What Are Some Of *your* Favorite Fountain Pen Inks? =)

[amberleadavis]

For the record, Ruth and I do not have inking problems. We quit purchasing inks for days at a time.

 

Let me also say that on a budget, the Noodler's ink that are named after colors (not names and not birds and especially not fish named breem) are some of the best performing inks that I own.

[Uncial]

For the number of people here saying they really love blue inks I am quite surprised that Oster's Signature inks in the blues don't get a mention. I think his blues are probably the best of his collection and some are possibly the best blue shades out there. Maybe I have peculiar tastes in blues

[inkstainedruth]

For the record, Ruth and I do not have inking problems. We quit purchasing inks for days at a time.

It's true. I haven't bought any ink since the Baltimore-Washington Pen Show in March. Although I did trade some a couple of months ago at a pen club meeting.

OTOH, I'm really thinking I need to get a full bottle (maybe two) of De Atramentis Aubergine before Hamilton goes on national tour.... And of course I absolutely must have a back up bottle of DA Red Roses (of all the scented line that I've tried, that one is the most true to what it's supposed to smell like, and it's also a glorious color ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jacobgmusic]

I love Private Reserve Spearmint! I also like Noodler's Apache sunset. It has sooooo much shading.

[inkstainedruth]

I love Private Reserve Spearmint! I also like Noodler's Apache sunset. It has sooooo much shading.

 

It's funny how everyone has such radically different tastes. I tried PR Spearmint several years ago, because someone said it was her go-to green -- and I absolutely *hated* it. I find I prefer greens that are less "in your face" (softer and more muted tones but without to the level of "murky" that is FPN member Cyber6's joy) and also ones that lean very slightly yellow -- so you see my "Never want to be without" list are inks like Diamine Emerald and Robert Oster Moss. As for Apache Sunset, yeah, it's got shading... but it's orange. And I find I just can't stomach orange -- the closest I get are Diamine Terra Cotta (which is brownish red orange) and KWZI IG Mandarin (which oxidizes to brown).

But then, when I started, I couldn't imagine wanting blue-black inks either; and now some of my favorite inks are blue-blacks.... I've also found that for some colors I want pure hues (hence the reds on my short list) and others I find that more and more I like the complex ones rather than the pure hues (some of the purples -- and when I started my purple inks were PR Purple Mojo and Noodler's North Aftrican Violet).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[MKeith]

My favorites would be (in no particular order)

 

Diamine :

 

Asa Blue

Amazing Amethyst

Chocolate

Gray

Umber

 

Noodlers:

 

Black Swan in Australian Roses (old formula)

Burma Rd, Brown

Bad Blue Heron (but hate it's characteristics)

Forest Green

Blue

 

Chesterfield:

 

Zircon (my absolute favorite ink)

Antique Copper

Antique Orchid

Capri

 

Montblanc:

 

Irish Green

Oyster Grey

 

Visconti:

 

Blue (the absolute best dark blue IMO)

 

Private Reserve:

 

Tropical Blue

 

J.Herbin:

 

Lie de The (favorite brown)

 

Sheaffer:

 

Peacock Blue (vintage)

Turquoise

 

Pelikan:

 

Black 4001

 

My document inks:

 

Noodlers Legal Lapis

Pelikan Black 4001

Edited June 12, 2018 by MKeith

[Almu]

My favorites, in no order:

 

Diamine:

 

Ancient Copper

Pumpkin

 

Sailor:

 

Rikyu-Cha

Kin-Mokusei

Sei-Boku (permanent ink, mainly for taking notes or something)

 

Pelikan:

 

4001 Brilliant Black

 

Pilot:

 

Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

 

 

There are a lot more inks that I really enjoy, but I wanted to keep my list quite short. And to be honest, I would be perfectly happy with just these inks

[Olya]

For the number of people here saying they really love blue inks I am quite surprised that Oster's Signature inks in the blues don't get a mention. I think his blues are probably the best of his collection and some are possibly the best blue shades out there. Maybe I have peculiar tastes in blues

RO inks as well as KWZI look very nice, but personally I'm kinda settled (for now) into the shades (& brands) I use, and I think that some of them (KWZI esp I think) have a strong smell and I'm used to (nearly) odourless inks.

Also so many brands do so many colours, that you can almost always find a very similar colour within a brand that's easier to obtain (I'm not too ink crazy and RO became somewhat more recently easily available in Europe).

