best way to sample inks?

[nachum]

i'm loving my new obsession. i now have a number of fountain pens and between bottles and samples, more ink than i care to tell you. my question is this...
i want to sample all of my inks and record them in my curnow ink test journal. is there a way to do this without having to fill a pen and then discharge the ink to try another? or is my best bet just to do what i mentioned. any help/insight, would be greatly appreciated!

[Laura N]

I like to swab the ink with a Q-tip and then use a dip pen to write a writing sample in a notebook for later reference. You can record a bunch of samples very quickly.

However, I always give an ink an extended test in a real fountain pen, because that's the best way to figure out how it flows and how it cleans up. I use a Lamy Safari because nibs are swappable and it's easy to clean.

I use a dip pen like this (http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/brause-calligraphy-introductory-kit.html). I generally use the italic nibs for ink testing; the very thin crow quills for drawing don't really cut it for this.

[klpeabody]

If I am sampling an ink, I definitely swab it with a q-tip first. Then, I usually ink a LAMY Safari with Medium nib. In your case, you can simply use a dip nib if you like. Speedball nibs are readily available at your local art store. But, I do recommend actually inking a fountain pen, because swabs do lie. I hate to say it. It really depends upon the ink, but the swab may appear either darker or lighter in the swab as opposed to what it might look like in your pen. I love swabs, but over time I have realized that it really doesn't represent what the ink looks like from a pen. Also, with dip pen, inks may look darker from the dip pen than your fountain pen.

I have a couple of pens that I have earmarked towards regular ink testing. Usually LAMY Safari pens one with a medium nib, and the other with a 1.1 stub italic, both on the wetter writing side. That way, I can get a better idea of how the ink really behaves.

[nachum]

i like the idea of using a fountain pen. kipeabody - when you use your safari, and you want to test a few inks, do you just fill a little bit or fully and then discharge the ink back into the bottle? thanks!

[nachum]

also, what is the purpose of swabbing with a q tip if it doesn't truly represent the color?

[klpeabody]

Good questions. Typically, if I am sampling an ink, more often than not, I am sampling it from a sample vial which includes probably 3 ml if I ordered from Andersen Pens, or if it is from a pen friend. That is usually enough to fill a LAMY Medium and a 1.1, separately. I do typically fill up the converter, and then empty it back into the sample vial until the converter is about 1/2 full, or less. Sometimes, I fill the converter with a syringe. (*Edited to add: More often than not, I use syringe, and once I have finished sampling that particular ink, down the drain it goes.)

But, if I am testing a few inks at the same time, then I will clean the pen thoroughly before inking that same pen with a new ink just so the pen is not "tainted" with the old ink. Usually, a good flush with warm soapy water then clear, lukewarm water is sufficient.

As far as swabbing goes, what I like about it is that I do get a feel if the ink has a "sheen" or not. I also get a feel for what type of color I am looking at. For example, if I am swabbing a purple ink, I get a better idea if the purple is blue-ish or red-ish. I get a feel for where that ink is on the color wheel, so to speak. The other advantage of swabbing is that, on a separate page, I can swab that ink against other inks in that color family to get an idea of what it looks like compared to perhaps my other "favorites".

I think swabs give you a general idea of what you are dealing with, but the true test is with the pen. Then you know what the ink can really do. I admit that I have loved an ink based on swab alone, but once it was in a pen, I did not care for it based on other factors like ink flow, or lubrication, or shading (perhaps lack thereof). It all depends. All of these things, keep in mind, are very subjective in the sense that each person might have different preferences. What one inkophile may disregard, another might prefer. I guess it's just part of the "madness".

[nachum]

klpeabody - how do you add ink with a syringe? and thank you for your help!

[klpeabody]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MzSYMKMgxE

This video best reflects the technique that I am referring to. It's handy when filling from sample vials.

[nachum]

thanks!

[migo984]

Re swabs, obviously they can't & don't reflect the behaviour of an ink when it's being used in a pen. That 's not their purpose. In fact, even using a FP to test ink often gives inconsistent results, as there are so many factors that affect an ink's behaviour. However, I find swabs invaluable to make colour/shade comparisons between different inks, as long as you use the same method for swabbing each time.

I've not yet made a mistake in choosing an ink from looking at a sample swab. But I have a lot of inks and I think judgement improves with experience.

[The Good Captain]

I use a couple of Lamy Safari pens with M nibs. Just dipped and not filled. Seems to work OK.

[Wile E Coyote]

If you're doing a lot of inks, a glass dip pen is easiest. For a large area of color try a steel brush nib in a nib holder instead of a Q-Tip.

[ac12]

I use a Morriset dip pen. It is a nib+feed, so behaves similar to a fountain pen.
I also use dip pens, and can say that the ink line from a dip pen can differ from your fountain pen.
But then again, the ink line from one FP can differ from another FP.
So what the heck do I do?

I do 2 ink samples.
#1 of the ink with the same Morriset pens so there is a constant
#2 of the pens with various inks.

#1 tells me what the ink looks like
#2 tells me what the inks looks like in specific pens.
Using how #2 looks compared to #1, I can estimate what the ink line in a pen would look like. Example my Esterbook will look darker for virtually all inks that what the sample #1 shows.

[nachum]

I ended up using the good captain's idea. i used a lamy safari as a dip pen. worked like a charm!

[hark40]

I also follow the Good Captains method as well - sorta. I use two Safaris (Vistas actually), one with a medium and another with a 1.9 nib. Both get dipped in the sample. The Medium nib allows me to see what the ink looks like with normal writing, while the 1.9 gives me a wider stroke and thus if the ink shades or has some other characteristic (Stormy Grey for instance) it is far more easily visible. I use a combination of index cards (ink brand/name written using the 1.9, and a few swirls and crosses, and then thoughts about the ink using the medium) and a notebook (again 1.9 for ink brand/name, and medium for thoughts) to write samples in. Index cards give me a quick index I can flick through, while the notebook gives me a more substantial visual sample on better paper.

[Chrissy]

I'm currently trying to use a Pilot Plumix as a dip pen, but even though I don't fill it, it still soaks up a good amount of ink into the feed and still needs a thorough cleaning after every dip. I wondered if a dip pen would be an improvement. What about dip pens with glass nibs? Has anyone tried one? Does it write a bit like a fountain pen and is it easy to clean?

[Neo]

I'm currently trying to use a Pilot Plumix as a dip pen, but even though I don't fill it, it still soaks up a good amount of ink into the feed and still needs a thorough cleaning after every dip. I wondered if a dip pen would be an improvement. What about dip pens with glass nibs? Has anyone tried one? Does it write a bit like a fountain pen and is it easy to clean?


Very easy to clean, just dip in some clean water and wipe with a towel. The only issue is that the lines right after the dip and before the ink runs dry are not really representative of how it looks in a fountain pen. The middle is usually pretty close though depending in the line width of your regular vs. dip nib pens.

[Chrissy]

Very easy to clean, just dip in some clean water and wipe with a towel. The only issue is that the lines right after the dip and before the ink runs dry are not really representative of how it looks in a fountain pen. The middle is usually pretty close though depending in the line width of your regular vs. dip nib pens.

I only want to write the Brand and Colour of the comparison ink next to the swab, so that at least I am writing it with that ink

[ac12]

I use dip pens with FP ink, I find that the dip pens generally write wetter than fountain pens.
But the difference depends on how wet/dry your fountain pen is. The wet FPs are close, the dry ones quite different.

[Silverbreeze]

Dip pens are also different
Have to try a glass one soon