This effect seems quite independent of whether the nib has feedback or not.

 

In general, if a nib has 1 and either 2a or 2b, I will like that nib, but it isn't necessary for a nib to have both 2a and 2b. Sometimes just 1 is enough (e.g. I like the Platinum Balance/Cool because of its slight softness, despite its not having quite as much feedback as its bigger brothers in the 3776 series.) Occasionally, just 2b alone can also be sufficient. For example, one of my all-time favorite steel nibs is the one on my old Waterman Harmonie, which I bought in late 2004. That nib totally falls into the butter-smooth category, but it has a very distinct wedge-shaped foot that gives it a unique writing feel. It has a massive sweet spot that practically hydroplanes on paper, and feels... surfboard like? When rotated, feedback doesn't increase but you get a sort of "banking" feeling akin to sitting in a speedboat that is making a rapid banking turn in the water. (Does this description make sense?)

 

(By the way, this also means that, if those vintage Pelikan nibs are butter smooth but are sufficiently stubbish that you can clearly feel the squared-off shape of the nib tip when you write, I am likely to like them. Ditto for UK aerometric Duofolds with broad nibs, which are also supposedly a little stubbish.)

 

Conversely, if a nib has 2a but not 1 (stiff feedbacky nib), I may or may not like the nib. This is very subjective, and I am usually unable to say whether I'll like it or not until I personally write-test it. A good example is how I like Platinum 3776 nibs, but dislike Sailor nibs, despite both of them arguably falling into the same category of stiff feedbacky nibs. It's not just that I'm turned off by the stiffness of Sailors either; my Muji Aluminum Round FP is equally feedbacky and rigid and yet I like it. It's the particular kind of feedback... a sort of je ne sais quoi that is easily felt but difficult to describe.

 

One other thing I haven't yet mentioned is my nib width preference. I usually go for nibs as broad as possible given the constraints of my handwriting size. Usually this works out to about a Western medium. I love broads but some Western broads can be just a little too big for my normal handwriting. With stubs and italics I can go broader, up to about 1.4mm. Stubs broader than that are welcome but I reserve those for lettering and craft projects instead of everyday writing. On the other side of the spectrum, I do not like or use nibs finer than Western fine/Japanese medium at all. In my ~ 14 years of FP use, I have encountered only three extra fine nibs that I don't hate (which doesn't mean I like them, I just find them tolerable) - those are: Pilot posting nib, vintage Sheaffer Snorkel Triumph nib with that upturned tip, Masuyama needlepoint. No others.

 

(By the way, this anti-fine tendency is the main thing that keeps me from getting into Chinese FPs. There are lots of new Chinese pen models that I would really like to try if only they came in broader nib widths. The Wing Sung 618 especially - gosh I wish they had an M nib or stub option for that thing.)

 

It is not so easy to find a nib of Western medium or broader size that has (intentional) feedback. At least it's easier to find soft stubbish broads. Soft stubbish mediums are less common. And this is what keeps me hunting.

[mabuckit]

One of my favorite pen/ink combinations is Diamine Oxblood in a Clear TWSBI Eco. When the ink level is low enough to see the color it looks really pretty, especially with the red TWSBI logo.

[IndigoBOB]

I recently went to a pen show. Had 2 pens worked on my Linda Kennedy from Indy-Pen-Dance...

 

...Wow

 

Pilot Custom Heritage 92-Kiwa Guro-Medium:

• Was ground from a Broad to a Medium elsewhere, but not finished/smoothed well so I had Linda finish it up.
• After she was done it was smooth + pleasant feedback, no drag, no catching of paper when writing slowly (Artful,careful tuning).
• Kiwa-Guro's lubrication compliments the writing experience without over lubricating.
• Healthy solid inkflow without fattening the line.
• Excellent water resistance/permanence.
• Great EDC ink and pen.

