Inky T O D - If You Had To Rebuild Your Ink Collection From Scratch, What Would Be Your Initial Selections?

[Misfit]

I know this is harder to get for people outside the US, but Vanness Pens has a product called White Lightning that helps the flow of dry inks. It was recommended to me by Ana of The Well Appointed Desk blog.

[Tweel]

If a disaster took away my inks, and I still had a pen, and money to waste on ink, and an address to ship to...

 

I'd probably order a bottle of Noodler's Black. If I could get yet more, I might get Sei-Boku or Sou-boku. If things continued to hold up, after a year or two I might start buying other inks, too.

[Bookman]

Restarting from scratch:

• ​Waterman Bléu Sérénité
• Montblanc Royal Blue
• Pelikan 4001 Black
• Sailor Blue
• Visconti Blue
• Platinum Blue-Black
• Aurora Black
• Graf von Faber Castell Cobalt Blue
• Monteverde Charoite
• Diamine Sargasso Sea

[pgcauk]

I must admit, not knowing what sort of disaster had taken out my current stash, I did go back and check that I had a first reserve for each ink . . . just in case it wasn't just my collection that was lost but, well, maybe an ink-manufacturing-continent or two! Just in case!

[ENewton]

I must admit, not knowing what sort of disaster had taken out my current stash, I did go back and check that I had a first reserve for each ink . . . just in case it wasn't just my collection that was lost but, well, maybe an ink-manufacturing-continent or two! Just in case!

 

 

I have a reserve bottle of only one ink, Sailor Kobe Suma Purple.

[A Smug Dill]

I have a reserve bottle of only one ink, Sailor Kobe Suma Purple.

I'd say that just about every bottle of ink I currently have could be considered 'reserve' or 'surplus', in that I don't think any of them are so essential that I couldn't live without having it in my collection (of about 210 right now, with seven new inks on their way). The first inks I had multiple bottles of were Noodler's (bought without having tested any of them for myself first), and that taught me it's a bad idea. Some of the new or largely unused bottles ended up in the Aussie FPN pass-around box.

 

The ink I have the most bottles of now is Sailor souboku: I had four, and gave one away as a Christmas present. If I had to be left with one ink only, that would be it. Waterproof, well-behaved, and sheens even with writing with a 'Japanese Fine' nib.

[NeverTapOut]

This topic was suggested by two members in the show us your ink swatch thread. VivaTerlingua and pgcauk thought this would be a terrific discussion and they ask that you place your suggestions in order of priority.

 

Amberlea,

If you had to rebuild your collection from scratch...could only buy one ink (Brand and color) and one pen what would it be?

Also you could not buy anything else for 12 months...I know...tough question.

David

[amberleadavis]

OH, see, I always avoid that question.

 

Okay, it would probably be Noodler's Midway Blue. It's water resistant, fade resistant and mostly fuss free. Of course, it is not a color that I like (I don't use teals or turquoise inks. I love blurples.)

 

OH, wait, KWZI Violet #4 which he no longer makes. Yes, it stains but is the BSB of purple.

[NeverTapOut]

OH, see, I always avoid that question.

 

Okay, it would probably be Noodler's Midway Blue. It's water resistant, fade resistant and mostly fuss free. Of course, it is not a color that I like (I don't use teals or turquoise inks. I love blurples.)

 

OH, wait, KWZI Violet #4 which he no longer makes. Yes, it stains but is the BSB of purple.

 

I thought you would go with a stealth purple like Ink of the Witch or Diamine Damson...

You forgot the pen...

[DrDebG]

This is not a difficult question for me. I would focus on restocking the Montblanc, Stipula Calamo, Pilot Iroshizuku and DeAtramentis inks that have worked well for me.

 

So, Amberleadavis, which of the hundreds of inks would you focus on?

