Your Most Recent Impulsive Ink Purchase? (Replacement Bottles Don't Count.. Only 1St Timers!)

[fireant]

I have been jonesing for Birmingham Pen's Emerald Fusion, it was always out of stock when I checked. I was writing/reply a letter to someone who mentioned they had it. So I litterally stopped and checked right then and they had it in stock I I jumped on it.

[inkstainedruth]

Sadly, I was never able to score a full bottle one of their original offerings: Smithfield Street Bridge Truss Blue.  I have a bad feeling that it was something they got from either Diamine or De Atramentis and relabeled.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[azbobcat]

What can I say? I have been both impulsive and bought both a NEW PEN -- a Franklin Christoph model 31 Ascension Wing (Limited Edition) w/1.1 cc nib on it from Goulet Pens -- it literally just arrived, just came back from the mailbox and I now have it in my hands what can I say but WOW!! It is a mix of white and black which brings me to impulsive purchase #2: Ink. I struggled with this and was thinking of buying a BLACK  ink, but then there is the white , so I finally settled on Diamine's "Polar Glow" which is a "Sheen" Ink. I in my "Experimental" Ink phase -- I LOVE Shimmer Ink, but I HATE Shimmer Ink. I put it in my TWISBI ECO's , but NOT in an almost $200 pen, now SHEEN ink??? Has anyone used any of Diamine's "Sheen Inks" in something like a Franklin Christoph pen and did you have troubles CLEANING THE PEN ??

 

Cleaning my TWISBI ECO's which holds SHIMMER INK  in them for sometimes 2-3 months seems to be more or less a piece of cake, but have not put it my Waterman Expert; but I have had nothing but trouble cleaning my other Franklin Christoph  model 31 pen. The nib seems to be rather finicky and fragile. Removing it is simple, but reinstalling it is another matter. some times breaking; sometimes being too tight or too loose. to install. I have discovered that is way too easy to over tighten the nib.

 

RULE 1: A soon as you feel the nib getting tight, STOP! Then back it off a tad, and LEAVE it! If that nib ever gets stuck you are really screwed!!

 

RULE 2: Do NOT use SHIMMER INK in a FC pen. There is no way to clean the Feed. It is also way too easy to break the feed as well -- this not like the feeds on my Watermans et al. Yes you can remove the nib proper, but putting it back together is another story.  If someone knows some way to disassemble, clean, reassemble, the nib unit WITHOUT IT BREAKING, please create a YouTube video showing us how to do it. 

 

RULE 3: The best way to clean the pen is to soak the entire bottom half of the pen which includes the nib unit WITHOUT removing the nib unit in some Distilled water and some Dawn then using a bulb syringe  and blow it through the back until you no longer see ink coming out. Soak one more time only in straight distilled, use your bulb syringe  to force clean water through the nib unit, and dry on a paper towel.

 

Rule 4: If for any reason you need to remove the Nib Unit from the pen taking it out should be no problem, putting back together is where you need to be careful. I have THOUGHT about very, very llghtly coating the threads of the nib unit with some silicone grease to ease putting the unit back into the pen. 

 

RULE 5: Buy yourself a spare nib unit... JUST IN CASE!!

 

Now I need to go and "play" with my NEW PEN -- I'm going to use Monteverde Capri Blue which should be safe enough to use and easy enough to clean. The only other ink I am thinking of loading this pen with is Diamine's Midnight Hour, is somewhat darker blue, but like Polar Glow is also a Sheen Ink.

 

If anybody out there has any tips, tricks, etc, about cleaning a Franklin Christoph Model 31 pens, I really want to heat them. Likewise inks that would go with Franklin Christoph model 31 Ascension Wing (Limited Edition) w/1.1 cc nib on it from Goulet Pens.

 

Thanks
 

[chromantic]

A few months ago I ordered a full bottle of Fuyu-gaki. I had a sample of it previously so not sure if it qualifies as a "replacement".I finally got around to using it, in the same Waterman JIF I'd used the sample in; the section and clip are almost an exact match.

[metalhead]

Was just surfing and found that a local shop stocks Monteverde pens and ink now. Got Monteverde Ruby and DC 2018 SuperShow Blue. Happy with the colours.

[Bo Bo Olson]

 

Thanks for the recommendations.

Just went bat crazy and ordered,

Ultra Green, China Blue, Kensingtion Blue, Majestic Purple, Chocolate Brown and Arctic Blue(which will be last.).

Which should be second to be opened? China Blue, Kensingtion Blue?

