Ink and Me

[Deb]

I must confess at the outset that I know very little about inks. For me, it's that coloured stuff you put in pens. That's about the limit of my knowledge. My main use for ink – and I have more than one – is write-testing pens I have repaired. For that purpose I need a trouble-free ink like Watermans blue or Parker Quink. The ink will be going in all sorts of filling systems. For years, those were all the inks I used. Then I developed an interest in vintage inks and acquired several. I use them with great caution at first but several have proved very useful.

The pen I am using to write this was filled with Swan Blue/Black. My best guess is that it was on sale in the early nineteen seventies. It has held its colour well though it might have lost a little of its original intensity. Red ink seems to hold its intensity very well. I have a couple of vintage reds and both are comparable with inks produced today. One is at least as old as nineteen twenty and maybe older still.

Talking of intensity, I love Bay State Blue but limit myself in its use to one cheap pen because I dare not risk using it in anything else. I also use Sheaffer and Diamine inks these days, having caught a mild dose of the ink bug.

Some time ago I bought at auction a quantity of pens and a large number of cartridges came with them. Some are the ordinary cheap ones that appear everywhere, others probably were intended for calligraphy and some of these colours are very intense indeed. I keep them away from my good pens!

Finally, there are various cartridges that I have bought to use with Pilot, Platinum and Sailor pens. None of them is outstanding. The Platinum black, for instance, flows well but is not intense. It's adequate but I would like something better for my Platinum pens which are excellent writers.

Finally, finally (that's twice) I picked up a packet of five or six Pilot Varsity pens. There are several colours and they are very strong. That's the kind of colour I would like in my cartridge pens!

As I said in the beginning, I'm an ignoramus where ink is concerned. I'm sure there will be many suggestions about better inks I might use but I must say that including my vintage collection I already have an ocean of ink that I will never get through.

I plan to put up a shelf for my old inks and when that is done I will post a photo of them.

[View from the Loft]

From what you say, Lamy black will be too wishy washy for you - but you might find Aurora Black and Aurora Blue good, standard inks. I had some Sheaffer Skrip Grey that was a very nice ink to use. Some of the colours available in the Pelikan Edesltein range and Iroshizuku are nice. I can't in all conscience justify the price of the Iro inks over here; it's just ink after all, and I like being able to buy British ink so tend to use a fair amount of Diamine.

For around 20 years, my trusty P25 was fed on a diet of Quink black and nothing else. There are better black inks available, so I'm unlikely to return to Quink or Waterman black.

And yes, I'm another with way too much ink to ever use.

[Deb]

I'll have a look at those. Thank you.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Standard Pilot Black may fit the bill, especially as it is available in 350ml bottles for around 18 quid plus shipping.

[Deb]

Standard Pilot Black may fit the bill, especially as it is available in 350ml bottles for around 18 quid plus shipping.

Another useful suggestion. Thanks very much.

[Cob]

A couple of personal favourites as suggestions: Diamine Grape, a lovely rich dark purply red and at present I am very taken with Waterman's Brown ink.

Cob

[Deb]

A couple of personal favourites as suggestions: Diamine Grape, a lovely rich dark purply red and at present I am very taken with Waterman's Brown ink.

Cob

These inks sound very interesting. I will look into them.

[junglejim]

Congratulations on discovering a whole new world of colors! In the past I also pretty much stayed with the tried and true Waterman, Pelikan and Sheaffer inks which are safe for both modern and latex sac pens. I've been using Sailor Jentle and Pilot Iroshizuki inks which all have high dye loads in my modern pens. I've been avoiding them in sac pens because the inks are hard to clean out and have a high pH (around pH 8+) which may damage the latex. Fine for modern pens though, and gorgeous colors and sheen and lubrication! Tends to be expensive though.

One ink brand that I have really been impressed with and using almost exclusively these past few months is KWZ which is based out of Poland. Beautiful colors (44 of them), easy to clean out, and according to the manufacturer and some pen users at the other pen forum site the inks are safe for older sac pens. (The Gall ink line is NOT.) I have KWZ honey loaded up in a Pilot Metro and KWZ foggy green in a Faber Castell Loom. The ink is also fairly cheap at $15US for a 60ml glass bottle that is easy to fill your pen with. I think Purepens in South Wales is a distributor in the UK.

All the Best.

[Woody]

Deb you make like some of the de atramentis inks available. A great selection of iron gal, lots of color and not crazy concentrated.

[KKay]

List colors you are looking for. I am not clear on that.

[Cob]

Deb you make like some of the de atramentis inks available. A great selection of iron gal, lots of color and not crazy concentrated.

Twenty quid for 35mL of ink - too steep for me I'm afraid!

Cob

[Pterodactylus]

Deb you make like some of the de atramentis inks available. A great selection of iron gal, lots of color and not crazy concentrated.

I’m not aware of a great selection of iron gall inks from De Atramentis.

As far as I know there are only 2 and only 1 is suitable for FPs.

There is the Friedrich von Schiller Eisengallustinte, which can be used in FP’s
And there is their Eisengallustinte which is only for Dip pens.

Please correct me if I’m wrong.

[DrPenfection]

I believe that L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio inks are fairly safe to use and they are not super saturated. Most of them are well behaved, with just a few that are pretty dry (some of the oranges and yellows). They might be relatively easy to acquire in Europe. They also seem to be reasonably priced.

[oldstoat]

I believe that L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio inks are fairly safe to use and they are not super saturated. Most of them are well behaved, with just a few that are pretty dry (some of the oranges and yellows). They might be relatively easy to acquire in Europe. They also seem to be reasonably priced.

They are well behaved, flush out easily and have a good range. As I recall, there's a minimum purchase of 6 bottles if you get them direct, though Cult Pens may stock them.

[Wuddus]

Another vote for Diamine Grape here, and Diamine Chocolate Brown too.