[oregano]

A lot of my favorites I discovered in my first year of trying inks remain my favorites, though less used because I get so many samples:

 

Pilot Iro. Yama-guri

Montblanc Irish green

Pilot Iro. Ku-jaku

Stipula verde muschiato

Sailor Oku-Yama

 

My other favorite inks are ones I didn’t try until this year, which didn’t exist—from Akkerman Dutch Masters series:

 

Akkerman van Vermeer Steenrood

Akkerman Hals Oüd Bruin

Akkerman Israel zeeblauw

 

I also wish I had tried Kobe inks sooner—they are the smoothest inks I have used!

[NeverTapOut]

I have always used MB ink.

I finally bought a bottle of non MB ink.

Diamine Damson...I love this ink.

It is so stealth out of a EF and F nib...Black with a hint of purple.

I think I am now going to try Diamine Ancient Copper.

These are big steps for me because I always use MB Royal Blue.

[Anne-Sophie]

I'll buy exactly the same inks, an erasable blue, easy to find in my area.

 

And all the Herbin that currently match my pens, except they will be the small 10 ml bottles, instead of the 30ml, Demi-Courtine, the ones with a pen rest.

 

I love that bottle design, but they are tricky to transport and impossible to take on plane trips.

 

I would love a couple of the 100 ml Herbin bottles and one of the oversized erasable blue bottle, maybe from Pelikan, but I am always very nervous about contamination.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Anne-Sophie

[amberleadavis]

 

I thought you would go with a stealth purple like Ink of the Witch or Diamine Damson...

You forgot the pen...

 

 

This is not a difficult question for me. I would focus on restocking the Montblanc, Stipula Calamo, Pilot Iroshizuku and DeAtramentis inks that have worked well for me.

 

So, Amberleadavis, which of the hundreds of inks would you focus on?

 

 

Though I adore stealth black purples, I really love retina searing inks. I want inks so bright that they are blinding. BSB is my favorite and then Konrad made a series of vibrant colors. I would still concentrate on retina searing.

[FlyFast]

Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao

Pilot Blue

Diamine Blue Velvet

Diamine Oxblood

Diamine Pumpkin

 

I could get by with only those. I could even narrow the blues down to only Pilot Blue.

[A Smug Dill]

I want inks so bright that they are blinding.

 

 

I like "retina-searing" inks when I'm writing content that is predominantly for someone else to read.

However, since most of the content I write these days – outside of ink reviews, paper testing, etc. — are for my own use and almost nobody else to read, I think personally pleasing colours take precedence. Reliable-and-permanent, dark-and-brooding, muted-and-tranquil, and nuanced-and-interesting inks all take their places at the table before a-jolt-to-the-system inks, if I have to restart from scratch.

[azbobcat]

Private Reserve "Blue Suede", Private Reserve "Blue Suede", Private Reserve "Blue Suede".

 

After that? Private Reserve "Naples Blue", Monteverde "Purple Reign", Monteverde DC Supershow 2019 "Teal", Private Reserve, "Araibian Rose", and finally Private Reserve "Tanzanite".

 

There is one other ink that I might add to that list but which I have yet to try -- but bought two bottle of as it is a limited production ink: Private Reserve's " 2019 Limited Edition 'Smokey Amethyst' "

[amberleadavis]

@AZ, I look forward to seeing Smokey Amethyst.

[Sholom]

OK, I'm late to the party, but for me these (in order of purchase) are must haves:

 

Noodler's Green Marine

Noodler's Ottoman Azure

R&K Verdigris

R&K Alt GoldGrun

R&K Sepia

Noodler's Eel Turquoise

Noodler's AirCorps Blue Black (yes I like some green in my blues)

PR Avacado

 

after these the order of reacquisition is less clear but would certainly include Noodler's (regular)Turquoise, Diamine Raw Sienna, Green Black, and Oxford Blue. Then maybe Eel Blue, PR DC Supershow Blue, Noodler's Walnut, Nightshade, and BBK. That's too many inks for someone who writes relatively little these days but gotta have those inks...

[amberleadavis]

So, now that some of us are separated from our ink collections.. what inks are you grabbing?