Wet ink = broader trait ??

[Tommaso Santojanni]

Good evening to everyone,

 

Today, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely London based restorer who also happens to be a collector. During our conversation, I mentioned my OMAS Super Lucens, and how I find the line rather broad – my impression is that it writes as an M, though he regards it as an F.

 

He observed that the ink I am currently using, Writer's Blood, is reputed to be among the wetter inks available, contributing, in his view, to the broader line width.

 

I must admit, I was wholly unaware that the concept of wet and dry inks even existed, and I found it rather paradoxical. One learns something new every day ‼️

 

I would be grateful if anyone could shed light on the following:

 

1. Does a wetter ink indeed tend to produce a broader line?

 

2. Is there an identical or similar shade with notably drier properties?

 

Thank you in advance for

your insights.

 

[LizEF]

1. Yes.
2. You could check InkSwatch.com for a similar color and click/tap the card to see if there are linked reviews. 

[inkstainedruth]

@Tommaso Santojanni While I haven't tried Writer's Blood, I just got two Parker 51 Vacumatics repaired at the Ohio Pen Show.  Both pens are supposedly F nibs, and both were tested with the same ink -- Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue.  But one pen DEFINITELY writes wetter than the other one.  So, like LizEF said, it's HIGHLY possible that the ink (or the paper, or both) could appear different on different paper, as well as coming out of different pens.  

When I got my first Pelikan pen (a 1990s era M400 Brown Tortoise, with an F nib) the ink I put in it at first was Iroshizuku Yama-guri.  And that pen was a FIREHOSE.  But it *saved* the bottle I had of Noodler's Walnut (which was a very dry ink and originally had been put in a pen which turned out to be a dry writer as well).  And the M400 also works very well when I put Edelstein Smoky Quartz in it (which is practically the same color as Yama-guri).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Tommaso Santojanni]

17 hours ago, LizEF said:

1. Yes.
2. You could check InkSwatch.com for a similar color and click/tap the card to see if there are linked reviews. 

 

16 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@Tommaso Santojanni While I haven't tried Writer's Blood, I just got two Parker 51 Vacumatics repaired at the Ohio Pen Show.  Both pens are supposedly F nibs, and both were tested with the same ink -- Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue.  But one pen DEFINITELY writes wetter than the other one.  So, like LizEF said, it's HIGHLY possible that the ink (or the paper, or both) could appear different on different paper, as well as coming out of different pens.  

When I got my first Pelikan pen (a 1990s era M400 Brown Tortoise, with an F nib) the ink I put in it at first was Iroshizuku Yama-guri.  And that pen was a FIREHOSE.  But it *saved* the bottle I had of Noodler's Walnut (which was a very dry ink and originally had been put in a pen which turned out to be a dry writer as well).  And the M400 also works very well when I put Edelstein Smoky Quartz in it (which is practically the same color as Yama-guri).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Well, thank you to both, for your kind advice, which I appreciate.

Can anyone advise which inks are "dry" and resemble extremely closely Diamine Writers Blood?

Tommaso

[Mercian]

7 hours ago, Tommaso Santojanni said:

Can anyone advise which inks are "dry" and resemble extremely closely Diamine Writers Blood?

 

Hi Tommaso,

while the following ink doesn't match Writer's Blood exactly, it is in a similar colour range, and it is very 'dry-writing'.
It always gives 'tight lines' that are true to the size of your pen's nib, and it won't 'feather' or 'spread' either - except on the most-porous of papers.

It works really well in 'wet'-writing pens such as Pelikans or Montblancs, but I also use it in modern Parker pens (because I ♥ its colour & its shading).

Its appearance is going to be very difficult for anything else to mimic, so you would always be able to identify immediately that it is 'your' ink.

 

Diamine Writer's Blood:

https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-writers-blood

 

My suggestion for a 'dry' alternative ink:

https://mountainofink.com/blog/rohrer-klingner-scabiosa

 

R&K Scabiosa is an iron-gall ink. So, if you do buy it, I advise you to flush your pen once every three months with plain water (the advice that Montblanc used to put on the bottles of its own iron-gall ink).

 

As always though, I also advise you to read several reviews of the stuff on here, in order to forewarn yourself about any of its properties that might potentially be 'deal-breakers' for you.
A good place to start is by reading → this review ←

 

Edit to add:

You should also read LizEF's 'EFNIR' of Scabiosa → linky ←
Liz found that, from EF nibs, Scabiosa feathered more than one might expect on absorbent 'puzzle paper'.
My own experience of that type of paper is that it is as 'bad' for FP use as newspaper paper is. But it is certainly a valid data point and, if you find yourself having to write on pulpy paper, this property of the ink is well worth being forewarned about.

