Orange Ink Choice?

[LandyVlad]

I'm sure there was a thread comparing orange inks, but I can't find it.

 

I'm looking for a nice orange ink for use in <M> or <F> nib fountain pen.

I have a TWSBi (may get another) and a few vintage Parker 51's.

 

I had loaded up a cart with samples but that got quite expensive, quite quickly.

SO looking at what I could find online (and noting that colour variation between cameras, computer monitors etc makes true colour impossible to really judge) I have found a couple which I might like.

 

These are:

• Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake   link
• Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin Orange  link

 

The Pelikan look as if it might be the stronger of the two, and the Pilot Iroshizuku more 'washed out'?

 

I'd be interested to hear of experiences with these inks in particular or other orange inks as they compare,

perhaps

 

Diplomat Orange

Noodler's Southwest Sunset 

Kaweco Sunrise Orange

TWSBI 1791 Tangerine

 

 

Thanks.

[Uncial]

Go buy Oranges of Lake Hamana and thank me later.

 

Yu Yake is a nice ink but very red-pink leaning. The Edelstein has been reformulated and the newer version isnt bad at all (the old version was an almost unusable highlighter ink). It's a very bright orange.

[kestrel]

Diamine Orange.  Bright, well-behaved.

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, LandyVlad said:

I'm sure there was a thread comparing orange inks, but I can't find it.

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Uncial said:

Go buy Oranges of Lake Hamana and thank me later.

I had to search it. This is by Sailor, for Bungubox. Review:

 

1 hour ago, LandyVlad said:

Noodler's Southwest Sunset 

It never dries, except on absorbent paper.

 

I don't have experience with the other named inks. If I were going to buy a bright orange, I'd get Akkerman Oranje Boven.

 

Don't forget the ink review index here, where you can see what reviewers have said about these inks.  Also, Ink Swatch is a great tool for finding similar inks, and reviews (click / tap the swatch card to see links to reviews): Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin and Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake.

 

Finally, if I had to choose based on nothing but the names and online images, I'd choose Sailor because I think they may well have the best ink makers in the world.

[LandyVlad]

Thanks all.

 

Now I just need to find a good place to buy Sailor bungbox like that one. (or at least see the price)

I'm in Australia but happy to buy online if postage not a killer.

 

The review mentions that Sailor Shikiori - Kin-Mokusei is very similar (though not identical) and much cheaper and I can get that locally

Edited December 9, 2024 by LandyVlad

[Penguincollector]

  I was about to recommend Kin- Mokusei. It’s a lovely ink, and is wonder on papers like Iroful. I also like KWZ Orange, but I don’t know if it’s easy to find. Herbin Orange Indien is wonderful in a wet pen. 

[Lithium466]

Kin Mokusei is very pleasant. In shading orange, there's also Diamine blaze orange. 

[manolo]

Diamine Pumpkin.

I always keep a pen filled with this ink since I bought it, two years ago.

Cheap, well behaved, and easy to read.

[LandyVlad]

Thanks.  

As it's for a fountain pen which will be for writing rather than art  readability is key.

[LandyVlad]

I found these

 

 

 

Not decisive but perhaps an edge to the Pumpkin.

 

also

the review states the photos don't show it to its full brightness so hard to judge but from the small sample in the second thread - looks quite nice.


Hmmmmmm.

[LandyVlad]

Oh and also

writing samples are quite useful.  Based on those I think Pumpkin has the edge for what I want -a "first" orange ink.

 

Thank you everyone!

[Dillo]

On 12/8/2024 at 9:09 PM, kestrel said:

Diamine Orange.  Bright, well-behaved.

 

 

I avoid Diamine Orange for a few reasons. It is not really that well behaved. As you continue using it, it will start having some issues as the Allura Red dye in the ink reacts with the air and degrades. You will see a build up of bright colored crystals around the nib and feed, and this is not water soluble. As the ink ages, you will also see this precipitate develop on the bottle and settle to the bottom of the bottle. It causes gold nibs to rainbow and causes steel nibs to corrode. I had cases where steel nibs became severely pitted after using this ink (and also Pelikan Brilliant Red and Diamine Hope Pink which both also contain the Allura red dye).

 

Instead, I recommend Montblanc Manganese Orange. It does not contain the Allura Red dye and I've used it in many steel and gold nibbed pens without any issues and without any precipitates forming.