Shortened Ranga 3 CustomizedNoodler's Air-Corps Blue Black-Medium Goulet Nib:

• This Medium Goulet nib was giving me trouble with Baby's Bottom. I didn't want it to go to waste. It was tuned a little smoother than the CH 92, had less feedback (at my request), so I inked it with my bottle of ACBB (a favorite), which is very saturated and actually reduces smoothness of the writing experience significantly, and as a result it balanced out to a happy medium of a writing experience.
• ACBB has a tamed line, so the Medium nib is useful for EDC and daily writing in the same way my CH 92 is.
• Inkflow has solid lines and consistent. Ink is well behaved with excellent water resistance.
• Great Workhorse due to the Ebonite.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I also have 4 other combinations that are impressing me and making it very difficult to narrow down my choices to my usual 3 inked pens for daily rotation I may have to expand since these work so well.

Jinhao x750-Noodler's Walnut-Franklin.Christoph.Medum-Noodler's Walnut:

• Pen has great inkflow on the wetter side, solid consistent lines.
• The nib is superb, tuned by F-C, with smoothness + pleasant feedback.
• Noodler's Walnut is well behaved, writes a tamed line that doesn't spread so the Medium nib is good for EDC/Daily writing. Ink is on the drier side providing a happy medium with this wet pen.
• VittaR, who has done the best ink reviews out there, rated this her #1 ink:

Wing Sung 3008-Lamy EF nib-Noodler's Black

• The 3008 provides the wetness I wish the Lamy Safari(-like) pens did.
• This Lamy EF nib in particular was a lucky find and wrote above average from what I've used from Lamy Safari nibs.
• I usually don't like EF's, but this combo is wet enough to provide sufficient lubrication and is a good EDC/ Daily writer especially for the price. Amazing Value for the money especially if you have Lamy nibs lying around like I did.
• This pen just works and works well. I was surprised to have no problems with drying out. I left this pen in my car for a couple weeks and it started up with no hard or dry start (Noodler's Black helps that).
• But I did have to swap a cap from another 3008 because the screw inside was badly rusted and needs replacing.
• I know this is a knock-off, and I do have a TWSBI-F I purchased because I liked the 3008, it works well with Heart of Darkness, is another EDC of mine that works great, could have made the list, but for some reason I left it out (a B+ that didn't make the A grade).

PenBBS 309-Heart of Darkness-Goulet Medium

• Very Impressed with this pen's design so far: Ergonomics, piston, tolerances, quality materials, and overall a great value. Only problem so far is that the clip snags.
• The nib that came with it wasn't that impressive, but it did swap in a #6 Goulet very securely. Almost too securely since you have to be careful not to damage the feed when nib swapping.
• It writes on the slightly drier side (I don't know if it's this individual pen since I believe they are had turned from what I hear), but it turned out to be one of the best pen-nib combos that worked with a favorite ink of mine, Heart of Darkness, writing lines that don't spread beyond the size of the nib while still providing solid inkflow.
• One of my lightest pens, but has been a great EDC and comfortable Daily Writer. This one surprised me.

Noodler's Charlie-Kung Te Cheng-FPR Medium

• My personal pleasure writer. My favorite ink. Best ink for permanence hands down.
• Wet pen that works well with this fickle ink to bring out it's full vibrancy and deep saturation.
• Not an EDC due to potential burping and overly thick line, still looking for EDC pen to hold this ink, but a favorite that I would use as an EDC with a Fine FPR nib that was tested and heat set properly.
• There are reports of positive experiences with a Charlie as an EDC and negative ones, so requires testing and careful use.
• But this pen combo writes like a dream, and I mention it because I think it's worth finding something to work with this ink if you're up to the challenge as is being researched here:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329538-kung-te-chengor-equivalents/

Edited April 24, 2018 by IndigoBOB

[Torrilin]

I’m in the process of moving, and while I don’t have a set ink for the pen... my Kaweco Sport has been a superhero for me during the move. I’ve gotten it flowing nicely with most inks, and the fine nib seems to match well in line width to my beloved TWSBI xf nibs. Before I got the flow right, it edged towards a Japanese xf, and on the scratchy side. There’s nothing inherently wrong with going that fine, but you really do need a light touch, and it’s not really in character for a German nib marked F.

 

My only real complaint about the TWSBI pens is the caps are prone to unscrewing themselves. The Kaweco Sport doesn’t have that problem. So I’ve got 3 near match nibs, and one is a reliable pocket pen that takes standard cartridges. I haven’t tried it on Platinum Carbon Black yet, but that’s definitely on the to try list.

