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View Full Version : How many stock up?



bassmannate
December 30th, 2013, 09:45 AM
Alright, time to come clean. How many people here stock up on favorite inks because, "Well, it doesn't look like it will happen soon, but someday this ink might be discontinued." Never mind you already have 5 bottles of Noodler's Liberty's Elysium. You want that supply to last you until you die if they ever stop making it!

I personally don't own ANY bottles of ink. I know, shocking, right? I've been using fountain pens for about a year now and JUST found my perfect every day ink/pen combo a couple weeks ago with my Lamy Safari and Noodler's 54th Mass. I've been working with samples this whole time. I'll likely order a bottle or two after I get back from vacation. For any kind of mark ups, I find I really like Diamine Matador and will probably get that as well.

AndyT
December 30th, 2013, 10:40 AM
Well, I have a lot of Waterman Blue Black (because the postage worked out cheaper that way) and quite a bit of ESSRI. Other than those, no ... had I known about Montblanc's plans for Midnight Blue, I'd have bought a couple of bottles to keep in reserve.

gwgtaylor
December 30th, 2013, 11:03 AM
When 1670 rouge hematite was still supposed to be a limited edition I bought an extra bottle that I still haven't got to. I was lucky enough to nab two bottles of MontBlanc Midnight Blue IG after being tipped off to the reformulation in advance on the fpn-p.org page.

I've never bought extra bottles just because an ink might go out of production. I'm more reactionary than precautionary.

Waski_the_Squirrel
December 30th, 2013, 11:27 AM
I figure if the ink is discontinued, so be it. I don't need a bunch of clutter.

mhosea
December 30th, 2013, 11:44 AM
When it comes to inks that I have decided are among my favorites, I like to have one unopened bottle while I am working on an opened one. If it is discontinued, then I will have a full bottle to work through in conservation mode, using it only when I definitely want to and wasting none.

shudaizi
December 30th, 2013, 12:02 PM
When it comes to inks that I have decided are among my favorites, I like to have one unopened bottle while I am working on an opened one. If it is discontinued, then I will have a full bottle to work through in conservation mode, using it only when I definitely want to and wasting none.

I think as I settle on "my" inks, I will adopt this approach. Very sensible.

manoeuver
December 30th, 2013, 12:08 PM
only one.
8183

Avalona
December 30th, 2013, 06:03 PM
I don't stock up on multiples of the same ink. I do have an entire drawer full of ink, and that alone would probably do me two years of everyday writing, possibly more. Only if I found out that one of my absolute favourites was getting discontinued would I buy multiples. Otherwise I'll just have too much and the ink might evaporate before I get a chance to get to it.

VertOlive
December 30th, 2013, 06:44 PM
I'm still playing the field, looking for my favorites in each colorway, so all I have is samples so far. I'm starting to find favorites and they go on my Buy-A-Bottle List. I probably can't afford to stock multiple bottles, but I understand the feeling of wanting a "Supply Til I Die" of certain colors!

Problem is, my casket will already be stuffed full of little urns containing dog cremains. There might not be enough room for the ink bottles...

bassmannate
December 30th, 2013, 07:11 PM
Yeah, the MBMB reformulation is what prompted this question. I've seen so many people post that they have X number of bottles of the original left and they're going to make them last as long as possible.

As for ESSRI, I can imagine that it's easy to stock up on since they sell it in such a big bottle! I really want to try it some time but it comes in such a large container that I'd hate to not like it and have a huge bottle sitting around not getting used. I've never used any, but iron gall inks fascinate me! I need to try some samples of some of the others such as Diamine Registrar's and the like.

I can see myself getting two bottles of my absolute favorite inks and only stocking up when I catch windfall of someone discontinueing them.

fpquest
December 30th, 2013, 07:24 PM
I stocked up on Montblanc Bordeaux as soon as I learned it was discontinued but not before. It remains my absolute favorite ink. Other than that I share Avalona's sentiment that an ink drawer full of inks will provide variety.

kia
December 31st, 2013, 02:54 AM
<--- Hoarder.

kaisnowbird
December 31st, 2013, 06:00 AM
I don't think I have a favourite ink yet. Perhaps this is related to the fact that I don't have a favourite colour.

My wife is not a big FP fan, but she adores her LE Pink Safari and only uses Caran d'Ache Sunset in it. So when they discontinued the Colours of the Earth line, I found a place selling them at good prices and bought a bottle of Sunset, Amazon, Blue Sky and Caribbean Sea each.

