What is the best ink for your fountain pen

[BinomialSpider]

I didn't like Noodler's Black--on Moleskines it would never dry. I tried it on MUJI notebooks as well--same problem. A few days after writing something, the ink would still smear. It did work OK on rough, or porous paper.

 

I bought a bottle of Pilot blue ink (the "Namiki" bottle), and I much prefer it. The ink works on every surface I've tried, and it dries reasonably quickly. Also, Pilot blue is reasonably water-resistant, and writes smoothly.

 

The downside is that it's hard to find bottled Pilot (aka "Namiki") ink in stores, and shipping is expensive.

[BTJustice]

Does Waterman inks stand up as well as Noodler's? I mean do they stand up against forgery techniques?

[Ann Finley]

It's Noodler's waterproof (black, especially) that is made to be "forgery proof."

Waterman's inks are not waterproof, not forgery proof.

 

HTH, Ann

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Does Waterman inks stand up as well as Noodler's?  I mean do they stand up against forgery techniques?

Not at all. Waterman's Florida Blue is a nice enough looking ink when I write with it, but I think that you could completely erase an entire page of writing with it by the judicious application of a single drop of water. When water hits a page full of Waterman's Florida Blue there's just a blue flash and it's all gone.

Edited March 5, 2006 by Ink Stained Wretch

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I voted for Noodler's (despite a recent thread about how much ink is in a bottle) mostly because of the waterproof nature of it. I mix a lot of the waterproof Noodler's inks with the non-waterproof Noodler's inks and some Swisher's non-waterproof inks. Nathan Tardif has assured us that all of his inks can be mixed together without precipitation or anything.

 

I'm very much enjoying mixing inks and writing with the results. I really like the idea that what I put on the paper will stay on the paper, at least one component of it will. So all of my ink mixtures include one of the Noodler's "eternal" inks.

 

And Noodler's colors are interesting as well. Since Nathan is actually into this stuff I guess that he looks for colors that would please a fountain pen writer.

[wimg]

I know from experience that Waterman inks are reliable, non-staining, and have great flow properties.  I've heard time and again that they are very benign for all types of pens.  Richard B seems to use exclusively this ink in his favorite pen, and Wim uses it to prime his new pens.  The only aspect of Waterman ink which gives me pause is the high content of particulate matter.  Makes me wonder if my favorite ink maker, Aurora, is even more benign.

Hi Amin,

 

Where did you get the idea that WM inks have a high content of particulate matter?

 

One of the reasons they are so reliable is that they don't contain particles whatsoever, only dyes, and not very concentrated. And actually, very few inks these days contain particles, provided they are fountain pen inks.

 

Oh, particles I understand to be tiny non-soluble bits, which are really held in suspension. If you are talking inks, this generally means pigments. All water based fountain pen inks contain dyes, not pigments.

 

The only modern true fountain pen inks with particulate matter are black inks and iron gall inks. Black inks because they contain finely ground soot for the black colour, and the blacker, the more soot generally, and iron gall inks because they are made from, yes, iron galls, the stuff that grows on oak and some other leaves, where wasps emerge from eventually when you leave these where they are. The process of making iron gall ink always leaves particulate matter behind in the ink, which is one of the reasons why I always warn against these inks.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[Man-in-Need]

Comparing Namiki and Waterman brand inks against Noodler's is like comparing a man pushing a wheelbarrow against the Santa Fe Express in a race. Waterman inks need to emphasize those first two syllables of their name because that is what they are. Their inks feather to the point that when I write what I have written looks like a Rorschach test. I will grant that some of their colors like Havana brown are nice to look at, they aren't much in way of substance. Waterman inks are just platinum plated potatoes. As for namiki, their inks are solid, lacking the feathering of Waterman, but by that same token they are unexceptional. I regard them the same way that I regard Dodge automobiles: functional, but uninspired. This explains the appeal of Noodler's Inks.

Even the name catches your eye. Noodling is a unique activity for those who know what it is and requires the kind of risks as well as the rashness that seems to mark this company. The designs of the packages and the functionality of the ink almost stink of total innovation. Perhaps the real clencher is the fact that Noodler's seems to almost mystically become one with the paper. The ink's permanence exposes an enviable gap in the industry.

And to be fair, if I cannot use Noodler's, I go then for J. Herbin's ink because the ink, in the dipping types, has an adequate body, read coherence, to it and doesn't rust the paper as what Waterman's did for me on my paper stock. I respect other people's opinions on inks, but some brands are just not hardy enough for real life. I am sorry if I have offended, but I have a very unsympathetic view on issues of real importance, like the weather, comics, or choosing the right fountain pen ink.

[amin]

Where did you get the idea that WM inks have a high content of particulate matter?