 

But if you’re facing random paperwork, I can assure you that my three good xf nibs will handle it. And they won’t bleed through carbon paper forms and can take the pressure needed.

[truthpil]

 

Last is a cop out - A bit like your Pelikan 140s and 400s I'm going to say almost any 60's Geha 700 series; the German piston filler, with both steel and 14k nib, mostly with nib larger than medium but also EF if it's a really good one. I've not had a bad one unless it's been damaged. They are exquisite writers when the nib and feed are set up well, or if they have not been messed about and you get one that has had 50+ years of careful use. Smooth as you like but so controllable, and soft like a hydropneumatic Citroen (yes,I did say that )

I have one that when inked with J Herbin poussière de lune is just the best of them all, a small pen by modern standards anyway but it just disappears in use and I can write with an almost detached sense, able to watch the words form without even thinking that I am writing them...

 

 

Geha made some great pens that often get ignored due to Pelikan's fame. Thanks for bringing them up.

Unfortunately, the one I got was a poor eBay purchase and has a cracked section and some damage to the nib.

Even with the damage causing it to be too toothy, I can tell that the nib used to be an amazing springy steel EF.

Flow is excellent as well. Someday I hope to get my hands on a 790 with OB or OBB nib.

[truthpil]

I’m in the process of moving, and while I don’t have a set ink for the pen... my Kaweco Sport has been a superhero for me during the move. I’ve gotten it flowing nicely with most inks, and the fine nib seems to match well in line width to my beloved TWSBI xf nibs. Before I got the flow right, it edged towards a Japanese xf, and on the scratchy side. There’s nothing inherently wrong with going that fine, but you really do need a light touch, and it’s not really in character for a German nib marked F.

 

My only real complaint about the TWSBI pens is the caps are prone to unscrewing themselves. The Kaweco Sport doesn’t have that problem. So I’ve got 3 near match nibs, and one is a reliable pocket pen that takes standard cartridges. I haven’t tried it on Platinum Carbon Black yet, but that’s definitely on the to try list.

 

But if you’re facing random paperwork, I can assure you that my three good xf nibs will handle it. And they won’t bleed through carbon paper forms and can take the pressure needed.

 

Although I've read on here of Kaweco nibs being hit or miss, my Classic Sport with EF nib has always been an excellent writer. Mine writes wet (true Western EF line width) and very smooth with most inks. The pens were definitely designed for a compact but excellent writing experience.

I've had the same problem with TWSBI caps when trying to use them for EDC, Kaweco Sports are definitely a superior design for the purpose, although I wish they held more ink. Maybe that's a good excuse to get a vintage piston-filler Kaweco Sport.

[truthpil]

 

Hmm, did I just kick-start another round of UK P45 nib hunting?

 

I think my hypothetical ideal P45 nib would be one that combines the US-style tipping with the squared-off corners, and the UK-style broadness and softness. I might try to hunt down an Argentinian nib next, as I've heard sporadic reports of the Argentinian P45 nibs being soft. Haven't found any discussion on tipping characteristics for those nibs, though.

 

Thankfully my hand has started preferring somewhat wider yet lighter pens, so I'll be selling off a few P45s instead of hunting for more.

That combination of softness with unique tipping shape does sound like something hard to find.

 

 

In general, if a nib has 1 and either 2a or 2b, I will like that nib, but it isn't necessary for a nib to have both 2a and 2b. Sometimes just 1 is enough (e.g. I like the Platinum Balance/Cool because of its slight softness, despite its not having quite as much feedback as its bigger brothers in the 3776 series.) Occasionally, just 2b alone can also be sufficient. For example, one of my all-time favorite steel nibs is the one on my old Waterman Harmonie, which I bought in late 2004. That nib totally falls into the butter-smooth category, but it has a very distinct wedge-shaped foot that gives it a unique writing feel. It has a massive sweet spot that practically hydroplanes on paper, and feels... surfboard like? When rotated, feedback doesn't increase but you get a sort of "banking" feeling akin to sitting in a speedboat that is making a rapid banking turn in the water. (Does this description make sense?)

