How to decide.... so many inks....

[I like mango pudding]

Okay, I figure I want to expand my ink library, currently only 5 right now. I am a very modest user of inks so the 80ml bottles I have have plenty of life left in them. I recently found that Diamine has 30ml bottles for sale, and over a hundred colours to choose from.

I need to get (okay, "want" to get) enough bottles to justify the 10GBP shipping charges, as each bottle is only 2.67GBP. I've narrowed it down to 6 different colours. I could go crazy, but alot of colours are very similar to each other, and just now, I was writing with Diamine Grape, and it changes colour on me, depending on the paper, how much writing I did in one continuous stretch, and so forth. A fresh start of it comes our really dark, almost black like, while continuous writing of a page or more, lightens it up a it.

Anyways, I don't want to get versions too similar to each other. I've decided on:

Syrah
Chocolate Brown
Teal
Ochre
Evergreen or Green/Black
Imperial Blue

I don't want anything too light, and I like darker inks more than lighter inks.

I already have:
Diamine Grape,
Noodlers forest green
MB midnight blue
MB oyster grey
Parker Quink blue.

I am not all that satisfied with my oyster grey, and the forest green was a 2nd choice green. I might swap them with a fellow local fp user one day. The Grape and the midnight blue are really my go to inks so far.

What do you think of my choices so far? And how do you refrain from buying them all up??? (That's my real dilemma) At 2.67GBP it's so tempting. Like 2 slices of pizza!!!!!

Any suggestions?

[Feardorcha]

I can't recommend oxblood enough it's an amazing dark red

[Laura N]

...What do you think of my choices so far? And how do you refrain from buying them all up??? (That's my real dilemma) At 2.67GBP it's so tempting. Like 2 slices of pizza!!!!!

Any suggestions?

Of your two choices for green, I vote for Diamine Green/Black. It's one of my favorite inks and it seems to fit your criteria. Though I don't know how close it is to your Noodler's. Syrah and Chocolate Brown are great, too, and dark.

As for your second question, I don't successfully refrain from buying ink. I probably couldn't, since using a variety of inks is my favorite part of using fountain pens.

[I like mango pudding]

I can't recommend oxblood enough it's an amazing dark red

I was debating on this or Syrah. Scans on the internet show it as being darker than Oxblood, but similar to Merlot.

[Mod_wolves]

I have to say of all my inks I keep going straight back to oxblood. It is different but still understated enough to use all the time.

[Feardorcha]

I can't recommend oxblood enough it's an amazing dark red

I was debating on this or Syrah. Scans on the internet show it as being darker than Oxblood, but similar to Merlot.

Oxblood is, as the name suggests, a deep blood red that has amazing shading. From a sample of Syrah I was giving, I found it to be more burgundy verging on purple (but that may have just been an oddity in the sample).

[Feardorcha]

I have to say of all my inks I keep going straight back to oxblood. It is different but still understated enough to use all the time.

Me too. I bought a 30 ml bottle and was soon back for an 80 ml one. The only ink I use more is MB Irish Green.

[AndyT]

I'm a big fan of Monaco Red, myself. Add a few drops of Saddle Brown and I strongly suspect you'll have Oxblood ... my point being that with a few exceptions Diamine inks mix well, so you could bear that in mind when making selections.

One ink which isn't a good mixing candidate is Majestic Blue, but I'd still recommend it:

MB sheen.jpg

Seen from a higher angle that blot really is dark blue.

[Feardorcha]

I'm a big fan of Monaco Red, myself. Add a few drops of Saddle Brown and I strongly suspect you'll have Oxblood ... my point being that with a few exceptions Diamine inks mix well, so you could bear that in mind when making selections.

One ink which isn't a good mixing candidate is Majestic Blue, but I'd still recommend it:

MB sheen.jpg

Seen from a higher angle that blot really is dark blue.

I've yet to venture into the realms of mixing but when I do I'm stealing that recipe.