I go through ink very slowly, so hoarding ink is not very sensible, especially when I don't have a favourite.

spotted and speckled
December 31st, 2013, 07:14 AM
I have 7 bottles of Parker Quink Red, because it's been almost impossible to find here in the US. Two internet businesses started carrying it last year, finally. I asked a fellow FP person in England to mail me 4 bottles about 3 or 4 years ago--I was down to my last 10ml and it was a crisis!! Not taking that chance again!

85AKbN
December 31st, 2013, 07:36 AM
one bottle at a time here.

ethernautrix
December 31st, 2013, 07:48 AM
I prefer not to stock up, but I do have a couple of bottles of Platinum Carbon Black and an extra bottle of Sailor Blue-Black from when I believed I would be using these inks everyday. I have about 50 (maybe more) Levenger Raven Black cartridges, cos I thought I would be using them with my Montblanc StarWalker - and neither has been in rotation since I fell into fpn nearly six years ago.

Lesson learned.

BillZ
December 31st, 2013, 09:17 AM
Most bottled inks are large enough that one will last me quite a while. I go to Houston on a monthly basis so I can usually pick up what I need from Dromgoole's. I use cartridges,too, so I get them from them or Levenger. I have several pens that take I.S. cartridges so I keep them inked for traveling.

Senecabud
December 31st, 2013, 10:21 AM
one bottle at a time here.

Ditto

KrazyIvan
December 31st, 2013, 10:26 AM
The most ink I have ever purchased of one color is J. Herbin Lie De The. 130 ml's arived yesterday. Actually I only bought 100 ml's but due to a shipping error I have 130. I think that is more than the Noodler's Blue I have. Are they 4 oz?

mhosea
December 31st, 2013, 10:33 AM
I think that is more than the Noodler's Blue I have. Are they 4 oz?

3 ounces, but that's rounded. My spreadsheet that calculates cost per ml uses 85ml, and I measured once from an empty bottle, so I guess that's what I got, 85ml filled to the brim.

Runnin_Ute
January 1st, 2014, 07:35 PM
I only have one that is "more difficult" to get right now. Pelikan 4001 Blue Black. My current bottle I have had about a year. If I had known before December 2012 it wasn't going to be imported into North America/US anymore I would have picked up another bottle. I bought my current bottle from a FPN member who wasn't using it or had an extra. Future ones I will have to go to UK for. I do have a couple of other blue blacks (Diamine & 54th Massachusetts) but I sure do like the Pelikan.

Cookies
January 1st, 2014, 08:23 PM
I wish I would have stocked up on some of the Sailor LE, but sadly I didn't think of it while they were still available.

Koyote
January 1st, 2014, 09:00 PM
I would bet that, right now, there are far more ink choices available than in the golden age of FPs. I feel no need to stock up on any one ink when there are so many great options.

inkstainedruth
January 2nd, 2014, 07:00 PM
I've stocked up in a couple of instances. I bought a back up bottle of Noodler's Kung Te Cheng a while back just in case something happened with the other bottle (which was itself a replacement for my first bottle, which I accidentally knocked off the bathroom counter and broke; had to wait six or seven weeks until the Goulets had it back in stock). Admittedly, I've only gone through maybe half of the current bottle, but still....
When I was in NYC over Thanksgiving, I picked up a backup bottle of Noodler's Manhattan Blue -- it was formerly exclusive to Art Brown's, and has (since Art Brown's closing last summer) been picked up by Fountain Pen Hospital.
I also got a backup bottle of vintage Parker Quink Brown. Found a roughly 2/3 full bottle in an antiques mall in North Central PA a couple of summers ago, and liked it so much that I snagged a smaller, but full bottle on Ebay a few months later.
Those are really the only three (although of course if I like an ink that I've tried a sample of, I go back and pick up a full bottle). Oh, and I have an unopened 8 oz bottle of Quink Violet that will probably last me a good long time (also from Ebay -- the seller called it "museum quality"; I called it "a good price on a *lot* of ink" and when I get done playing around with various samples I haven't gotten around to trying, there are a few pens (particularly vintage ones) that it might look good coming out of -- the Morrison overlay ringtop with a juicy M or B nib comes to mind....
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Artslut
January 4th, 2014, 05:41 PM
I ordered two bottles of ink in September from a local stationer. It has yet to arrive. When i am in a larger city wher you can buy ink, i usually buy a couple. I have some favourites but still dont know if i am committed to a specific ink. So now i have quite a few bottles going and a few in reserve.

raging.dragon
January 5th, 2014, 03:57 PM
The only ink I stocked up on was Private Reserve DC Super Violet, and that was before it was known for sure whether it was a limited edition, or would become regular production ink. Otherwise, I have a few shelves loaded with a wide variety of inks, only a few of which I'll replenish if I ever finish the entire bottle.

ethernautrix
January 6th, 2014, 03:07 AM
I plan to use all the ink I have. A couple of days ago, I popped the Levenger Raven Black cartridge into a pen and remembered why I went crazy for it in the first place.