 

(By the way, this also means that, if those vintage Pelikan nibs are butter smooth but are sufficiently stubbish that you can clearly feel the squared-off shape of the nib tip when you write, I am likely to like them. Ditto for UK aerometric Duofolds with broad nibs, which are also supposedly a little stubbish.)

 

Last week I ran through another fill in my UK Duofold Junior with oblique broad stub nib and the experience reminded me of what you wrote above. The foot of the stub is indeed butter smooth, yet the tipping has that kind of "banking" feeling you describe, in which you gradually get increased resistance to gently let you know you're rotating the pen. I was impressed at how far I could rotate the pen until it stopped writing completely, and each step of the way I could feel the increasing departure from the sweet spot. It's now one of my favorite pens! What makes me like it even more is that it was one of my very rare "some-guy" moments on eBay....I think I got this beauty for a mere 20USD because the pictures were a little blurry.

 

On another note, I've got a Montblanc 221 with a true medium stub that is very soft and has that silky feedback you describe. It directly telegraphs to you the exact nature of the paper it is on, but not in an annoying way. I actually don't like it because I prefer broader stubs with no feedback at all. I bought it because I thought it had a standard, blobby ball of tipping on the nib (I had been hunting for one nice "butterball" medium nib). Therefore, I'll be putting it up for sale on here sometime in June haha.

[truthpil]

I recently went to a pen show. Had 2 pens worked on my Linda Kennedy from Indy-Pen-Dance...

 

...Wow

 

 

Ah ha, so you were the one whose pen she was working on instead of finishing the batch of 5 pens I sent her!

We were just about to finalize the work to be done and then I stopped getting reply emails, probably because of the pen show.

I'm looking forward to having 5 vintage pens set up by Linda!!

 

 

 

Wing Sung 3008-Lamy EF nib-Noodler's Black

• The 3008 provides the wetness I wish the Lamy Safari(-like) pens did.
• This Lamy EF nib in particular was a lucky find and wrote above average from what I've used from Lamy Safari nibs.
• I usually don't like EF's, but this combo is wet enough to provide sufficient lubrication and is a good EDC/ Daily writer especially for the price. Amazing Value for the money especially if you have Lamy nibs lying around like I did.
• This pen just works and works well. I was surprised to have no problems with drying out. I left this pen in my car for a couple weeks and it started up with no hard or dry start (Noodler's Black helps that).
• But I did have to swap a cap from another 3008 because the screw inside was badly rusted and needs replacing.
• I know this is a knock-off, and I do have a TWSBI-F I purchased because I liked the 3008, it works well with Heart of Darkness, is another EDC of mine that works great, could have made the list, but for some reason I left it out (a B+ that didn't make the A grade).

 

I just got my 3009 (the clear demonstrator version of the 3008, which also now has a triangular section) and I'm totally blown away.

I partially filled it with Waterman Tender Purple for a test run and I'm getting lovely wetness and the stock F nib is quite smooth.

These pens shouldn't be ignored just because they are inexpensive and have some cheap parts and occasional QC issues.

 

 

PenBBS 309-Heart of Darkness-Goulet Medium

• Very Impressed with this pen's design so far: Ergonomics, piston, tolerances, quality materials, and overall a great value. Only problem so far is that the clip snags.
• The nib that came with it wasn't that impressive, but it did swap in a #6 Goulet very securely. Almost too securely since you have to be careful not to damage the feed when nib swapping.
• It writes on the slightly drier side (I don't know if it's this individual pen since I believe they are had turned from what I hear), but it turned out to be one of the best pen-nib combos that worked with a favorite ink of mine, Heart of Darkness, writing lines that don't spread beyond the size of the nib while still providing solid inkflow.
• One of my lightest pens, but has been a great EDC and comfortable Daily Writer. This one surprised me.

 

Thanks for the update on this! A 309 is definitely in my future, yet most assuredly the nib will be swapped. The stock nibs are designed for writing Chinese characters which require somewhat dry flow and feedback. One of my bliss combinations is a 308 with 1.1 Goulet stub. Note: the stub nibs will fit in the 308 without being pushed around like longer nibs are.

