School me on Pigmented Inks

[XYZZY]

Souboku (the Sailor pigmented ink that you did not mention) is one of my favorite inks, regardless of dye, pigment, ig, whatever.

 

I frequently use Sailor Souboku in my Pilot Custom Urushi, which I would say is a nicer and more expensive pen than my M1005.  I don't give it any special treatment when using that ink, although I practice good pen hygiene whenever changing any ink or emptying the pen to set it aside.  No problems, no worries. 

 

The only reason I haven't used Souboku in my M1005 yet is because I have only had the pen a couple of months and just haven't gotten there yet. 

 

If after this thread you're still nervous, perhaps buy the ink and use it in something cheaper, you'll probably decide for yourself that it's just fine.

[XYZZY]

On 1/3/2021 at 2:12 PM, High_Noon said:

Seiboku Ultra Blue

 

I haven't seen this called "Ultra" blue before.  A quick google and I see that turn up on Amazon/eBay sellers, but not elsewhere (at least not the first page of results).  I wouldn't think to use "Ultra" as an adjective for Seiboku.  If you're looking for something so blue that it jumps off the page and slaps you in the face, this isn't it. 

 

On the other hand, if you looked at reviews and like what you see then go for it.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, XYZZY said:

I wouldn't think to use "Ultra" as an adjective for Seiboku.

 

Nor is it stated or implied in the name 青墨 (i.e. seiboku).

[RJS]

Doesn't it translate to "blue ink"?

 

Extremely nice ink, for what it's worth- I purchased it a couple of months ago.

[silverlifter]

10 minutes ago, RJS said:

Doesn't it translate to "blue ink"?

 

Gentle and pure, apparently...

[arcfide]

Here's a comment from one of the pigmented ink manufacturers on pigmented ink clogging:

 

Quote

However, ink clogging phenomena happen with dye inks as well as pigment inks.

 

Ink will be clogged if you have not used your fountain pen for long periods, ink dries and makes the feeder blocked.

 

We often got opinions from our customers “I have not used my fountain pen much, but ink has not flown well when I would like to use it.”

 

Please remember a fountain pen is just like a human body and needs exercise and circulation of fresh blood. Please use your fountain pen more and it will serve you better and more efficiently. If you do not use your fountain pen for long periods, please remove the cartridge or converter and clean and dry your fountain pen.

 

With the proper maintenance, ink in your fountain pen will flow smoothly when you write again.

 

FAQ | プラチナ万年筆 (platinum-pen.co.jp)

[RJS]

1 hour ago, silverlifter said:

 

Gentle and pure, apparently...

Google makes the best translation, when the words were separately translated: "Sex Aunt" 😄

 

[silverlifter]

9 minutes ago, RJS said:

Google makes the best translation, when the words were separately translated: "Sex Aunt" 😄

 

 

I assume all results are based on our search history! 

 

😇

[RJS]

Haha 😆 

[RJS]

I'm tempted to stick with "blue ink" (see below), though Souboku also gets translated to mean "blue ink", so I guess we're missing the nuances.

 

 

[High_Noon]

Whatever the translation, the Sailor Seiboku Ultra Blue certainly looks like a very nice ink.  

 

As far as the "Sex Aunt" translation, I have no comment.  😬

 

I am just trying to branch out a bit with quality inks.  My go to ink for my Pelikan(s) has always been the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black; for my Aurora, Aurora Black; and for my assorted other fountain pens I have a small selection of Parker Quink (Black & Blue/Black) and a few other cheap inks.  I also found an old gooseneck bottle of Pelikan India ink buried in a cabinet at my folk's house that has gotta' be at least 50 years old, but I haven't tried it yet.  I'm not really into bright colored inks, I generally stick to blue, blue/black and black, with black my preferred color.  I do have a brown, an emerald green, and a vial of custom mixed amethyst my young daughter likes.  Simplicity is the order of the day for me.  Increased maintenance is not.  While I am mechanically inclined and while I do clean my fountain pens, it's not a priority for me.  My current favorite pen, a Pelikan M600, which gets daily use is lucky to receive a thorough cleaning 2-3x/yr.  

 

I found the ink in question on flea-bay and it's described thusly: Sailor Bottled Ink - Seiboku Ultra Blue Pigmented - 50ml 13-2002-242 Japan. $29.50 with free shipping.  Not sure if we are allowed to post links, but the item # is: 392278164951.  The Sailor Black is on offer from the same seller.

 

I have checked out some of the ink reviews on the forum here, but it's difficult to sort through the myriad of reviews.  Anyone have a recommendation for a quality "regular" ink?

