Multiple Inks and pens

[VegHead]

Hi all and a noob question.

How are multiple inks used i.e.: do you have one pen for one colour or do you empty, clean and re-fill one to a number of pens? I was kind of thinking a range of the same cheap pen with a colour in each (in addition to my ED pens and inks) but how do you know what ink is in what pen? Clear window, pen colour, etc.? I guess I'm really asking is how do you forum members manage all your inks?

Cheers.

[TAYLORPUPPY]

Hey Veg Head. Welcome to the forum. People have all sorts of different ways of managing what ink is in which pen. Some people use software. Some, write it down. Some, dedicate a specific ink to a specific pen. Some will even put the ink ink in several pens. As you go along you get a feel for what you like

[Sandy Fry]

I really don't care what ink is in what pen except for one. When signing documents they usually have to be signed in Black or Blue so I just keep track of the one with that color.
General writing, don't care what color I write with.

David

[DaveT]

I only keep 3 or 4 inked at one time.

I use red ink on my job, so the same one always has red ink in it. I also keep one pen with blue or black in it.

The other two I rotate pens and colors. Sometimes I forget what color I loaded and it's a nice surprise when I write with it.

[top pen]

I try to only have one or two pens inked at time. I find blue black's and less vibrant blues easier on the eye's so I normally have a pen inked with one of theses colours. I rarely use bright as they aren't as easy to read.

[fountainpagan]

I always have 6 to 8 pens inked.

There are 3 or 4 inked you "suitable" colors such as blue/black, dark green, brown, gray.
The others have playful colors - reds, light greens, orange, purples.

The first ones are for "serious" matters, the latter for writing to friends, play with, drawing, etc.

[KKay]

Right now I just keep an ink log. I write pen, ink, date inked, and date cleaned...nothing else. This helps me know when a pen needs to be cleaned out, even if it isn't empty or very low. It will also show me what inks look good in which pen, and how they differ. I can also compare inks in the same color spectrum, especially if I am sampling. I have half a dozen pens. 4 of those pens are demonstrators. I have different sized nibs, for different circumstances. I also keep printer paper nearby, or scratch paper. If I forget which ink is in the pen, it is a simple matter to make a mark on the paper. I use the pens everyday most of the time. I have had no hard starting if I write a line or two with each pen, every day.

[Chrissy]

I keep about a dozen pens inked, and I have a Seven Seas Writer Journal that has a page dedicated to each pen I have. OK yes it needs updating regularly, when I get new pens. Anyway, as soon as I change the ink in a pen and refill it with a different one, I write down what ink is in what pen, and what date it was filled, in my journal. That way I always know.

[snowbear]

I usually have at least six pens inked and try to keep three or four colors all the time - a black, a blue and a red or purple. After that, it depends on my mood.

[Lady Onogaro]

I always have way too many pens inked. I would say 6-8, but probably more sometimes. It's not a good practice, and I am trying to get over it.

Oh, I forgot to say, I keep a notebook with the name of the pen and the color of the ink (written with that pen) so I know what's in it. Though this does not always work.

[Kaputnik]

Welcome to the Forum.

I use almost any pen for almost any color, but there are some inks that don't work so well in specific pens, something you pick up by personal experience. I'll generally have at least one and no more than six pens inked at one time, keeping a little notebook that is used exclusively to keep track of what ink is in what pen.

Since I have considerably more than six pens, I'm frequently flushing out pens and putting them away clean. If I refill a pen with the same ink right away, I don't usually flush it first, but if I'm filling it right away with a different ink, I do, at least if I'm filling from a bottle. If it's a matter of popping another cartridge in, I use my best judgement about mixing inks.

Other people have other methods, but it helps to be a little bit organized. Mixing inks inadvertently is not necessarily going to cause problems, but the general advice is to avoid it.

[fountainpagan]

I keep a small pocket notebook to write which pen is inked with what.

[VertOlive]

Since it's normal to include this info when writing pen pals who want to know what ink I used in their letter, and because I have several brands and tones of some inks ( green, for instance), I record what I'm using.

I usually have 8 pens inked at a time with whatever takes my fancy that day. I have a Tomoe paper journal in which I write the date/pen/ink combination for each pen in service.

When a pen runs dry I usually clean it and rotate it out for a rest, mark it as empty in the journal, then fill a different one and record that.

[Runnin_Ute]

Right now I have 16 pens inked. Truthfully, it's a few to many.

I need to figure out a way, system something so I only have about 8-10 inked at any one time. Or use them more.

[VegHead]

Two things are evident from all your wonderful answers: get more pens and keep a log.

Thanks so much everyone for your kind advice.

[snowbear]

I also keep a log, or try to. In my case, it's a pad of Rhodia where I jot down the date, the pen, and the ink. If it's a new pen, I write that as well. I don't log the brush pens, though I probably should.

[vinniekowalski]

I only use one pen at a time with one ink at a time. No other pens inked at any other time. Also, I put my pants on just like the rest of you - one leg at a time. Except, once my pants are on, I make gold records.

[gordyt]

I keep 3 or 4 pens inked at any one time. If I'm using the same pen over an extended period of time, I may or may not change colors. Just depends on my mood. I have attached a photo (photo quality is not great) of my current pen and ink log.


Pen and Ink Log Sample by Gordon Tillman, on Flickr

[Sailor Kenshin]

Right now I have 16 pens inked. Truthfully, it's a few to many.

I need to figure out a way, system something so I only have about 8-10 inked at any one time. Or use them more.

I'm getting there (maybe 14 inked?) but I have a perfect excuse. I just can't think what it is.

[Kaputnik]

If I have a planned trip that is going to be more than just a weekend, I tend to write until empty with whatever pens I've got inked, as much as I can anyway, and to start this about a month ahead of time. The idea is to be down to one or two by the time I leave, or down to none, and take another couple with me, usually cartridge types with spare cartridges.

That sounds a little obsessive when I read it over, but hopefully it won't come across as too strange in this neighborhood.