 

I don't have issues with many other Diamine inks, but I avoid the orange specifically for this reasons. I have not done extensive analysis on many of their other pink, red, or orange inks to see what dyes they use, but I can confirm through analysis that Pelikan Brilliant Red, Diamine Orange, and Diamine Hope Pink contain this dye and all three of them have had this problem in my testing. It develops after some time of use. The precipitate is really difficult to clean out of pens because it has limited water solubility

[kestrel]

@Dillodid a really nice job of piquing my curiosity.  I haven't seen the behaviors he describes but then I don't use Diamine Orange that often and my bottle is only a year old.  He has obviously looked into this issue far deeper than I would have thought to.  Thank you, Dillo, for reducing my ignorance.  Might I ask you to help reduce it a bit more?

 

I have three questions.  1). Do you have any idea which form of the dye is used in inks, sodium, calcium, or potassium salt?  2). Do you know (or know of a place where I can find out) the chemical identity of the precipitate that forms.  3). Is this problem at all related to the "nib crud" that is a common issue with Diamine Ancient Copper.  My experience with the Ancient Copper crud is that it is water soluble so I suspect different precipitates.

It has been a very long time since I studied organic chemistry (I used Stryer's 1st edition) so my brain is doing some heavy lifting on the chemistry involved here.

[Dillo]

I believe it is a sodium salt in this case. I'm have not delved into trying to figure out exactly the composition of the precipitate, but it appears to appear when exposed to air. I have not done analysis on the Diamine Ancient Copper, so I'm not very familiar. There are other inks that create crystals around the nib. Diamine Jade is one of these and Diamine Blue Black is another, however, the crystals are readily soluble in water and dissolve nearly immediately when they touch water.

[Stompie]

I have been using Diamine Intense Orange and quite like it, but it is a shimmer ink so it has particles in it.

 

Diamine Pumpkin is nice as well but I prefer the Intense Orange - no problem with clogging or residue for me

[kestrel]

22 hours ago, Dillo said:

I believe it is a sodium salt in this case. I'm have not delved into trying to figure out exactly the composition of the precipitate, but it appears to appear when exposed to air. I have not done analysis on the Diamine Ancient Copper, so I'm not very familiar. There are other inks that create crystals around the nib. Diamine Jade is one of these and Diamine Blue Black is another, however, the crystals are readily soluble in water and dissolve nearly immediately when they touch water.

Thank you.

[Stompie]

Just found this which may interest you

 

https://inkcrediblecolours.com/2024/12/14/kingdom-note-eumicrotremus-barbatus/

[pgcauk]

I have been through those 10,000 orange ink samples and this is still a real challenge question. Nib size is crucial. So many Orange (also Pink) inks look great in a swatch (or dip pen), but horribly anaemic in finer nibbed fountains. I have found two solutions; either go for the wettest possible nibs such as Broad, Fude, Flex etc. or quest for an Orange that will actually work with an EF nib. Sub-branches for the latter would be either Orange tending Rust/Brown, such as the very popular Diamine Ancient Copper or Noodler's Antietam (which really work as a writing ink, but do tend to smear), or turn the brightness up to max!

 

I was very impressed by this review: https://blog.andersonpens.com/thinkthursday-kobe-11-ikuta-orange/

 

For what it's worth I'm listing some of the Orange inks that I use regularly, along with the nibs that show them best:

 

Ackerman Steen Rood (= Diamine Ancient Copper?) / Noodler's Antietam are Dark Red Oranges that work in an EF, if you like the color.

I really like Diamine Burnt Sienna, which is on the border between Orange and Hazelnut, but it does need a wet/broad nib.

Diamine Autumn Oak is enchanting, somehow reconciling Green and Red to resolve at Orange. Again the fatter or wetter the better!

Robert Oster Burned Orange I have in constant use in a flex pen, but it looks even grander with a dip nib. "Amber", I found out, is nomenclature for 50:50 Orange/Yellow (which this is), "Vermilion" is nomenclature for 50:50 Orange/Red - useful words!

Hmm, others I keep by my side are Taccia Koiame, which is a lovely "Barley Sugar", approaching Fox, and Kyo No Oto Moonlight Of Higashiyama, an Orange ambiguous as Moonlight!

 

Oh, and if you're taking the bright route, I sampled a whole collection of Robert Oster Orange Inks and way out front on the intensity front was Orange Zest, but that might lead to retinal scarring if used for anything other than annotation?!

 

[senzen]

Pen wetness makes a big difference; orange inks also generate more crud so a pen that dries out more slowly helps.

 

Currently have Mandarin coming out nicely saturated in a Parker 50 F, Fuyu Gaki coming darker which I prefer in a Platinum President M, Orange Indien more pale in a Plumix M.