Quirky inks that are still masculine...

[PizzaDude]

As a male in the manufacturing field, I have to be careful I don't veer too far off the conservative path that was laid at our company over 200 years ago, however since I am into fountain pens and want to use something besides blue and black I was looking for recommendations for other colors as well. I was leaning towards some medium brown colors like toffee or greens. Any advice???

For the record if I worked at a more "hip" employer I would have no issue writing with purple or dark orange, but that just wouldn't fly here.

[sgtstretch]

Diamine Sherwood Green

[brunico]

I was leaning towards some medium brown colors like toffee

If you are talking about toffee rather than brown, you have lost any pretension to masculinity.



See xkcd.

[da vinci]

Diamine green black perhaps?

[Jon Szanto]

[penwash]

Why, manufacturing, you say?
Diamine Ancient Copper, of course.
If they ever give you the weird look, just show them the label on the bottle.

[AzJon]

You could go for the slightly obvious Montblanc Toffee Brown. It's a nice color that still looks rather professional.

[Sailor Kenshin]

As a male in the manufacturing field, I have to be careful I don't veer too far off the conservative path that was laid at our company over 200 years ago, however since I am into fountain pens and want to use something besides blue and black I was looking for recommendations for other colors as well. I was leaning towards some medium brown colors like toffee or greens. Any advice???

For the record if I worked at a more "hip" employer I would have no issue writing with purple or dark orange, but that just wouldn't fly here.

Noodler's El Lawrence, AKA Motor Oil.

[Dreck]

I was leaning towards some medium brown colors like toffee

If you are talking about toffee rather than brown, you have lost any pretension to masculinity.



See xkcd.

I was a pressman when I was younger, and used to refer to colors by their number from the Pantone Matching System.

[FredRydr]

MB Toffee Brown is my favorite retro ink that I use with a flex nib for 115-year-old-style writing on vintage postcards and the like. Sepia would serve as well. I wouldn't call that feminine, or even effeminate. But it isn't blue, black or blue/black, either. Time to come out of the ink closet.

Fred

[Miz Black Crow]

First I say: screw the gender-color association. Pink used to be for boys (back when we started coloring babies), now it's for girls. Be yourself. Put whatever damn color you want in your pen. Live Yo Life!

However, I will keep this list of recommendations to colors which I find would both be attractive and professional, along with easy-to-read:

Noodler's Red-Black is very professional, waterproof, and (to me) quite lovely. There's a great review of it on FPN here.

Noodler's Golden Brown is a lovely shading waterproof brown (review here).

I'd also add a +1 for Diamine Ancient Copper with the caveat that it is not waterproof.

Noodler's Legal Lapis is a green-black and is quite attractive.

Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa is an iron gall muted purple (waterproof). Review.

Caran D'Ache Ultraviolet is not, in fact, ultra-violet so much as a lovely subdued / muted purple. Really really pretty review.

Hope this helps And good luck!

[Jon Szanto]

First I say: screw the gender-color association. Pink used to be for boys (back when we started coloring babies), now it's for girls. Be yourself. Put whatever damn color you want in your pen. Live Yo Life!

Here's proof you can have a masculine ink and sheen all in one package:

[The Good Captain]

Diamine Salamander, Macassar, Asa Blue, Evergreen are interesting possibilities, as are Cult Pens/Diamine Deep Dark Purple, Green and Orange. How about Noodler's Midway Blue, G I Green, Green Marine, North African Violet or Liberty's Elysium?

[pensplash]

Dive in, rock some purple. No one will dare bust on you for a bit of color. You have grown in stature. It's 20flippin'16.

D.

[ppmiranda]

My recommendation: Graf von Faber-Castell moss green.

It's obviously green, but dark enough to grant it a "serious" vibe. It's very sober. I use at work and no one ever questioned me about it. Can't say the same for purples and turquoises.

[Dreck]

My recommendation: Graf von Faber-Castell moss green.

It's obviously green, but dark enough to grant it a "serious" vibe. It's very sober. I use at work and no one ever questioned me about it. Can't say the same for purples and turquoises.

That's an excellent point. Sailor Kenshin mentioned El Lawrence, which is a dirty-swampwater, Cthuhlu-esque green. IIRC, there are quite a few "serious" greens available.

[AzJon]

First I say: screw the gender-color association. Pink used to be for boys (back when we started coloring babies), now it's for girls. Be yourself. Put whatever damn color you want in your pen. Live Yo Life!

Here's proof you can have a masculine ink and sheen all in one package:

Ah yes, the venerable Wink line. It has amazing shadiness...er...shading.

[Haga888]

Diamine Evergreen is a Green-Black that leans closer to Black. Iroshizuku Yama-guri is a Brown-Black that also leans towards black. I think those two would meet your subtle colour requirements quite well.

[fountainpenkid]

As others have said, a darker brown is a viable option. Ancient Copper is a great ink--reliable, saturated, and not prone to staining (from my experience).

[bluesea]

De Atramentis Johan Sebastian Bach. Its a darkish brown with purple undertones that gives a conservative character, without being easily identifiable without close analysis.