It's time I did green again, so Ultra Green will be first.

[Penguincollector]

  I had the best intentions of not buying anything until the PNW Pen Show next month, but Birmingham Pens sent me a coupon and Tesla Coil was back in stock, so after considering that $29 was a good price for 100mL of ink, I caved. I saw it in a pen club member’s Waterman’s 52 with a music nib, and it was one of the most beautiful writing samples I’ve ever seen.

[Penguincollector]

9 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

 

Thanks for the recommendations.

Just went bat crazy and ordered,

Ultra Green, China Blue, Kensingtion Blue, Majestic Purple, Chocolate Brown and Arctic Blue(which will be last.).

Which should be second to be opened? China Blue, Kensingtion Blue?

It's time I did green again, so Ultra Green will be first.

  I vote for China Blue, but both blues are wonderful shaders.

[Bo Bo Olson]

44 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

China Blue

Your original recommendation, also.

 

"""Top 5 of 23 currently inked pens: """

I'll have to try that with my 30.

I've already eliminated five. Dither Cubed!!!

Top Nibs, Top Vintage, Top Semi-Vintage, Top Fancy...5ea is 20......It's already becoming too much work...so for once I'll stop dithering.

.........................

Some when like the end of the year I was under 10 pens inked; down from a once normal 17...so I could use up more ink....then I got more inks.

OMG, then I'd have to match inks to the pens....I just caught a real bad case of WRITER'S BLOCK!!!

To quote my childhood  Idol .... Maynard G. Krebs, "WORK!!!"

From Dobie Gillis.

 

 

[Penguincollector]

21 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Your original recommendation, also.

 

"""Top 5 of 23 currently inked pens: """

I'll have to try that with my 30.

I've already eliminated five. Dither Cubed!!!

Top Nibs, Top Vintage, Top Semi-Vintage, Top Fancy...5ea is 20......It's already becoming too much work...so for once I'll stop dithering.

.........................

Some when like the end of the year I was under 10 pens inked; down from a once normal 17...so I could use up more ink....then I got more inks.

  Lol, it was my recommendation- I had forgotten!

   I just inked up another 6 Parkers for the Pen Club meeting this month- but cleaned out 3 other pens, so I should update my signature. I’m waiting for my Lamy to run out of ink before I do.  
 Oh, glad your cataract surgery went well. As a Coke bottle eyeglass/super high contact lens Rx person that recently started getting one in my good eye, the description of your experience gave me a needed view of what’s to come. 

[Penguincollector]

On 5/25/2024 at 3:39 PM, azbobcat said:

inks that would go with Franklin Christoph model 31 Ascension Wing (Limited Edition) w/1.1 cc nib on it from Goulet Pens.

  I bet @Misfit, with her extensive collection of 1.1mm stubs and excellent inks would have some ideas. I vote for a grey ink of some sort. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's local, so you are awake...to my vast surprise, in everyone forgot to tell me that, so I'm telling them...I'm still wake." Wanting to be out of it.

 

You don't feel anything.. Normally it's three weeks to the next operation, but my eyes were so weak, that half way corrected was bad for me...make me stumble around.

........................................................

Gray recommendations...for shading. Diamine Silver Fox, Lamy Agate...ever so dry, add only one drop of glycerine ...MB Oyster/now Cool Gray...is worth the €23. ES Moonstone is good too.

[USG]

5 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

 

Thanks for the recommendations.

Just went bat crazy and ordered,

Ultra Green, China Blue, Kensingtion Blue, Majestic Purple, Chocolate Brown and Arctic Blue(which will be last.).

Which should be second to be opened? China Blue, Kensingtion Blue?

It's time I did green again, so Ultra Green will be first.

 

What a great selection.  😀👍

 

5 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  I had the best intentions of not buying anything until the PNW Pen Show next month, but Birmingham Pens sent me a coupon and Tesla Coil was back in stock, so after considering that $29 was a good price for 100mL of ink, I caved. I saw it in a pen club member’s Waterman’s 52 with a music nib, and it was one of the most beautiful writing samples I’ve ever seen.

 

I never heard of Tesla Coil.... now I have to have it.... 😲

It should look great on the Glassine paper. 😀👍

 

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, USG said:

 

What a great selection.  😀👍

 

 

I never heard of Tesla Coil.... now I have to have it.... 😲

It should look great on the Glassine paper. 😀👍

 

  I’m really excited to see how it looks on Glassine, especially with a big nib.  I first saw Birmingham inks at the 2022 Hub, where one pen club member was giving away samples. There are so many beautiful colors! 