Edit: apologies to I Like Mango Pudding for inadvertently hijacking this post. I'd like to add that Teal and Chocolate Brown are stunning colours especially when used with broader nibs.

[krazyklod]

Me too. I bought a 30 ml bottle and was soon back for an 80 ml one. The only ink I use more is MB Irish Green.

I'm thinking of getting MB Irish Green for my first green, why do you use it so often?

[jacksterp]

For me, inks are largely a matter of long term mood. I tend to gravitate towards several for a while, tire, and then gravitate to others. Makes no sense but does require numerous inks to satisfy.

It's a slippery slope. Wish you the best.

[AtomicLeo]

If you like dark blues, try Diamine Twilight and Midnight.

[velo]

I went through the same process recently. The 30ml bottles are great value and just the right size for me. All the following is just my opinion obviously.

Syrah - Syrah or Oxblood. I have sampled both and they are great colours and generally very well behaved. Especially Oxblood. Syrah is a favourite of mine and for me the shade is more useable as a day to day writer. Oxblood stands out more and calls attention to itself but not in a brash way.

Chocolate Brown - Chocolate Brown or Macassar for me.

Teal - I'm not the biggest fan of Teal inks but that one looks nice and dark.

Ochre - I would be tempted by Sepia and Burnt Sienna.

Evergreen or Green/Black - I can never decide on green inks. I just never see one that really speaks to me.

Imperial Blue - I love their Sapphire and Sargasso Sea.

[DrChumley]

One of my all-time favorite inks is Diamine's Sherwood Green. Nice, deep, saturated forest green color. I use it all the time.

[Mod_wolves]

I'm a big fan of Monaco Red, myself. Add a few drops of Saddle Brown and I strongly suspect you'll have Oxblood ... my point being that with a few exceptions Diamine inks mix well, so you could bear that in mind when making selections.

One ink which isn't a good mixing candidate is Majestic Blue, but I'd still recommend it:

MB sheen.jpg

Seen from a higher angle that blot really is dark blue.

This is a fantastic picture!!

Reminds me a lot of Sargasso Sea.

I have to say I bought It expecting to be a bit of a let down because i actually wanted private reserve electric blue. When it arrived I opened the box to see the bottle doesn't look like the rest of the diamine bottles I owned, it had a shimmer to it like when petrol mixes with water. I gave it a go in my safari with a medium nib and I just could not get over the red shimmer it produces. It's made me want to buy the broadest nib I can find and have the pen constantly filled and in my pocket.

Just to entertain me on a dull day.

[Feardorcha]

Me too. I bought a 30 ml bottle and was soon back for an 80 ml one. The only ink I use more is MB Irish Green.

I'm thinking of getting MB Irish Green for my first green, why do you use it so often?

For me the color and shading of Irish Green is perfect. I go through so much of it because I use it for everything from note taking to sketching. I also use it to edit documents.

[AndyT]

This is a fantastic picture!!

Why, thank you! Off topic, and just for fun here's another one ... any guesses?

Sheen1.jpg

This one isn't a Diamine ink, and it really surprised me.

[I like mango pudding]

I went through the same process recently. The 30ml bottles are great value and just the right size for me. All the following is just my opinion obviously.

Syrah - Syrah or Oxblood. I have sampled both and they are great colours and generally very well behaved. Especially Oxblood. Syrah is a favourite of mine and for me the shade is more useable as a day to day writer. Oxblood stands out more and calls attention to itself but not in a brash way.

Chocolate Brown - Chocolate Brown or Macassar for me.

Teal - I'm not the biggest fan of Teal inks but that one looks nice and dark.

Ochre - I would be tempted by Sepia and Burnt Sienna.

Evergreen or Green/Black - I can never decide on green inks. I just never see one that really speaks to me.

Imperial Blue - I love their Sapphire and Sargasso Sea.

this is great feedback. just what I need. I'll look into the other colours you mention. thanks.!

[velo]

You're welcome.