Still I'll most likely get samples at some point, esp RO as you say does great blue shades.

[invisuu]

Of the 150 inks Ive tested, my absolute favorite is Montblanc Toffee Brown. The only ink I have thus far emptied an entire bottle of, and then order another bottle of, is Iroshizuku Kon Peki. I also really, really like Montblanc Corn Poppy Red.

[adatse]

J Herbin Eclat de Saphir

J Herbin Emerald of Chivor

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium

Noodler’s Apache Sunset

[adatse]

Diamine Ancient Copper

Edited July 3, 2018 by APenNovice

[Grafeus]

My essential ink list:

 

Pelikan (4001) Blue Black

Pelikan (4001) Black

Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite

Waterman Blue (aka Serene)

Waterman Blue Black (aka Mysterious)

J.Herbin Perle Noir

Sailor Sei Boku

Platinum Blue Black

Pilot Blue Black

R&K Salix

ESSRI Registrar's Ink

Hero #62 Blue Black

 

(Yes, I am a Blue-Black nut. )

 

That's twelve inks and that is not a few, but I think they cover all bases, be it use on rough paper, dry nibs, vintage pens or what have you.

 

Outside Blue-Blacks/Blacks I quite like Noodler's Ottoman Azure, Kaweco Red, Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz, Pelikan (4001) Dark Green, Diamine Oxford Blue, J.Herbin Poussière de Lune, Waterman Inspired Blue, and Sailor Jentle Blue. I also very much like the vintage version of Sheaffer Blue Black. But that's unfortunately a goner now and, of course, it's again a Blue-Black.

[ethernautrix]

Favorite and always in at least one pen (usually more than one): Noodler's Black (currently in three pens).

 

Second favorite that was in a pen since at least the beginning of this year, and then I changed the ink in that pen to another (lovely) color about a week ago, and last night had to change it back: Noodler's Lexington Gray.

 

(Other favorite gray inks include Faber-Castell Stone Grey and Maruzen Hatobanezu.)

 

Lovely color mentioned above: Pilot Blue-Black. I also like Pilot Blue.

 

Favorite red: KWŻ Flame Red.

 

Also very much like KWŻ Aztec Gold and Zielonozłoty galusowy (Green-Gold IG). Also, Kaweco Summer Purple.

 

I like Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz and a couple of other browns, but I'm not using browns much lately (past few years), but I go through a lot of Noodler's Black. A LOT.

[th3]

My favorite is the famous (infamous?) Baystate Blue, the bad boy of blue inks, an ink like no other. Everyone should try a sample vial of BSB and determine if its an ink they can use. I wouldnt be without BSB but its an ink best used in moderation.

[amberleadavis]

LOL, my kids call it the evil ink.

[pajaro]

Old, 1960s Sheaffer blue black or Montblanc Midnight Blue.

Pelikan Edelstein Topaz + Pelikan 4001 Black, equal parts.

 

From fairly to very dry. Favorites for EF pens.

[debraji]

I have way more ink than is good for me. Favorites:

 

Blues - N. Ottoman Azure, Blue Eel, N. Navajo Turquoise

Reds - D. Oxblood, N. Tulipe Noire, N. Black Swan in English Roses

Black - N. Borealis Black

Green - KWZ Green Gold, S. Rikyu-Cha, N. Burma Road Brown (yes, this seems a muddy green to me)

Brown - JH Lie de The

Gray - JH Cacao du Bresil

Purple - N. Violet, KWZ Brown-Pink

 

And Platinum Carbon Black for sketching.

Edited September 6, 2018 by debraji

[XYZZY]

Robert Oster Signature Deep Sea, an incredible teal

 

Diamine Midnight: goes where I want, stays where I want, on any bad paper. a workhorse

 

Diamine Oxblood: from a Japanese EF nib onto Leuchtturm paper it looks more coppery than ancient copper. And because it's oxblood

[displacermoose]

I've been working through this exact question myself. I tend to have a clusters of colors that I really like.

 

Teal/Blue+green: Yama-dori (Sailor), Syo-ro (Iroshizuku). Honorable mention goes to Columbine Blue (DeAtrementis). If I had to pick one it would probably be Syo-ro, but the fight with Yama-dori would be a tough and bitter one.