[Misfit]

On 5/25/2024 at 5:39 PM, azbobcat said:

anybody out there has any tips, tricks, etc, about cleaning a Franklin Christoph Model 31 pens, I really want to heat them. Likewise inks that would go with Franklin Christoph model 31 Ascension Wing (Limited Edition) w/1.1 cc nib on it from Goulet Pens.

With my model 31 Omnis pens, I fill the converter. I don’t like catching ink in the recessed nib area. The pen cleans like any pen with a converter. The nib unit does screw out. An ultrasonic cleaner is worth owning to help with nibs. 
 

Diamine Grey did shade in a 1.1mm stub nib for me. If you want to spend more, maybe check out Sailor Studio ink 123. 

[A Smug Dill]

A bottle of Kobe INK Story Chaska Green ink, which is exclusive to the Chayamachi branch store* of Nagasawa Stationery Center.

 

I really wasn't planning on buying any ink on this Japan trip, primarily because it's a pain in the butt to deal with carrying liquids on board (especially) an international flight but I don't want to stick a breakable (and potentially leaky) glass bottle in my checked baggage; and there are possible issues if the ink is bought tax-free. And then, (the more recent releases of) Kobe INK Story inks have become more expensive on a per-unit-volume basis than Stationery Store TAG's Kyo-iro and Kyo-no-oto inks; so if I was going to buy an ink, it would likely not have been a Kobe INK Story ink.

 

But the Pilot Custom 74 30th Anniversary set, that I ended up buying at half-price and tax-free to boot, from the store already contains a bottle of Pilot Anniversary Blue ink. In for a penny, in for a pound, I figured. The customer service was good, and so I was in the mood to spend more; but not so much that I'd pay ¥2,500 (~AUD $24) for a 50ml bottle of this year's special edition 150 Purple Sepia (even if the company tried to play on FOMO, by limiting each customer to buying no more than three bottles). The Chaska Green ink is significantly cheaper, though, at ¥1,800; and supposedly it's not available even from other Nagasawa Stationery Center stores. OK, then; let's call it a souvenir from visiting the store that is in the Chaska building.

 

…

 

When I subsequently visited Nagasawa Stationery Center's main store in Kobe, I left with six 10ml(?) bottles of Kobe INK Story inks from its numbered series; but they could've been any colour for all I cared, since they were just packaged with the discontinued(?) colourways of Sailor Lecoule pens I wanted to get; I didn't pick them, and barely took notice of which colours they are.

 

-----

 

* In reality, a retail concession inside the Maruzen & Junkudo bookstore in Umeda.

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 6/2/2024 at 8:07 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

Just went bat crazy and ordered,

Ultra Green, China Blue, Kensingtion Blue, Majestic Purple, Chocolate Brown and Arctic Blue(which will be last.).

It came in first....not reviewed. I don't have time to try, in I'm getting another cataract OP in the morning, and will be out of touch for a few days.

Attic Blue is a very good shading ink.....a bit expensive...now near €18...the others were bought at  5-6 years ago's €12.

Using a Pelikan '50-54 400 semi-flex OB.

 

I'm not taking pictures with flash (got to explain why some folks seem to have so much glitter), so my glitter needs strong light to show,  using 7-8 good to better papers.

 

That is better than my other 4 Diamine glitter inks...who shade mildly only. Tropical Glow, Lilac Satin, Shimmering Sea, and Brandy Dazzle.

.

There is some company, mentioned in I think this thread,  that sells it's glitter as add in. I will buy some soon.

Arctic Blue could use a bit more glitter. The other four need a lot more glitter also...in they are tilt to see.

 

I had bought the other four because they were suppose to shade, and didn't do enough for second use...also the glitter is lower than Arctic Blue.......of course mine were bought 5-6 years ago and Diamine could have put more glitter in those inks since.

 

 

[Misfit]

My brother and I found an old bottle of ink at an antique mall. It’s called Old Colony Washable Blue. It indicates it is for fountain pens, and also steel nibs. I’ve never heard of this brand. It cost $2.55 to buy it at the Brass Armadillo. 
 

A bit of online reading indicates it was made by Carter’s for Rexall drugstores under the Old Colony label. 

[txomsy]

Good luck with your cataract intervention @Bo Bo Olson.

[Misfit]

@Bo Bo Olson I hope the cataract surgery goes well, and you see better.