Comparing the LRB to Noodler's Black on the page, the LRB has a bit of a sheen to it. Levenger's website describes it as semi-permanent. That suffices for me. I still have my Noodler's Black, but only the one bottle, which is about 2/3rd full.

Malcolm
January 6th, 2014, 03:40 AM
Most of my favourite inks are Diamine, and are readily available, so I have never felt the need to stock up.

I was just wondering if the major brands actually let the pen world know, if they are withdrawing inks from production?

ac12
January 6th, 2014, 01:37 PM
There were only 2 instances where I "stocked up" as in more than 1 bottle of the same ink.
- Cross blue, I thought I was going to go through it faster than I actually am (or am not as the case may be). And it was at a good price. This was when I switched over from Parker Quink black to Cross blue.
- Green, of multiple brands; Waterman, Lamy, Monte Blanc, and Maruzen. I like green and I got carried away. The Waterman is the only one where I have 2 bottles of it.

reprieve
January 6th, 2014, 03:31 PM
I do stock up, but I try not to do it unless I really, really love something that I know will soon be unavailable.

I mostly stock up on inks: I bought five bottles of Montblanc Racing Green when it was discontinued (and I only have two left :(), which was my favorite green ink. I also have several bottles of Pilot Blue-black just because it's my go-to ink. I have a few bottles of MB Swift Seaweed stored and might pick up a few extras--it's the closest approximation of Racing Green that I've found (other than Diamine Salamander, which is just a bit too brown).

I also have a few of the old-style Quo Vadis Habana notebooks (the ones with white paper), a small stack of vintage onionskin paper, and three reams of Tomoe River.

I wish I had stocked up on Sailor Rikyu-cha and Red-brown but I didn't realize how much I would miss those inks when they disappeared.

klpeabody
January 6th, 2014, 05:30 PM
like some others have said, I will stock up only if I learn that an ink has been discontinued. Accordingly, I purchased extra bottles of both Montblanc Midnight Blue and Caran d'Ache Sunset. I don't feel the need to buy extra bottles of ink that are readily available. I just don't go through ink that fast as to warrant it.

kaisnowbird
January 13th, 2014, 03:32 AM
I was browsing the shelves of an art supply store today and noticed that they still had one bottle of Caran d'Ache Saffron left at a good price. Snatched it up right away.

I haven't tried this ink before and always assumed that I'd prefer Noodler's Apache Sunset. Not anymore.

Tracy Lee
January 13th, 2014, 04:38 AM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Beowulf50
January 13th, 2014, 08:50 AM
I totally concur with Tracy about this ink. I bought a bottle shortly after it was introduced, and proceeded to purchase 5 more bottles while it was available. It is the most beautiful blood red I have found.

I have accumulated over 140 different bottles of ink, more than I will ever use in my lifetime, and with the exception of the MB Hitchcock and Penman Saphire, I have no duplicate bottles.

KrazyIvan
January 13th, 2014, 09:11 AM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I think one of my local pen shops has a bottle.

Tracy Lee
January 13th, 2014, 09:13 AM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I think one of my local pen shops has a bottle.

OMG I would pay whatever plus shipping costs if I could get a bottle! Is there someone I could call?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

KrazyIvan
January 13th, 2014, 09:19 AM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I think one of my local pen shops has a bottle.

OMG I would pay whatever plus shipping costs if I could get a bottle! Is there someone I could call?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

I saw the bottle at Airline International about a month or so ago. 1.800.592.1234 That is the corp number but the store where I saw the bottle shows a local number of (915) 833-9960. The local number hours of operation are 10 am to 6 pm Mountain time so they should be open in another 36 minutes as of this post.

picautomaton
January 13th, 2014, 12:26 PM
I have an extra bottle of MB Racing Green and many single bottles of various inks (colors/brands).
Nowadays the thought of only using one color / brand has limited appeal to me. VIVA Variety is the spice ...