 

 

[Dione]

3 hours ago, High_Noon said:

......I also found an old gooseneck bottle of Pelikan India ink buried in a cabinet at my folk's house that has gotta' be at least 50 years old, but I haven't tried it yet.  I'm not really into bright colored inks, I generally stick to blue, blue/black and black, with black my preferred color.  I do have a brown, an emerald green, and a vial of custom mixed amethyst my young daughter likes.  Simplicity is the order of the day for me.  Increased maintenance is not.  While I am mechanically inclined and while I do clean my fountain pens, it's not a priority for me.  My current favorite pen, a Pelikan M600, which gets daily use is lucky to receive a thorough cleaning 2-3x/yr.  

 

I found the ink in question on flea-bay and it's described thusly: Sailor Bottled Ink - Seiboku Ultra Blue Pigmented - 50ml 13-2002-242 Japan. $29.50 with free shipping.  Not sure if we are allowed to post links, but the item # is: 392278164951.  The Sailor Black is on offer from the same seller.

 

I have checked out some of the ink reviews on the forum here, but it's difficult to sort through the myriad of reviews.  Anyone have a recommendation for a quality "regular" ink?

 

 

Hopefully you're not going to use the India ink in any or your fountain pens. That would be a really bad idea.

I thought Sailor Seiboku pigmented ink was an older version of Sailor blue-black and Souboku was issued as a "newer version" but they are quite different blue-black colors. The price you found looks very expensive, it's cheaper at JetPens and that's only one store I checked.

Check out all pen sellers for blue-black fountain pen inks and maybe try out some samples wherever you can before buying a whole bottle

[High_Noon]

Dione:  Thanks for the heads-up on the Sailor ink price.  For a long time now, I've noted that many sellers on flea-bay are asking prices in excess of normal retail - often WAY in excess or normal retail.

 

Why would it be a bad idea to use the India ink - age?

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Dione said:

Hopefully you're not going to use the India ink in any or your fountain pens.

 

1 hour ago, High_Noon said:

Why would it be a bad idea to use the India ink - age?

 

The pigment particle size in your India ink was, in all likelihood, not designed and made to be small enough to flow and pass through the feed of a fountain pen, and so would be apt to clog it.

 

Sailor Kiwaguro and Seiboku used to be expressly marketed as ‘nano’ pigment inks, alluding to the small particle size, by design and achievable consistently with today's ink-making technology, that makes them ‘safe’ to use in fountain pens.

 

[High_Noon]

Duly noted.  Thanks.

[Dione]

1 hour ago, High_Noon said:

Dione:  Thanks for the heads-up on the Sailor ink price.  For a long time now, I've noted that many sellers on flea-bay are asking prices in excess of normal retail - often WAY in excess or normal retail.

 

Why would it be a bad idea to use the India ink - age?

India ink should not be used in any fountain pen. It was not designed for fountain pen use and you would need to invest time and money in order to remove it from inside any fountain pen. If you do some searching you will find many examples of people trying and sometimes failing to clean India ink out of a fountain pen. Only use India ink with dip pens.

[Arkanabar]

4 hours ago, High_Noon said:

Dione:  Thanks for the heads-up on the Sailor ink price.  For a long time now, I've noted that many sellers on flea-bay are asking prices in excess of normal retail - often WAY in excess or normal retail.

 

Why would it be a bad idea to use the India ink - age?

India ink is made for dip pens and often contains gelatin, gum arabic or (most often) shellac.  All are death on a feed.

[High_Noon]

Arkanabar:  Thanks.  I read your Inky Journey essay and I believe I may try the Montblanc Permanent Blue.  I like the idea of a permanent ink.  Generally, I only have one pen inked at a time, but I also like the idea of having two pens in daily rotation - one with blue ink and one with black.  Any more than that, and one or the other would assuredly suffer neglect.

 

I know this is a rather subjective question, but how would you describe the color of Montblanc's Permanent Blue?   Based upon photos, and for lack of better terms, the Sailor Seiboku Ultra Blue I mentioned above seems to have a rather gem-like quality, not unlike a sapphire; while the Montblanc Permanent Blue seems to have a flatter appearance - kind of like Parker Quink, but I have no idea whether my perceptions are correct - or even near correct... But I'm a'feared that the Montblanc might be too dull and I'm not sure if the Montblanc Permanent Blue is sufficiently dark.  

 

Though I've never tried them, I also like the appearance of Iroshizuku inks, but the Deep Sea and Deep Azure Blue don't seem to be sufficiently dark.  

 

The problem, it seems, is that there's too many danged choices!  

 

What say you about all this?  

 

Thanks. 

[Arkanabar]

Amber only gave me a sample, and told me that Dark Blue is discontinued.  But it's probably a lot like MB Midnight Blue, which is their current dark blue/blue-black.  I'll see about shooting my writing sample to post for you later.

 

An ink's color is going to vary with the pen, the writer, the lighting, and the paper.  No promises what it'd look like for you.

[High_Noon]

Thankyousir.