[IndigoBOB]

 

Ah ha, so you were the one whose pen she was working on instead of finishing the batch of 5 pens I sent her!

We were just about to finalize the work to be done and then I stopped getting reply emails, probably because of the pen show.

I'm looking forward to having 5 vintage pens set up by Linda!!

 

 

 

I just got my 3009 (the clear demonstrator version of the 3008, which also now has a triangular section) and I'm totally blown away.

I partially filled it with Waterman Tender Purple for a test run and I'm getting lovely wetness and the stock F nib is quite smooth.

These pens shouldn't be ignored just because they are inexpensive and have some cheap parts and occasional QC issues.

 

 

 

Thanks for the update on this! A 309 is definitely in my future, yet most assuredly the nib will be swapped. The stock nibs are designed for writing Chinese characters which require somewhat dry flow and feedback. One of my bliss combinations is a 308 with 1.1 Goulet stub. Note: the stub nibs will fit in the 308 without being pushed around like longer nibs are.

 

 

Yah, Linda's real good. I talked to Binder and he said she's better than him lol. She's very careful and her hands have a very light touch, deft with an apparent finesse for her work. She couldn't open my Ranga cuz I close it so tight (gotta keep it air tight lol).

 

Yah, she told me she had a 7 month wait : (...

 

But, she nails it. She is consistently accurate: precise. And you can just see the focus and concentration... Very very good nibmeister.

------------

 

Yah, the 3008/3009 is so nice for the price! To be able to have a full sized pen function that well for that price is amazing... and you can get a fairly inexpensive hero ink for it and have a great writing experience for such an affordable price. Truly remarkable.

------------

EDIT: One thing I will say that has impressed me about my 309 is that it's actually a fairly wet writer despite what I previously thought...

 

...and since it's so light, this combination makes it great for finer nibs. I've been trying to find a light pen to use a Goulet Fine nib with and this one works so well. The only other pen I use a fine nib with is my Pilot Metro/Prera with a jMedium, and my FPR Himalaya (Wet and light) and I prefer to use the Medium FPR nib with that which writes like a Medium Fine.

-------------

 

I was going to put a 1.1 on my 308, but I remembered how much I suck at writing with stubs lol. I need a round nib for my angling : P

Edited April 30, 2018 by IndigoBOB

[jmccarty3]

 

 

Yah, Linda's real good. I talked to Binder and he said she's better than him lol. She's very careful and her hands have a very light touch, deft with an apparent finesse for her work. She couldn't open my Ranga cuz I close it so tight (gotta keep it air tight lol).

 

Yah, she told me she had a 7 month wait : (...

 

It's at least that long. I gave her three pens at the Dallas show last year and she still hasn't gotten to them.

[truthpil]

 

It's at least that long. I gave her three pens at the Dallas show last year and she still hasn't gotten to them.

 

Yeah, she seems swamped. I sent her five pens at the end of last June and she didn't start looking at them until the beginning of this month, so that's about 9 months and the work hasn't been done yet. Thankfully I have plenty of other pens to play with until I get those back. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

[IndigoBOB]

I have to comment on my usage of the Noodler's Old Manhattan Black.

 

I've been using this ink much lately since Heart of Darkness, though my favorite, is fickle in my available pens putting down too thick a line in my wider nibs, but having a dry writing feeling in my finer nibs, while also being testy on cheaper paper. I wouldn't mind it if I had unlimited paper, and/or page space, but I prefer A5 notebooks, and on normal printer paper it's... well it just doesn't work for me.

 

Noodler's Black is typically my next choice, but sometimes it can be a little grayish with the available pens I have, but the writing feel is good, it behaves well in pens, and it lays down a dependable line, but a bit grayish when used with fine nibs with some of my pens, and I am not the biggest fan of gray.

 

So then I switched to Old Manhattan Black and it performs as well as Noodler's Black when writing, but maintains a darker line. I don't think it's going to be as kind to my pens as Noodler's Black, but the ones I use are easily disassembled, cleaned, and with spare parts in my storage (why I typically stay with Jowo setups if I can, or pens with easily interchangeable and replaceable parts). Overall, I'm very pleased with this ink. I will have to keep this bottle. I recommend giving it a try. I find the reviews of OMB consistent with my experience.

