Advice for the uninitiated

[theolu]

So I'm relatively new to fountain pens. I've been methodically working my way from a Pilot Petit1 to a Sailor Highace Neo and am now onto a Pilot Prera. One of the main reasons I started with fountain pens is that I'm fascinated by the ink options - fascinated and intimidated. So far, I've used Pilot Blue-Black, Sailor Jentle Blue-Black and Noodler's Bulletproof Black (eyedroppered in the Petit1). I'm really wanting to try some new inks and was hoping to get some ideas/advice on the best way to go about it. I had planned on just running a bunch of samples through the Petit1 until I found something worth buying a bottle of but I'm not sure where to start. The only ink I could find any kind of consensus about was the Noodler's Black.

My question is whether it makes sense to tryout inks with my worst pen. Should I be sampling with the Prera or Sailor, or should I get a different pen altogether just for trying inks? If so, any recommendations? Is there a better way of going about this? Should I be establishing baseline or reference inks for the colors I plan to use?

I'd also love ink recommendations. I'm trying to find some blues - I prefer deep, dark blues and blue-blacks - that behave as well on cheap paper (i.e. lowest bidder office copy paper and legal pads) as the Noodler's Black.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[gweddig]

Sounds like a job for the Goulet Pens inkdrop program.

[Laura N]

Try out the inks with the pens in which you plan to use them. Though most inks work fine with most pens, you'll find some pen-ink combinations that work well and some that don't.

I'm not a big user of black ink, but my favorites are Aurora Black and J. Herbin Perle Noire. I really don't think there are bad ones, however.

As for blue inks, there are many, and you can't go wrong just picking one royal or middle blue as a standard ink. Mine is Waterman Serenity Blue, but I also often use Pelikan Royal Blue, Montblanc Royal Blue and Visconti Blue. Waterman Serenity Blue works well with a lot of pens; it tends not to feather. It is not a very dark blue, however.

With the deep dark blues, there's nothing wrong with those but be aware that those highly saturated inks require better pen maintenance. I like Diamine Midnight when I'm in that mood, but there are a lot of others, too.

As for blue black, it's such a wide category. Some have a greenish tint and some are more dark blue; you have to try them and see what you prefer. Montblanc Blue Black is a personal favorite, also Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo, but there are dozens of great blue blacks.

[cwent2]

+1 on the Goulet Pen Company ink drop and or samples

One Caution on Bay State Blue by Noodler's Ink Company - As Per the owner - it does not play well with other inks and can stain pens - recommend a dedicated pen (Preferably low cost) you can use for Bay State Blue - if you are so inclined to use the ink.

[cedargirl]

Get some samples of inks that you think you will like - with the help of online reviews to help avoid inks that have features you don't want.
Try them in the pens you have now. All inks don't suit all pens. But as you add pens to your collection, you can try the inks with them.
You will soon have combinations you really like; an any inks you don't like - well you are only down a couple of dollars.

[Jon Szanto]

Now, c'mon - GO NUTS! Get at least one red ink, and maybe a few other wild colors!

You don't have to use the new colors every day, but just bouncing between blue, blue/black, and black isn't any life at all.

The world is big, and wide, and colorful: Carpe atramentum!!

[Heliotrope]

I like your organized approach. The Goulet's ink samples are a great way to try new inks without breaking the bank. You can buy them separately or you can join the Ink Drop subscription service. There are other sources for ink samples, too. Just search the web.

However you decide to go about it, I recommend keeping an ink journal. I prefer to use Clairefontaine paper for that because the bright white shows off the color of the ink better, but it is also good to keep samples of how each ink behaves on the paper that you commonly use.

I generally try new inks in several different pens, not necessarily at the same time. I have a page in the ink journal for each ink. Whenever I load a pen with new ink, I write a short paragraph on the appropriate page. It is interesting to see how the same ink can look different in different nibs.

[tandaina]

The ink drop by the Goulets is a great way to start! You will quickly find lots of inks you like, but get to preview them all first. Saves money and it is like a little Christmas present every month in the mail.

[pencils+pens]

Get a glass dip pen and an ink journal. I got the glass pen idea from Stephen Brown. The glass pen is very easy to clean between inks. If you write a few lines with your other pens and then a line with the glass pen and the same ink, you will get an idea how the glass pen compares to your regular pens. Then you can dispense with having to ink and use your regular pens in your ink journal.

ISellPens and Goulet used to carry J Herbin Glass pens but the last time I checked neither did. I purchased my small J Herbin Straight Body Frosted Glass Dip Pen from JetPens. JetPens has several models of the J Herbin Glass Dip Pen.

[Heliotrope]

I just checked te web site, and the Goulet's have Rohrer & Kligner glass dip pens in stock.

[theolu]

Thanks, all. It makes a lot of sense to try inks out in multiple pens and I'll definitely be using an ink journal.

I took a look at the ink drop on the goulet website. It seems a bit intimidating, a lot of ink to go through in one month, not sure i have the time for all that.

[Margana]

The idea is not so much to use up the ink as it is to test each one to see what suits you best. Then order a full bottle if one of them makes you happy and encourages you to write. Keep the samples for future reference. Most of mine are several years old and I go back to them from time to time searching for something different than my usual inks. It's amazing how good a color can look in the present when it seemed so unexciting five years ago.

[ardgedee]

It's also useful to be able to try the same ink in different pens. Some combinations are clinkers and some shine. So the ink you got a couple months ago might only justify itself with the pen you got yesterday.