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melissa59
June 1st, 2012, 05:27 PM
Lubrication:
In what cases would someone want a lubricating ink?
Is it for certain pen types? Or is something that's a personal preference, like color and shading?

Saturation & Shading:
Am I right in assuming that Saturation and Shading fall at opposite ends of the spectrum, with saturation being one solid color and shading giving variations of the color? Or is that just a simplification with more that needs to be understood about these terms?

Wet ink, dry ink, flow:
I'm still confused about this. Does wet/dry affect the flow? Is wet/dry better for fine/broad nibs? I thought that wet/dry related to drying time, but I remember someone saying that there are some wet inks that dry faster than some dry inks. So, how does a newbie (one who thinks that all ink is wet) know if an ink is wet or dry and whether a wet/dry ink is best for their pen(s) and/or writing style?

Is there ANY ink type that will not run when wet? I know that Noodler's makes inks that won't completely disappear with water, chemicals, etc. But what about one that does not run if it gets a few drops of rain or a bit of water spilled on it. I'm guessing that all water-based inks will run to some degree, right? And I'm also guessing that anything oil-based or alcohol-based would be a huge no-no inside a fountain pen.

Anything else a newbie needs to know about ink? ... especially about beautiful pink and purple inks? :-)

inky
June 1st, 2012, 06:34 PM
Hi Melissa,

Let me see if I can help, though I'm a relative newbie myself.

Lubricated Ink: I think this is mainly a preference thing. The lubrication tends to be meant more for the filling system of the pen rather then for ink flow out of the Nib. Mainly it is there to aid a piston filler or the piston of a converter and help them slide up and down with ease. I happen to use Noodlers Purple Heart in a Vac 700 and can feel a difference when topping off the pen. I don't see much of a diffrence when applying the ink to paper though.

Saturation and Shading: You have this pretty much right though it may be an over simplification in my opinion. Some saturated inks can shade depending on how much ink and what type of paper the nib is being used on. A good example of this is some of the very saturated Noodlers and PR inks. Put them on cheepo copy paper and all you're going to see is one uniform color. If you use them on clarfontain or Rhodia you may notice shading, particualry on block letters. Now I have noticed that I never get the same shading as I would with a less saturated ink. I kind of think of like this: If you have less pigment (lower saturation) then there is less color to go around so it's easier to push it around on the paper and to pool it at the ends of your stroke.

Wet/Dry Ink: This one is really subjective and involves the trifecta of Nib, Paper, Ink. Wet/Dry usually refers to how the Pen appears to be flowing. A very dry ink will make the nib feel like it is grabbing the paper more. Very wet inks can make the Nib feel like it is almost floating on the paper. As far as I know the dry time is independent of this particular characteristic. I think the best way to find out what you like would be to get some sample vials from the Goulets and ink up your preferred pen with them. Use them all on the same paper until you get a feel for it. It won't take you long to find your favorite "style" ink.

You're pretty much right on about runny ink. Since fountain pen ink is water based, I don't think you're going to get around the running with it gets wet. The exception may be some of the Carbon inks and traditional Iron Gall inks but I don't have any experience with them. Noodlers Black has performed pretty well for me but you will get a bit of run from the pigment that has dried on top of the paper.

This is alot of info so I'll keep it as short as I can. My 2 cents for a purple would be either Noodlers Purple Heart or Waterman Violet though!

melissa59
June 1st, 2012, 07:01 PM
Thanks, inky! Your post helps a lot.

I think I will order five or six ink samples from Goulet Pens today or tomorrow. There are so many color and brand choices that it's almost overwhelming. At least with the samples, I can play a bit before before deciding to get a bottle that I may or may not like.

tytoalba
June 1st, 2012, 08:54 PM
Melissa,
what pens do you have?
What nib sizes?
how wet or dry do the nibs flow?
what inks are you currently using?
what colors do you like?
do you like shading?
do you like saturated colors?
or lighter watery colors?
Waterproof? washable?

melissa59
June 1st, 2012, 09:52 PM
tytoalba, thanks for asking these questions. Some of them I hadn't really thought about.

**what pens do you have?
Noodler's Konrad is the only pen I currently have. By Monday, my "collection" should also include a Hero 616, Lamy Safari Fine and a Hero starter calligraphy set.

**What nib sizes?
I guess all my pens could be considered fine point, although I do find my Konrad a little too bold for everyday writing.

**how wet or dry do the nibs flow?
I have no clue. I read that the Konrad nib flows wet, which could be why it lays down such a bold line. It could also be that I don't have a very light hand. My pen grip is what some would call the Death Grip. I'm trying to change that. Now that I'm using a fountain pen, I don't need to press hard to see the writing. :-)

**what inks are you currently using?
Noodler's BP Black is all I own at the moment. Yeah, it's boring. But I figured it was a good basic color to start with.

