Ink in your pen ~ How to remember what's in there ?!?!

[earthdawn]

So, I went to do some pen cleaning during the last snow storm. What was starting to annoy me more then just realizing how many dang pens were inked up BUT how many of them I could not remember for the life of me what ink was in some of the pens.

So for those who have way to many inks and keep too many pens inked up on top of that, is there any neat ideas on how to remember what ink is in each pen?

Driving me nuts !

[Runnin_Ute]

Date

the name of the pen and ink

I do this every time I change ink in a pen.

[earthdawn]

Date

the name of the pen and ink

I do this every time I change ink in a pen.

Meaning you keep a journal and just update it ?

[cwent2]

Date

the name of the pen and ink

I do this every time I change ink in a pen.

Meaning you keep a journal and just update it ?

I use a Rhodia 9 x 14 cm notebook and enter the date, pen and ink each time the pen either is refilled with a new ink and redate the entry or it it brought into rotation with a new entry.

[00Photo]

yes, ink journal, I find them very handy.

[Jeph]

I just scribble on a random piece of paper and take my best guess.
I accept the fact that the situation is pretty much hopeless and don't let it bother me.
Hell, I don't even remember which pens are inked.

I have been slowly going through pens and cleaning them out though. I don't mind not knowing but I do mind leaving ink dormant in a pen for months just to make cleaning it that much harder later when the pen catches my eye again. My usual excuse is that the pen will re-enter the rotation once I try out some fresh pen but there always seems to be another pen waiting for a turn.

[SteveE]

Since I only keep 3 or 4 pens in rotation, it isn't that difficult. I have a 4-slot Levenger pen case that also holds a few 3X5-inch note cards. On the top card of the stack, I write the name of each active pen, along with the ink it is filled with. When I rotate a pen out, I line through its entry. When I rotate a pen in, I simply add a line entry. I'm not really this intent on matching the inks, but it helps me not to introduce drops of ink A into bottle B when refilling.

[Sailor Kenshin]

So, I went to do some pen cleaning during the last snow storm. What was starting to annoy me more then just realizing how many dang pens were inked up BUT how many of them I could not remember for the life of me what ink was in some of the pens.

So for those who have way to many inks and keep too many pens inked up on top of that, is there any neat ideas on how to remember what ink is in each pen?

Driving me nuts !

I just write the kind of pen and the ink each time I make a notation of any sort, be it journal entry or to-do list. Seems to work for me.

[caribbean_skye]

i keep a journal just for this. Using the pen just after it is inked, i write brand and ink name followed by the make and model of the pen. I find the it helps me know what ink is in the pen but also quick refresher of what that ink colour looks like.

[reprieve]

Yes, ink journal! It's another way for me to use up part of my overgrown cache of notebooks. Right now I'm using a Rhodia webbie (dots); I just enter the date, the pen, the nib, and the ink every time I bring something new into rotation or swap out ink colors. I also have an artist's sketchbook for ink swabs; every time I get a new ink bottle or sample, I grab a q-tip and a dip pen and do a swab and brief writing sample so that I can remember what the color looks like on paper.

[Jon Szanto]

I had to start doing this, because I couldn't keep track as well.

I figured a journal wouldn't be a flexible format, so I opted for index cards, in a card file box. While I could do a database, this is an easy way to set down each pen when I purchase it - all the relevant data about the pen, etc. Then, when (if) I ink the pen, I put that down (with the ink itself), and can always go back to it. If I take a pen totally out of rotation, I'll flush it clean and note that on the card.

The only time the system fails me is when I don't record the info. Such is life, but all in all it has been quite helpful.

[DrChumley]

I use a top wirebound Clairefontaine A5-sized notebook (Graph, in this case) for this very thing. I couldn't find a use for the notebook for anything else, so I figured this was as good a use as any, and I've loved having it so far.I Just write down the Pen and the Ink with that pen and ink when I ink it up. Then, when I clean out the pen, I cross out that line, so I always know which pens are currently in use. I like the idea of including the date on that as well, so I know how long the ink has been in the pen. I usually try not to keep more than 5 or 6 pens inked at any one time, but sometimes I get carried away a bit. I just keep this notebook right next to my writing desk, so it's always there when I ink up or finish up a pen.

[ethernautrix]

A very quick shot:

iT-20140213 pens & inks.jpg

Throughout my notebooks, there are these pages of Pens & Inks.

[Tracy Lee]

Yes, ink journal! It's another way for me to use up part of my overgrown cache of notebooks. Right now I'm using a Rhodia webbie (dots); I just enter the date, the pen, the nib, and the ink every time I bring something new into rotation or swap out ink colors. I also have an artist's sketchbook for ink swabs; every time I get a new ink bottle or sample, I grab a q-tip and a dip pen and do a swab and brief writing sample so that I can remember what the color looks like on paper.

I have a custom notebook my mom gave me with fabulous artists paper inside. I carry it everywhere, it has pen pal information, stamps, my ink journal of what is in my pens (I carry 14 and use a lot of samples so I need to keep track and I do the same as Reprieve). I have swabbed all my inks into this book (first thing I do with a new bottle or a sample), made wax seal samples of all of my seals, clipped in stamps, business cards from my favorite vendors, and made a pocket for stuff like business cards that I picked up at the DC pen show last year. I have also clipped in a field notes sized notebook to track pen and pen related purchases for the year, where and when purchased. I have a "to buy" ink list in there, and a list of products or pens or paper I have heard about and want to look into more. All of this in a fat, bulging, A5 sized book with a leather cover and a big button/loop enclosure. I still have lots of pages to use. I love it! It's like my pen and ink brain.

[klpeabody]

Yes, ink journal! It's another way for me to use up part of my overgrown cache of notebooks. Right now I'm using a Rhodia webbie (dots); I just enter the date, the pen, the nib, and the ink every time I bring something new into rotation or swap out ink colors. I also have an artist's sketchbook for ink swabs; every time I get a new ink bottle or sample, I grab a q-tip and a dip pen and do a swab and brief writing sample so that I can remember what the color looks like on paper.

This is the method that I use!

[reprieve]

I really like this idea for ink swabs. This one, too.

[inlovewithjournals]

I keep an ink journal as well - a PaperBlanks Ananda Mini. When each pen is inked up I record the date, the make and model, and the ink. I only have 5 in rotation (usually) but I still find it helpful to keep track.

[Mags]

I just try to keep it all straight in my head and an ink journal would be a good idea but a bit predictable. I am living on the edge and sometimes just thinking is the pen filled with blue, black, red or green....imagine my surprise seeing a purple....what had I been thinking inking something in purple or orange. Well you get it.

[View from the Loft]

Well sounds like it's me being boring then.

I have one pen inked with Diamine Onyx Black, one with Diamine Midnight, and one with whatever sample I am trying out (currently Diamine Jade - FWIW good as a highlighter/underlining ink, not for blocks of text). Whatever the pen itself, they are always in the inkcolour order in my pen wrap - Black, Blue, sample.

Simples.

[ethernautrix]

My purpose isn't to remember today what inks are in what pens but for future reference.

I started listing Pens & Inks a few years ago after I paged through some old notebooks and wondered what pens I had used. I hardly ever mentioned them then.