MONTBLANC INK ALTERNATIVES

[carlos63]

I have been looking on the bay at a couple of boutique inks and kinda salivating over them. I could use some help to possibly find any alternatives to MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK INK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK INK. They look awesome especially the Da Vinci ink but carry a hefty price tag due to being out of production. If someone that has these inks could offer some advice I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

[Laura N]

Leonardo is excellent. I think Diamine's new 150th Anniversary ink called Terracotta looks very similar, though I haven't tried it myself, because I have the Leonardo.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen an ink that substitutes for Hitchcock.

[Lady Onogaro]

Here's a thread from FPN where the person compared Hitchcock and a couple of other inks:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/225806-montblanc-alfred-hitchcock/

Here's another: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/212142-montblanc-alfred-hitchcock/

Here's a comparison of Leonardo Red Chalk and Ancient Copper:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/257043-leonardo-red-chalk-and-ancient-copper/

You could also do a general search of red-browns. There are some awfully nice ones out there.

[Chrissy]

I have been looking on the bay at a couple of boutique inks and kinda salivating over them. I could use some help to possibly find any alternatives to MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK INK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK INK. They look awesome especially the Da Vinci ink but carry a hefty price tag due to being out of production. If someone that has these inks could offer some advice I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

For an alternative to Mb Alfred Hitchcock you should look at Diamine Red Dragon or Diamine Oxblood. Oxblood is darker. I have done reviews on both of these, in the Ink Review forum, and I used MbAH as a comparison ink in both. I wouldn't be at all worried about not having Hitchcock left now I have found Red Dragon.

Other possibilities would be Diamine 150th Anniversary Carnival, or Diamine Flowers Gift Set Burgundy Rose. All of these reds have been recently reviewed on here.

[Laura N]

Alright, please take this in the spirit offered, and admitting to sample variation, and different papers, and all, but ... I have to admit that I've owned Diamine Ancient Copper and used it often, and I don't really find it as close to Leonardo, in real life, as it appears on those scans. Sorry! To me, Leonardo is softer than Ancient Copper, and just looks different. Also for me, Ancient Copper was high maintenance and had some flow problems, whereas Leonardo is a peach. So, YMMV, and all, but if you're sampling, don't stop at Ancient Copper. Just my opinion. :)

[Chrissy]

I think De Atramentis Sandalwood is closer to Mb Leonardo da Vinci than Diamine Ancient Copper is.

D.A Sandalwood has a red tinge to it where Ancient Copper is more yellowish/brown (i.e. like copper)

[cwent2]

Alright, please take this in the spirit offered, and admitting to sample variation, and different papers, and all, but ... I have to admit that I've owned Diamine Ancient Copper and used it often, and I don't really find it as close to Leonardo, in real life, as it appears on those scans. Sorry! To me, Leonardo is softer than Ancient Copper, and just looks different. Also for me, Ancient Copper was high maintenance and had some flow problems, whereas Leonardo is a peach. So, YMMV, and all, but if you're sampling, don't stop at Ancient Copper. Just my opinion. :)

I would agree with that assessment - but it is more due to the fact that I happen to have both inks in question.

Ink on a computer screen is frustrating to me as I have a color vision deficiency, I also do not have access to a brick and mortar store that carries inks.

thank you FP Geeks pen pals for sharing ink "Writing samples" they are invaluable to me seeing ink on paper

I know I am rambling - Sorry :)

[carlos63]

WOW! Thanks so much for all the input I really appreciate it. In addition, if someone wants to sell a sample of MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK I would like to purchase the "precious,precious" :). Upon Laura N and cwent2's comments I would like to do comparisons and not gather my opinion from what I see on my monitor. If your willing please PM me.

[Chrissy]

I could supply a sample of Hitchcock, and I know someone else in the US who wants one. However, although our mail service does not charge that much more to mail a sample to the US, than yours does to mail a sample to the UK, the only reasonably priced service that is available here doesn't include any tracking like yours does. That is the main problem. Even if you were happy to pay the cost of mailing it, there is no guarantee that it would ever be delivered.

I hope you find someone in the US who can let you have a sample, but if you don't find someone before September please PM me.

[mustud52]

I have been looking on the bay at a couple of boutique inks and kinda salivating over them. I could use some help to possibly find any alternatives to MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK INK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK INK. They look awesome especially the Da Vinci ink but carry a hefty price tag due to being out of production. If someone that has these inks could offer some advice I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

For an alternative to Mb Alfred Hitchcock you should look at Diamine Red Dragon or Diamine Oxblood. Oxblood is darker. I have done reviews on both of these, in the Ink Review forum, and I used MbAH as a comparison ink in both. I wouldn't be at all worried about not having Hitchcock left now I have found Red Dragon.

Other possibilities would be Diamine 150th Anniversary Carnival, or Diamine Flowers Gift Set Burgundy Rose. All of these reds have been recently reviewed on here.

I have mentioned that I am very fond of Red Dragon however today I came across something I will have to check up on. I left RD in my red MB 146 for a couple of weeks while I played with other pens and other inks. Was just under half full. When I used the pen today I found the ink to be thicker and the nib to skip. Never noticed this with any of the MB inks in that pen or a black 146 I have.

Anyone had this experience themselves?

I had to flush and clean the pen before I could use it again. If this is usual then it makes RD a slightly finicky ink for me to use. Will just mean I have to keep the risk in mind when I load or store a pen with RD.

