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Thread: Inks and Nibs

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    Default Inks and Nibs

    I am wondering about other people’s experiences with the variety of inks their nibs will tolerate. I have Pelikan pens that write well, but I find that many inks do no flow well through them. A go to fave is Lie de The. Some Schaefer inks also. I have had some success only through mixing inks that are “wetter” with the troublesome ones.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    I wonder the same thing. Often! I tend to write most with fine nibs, so ink consistency can be crucial for a stress-free writing session.

    For my knock-around LAMYs with fine nibs most inks work well. I appreciate R. Oster inks in these; unfortunately I've had flow issues with the beautiful R&K Alt-Goldgrun, so no shading even after tuning an EF nib.

    My Sailor pens can be even more picky, except for the 21k MF nib. It has just the right flex to lay down a beautiful wet line. 14k H-F works well with most wet inks, but the H-EF is a diva! Caveat: I think it needs to be tuned again because it's a dry, scratchy writer even with wet inks.

    I'm hoping to try a Pilot Custom soft fine, or Platinum F soon. I'm also in the beginning process of restoring a vintage Kaweco Dia 803 07 with a M steel nib that I hope will be a nice juicy writer.

    Overall, I've had the best luck in tricky nibs with R. Oster Thunderstorm & Caffe Crema, Diamine Matador, Sailor Jentle Black & Blue, and Waterman Serenity Blue. Believe it or not, I've experienced too much flow with Noodler's Bad Blue Heron!

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Any nib will tolerate any ink (I’m not counting “problematic” inks, like India or some formulations that do strange things). It just depends on how the nib is adjusted. If a nib writes “dry”, for example; you can make the nib wetter or choose a wetter ink. The opposite is true as well.

    Adjusting nibs has a learning curve, with painful experiences along the way. It’s easier to find a pen/ink combination or two that you’re satisfied with, and stick with those. I’ve kept an “ink journal” for over a decade, and can refer to it and find writing examples of different inks with different pens. After a while you forget some of the details...

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    If in doubt, start with Waterman Blue-Black or Florida Blue.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Quote Originally Posted by Ray-VIgo View Post
    If in doubt, start with Waterman Blue-Black or Florida Blue.
    I started with Pelikan, and found it too dry. Heard about Waterman and have never considered another ink.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    I am new to the world of fountain pens and ink and am curious about your ink journal. Do you have a page for each ink and record the pens and nibs used? I am still muddling through the differences in how inks perform and how to distinguish the characteristics between them.

    In my limited experience I have definitely found that nibs and inks act differently on different paper. I think I have figured out what feedback means, but the whole wet/dry thing throws me for a loop. I mean all inks are liquid so they are wet, what does it mean to write dry?

    Sorry if this post is in the wrong thread, as I am also new to the forum.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Quote Originally Posted by tscweaves View Post
    I am new to the world of fountain pens and ink and am curious about your ink journal. Do you have a page for each ink and record the pens and nibs used? I am still muddling through the differences in how inks perform and how to distinguish the characteristics between them.

    In my limited experience I have definitely found that nibs and inks act differently on different paper. I think I have figured out what feedback means, but the whole wet/dry thing throws me for a loop. I mean all inks are liquid so they are wet, what does it mean to write dry?

    Sorry if this post is in the wrong thread, as I am also new to the forum.
    Welcome.

    I also keep an ink journal but it only says which pens are filled with which inks. One pen per page in the back of my Seven Seas Writer Journal.

    Some inks feel like they write wetter than others. A dry ink will feel dry to write with and may give you more feedback when you write. Pelikan 4001 inks are generally thought to be dryer writing inks. Some pens could be described as "gushers" or "hosepipes" because they lay down too much ink, so with those pens you might want a dryer ink. Some pens feel like they write dry so you might choose a known wetter ink for those.

    As you say all pens and inks might seem to perform differently depending on what paper you're using.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    In my ink journal I will write down impressions of performance of a given ink in general or an ink in a specific pen.

    That way I start to get an idea of which inks and which pens are drier and which are wetter.

    Lately I've found some inks work nicely in a lot of pens, both dry and wet and in between. And some pens more picky and some less picky.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Hmmm, it sounds like I have an interesting learning curve ahead of when it comes to inks. So far I have been buying them because I like the color. I just didn't realize that there is going to be such a range in the performance of inks.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    I recall, and a little quick Googling seems to confirm it, people referring to Private Reserve Tanzanite as the "Ex-Lax" of inks. While I might not go that far, it certainly seemed to write very wetly in the pens I tried it with.

    A couple of iron-gall inks, Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa and an older version of Montblanc Midnight Blue, (the current version is not iron gall) have given me flow problems in a couple of pens. I've more or less given up on the Scabiosa, as I don't really care for the color anyway, but the Midnight Blue is currently working perfectly well in my Pilot Custom Heritage 92.

    My observations have not been systematic enough to draw any real conclusions. I've stopped using Noodler's inks in any of my fountain pens, but have used them with an Esterbrook Dip-Less, a sort of hybrid dip pen that writes longer because it uses a regular fountain pen nib with a feed to soak up a supply of ink. I didn't have any initial flow issues with the ones I tried, but I did get some pens clogging up. I'm sure that some of their inks would be fine in any of my pens, but I've moved on and have other preferences.
    "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Quote Originally Posted by tscweaves View Post
    Hmmm, it sounds like I have an interesting learning curve ahead of when it comes to inks.
    Probably best to view it as a journey to be enjoyed. A long journey, in many cases. But there's definite satisfaction to be had in finding the "perfect" ink and pen combination in the colour you desire.

    My own ink journal such as it is, merely records date inked, ink, pen, and date flushed (all with said pen and ink, natch). From that I can infer quite a lot . If the date inked and date flushed are within a day or two, I didn't like it! If the same ink and pen combi keeps reappearing, I did. If I really didn't like it, I'll make a note to avoid it like the plague in future.
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    Quote Originally Posted by tscweaves View Post
    Hmmm, it sounds like I have an interesting learning curve ahead of when it comes to inks. So far I have been buying them because I like the color. I just didn't realize that there is going to be such a range in the performance of inks.
    Also, there are quite a few reviews of inks and pens out there and ratings on various online stores to at least give you some idea how the ink will behave.

    Also, save money and space and only buy samples to try out inks.

    When you find one you're eager to use for the next few years, then get the bottle.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    I've been using fountain pens on and off throughout my life, but I recently decided to start writing with a FP again. I switched to writing on a computer about 30 years ago, and now I'm back. It makes me think differently for my current writing project.

    I figured I should also buy a new pen, and bought a Kaweco Sport which I found a bit scratchy and dry with the Kaweco ink, on two very different kinds of paper. Then I tried Noodlers 54th Mass., and it totally fixed the dry problem. Earlier today I decided to polish the nib tip using rouge, which is all I had available that was in the ballpark. That fixed the scratchiness. Now I'm quite satisfied. So, I'm learning about the different ink/nib parameters. I'd never considered that before.

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    Default Re: Inks and Nibs

    In the interests of legibility, i mostly stick to plain old blues & blue blacks and broad nibs. Black would work too, but it’s a little too plain for me.

    I edit with various bright colors. I’ve noticed that light colored inks can look washed out if used with very fine nibs or dry writers. On the other hand, if the ink is too dark, my edits will be hard to distinguish from the text.

    I always use good quality paper so as to get the most out of my pens.
    Last edited by guyy; July 7th, 2020 at 05:24 PM.

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