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Thread: Ink Manufacturers?

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    Question Ink Manufacturers?

    Does anyone know of a publicly available overview of the fountain pen ink manufacturing industry? I've seen market reports available, but they're for sale, and I'm not buying -- I'm curious but not THAT curious.

    I started to wonder because Birmingham Pen Co. has some interesting ink colors (Or maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the interesting names? Like Allegheny Arsenal Gunpowder Black and Pennsylvania Railroad Boiler Steam Blue-Black?), and I've got a few samples. They claim to hand-make the ink in their Pittsburgh facility. They also say the inks are manufactured in Germany. I wonder what that means.

    Over the years I've seen all sorts of claims (always unsubstantiated) that one manufacturer makes another brand's inks. I would not be surprised to learn there are only a few companies actually formulating and manufacturing inks while supplying them to many different brands. It's openly known, of course, about relations between Sailor and Bungu Box and a few other open relationships. But I don't have any overall answers for the whole marketplace, and I haven't found any answers in research I've done so far. Anyone know?

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    I'm fairly sure that l'Artisan Pastellier is an independent manifacturer of inks.
    Cheap and well behaved, too, on par with J. Herbin.
    They just lack the glamour, or the marketing, of it.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by aquafox View Post
    I'm fairly sure that l'Artisan Pastellier is an independent manifacturer of inks.
    Cheap and well behaved, too, on par with J. Herbin.
    They just lack the glamour, or the marketing, of it.
    You are right. They are their own manufacturer, and yes their inks are very good, bt marketing wise they do not take care of t. however, Herbin is rising its objectives, and has a better marketing policy.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brilliant Bill View Post
    I would not be surprised to learn there are only a few companies actually formulating and manufacturing inks while supplying them to many different brands.
    I'm in this camp. Once you can find out the Country a particular ink brand is made in, you can sometimes narrow it down.
    One example is that the Montblanc manufacturing facility is in Hamburg, Germany. However, their ink bottles state that the ink is made in Austria. There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria. So do they make it? I know for certain that this Austrian company makes inks for several other brands. Sometimes the ink manufacturers are required to keep this information secret, and sometimes they aren't.
    Sailor has never kept secret the fact that they make inks for many Japanese stores.
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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brilliant Bill View Post
    I started to wonder because Birmingham Pen Co. has some interesting ink colors (Or maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the interesting names? Like Allegheny Arsenal Gunpowder Black and Pennsylvania Railroad Boiler Steam Blue-Black?), and I've got a few samples. They claim to hand-make the ink in their Pittsburgh facility. They also say the inks are manufactured in Germany. I wonder what that means.
    Nicholas at Birmingham Pens told me in an email that their inks are manufactured in Germany by more than one company, and are blended there according to Birmingham Pen's formulæ, then shipped to Pittsburgh where they are bottled and labeled in small individual bottles. He also said they plan to start blending some German made inks in-house soon.
    Last edited by calamus; May 14th, 2019 at 04:10 PM.
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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    ...There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria....
    What is the Austrian company, and does it sell ink under it's own brand?

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    ...There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria....
    What is the Austrian company, and does it sell ink under it's own brand?
    Yeah, I'm drawing a blank on that one, too.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    ...There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria....
    What is the Austrian company, and does it sell ink under it's own brand?
    The Austrian company is Monteverde and it does sell ink under it's own brand.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    ...There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria....
    What is the Austrian company, and does it sell ink under it's own brand?
    The Austrian company is Monteverde and it does sell ink under it's own brand.
    Oh huh. I guess I never assumed Monteverde would have been the overarching ink maker. I assumed it must have been a separate company that produced Kaweco, Montblanc, and Monteverde.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    If you are just considering the US/European ink brands there are relatively few large ink manufacturers, who produce for a number of ink labels. There are, however, still a number of smaller own label makers such as Robersons, Octopus, L’A Pastellier etc. If you go on to include world-wide makers then there are numerous, both large & small, in Eastern Europe/Russia, the Indian subcontinent, Asia, (especially China/Taiwan/S. Korea), Japan & Australasia. I only know of two in South America but I’m sure there are more.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by migo984 View Post
    ....I only know of two in South America but I’m sure there are more.
    Which are those?

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    My guess is that all the brands sold from India and other places in Asia probably are made there, at least if the prices are noticeably different. I have assumed Pelikan still maked ink in the factory outside Hannover, but it needs to be confirmed. Parker have had ink and pen prodcutions all over the world since forever (I at least since 1950s). It needs a bit of investigation, and I don't think it's easy to get a full picture of the situation. Is there any close relation to production of printer inks?

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by arrow View Post
    Is there any close relation to production of printer inks?
    Octopus in Germany primarily manufacture printer inks but also make fountain pen inks.

    https://www.octopus-office.de/shop/e...k-writing-ink/

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Well, 'tis a good question - who makes only their own inks, who makes inks for others; a bit like the nib manufacture question but a bit more involved.

    Can we start a sticky called something like 'know your inks'?

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by migo984 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by arrow View Post
    Is there any close relation to production of printer inks?
    Octopus in Germany primarily manufacture printer inks but also make fountain pen inks.

    https://www.octopus-office.de/shop/e...k-writing-ink/
    Hm. Yes, Octopus seems to be quite a big company.
    I suspect they make ink for Cleo Skribent, despite the claim of being handmade in Germany by Cleo Skribent itself.
    The bottle of black I bought seemed quite similar to Pelikan, although I'm no ink connaisseur and I may just lack the fine taste of others.


    Quote Originally Posted by migo984 View Post
    in Eastern Europe/Russia
    Gamma, huh?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    ...There is a well known, large, ink manufacturer in Austria....
    What is the Austrian company, and does it sell ink under it's own brand?
    The Austrian company is Monteverde and it does sell ink under it's own brand.
    Monteverde does not produce inks, nor pens. They outsource.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by aquafox View Post
    Monteverde does not produce inks, nor pens. They outsource.
    Where to?
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    My latest bottle of Parker Quink is made in France. My Pelikan inks a Blue-Black 4001 and an Edelstein Onyx are made in Germany.

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    I recently bought a bottle of Kaweco Paradise Blue and it said "Made In Austria" on the bottle, but I have no idea by what company.
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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by calamus View Post
    I recently bought a bottle of Kaweco Paradise Blue and it said "Made In Austria" on the bottle, but I have no idea by what company.
    I have previously tried to find out what this ink manufacturing facility in Austria is called without much success.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Ink Manufacturers?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by aquafox View Post
    Monteverde does not produce inks, nor pens. They outsource.
    Where to?
    China for pens. Conklin Victory (top) is a Baoer 517 (bottom).





    the Monteverde Monza (top) is a rebranded Jinhao 992 (bottom)





    While Austria for bottled inks and Germany (schmidt I heard) for ballpoint and rollerball refills.

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