Wim, two things made me say that. First, I remember a certain pen expert telling me it was so. I won't name the expert who said it, because I could well have misheard him or completely hallucinated it - I wouldn't want to pin it on this gentleman if he didn't really say it. The second thing is that I remember actually seeing particles in suspension in my Florida Blue and Havana Brown. I am very willing to consider that my memory is twisted. I don't have a bottle nearby to take another look.

[ThangMMM]

The only modern true fountain pen inks with particulate matter are black inks and iron gall inks. Black inks because they contain finely ground soot for the black colour, and the blacker, the more soot generally

 

will these thing make black ink become the worst ink ? Oh, black is my favourite color, so should i change my habit ?

[Monketah]

I'd have to say Waterman, for many of the reasons stated above. Florida Blue and South Seas Blue, which I use for editing, have never given me any fuss. I also like Sailor Black in my Duofold Centennial. Sailor Black flows evenly, smoothly, and it dries fairly quickly. With either brand of ink, I don't have to worry about clogging like I did with some of the more saturated inks.

[jthole]

My favourite ink is MB Blue/Black. I love the color, and it performs very well in my pens! Except in the Sheaffer TD and Snorkel pens; I only put Skrip in those.

[RobertG]

I vote for Waterman, it is my most used ink when the day begins. I also have a few

Herbin's but they seem to get used only once in a while.

 

I mostly use WM Blue-Black and WM Purple.

[HesNot]

I've used skrip, quink, waterman, MB, Noodlers and PR inks at one point or another. They all have redeeming qualities. I sure miss skrip peacock blue from my childhood. Waterman seems to be about the most solid middle of the road flow/saturation ink I've used consistently. But it sure does flow and flow fast out of a broad nib.

 

PR and Noodlers are popular for a reason and their colors and properties set them apart. But I have to admit that Noodlers black doesn't flow terribly well compared to, say, Quink black. A small price to pay for permanence, I suppose. PR colors are breathtaking and in my experience the flow pretty nicely as well.

 

All that being said I voted for PR although Waterman was a very close second. Just the substance of the PR inks is quite appealing.

[solaris]

I have a dead tie between Diamine and Waterman, but I voted for Waterman since Blue-black is my one, true love.

Anyone know whether Waterman Blue Nuit is the same as blue-black?

 

Stephen

Oui, monsieur.

[Stephen-I-am]

I have a dead tie between Diamine and Waterman, but I voted for Waterman since Blue-black is my one, true love.

Anyone know whether Waterman Blue Nuit is the same as blue-black?

 

Stephen

Oui, monsieur.

Je vous remercie mille fois.

[zxc]

I think Waterman are very good at what they do in providing a good solid ink however I choose Noodler's as they have such a wide range of inks with consistently good quality, always innovating inks and they're constantly expanding their collection.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

But I have to admit that Noodlers black doesn't flow terribly well compared to, say, Quink black.  A small price to pay for permanence, I suppose.

Have you considered mixing the Noodler's Black with another black ink? I haven't had any flow problems with Noodler's Black, but if I did I'd try to mix it with another, freer flowing black ink and see if that improved things. Also, Swishmix Nile Ebony is a mixture of Noodler's Black and, probably, Swisher's Midnight Black. The latter ink will really flow and sort of takes the Noodler's along with it. A very dark, black ink.

[jackoguit]

Am I missing discussions of viscosity?

I'm new at this, but when I started my mentor (pentimentor?) advised me to use only Sheaffer and Parker inks in pens older than 1960. Well, being the smart guy that I am, I totally ignored him and fired up my couple of Sheaffer vac fills with my favorite PR- Tanzenite. The confusing thing was that PR worked fine in my Lamy Safari, Pelikan, Cross Radiance and a Rotring 600 Newton. But it wouldn't work in my nice Sheaffers!w. Then I bought some Pelikan at my local stationers. The Shaeffers choked on it!. I finally broke down and found a bottle of black Quink at Office Depot. Now my Sheaffers write.

 

I found a great discussion of viscosity at Richard Connors website. He puts Quink, Scrip and J. Herbin in the low viscosity (thin) catagory, and Pelikan in a high viscosity (thick) catagory.

 

Opinions where the others fall? How 'bout Waterman?

 

I'm now trying to mix up Tanzanite using Scrip Purple and Quink Black. Oh well, if this stuff was easy, it wouldn't be so interesting.

[kissing]

i like Quink. I like it for the simplicity and easy-mixing.

 

It also seems to dry quick and run fast

[jackoguit]

I like PR for saturation. I seem to value saturation very highly.

But it won't work in all my pens.

Therefore J.Herbin gets my vote- it works in all of 'em and ther are plenty of colors from which to choose.