DrChumley
January 13th, 2014, 02:28 PM
I have two bottles of MB Dandy Turquoise (Honore de Balzac). I got one, and liked it so much that I decided I needed to get another bottle since it is a limited edition.

And, when I heard C'dA discontinued their Colors of the Earth line, I basically bought up the entire stock left at two of my local stores. So I have 3 bottles of Grand Canyon, 2 of Night Sky, 2 of another color I can't remember (Blue sky?) and a couple of colors I don't really even like that much (Saffron and Sunset).

I also have duplicates of J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite with the old clog-tastic formula (that has that incredible sheen.)

Of course, I'm sitting on nigh unto 70 full-sized bottles of ink right now, so I really don't need any more. I have more ink than I could go through in several lifetimes.

Tracy Lee
January 14th, 2014, 12:00 PM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I think one of my local pen shops has a bottle.

OMG I would pay whatever plus shipping costs if I could get a bottle! Is there someone I could call?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

I saw the bottle at Airline International about a month or so ago. 1.800.592.1234 That is the corp number but the store where I saw the bottle shows a local number of (915) 833-9960. The local number hours of operation are 10 am to 6 pm Mountain time so they should be open in another 36 minutes as of this post.

They do, and I called and ordered it today! They have two stores I understand, and are checking to see if there is any more so I can get at least two bottles, but minimally he had one in his hand. I am so excited!!!
Thank you, KI, you are just awesome, and I owe you one.

KrazyIvan
January 14th, 2014, 12:04 PM
If I had found Mont Blanc Hitchcock Red when it was available, I might have bought 30 bottles. The most amazing red. But alas I only discovered it through a sample from Robert and am coveting my vial. Otherwise, no, I haven't found a reason to stock pile.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

I think one of my local pen shops has a bottle.

OMG I would pay whatever plus shipping costs if I could get a bottle! Is there someone I could call?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

I saw the bottle at Airline International about a month or so ago. 1.800.592.1234 That is the corp number but the store where I saw the bottle shows a local number of (915) 833-9960. The local number hours of operation are 10 am to 6 pm Mountain time so they should be open in another 36 minutes as of this post.

They do, and I called and ordered it today! They have two stores I understand, and are checking to see if there is any more so I can get at least two bottles, but minimally he had one in his hand. I am so excited!!!
Thank you, KI, you are just awesome, and I owe you one.

That is very cool! Yes, there are two locations. The one you got the bottle from is about 10 minutes from where I work. The other would take me about 40 minutes to get to on the other side of town. I have been there only once.

Tracy Lee
January 17th, 2014, 11:23 AM
The good news is they have two bottles and both are on the way. The bad news is that I did not ever ask how much a bottle cost, so $160.00 later. . . . :eek: She said they were $75 each. The rest is tax and shipping. :eek: But I am so happy anyway. :)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

kaisnowbird
January 17th, 2014, 07:37 PM
The good news is they have two bottles and both are on the way. The bad news is that I did not ever ask how much a bottle cost, so $160.00 later. . . . :eek: She said they were $75 each. The rest is tax and shipping. :eek: But I am so happy anyway. :)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

$160 can't always buy happiness, but wooow! :jaw:

Mags
January 18th, 2014, 08:42 PM
I sure hope they were big bottles not the little 30 ml bottles.

Chi Town
January 19th, 2014, 10:28 PM
yes, I overstock! I currently have approx. 105 fullsize bottles of ink with another 95 sample bottles of ink......

kaisnowbird
January 20th, 2014, 09:56 PM
yes, I overstock! I currently have approx. 105 fullsize bottles of ink with another 95 sample bottles of ink......

Thank you for making me feel a little better. ;) I might not write nearly as much as you do though.

Tracy Lee
January 23rd, 2014, 05:31 PM
I sure hope they were big bottles not the little 30 ml bottles.

Nope, just the baby bottles. It's all good and has made for a funny story!

VertOlive
January 23rd, 2014, 07:26 PM
How to find and verify a bottle of the original J Herbin Rouge Hematite to buy?

cwent2
January 23rd, 2014, 08:56 PM
I sure hope they were big bottles not the little 30 ml bottles.

Nope, just the baby bottles. It's all good and has made for a funny story!

Tis true, you do have a different sense of funny. (she laughs at me ya know)