Slàinte,
M.

[LizEF]

The closest thing I had was Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot, which seemed dry to me, and wet to An Ink Guy, but the line width is well below average, so flow doesn't really matter if line width is what you're after.  It's more of a brick red color.

 

The InkSwatch page for Writer's Blood shows KWZ Maroon as a possible match, and it has average flow (per An Ink Guy).  Some of the swatches there don't have reviews - such as Ferris Wheel Press The Velvet Ballet, but that has shimmer.  Others are wrong color-wise (Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons - Autumn - Sweet Fig is purple, not the color of the swatch on screen).  The Private Reserve ink is very wet.  The Montblanc is reported to be dry, but also more brown. 

 

I'd say KWZ Maroon and Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot might be worth sampling.

 

The color is not that similar, but Diamine Red Dragon (a redder red) has an average line width.

 

Colors not to pursue:

• Diamine Oxblood also has a wide line width
• Van Dieman's Ink Sweetheart Cherry (very wide line)

FWIW.

[Tommaso Santojanni]

5 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

Hi Tommaso,

while the following ink doesn't match Writer's Blood exactly, it is in a similar colour range, and it is very 'dry-writing'.
It always gives 'tight lines' that are true to the size of your pen's nib, and it won't 'feather' or 'spread' either - except on the most-porous of papers.

It works really well in 'wet'-writing pens such as Pelikans or Montblancs, but I also use it in modern Parker pens (because I ♥ its colour & its shading).

Its appearance is going to be very difficult for anything else to mimic, so you would always be able to identify immediately that it is 'your' ink.

 

Diamine Writer's Blood:

https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-writers-blood

 

My suggestion for a 'dry' alternative ink:

https://mountainofink.com/blog/rohrer-klingner-scabiosa

 

R&K Scabiosa is an iron-gall ink. So, if you do buy it, I advise you to flush your pen once every three months with plain water (the advice that Montblanc used to put on the bottles of its own iron-gall ink).

 

As always though, I also advise you to read several reviews of the stuff on here, in order to forewarn yourself about any of its properties that might potentially be 'deal-breakers' for you.
A good place to start is by reading → this review ←

 

Edit to add:

You should also read LizEF's 'EFNIR' of Scabiosa → linky ←
Liz found that, from EF nibs, Scabiosa feathered more than one might expect on absorbent 'puzzle paper'.
My own experience of that type of paper is that it is as 'bad' for FP use as newspaper paper is. But it is certainly a valid data point and, if you find yourself having to write on pulpy paper, this property of the ink is well worth being forewarned about.

Slàinte,
M.

 

4 hours ago, LizEF said:

The closest thing I had was Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot, which seemed dry to me, and wet to An Ink Guy, but the line width is well below average, so flow doesn't really matter if line width is what you're after.  It's more of a brick red color.

 

The InkSwatch page for Writer's Blood shows KWZ Maroon as a possible match, and it has average flow (per An Ink Guy).  Some of the swatches there don't have reviews - such as Ferris Wheel Press The Velvet Ballet, but that has shimmer.  Others are wrong color-wise (Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons - Autumn - Sweet Fig is purple, not the color of the swatch on screen).  The Private Reserve ink is very wet.  The Montblanc is reported to be dry, but also more brown. 

 

I'd say KWZ Maroon and Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot might be worth sampling.

 

The color is not that similar, but Diamine Red Dragon (a redder red) has an average line width.

 

Colors not to pursue:

• Diamine Oxblood also has a wide line width
• Van Dieman's Ink Sweetheart Cherry (very wide line)

FWIW.

Good evening to all,

Thank you to everyone who has offered their insights and advice here; they were all very helpful.
 

I must admit that I was entirely unaware of the complexities of ink characteristics, including the existence of both a “wetness” chart and a corresponding colour chart. This discovery came as a surprise to me, underscoring just how much there is to learn about inks.

I shall require time to study these resources thoroughly and will return with any further questions as I progress.
 

Once more, thank you!
 

Tommaso

[Runnin_Ute]

I had thought Astorquiza Rot as well. Looked at my swatch card and it leans a bit more orange. But that could be my swatch.

 

What you might try is putting some in a sample vial and diluting with distilled water. It will make it drier (I know, it's counterintuitive but it does work that way) and may not affect the color much. I haven't tried it with my bottle of Writers Blood as I just run it through a drier writing pen. It won't take much to do the job. Drop at a time.

 

Writers Blood is if not the wettest ink I have it's on the short list. It's a near perfect match for the no longer available Levenger Pomegranate in my mind.