**what colors do you like?
Purple, especially those with more red than blue; Greens, forest green, new grass green.

**do you like shading?
I think so, at least I like it on other people's examples.

**do you like saturated colors?
Yes, I think saturated is good, too.

**or lighter watery colors?
I think I prefer something darker, bolder. But I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. :-)

**Waterproof? washable?
YES!
I guess I'd choose waterproof if I had to pick just one. Then again, I have my BP Black, which should work well for most journaling I do in my son's scrapbooks. For cards and correspondence, I'm not so sure that it matters.

melissa59
June 2nd, 2012, 01:26 AM
I finally settled on the following sample vials from Goulet Pens.
Some of the colors I chose might be a little bright for the guys. :-)

549

snedwos
June 2nd, 2012, 05:28 AM
Wet/Drys is a measure of how much ink the pen puts down. Whether it dries quickly or not is to do with the properties of the ink.

inky
June 3rd, 2012, 09:54 AM
Nice haul Melissa! There are a few colors I'll have to check out for myself on that list. The only one I've used so far on there is the Noodlers Liberty's Elysium. I love the saturation of that ink. I do find that on Clarifonatain paper I get a bit of shading with that ink.

I suggest that since you are going to have a Lamy Safari with a Fine nib, that you test the inks out using that pen once you get used to it. The Konrad, if it is like the Ahab, can put a bit of variability into testing out inks. I've found that with my Ahab I have to tinker with the feed and nib (adjust how far out they stick from the pen itself) in order to get a dryer or wetter flow of ink. Sometimes with the lubricated inks I find that I just can't get a setting that works well for me. With my Lamy with a Fine nib I never have a problem. Just load the ink and go to town! I say get used to the Safari first though so you know if it is the pen or the ink that causes the nib to write how it is. Just a suggestion, though if you love the Konrad stick with it! Overall the most important thing is to have fun! I find I enjoy my pens a lot more when I'm doodling with them with some crazy color I'd never use at work.

melissa59
June 3rd, 2012, 02:21 PM
Thanks, inky. I hope that I find one or two inks in my samples (which should arrive tomorrow) that I love enough to buy in full size.

I think you Safari idea is excellent. I do love my Konrad, but he can be fussy, even with just the Noodler's BP Black that I've been using. My Safari is loaded with the ink cartridge that it came with, even though I also have a converter for it. I am amazed at how nicely it writes.

I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in an ink. I'm quite fond of purple, lavender, fuschia, and will probably want something like that as my personalized "Melissa" ink. My BP Black is good for about anything that I want to sign and have it stay signed. So, I guess the rest is just for fun, which as you have said is the most important part!

jor412
June 3rd, 2012, 08:29 PM
I've found that with my Ahab I have to tinker with the feed and nib (adjust how far out they stick from the pen itself) in order to get a dryer or wetter flow of ink.

I haven't attempted this yet. My Ahab is pretty wet. If I pull the nib and feed a little bit out of the pen section, will that make it drier?

inky
June 3rd, 2012, 09:47 PM
I haven't attempted this yet. My Ahab is pretty wet. If I pull the nib and feed a little bit out of the pen section, will that make it drier?

Jor, I've found that with my Ahab, If I pull the feed/nib out further from the section it writes dryer. The farther into the section it goes the wetter it becomes until it sometimes will glob ink our of the nib if I'm not careful. One thing to watch out for is if you pull it out too far it will catch in the top of the cap when you fully close the Ahab. You'll notice it is doing that if you uncap it and the feed and nib are no longer aligned. If that happens just move it back into the section by about one more fin and you should be all set.

inky
June 3rd, 2012, 09:52 PM
Thanks, inky. I hope that I find one or two inks in my samples (which should arrive tomorrow) that I love enough to buy in full size.

I think you Safari idea is excellent. I do love my Konrad, but he can be fussy, even with just the Noodler's BP Black that I've been using. My Safari is loaded with the ink cartridge that it came with, even though I also have a converter for it. I am amazed at how nicely it writes.

I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in an ink. I'm quite fond of purple, lavender, fuschia, and will probably want something like that as my personalized "Melissa" ink. My BP Black is good for about anything that I want to sign and have it stay signed. So, I guess the rest is just for fun, which as you have said is the most important part!

That's what I found with my Safari too. It was my first fountain pen and it's never left my rotation yet. I call it my workhorse pen! Also when I'm at work and it's on my desk I find that folks are more apt to try it out then a Fountain Pen with a screw cap. I don't know if it's just that they can't figure out a screw cap or what, either way the Safari saves my more expensive pens from abuse since it's just a slide on cap. Also it's white so maybe it just sticks out more!

jor412
June 3rd, 2012, 10:08 PM
Thanks for the tip. I'll try that on my Ahab. I like that it writes wet but sometimes it's a wee bit too much.

ink mixer
June 4th, 2012, 05:03 PM
I believe the only inks that won't run are the pigmented inks such as Platinum Carbon Black and the Sailor ink. Someone on FPN also reviewed some pigmented acrylic inks that work in some CC fillers called Magic Color(?). This issue only seems to come up when people want to do washes on top of fountain pen ink. Pigmented Acrylic inks are very controversial and could do quite the number to your feed if care isn't taken.