 

Red/Burgundy: Edison/Red-Black(DeAtrementis), Oku-Yama (Sailor), and Yama-budo (Iroshizuku) when I'm feeling perky. I've recently acquired a bottle of Irori (Sailor) and I'm still figuring out how I feel about it. If I had to pick only one it would be Oku-yama, but I would be sad and cry for my Edison.

 

Greenish. I love the murk. Love the swamp. Love the ambivalence. Sailor Rikyu-Cha is one of the most drop-dead gorgeous inks on the planet. It is the only ink that I horde because I can't imagine an acceptable substitute. Honorable mention goes to Ina-ho. No, I don't know what color it is. But when the mood hits it is the only one that will do.

 

Purple: Poissere De Lune (J. Herbin), Shigure (Sailor). I love purple, but I am still searching for purple ink perfection. I love and regularly use both of these, but the Herbin is just a hair too red for perfection and the Sailor is a hair too blue and too dark (I use it as stealth blue-black at work). There have been many purples that I should have liked but were too... much. Too bright. Or too light. I have to get some more samples. I've been working through some purple greys, which has turned out to be a category that I enjoy very much but isn't the same as a proper purple.

 

Brown: Lie de the (Herbin). Honey (KWZ). Very different browns, but both beyond lovely. I'm not sure I could pick one over the other. Honorable mention: Doyou (Sailor). It is a stealth black, but manages to be more interesting than black. I got it in case I ever have a demonstrator staining incident, so I don't actually use it much except for work. It's a nice ink, though.

 

Blue-black: Tsuki-yo (Iroshizuku), Sei-boku (Sailor), Yonaga (Sailor) is a new one to me that I've come to like much more than I expected. Honorable mention goes to Pilot Blue-black, which is boring in all the best ways. Sei-boku is permanent while still being well behaved and a good color.

 

Grey: Lexington Grey (Noodlers), Chu-shu (Sailor). These have very different shades. Lexington Grey looks almost like a pencil, but is completely permanent. Chu-shu has a hint of purple.

 

The other groups I use more for than completeness than because they float my boat. Many of them (noted) are work inks. Work inks have to pass for blue or black and look as un-appalling (that might not have been a word a few minutes ago, but it is now) as possible on green, blue, yellow and pink copy paper (don't ask). I do use all of the blue blacks listed above at work.

 

Blue: While I love blues in life, I'm not a particular fan in ink. I tend to find them too bright or too anemic. I've not found a happy medium. I use Horizon Blue (Monteverde) and Souten (Sailor) on white or blue paper at work from time to time. They're horrible on the rest of the color-coded note paper. Visconti blue is also fine.

 

Actually green: Miruai (Sailor). Tokawa-matsu (Sailor). I could live without a proper green green and be totally content with my lot in life, but these are the best greens I've found. I use Miruai at work as a stealth black (dark enough to hide on all the appalling colored paper). I've got to get another sample of R&K Alt-goldgrun because I remember really liking that one, but I ran out my sample and never re-bought it because it's green, and I'm not a big fan of green. There were always more important colors on my list. Honorable mention: Lierre Sauvage (J. Herbin). This is about as middle of the road green as you can get. My son loves it, which is why I keep buying it. It is also well-behaved and... green. So if I need a just green green for editing or some such and the Tokawa-matsu is not available or appropriate for some reason (I can't imagine why that would happen, but this is theoretical) this is my green.

 

Black: work only. Life is too short for black ink. But with that said, it's Sailor Kiwa-guro all the way. The way that ink feels in a pen almost makes up for the fact that it is black. Almost. The water-proof factor is also nice. Honorable mention goes to Heart of Darkness (Noodlers).

 

edited for typos

Edited September 7, 2018 by displacermoose

[inkandseeds]

My favorite ink would have to be Noodlers Baystate Blue. I love the richness and vibrancy of the color. For years and bottles (4?) now I have had it in a Sheaffer Imperial with a Triumph nib and the pen and ink seem to be a perfect match. It is the only combination of pen and ink that I have that I know will write no matter how long I have left the pen unused. Recently I have been going through a brown ink phase so the pen sat for several weeks if not a month unused. This morning I fished it out of the drawer and the pen started right up.

 

Black: Heart Of Darkness

 

Brown, purple and red: still undecided

 

My bias is towards permanent inks as my journals and I spend a lot of time outside in the forests, deserts, etc of the Southwest US.