An Extreme Case: The Ink Chooses The Pen.

[senzen]

I've long liked Asa Gao but thought it came out too dark in several pens I tried. I settled on a Pelikan m600 with an 18k F nib, which had the advantage of showing some shading, but still came out dark. Then came along Hisoku which needed a pen that made it come out with the same colour consistently, and Asa Gao lost its home, although I'm waiting for another Pelikan.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2eygh7t.jpg

 

In the meantime I remembered I had a busted Waterman Lauréat with a nice nib, which leaks all its ink onto its cap, rendering it useless; and a no name pen a friend gave me some time ago, which I never really used but whose nib I still managed to destroy and lose. I fished it out but its rubberized finish felt sticky, so I applied some alcohol to remove it, revealing a plastic layer. Unexpectedly the Waterman nib fits, and makes Asa Gao look like I've always thought it could. Of course it remains to be seen if this will be a reliable combination, but it's a nice surprise that I can finally use Asa Gao in all its glory and the old Lauréat nib is still as smooth as I remember it.

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/2h6dohi.jpg

 

Conclusion 1: for me its clearly ink first, nib second, pen third. This unknown pen is heavy as it's made of some metal, but comfortable and has an inner cap which always helps.

 

Conclusion 2: don't give up on that ink, it might look boring in a pen, as good and expensive as that might be, and spectacular in another, even a lesser pen.

 

 

[lapis]

I sorta get the idea (I think). I have come to the same conclusion myself (honestly). Like I use my M900 BB for some of my favourite inks, which just don't fit well into a lot of other pens. It's not just the BB nib itself which is also a very wet nib, but -- as you say --, the weight of the whole pen. (The M900 comes in at 42 grams, empty; 32 grams w/o cap).

[miwishi63]

I've found this to be true as well. After lots of trial and error I've discovered that Noodlers Bay State Blue works best for me in a Platinum Preppy with at .02 nib.

[DrDebG]

While this isn't the case with all of my pens, a few of them only get specific inks. For example, I have a lovely Pelikan m400 with is now permanently paired with Pilot Iro. Tsuyu-Kusa. They work well together with the pen making the ink look very nice indeed. My Montblanc 144 only gets DeAtramentis Pearl Violet. Again the ink works very well in the pen and the pen shows off the lovely shading in PV.

[yongsheng]

Interesting, I used to think that the broader the nib is, the more shading it has. But your post turns out to be different.

I guess eventually it just ad-hoc.

[minddance]

I used to be ink-centric, i.e. everything must serve the ink (I ended up destroying a few feeds and nibs, it is the pen's fault that inks turn out too light).

 

Then I became pen-centric, i.e. the inks must serve the pen. I gave up on many lighter inks because I use EF and F nibs for daily writing.

 

Now I entitle myself to both fun and pracrical usage of pens and inks.

 

Some inks are just more difficult, some pens are almost always difficult. Some inks are easier, some pens too.

 

It boils down to my purpose of writing and what kind of look I want now.

[senzen]

Interesting, I used to think that the broader the nib is, the more shading it has. But your post turns out to be different.

I guess eventually it just ad-hoc.

 

I haven't figured it out myself, it might come down to nib width for specific models and brands, my three EF Lamy Studios do make Iroshisuzku Ama Iro, Kon Peki and Ajisai look lighter, so would probably work for Asa Gao too. Safaris have the same nib but since they evaporate faster inks tend to end up looking darker anyway.

 

Pelikan fine steel nibs and 18k tend to make inks come out more medium dark, so I've had to use a piece of cellophane between the feed and nib in the steel ones.