How Much To Stockpile Of Your Favorites?

[A Smug Dill]

A question arise in my mind for the stockpilers, How many 50ml bottles did you empty in 2018?

Zero. The only bottle of ink I've ever used up in its entirety was Parker Penman Sapphire, many years ago.

[Kalessin]

A question arise in my mind for the stockpilers, How many 50ml bottles did you empty in 2018?

 

None. But with the ones I'm stockpiling (PPS, PP Emerald, Skrip Peacock Blue), at this time I have enough to last me a few decades, and these inks are no longer in production. I have single extra bottles of Namiki Blue, Waterman Havana Brown and Florida Blue, but that's so I can have a bottle of each at home and at work.

[ENewton]

Interesting...what makes you feel that way?

 

 

It seems that a common reason for an ink to have been reformulated is to comply with regulations to use less toxic ingredients, some of which might have been instrumental in keeping, say, bacteria at bay.

[ENewton]

A question arise in my mind for the stockpilers, How many 50ml bottles did you empty in 2018?

 

 

I emptied one bottle last year, an old bottle of Pelikan 4001 Violet, which I quickly replaced with a bottle of Waterman Tender Purple, for use in vintage pens.

 

In general, I use up about a bottle of fountain-pen ink per year, and I have twelve bottles, but not really twelve years' worth of ink, because several bottles are of special-purpose inks that I do not routinely use for writing.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have many duplicates, but I do have:

 

Three Parker Penman Sapphire. I do wish I'd had the foresight to buy them before PPS was discontinued. Monteverde Horizon Blue is a great substitute, and I have a 90ml bottle of it.

 

Two Parker Penman Emerald. Nice green.

 

Four two-ounce bottles of Skrip Peacock Blue: one in the squat red-box bottle, one in the regular red-box bottle and box, one in the 80s bottle and box with the giant word "ink" on the label, and one in the 1960s Textron-era bottle and box. I really like the exact shade of Peacock Blue, and this supply will likely last until the end of my natural life; I've used less than an ounce from these bottles.

 

Wow. You've got way more Peacock Blue than me. I found a 3/4 full pint bottle in an antiques mall and snapped it up. It, and an 8 oz. bottle of vintage Quink Permanent Violet I found on eBay a few years ago, got transferred into smaller amber Boston round bottles for easier use.

If you do ever happen to run out, though, Diamine Turquoise is a pretty close substitute.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sirgilbert357]

A question arises in my mind for the stockpilers, How many 50ml bottles did you empty in 2018?

Originally I said I finished two, with two bottles sitting at 10%, but I just refilled the Lamy 2000 with Sailor Hatsukoi and found the bottle so empty I had to put it in a sample vial to refill my pen. I ended up emptying the bottle into a sample vial and after filling my pen have exactly 5 ml left. I guess it's a good thing I just bought another bottle. So I have three bottles at 10%!! Maybe I write more than I thought...

[sirgilbert357]

 

 

It seems that a common reason for an ink to have been reformulated is to comply with regulations to use less toxic ingredients, some of which might have been instrumental in keeping, say, bacteria at bay.

I think I've read that too. I wonder if the less toxic formulations are actually any worse at preventing bacteria growth though. Time will tell I guess. It would be interesting to have the inside scoop on what caused any given ink to develop SITB...luckily I haven't developed any yet.

 

My oldest modern ink is about 5 years old (and it's almost gone). Then I have an almost full bottle of vintage Parker Quink with Solv-X that seems fine, but I'm not a huge fan of black, so I don't use it very often; it has wonderful flow and saturation though...it might outlast my current modern inks.

Edited February 2, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[Kalessin]

 

Wow. You've got way more Peacock Blue than me. I found a 3/4 full pint bottle in an antiques mall and snapped it up. It, and an 8 oz. bottle of vintage Quink Permanent Violet I found on eBay a few years ago, got transferred into smaller amber Boston round bottles for easier use.

If you do ever happen to run out, though, Diamine Turquoise is a pretty close substitute.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

The 16 ounce bottle of Skrip Peacock Blue you found is a rare bird indeed! Even the four-ounce size is uncommon. Most 16 ounce and larger bottles are black, blue-black, blue or red because those four inks were the acceptable colors for office use (and red only by accountants). I'd love to find one!

 

Current Sheaffer Turquoise is pretty close, too, but I regard accumulating many bottles of Peacock Blue as an acceptable vice.

[minddance]

I am not sure if anyone shares the same observation but many of my inks change their flow characteristics even after 2-3 years of storage.