[truthpil]

I have to comment on my usage of the Noodler's Old Manhattan Black.

 

I've been using this ink much lately since Heart of Darkness, though my favorite, is fickle in my available pens putting down too thick a line in my wider nibs, but having a dry writing feeling in my finer nibs, while also being testy on cheaper paper. I wouldn't mind it if I had unlimited paper, and/or page space, but I prefer A5 notebooks, and on normal printer paper it's... well it just doesn't work for me.

 

Noodler's Black is typically my next choice, but sometimes it can be a little grayish with the available pens I have, but the writing feel is good, it behaves well in pens, and it lays down a dependable line, but a bit grayish when used with fine nibs with some of my pens, and I am not the biggest fan of gray.

 

So then I switched to Old Manhattan Black and it performs as well as Noodler's Black when writing, but maintains a darker line. I don't think it's going to be as kind to my pens as Noodler's Black, but the ones I use are easily disassembled, cleaned, and with spare parts in my storage (why I typically stay with Jowo setups if I can, or pens with easily interchangeable and replaceable parts). Overall, I'm very pleased with this ink. I will have to keep this bottle. I recommend giving it a try. I find the reviews of OMB consistent with my experience.

I'm glad you like the ink, but not glad you want to keep it haha.

[IndigoBOB]

I'm glad you like the ink, but not glad you want to keep it haha.

 

I do apologize for that : (

 

I've been using it in my Ranga 3 with a fine nib for the past 2 weeks and it's been the most enjoyable Fine nib experience I've had, and I am not typically a fan of Fine or XF nibs.

 

At first I wasn't the biggest fan of the cold black hue of it, but it grew on me: Looks great in sunlight, and with Finer nibs.

 

But I will say, I wouldn't call it the Blackest Black after testing out my sample Blackstone Barrister Black, which was actually too black for me. That one would take me a while to acquire a taste for if I could. Now that one pops with a vivid black.

[truthpil]

 

But I will say, I wouldn't call it the Blackest Black after testing out my sample Blackstone Barrister Black, which was actually too black for me. That one would take me a while to acquire a taste for if I could. Now that one pops with a vivid black.

 

Well if Blackstone BB is darker than OMBB, then I may want to go that route anyway. How the Blackstone perform? Barrister Blue was already on my short list, so might as well as the black. I like to have a black around that makes you look like you're falling into a black hole.

[IndigoBOB]

 

Well if Blackstone BB is darker than OMBB, then I may want to go that route anyway. How the Blackstone perform? Barrister Blue was already on my short list, so might as well as the black. I like to have a black around that makes you look like you're falling into a black hole.

 

 

I honestly didn't give it too much of a test on anything other than Tomoe because it was so black. It's like an amplified version of Kiwa-Guro: Wetter, Blacker, not as well behaved, but I recommend asking around to see how it performs on regular copy/printer paper.

 

BBB is the blackest ink I've ever seen.

 

Edit: I'm sorry if it makes it seem like I'm lazy. I ran out of my Barrister Black Sample, and the rest of it that I had left in my converter I dumped from my pen cleaning it out. But if you're looking for the Blackest Black, that is it. I have never had a black that black pop out at me... Almost like an electric black.

Edited May 8, 2018 by IndigoBOB

[truthpil]

 

Yeah, she seems swamped. I sent her five pens at the end of last June and she didn't start looking at them until the beginning of this month, so that's about 9 months and the work hasn't been done yet. Thankfully I have plenty of other pens to play with until I get those back. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

Just got an email that my pens are done. I sent them in ten and a half months ago. So ten months sounds like a more realistic estimate than seven. I'm not complaining though, good things take time and there aren't enough pen restorers out there to meet the demand. Edited May 9, 2018 by TruthPil

[IndigoBOB]

Just got an email that my pens are done. I sent them in ten and a half months ago. So ten months sounds like a more realistic estimate than seven. I'm not complaining though, good things take time and there aren't enough pen restorers out there to meet the demand.

 

Well that's fantastic news!!!

 

She was always exact on what I needed. I look forward to hearing about the results : )