[Laura N]

I have been looking on the bay at a couple of boutique inks and kinda salivating over them. I could use some help to possibly find any alternatives to MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK INK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK INK. They look awesome especially the Da Vinci ink but carry a hefty price tag due to being out of production. If someone that has these inks could offer some advice I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

For an alternative to Mb Alfred Hitchcock you should look at Diamine Red Dragon or Diamine Oxblood. Oxblood is darker. I have done reviews on both of these, in the Ink Review forum, and I used MbAH as a comparison ink in both. I wouldn't be at all worried about not having Hitchcock left now I have found Red Dragon.

Other possibilities would be Diamine 150th Anniversary Carnival, or Diamine Flowers Gift Set Burgundy Rose. All of these reds have been recently reviewed on here.

I have mentioned that I am very fond of Red Dragon however today I came across something I will have to check up on. I left RD in my red MB 146 for a couple of weeks while I played with other pens and other inks. Was just under half full. When I used the pen today I found the ink to be thicker and the nib to skip. Never noticed this with any of the MB inks in that pen or a black 146 I have.

Anyone had this experience themselves?

I had to flush and clean the pen before I could use it again. If this is usual then it makes RD a slightly finicky ink for me to use. Will just mean I have to keep the risk in mind when I load or store a pen with RD.

I adore the color of Red Dragon, but for me it's high maintenance. I only keep it in a pen for a week, and even then I know it will take a while to clean out. My favorite pen for it is a c/c pen that's pretty easy to clean. So that's my experience, too, and it's a perfect way to put it: I have to keep the risk in mind with this one.

[Laura N]

WOW! Thanks so much for all the input I really appreciate it. In addition, if someone wants to sell a sample of MONTBLANC LEONARDO DA VINCI RED CHALK and MONTBLANC ALFRED HITCHCOCK I would like to purchase the "precious,precious" :). Upon Laura N and cwent2's comments I would like to do comparisons and not gather my opinion from what I see on my monitor. If your willing please PM me.

Charlie, if you PM me, I should be get you a sample of the Leonardo if you don't mind paying for the shipping.

[Chrissy]

I must admit I haven't inked up any piston fillers with Diamine Red Dragon and left it in there for a couple of weeks. That's something I will have to try out.

I'm aware that there are several inks that are harder to clean out of pens than others. I'm not currently keeping many of mine inked for long periods of time though.

It's always something that's worth bearing in mind. I've heard of this with Diamine Majestic Blue too.

On the other hand someone over on the other place advised me that they had a problem with Diamine Grape in a Pilot Prera with F nib. I was able to do that experiment myself, as I have both Diamine Grape and a Pilot Prera with F nib. I left the ink in my pen, just sitting there for over a week, and I found no problem at all.

[Laura N]

I must admit I haven't inked up any piston fillers with Diamine Red Dragon and left it in there for a couple of weeks. That's something I will have to try out.

I'm aware that there are several inks that are harder to clean out of pens than others. I'm not currently keeping many of mine inked for long periods of time though.

It's always something that's worth bearing in mind. I've heard of this with Diamine Majestic Blue too.

On the other hand someone over on the other place advised me that they had a problem with Diamine Grape in a Pilot Prera with F nib. I was able to do that experiment myself, as I have both Diamine Grape and a Pilot Prera with F nib. I left the ink in my pen, just sitting there for over a week, and I found no problem at all.

And just to add one more "go figure" anecdote, I sampled Diamine Grape when it first came out, and it stained a converter and was murder to clean out of another pen after only a few days in use. :) Of course, that's a heavily saturated purple ink, so wiser people than I was would have expected it to be higher maintenance. I now tend to stay in a one-week safe zone with inks like that.

And I don't mean to pile on Diamine, either -- Diamine is one of my favorite brands. Almost every brand seems to sell some of these higher maintenance inks, don't you think?

[Chrissy]

Yes it seems like there are more than I thought.

I had one ink that stained a converter and I can't remember which one it was, although I'm betting it was made by Diamine, as many of them are. I had bought a Platinum Ink cleaning kit (http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PT27382/platinum-ink-cleaning-kit-for-international-fountain-pens) from Cult Pens when they had their discount month, so I followed the instructions and made up a sachet, stuck the section and converter in it, sucked the solution up into the converter and soaked it overnight. The next day the converter was clean and unstained again. I also found a slight trace of old Ancient Cooper on the screw threads of one of my Carenes, so I stuck that in this solution too. I didn't throw it away after I had used it, I just keep it in a jar with a lid on and keep reusing it. It's dark red at the moment from Red Dragon and Oxblood!

I suspect many of the proprietary products available would work in a similar way, but this one is quite foamy. It takes a bit of rinsing out.

[Laura N]

^^ That sounds great.

With the reds the other thing I find helpful is to have designated "red ink" pens. That way if I don't clean out every single trace of Red Dragon or Oxblood (another favorite) or Culptens Deep Dark Red (another good one), I don't worry so much. Luckily I have a small collection of red pens. And a small collection of red inks -- I've gone from hating red inks to really liking a number of them. Red Dragon is one of my favorites.

[Chrissy]

That's a co-incidence as I didn't think I was a red ink fan until I tried Carnival, Burgundy Rose, Red Dragon and Oxblood.

Currently, I have only one red pen, that I designate for red ink. Maybe I should fix that problem! :)

[mustud52]

I think I will designate a red Visconti Opera as my full time RD pen. Other pens can be let out to play with it from time to time.

I also love Grape and have not yet had any problems. Having said that, it is so saturated that I will keep it clear from my vintage Pelikans and keep it for a number of cc pens I tend not to use enough. And here I was wondering why I had all those cc pens...