 

For example, my bottles of Tokiwa Matsu and Diamine Damson and Edelstein Smoky Quartz flow alot slower than I remember them.

 

Is it just me or is that how it is?

[Mechayoshi]

I am not sure if anyone shares the same observation but many of my inks change their flow characteristics even after 2-3 years of storage.

 

For example, my bottles of Tokiwa Matsu and Diamine Damson and Edelstein Smoky Quartz flow alot slower than I remember them.

 

Is it just me or is that how it is?

Ink does evaporate. It's probably not just in your head.

[A Smug Dill]

I am not sure if anyone shares the same observation but many of my inks change their flow characteristics even after 2-3 years of storage.

I can't answer that, sorry, until I get around to opening a new second/spare bottle of something I bought years ago. Unopened since it arrived at my house two or more years ago would, to me, be the only fair way of assessing whether an ink's characteristics change after long-term storage, preferably by comparing two bottles of the same batch.

 

That said, some inks are labelled with the date of manufacture, so you could 'get lucky', just happen to find yourself a 50ml bottle of 'new old stock' Sailor Jentle tokiwa-matsu manufactured three years ago, and know from the get-go whether it behaves differently from how you remember you previous bottle when you opened it two or three years ago.

[uceroy]

I have no duplicate inks, with the exception of a few bottles of Gimborn washable blue that I managed to buy for almost nothing when our old school was being emptied for the move to the new building.

 

For the most part.. I looove colors, so I have quite some bottles in various colors.

I have quite some pens inked (I think the recent count is 55.. 😂) But that means that I only use a bit of ink of a bottle, so they'll last me long enough.

[Noihvo]

 

[minddance]

I don't stockpile. Stored inks change flow characteristics over the years. No need to hoard, really.

[sirgilbert357]

 

 

 

 

I don't think you should feel bad about it, nor should you feel any sense of shame. You did nothing premeditated, you only bought a few bottles of ink that you liked. It was discontinued after the fact. I say keep it and use it. You shouldn't feel obligated to sell something just because others might also want it.

[sirgilbert357]

I don't stockpile. Stored inks change flow characteristics over the years. No need to hoard, really.

 

I haven't noticed any of my inks changing over the years, but perhaps it is just because of how gradually it takes place. If evaporation is a concern, distilled water can always be added in small amounts to restore an ink to the previous level. I only have two bottles in reserve of one color and one bottle in reserve of another color, so I'm not going crazy with the buying, but I would like a little insulation against a sudden discontinuation of a favorite ink.

[yongsheng]

Well, I'd rather use that money to expand my ink collection. I have many favorite inks, but none of them are like grails.YMMV.

BTW, Pelikan seems to add LE Edelstein into original rotations, so maybe one day they'll add smokey quartz.

[tinta]

I keep one back-up bottle for each of my favourite inks, with a date sticker on the bottle.

Not that I'm too worried that my inks will go off, the label just reminds my slipping memory when I acquired it. Since my tastes run to mid-blues, blue-blacks, a purple, a claret, maybe three or four ferrogallic colours, a couple of sepias & a green, it's not a huge stash.

I don't remember buying a bottle of ink for a good four years, focusing more on international cartridge inks that are hard to get.

After I discovered that my new Kaweco branded international converter actually makes a good seal with my Kaweco Special FP, I looked over my (two Rubbermade box) stash of bottled inks, searching for an appropriate ink to fill the Special.

 

I have not used R&K Scabiosa in a couple years, so this lovely IG ink became my choice. I'm pleased how well my Kaweco Special writes with Scabiosa & I love that dusty purple colour.

 

During my search I noticed that I've hoarded more Pelikan 4001 blue/black than I realized & perhaps that I should have.

This was the ink that the North American Pelikan distributor for some odd reason didn't stock, so I bought (additional) small & large sized bottles, from Cult Pens in the UK, dated the bottles then promptly forgot about them. I also bought a lot of Pelikan blue/black ink in cartridges, for use with my EDC Kaweco stainless Lilliput pen.

 

(In the mean time, Pelikan blue black ink has become available at Vanness, in the USA. A good thing.

From what I have read, this Pelikan ink is fairly stable & should last me for a long time.

[amberleadavis]

Okay, I binged on Lamy pink because it was so inexpensive!!!

[eharriett]

None stockpiled (unless you count the bulk vintage ink I'd gotten at great prices) but there's a couple bottles I wish I had gotten seconds of. Mostly hard to get or limited edition ink.