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VertOlive
November 4th, 2013, 08:32 PM
Alright, I'm new to this. Now that I've gotten a few fountain pens to start my collection, and spent a few evenings experimenting with my 5 ink samples and my new Rhodia notebook, I notice how different an ink looks when it comes out of a stub nib vs. a fine point nib.

Here's my question: how to choose an ink that will have more intensity on the paper when it's in a fine point pen? Are some inks better than others? Overall, I imagine the darkest inks will be better, but even the black I have comes out greyish when I use my new TWSBI Mini finepoint.

Any suggestions?

Thanks and gratitude ahead of time!

VO

cwent2
November 4th, 2013, 08:56 PM
What black do you have?

VertOlive
November 4th, 2013, 09:25 PM
It's a cheapo art store ink...

The Good Captain
November 5th, 2013, 01:49 AM
I've found that inks like Cult Pens/Diamine Deep Dark Blue or Brown look good out a Fine Pilot nib, for example. Also the regular Diamine Eclipse and Denim.

AndyT
November 5th, 2013, 02:39 AM
The Inkcyclopedia (http://fpgeeks.com/category/inkcyclopedia/) is good for this, not so much the videos (sorry Stephen!) but the high resolution photos in the zipped packages.

Brands which tend towards high saturation like Noodler and Private Reserve tend to retain a good deal of presence with a fine nib, and so do iron gall inks. In fact my pick for a really intense look with a very fine nib would be the old Montblanc Midnight Blue with the IG content. I can definitely see all of the Good Captain's suggestions working well too.

Jeph
November 5th, 2013, 03:00 AM
If intensity = not looking washed out and faded, then I can verify that The Good Captain's suggestion of Diamine Eclipse works well. In fact I am using that today in my Sheaffer (Stupid) Fine (close to XXXF if you are not familiar) and it puts down a deep grey almost black line. I get no shading, and I can't see any difference from pure black, but it is not washed out. It is so close to black that you have to use another, broader nib next to it in order to see that it is dark grey and not black. Parker Quink black, for example, also writes a dark grey but it is slightly lighter than the eclipse. That is all on cheap paper; those inks are slightly darker on Rhodia.

I have a mixture of 4 parts Eclipse to 1 part Majestic Purple that is close to Private Reserve Ebony Purple that I also use but in fine nibs that also just looks black.

KrazyIvan
November 5th, 2013, 08:27 AM
It's a cheapo art store ink...

I hope it does not have shellac in it.

ac12
November 5th, 2013, 12:14 PM
Try a bottle of Cross (Pelikan 4001).
It gives me a nice BLACK out of my F and XF nibs.

As Jeff said, my Parker Quink that I used in college was more of a dark GRAY than a black. :(
Simiarly, I think your "chepo art store" ink is probably similar to the Parker Quink, in not being a true black.

jde
November 5th, 2013, 01:17 PM
Very good that you've discovered that ink swabs don't help the fine point user!

I use fine and extra fine points that are finer than your TWSBI f, so here's my 2 cents: Sailor or Platinum Black should be black not gray. A fun ink that will give you good color as a blue: Sailor Sky High. Namiki Blue is a steady ink that's a real basic, plain, flat blue. All but the Sky High have good water resistance.

If cheap and black is your concern: Noodler's Black is an excellent ink.

Suggestion: Buy 3ml samples of various colors. These are available via AndersonPens.net, GouletPens.com, ISellPens.com, and if you ask sweetly, from another pen geek.

snedwos
November 5th, 2013, 08:43 PM
It's a cheapo art store ink...

I hope it does not have shellac in it.

My thoughts too. For our peace of mind, if not yours: please do double check that it is specifically labelled as fountain pen ink!

reprieve
November 6th, 2013, 07:15 AM
Suggestion: Buy 3ml samples of various colors. These are available via AndersonPens.net, GouletPens.com, ISellPens.com, and if you ask sweetly, from another pen geek.

This is great advice. Ink samples will save you a lot of money and disappointment. I also look at ink reviews on forums and blogs. GourmetPens (http://www.gourmetpens.com) posts some excellent reviews with writing samples from XF, F, M, B, stub, and flex nibs, which gives readers a good idea of how an ink will look in different nib widths.

In fine, XF, and even XXF nibs, I've had very good luck with Diamine, Montblanc, Pilot/Iroshizuku, and Sailor. Most of those inks are on the wet side, so they will put down a more vibrant line (but they will also put down a slightly thicker line, which is a tradeoff). More saturated inks like Noodler's and Private Reserve ought to look nice and dark, too. Start an ink journal so that you can look back later and see what each ink looked like and how it looked in different pens.

If you're looking for a vibrant blackety-black, I would recommend Aurora Black, Herbin Perle Noir, or Noodler's Black. If you're looking for an eye-catching blue, I would start with Aurora Blue, Iroshizuku Asa-gao, Noodler's Blue, or Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue. For a blue-black, I think Pilot Blue-black is the best out there. Diamine Damson is a dark dusky purple that will look great in a fine nib; I'm currently using it in an XXXF nib and I can still detect its purple-ness as well as some shading. Sailor Epinard is a lovely dark green... If you're looking for a particular color, just ask for recommendations--there are a lot of ink geeks around here!

Most importantly, have fun!!!

Jeph
November 6th, 2013, 07:27 AM
...Diamine Damson is a dark dusky purple that will look great in a fine nib; I'm currently using it in an XXXF nib and I can still detect its purple-ness as well as some shading...Most importantly, have fun!!!

Ooooh!
Thank you for asking this question, and I also thank reprieve for his answer, as that is a color that I have been unsuccessfully looking for/trying to make.

AndyT
November 6th, 2013, 08:28 AM
Another dusky purple is R&K's Scabiosa. I mention this chiefly because it gives a very tight line, making it a good one for fine nibs. It is an iron gall ink so the usual trade offs apply, and the final colour is somewhat dependent on the paper.

ardgedee
November 6th, 2013, 10:30 AM
Sounds like black inks are pretty well covered here :)

I've had good success with Noodler's Tienanmen Red. It's a heavily saturated blackish-red through an EF nib, but still recognizably red.

jde
November 12th, 2013, 07:12 AM
It's a cheapo art store ink...

I wonder if those who admonished with the references for the potential of shellac in your art store ink, might have included some advice about flushing it out with Koh-I-Nor Rapido-Eze. Your art store will probably carry that particular pen cleaner which works wonders in cleaning the nib/feed of calligraphy ink. That's if your ink was a calligraphy or drawing ink that's not meant for fountain pens.

Hopefully you've found a good black among many of the suggestions made in this thread! Let us know all is well, ay?

VertOlive
November 12th, 2013, 07:58 PM
OK. Offline for a while, house destroyed by an errant oak tree. Living in a hotel while they fix the house. Glad this thread kept going!

The shellac question: it was the only ink I could find in town before I got to this forum (I had this urgent whim to put ink in my old Waterman). Now I know better. The label specifically states "no shellac", so I can breathe easy. I'm not particularly fond of black, so I'm happy there are other possibilities.

Right now I'm using my Goulet sample of DeAtramentis Aubergine in the TWSBI and enjoying it on cream dot grid paper. Still in search of a red so may try a Tiananmen sample. Still questing after a blue.

Many thanks for the guidance!

VO