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

[earthdawn]

OK so an ink journal it will be.

Thanks everyone for the input and ideas and sharing what you do !

[TPC James]

Personally - I like the surprise "oh Sepia - that's nice, I'd forgotten about that!". Bit annoying thought if your just trying to find a pen to write black! So maybe a journal is the way forward...

[SteveE]

Whatever stains your fingers. . . er, whatever floats your boat. . . Heck, whatever makes you happy.

I only keep my ink vs. pen card to know what's in each pen so I can refill with the same ink. If I've already emptied and flushed the pen for storage, it doesn't really matter what used to be in it. Next time the pen rotates into the "working" case, it may get a different ink, depending upon how I feel that day.

Just keep enough info to have fun, and enjoy yourself.

[Avalona]

Maybe I need to start using an ink journal, too. Half of the time I can't remember what inks are in what pens. I usually use the "draw a line on my hand and guess from that" trick, but that doesn't always work. I've got a few notebooks I could use for this cause, like some of my Field Notes notebooks.

[VertOlive]

Since I recently inked pens with a batch of similar inks [but not the same inks] I finally ran into trouble flying by the seat of my pants. Now I've got a stationery sheet with an entry for each pen and its ink. I can glance at the sheet before writing a letter. I don't care if it's not a permanent record, I just want to know what's in there if I reference the ink in a letter...

[Jon Szanto]

The last two entries are really what eventually hits most people. If you have favored pens that are always filled with a favorite ink, it isn't a problem. But when you get a bunch of new inks, especially if you are working with multiple inks within a certain color range, you soon find out how hollow these thoughts are: "Oh, I'll just put some in this pen and test it out. And this one, too."

Nothing like a couple of pens with *some* kind of blue, or brown, or whatever, that look close but aren't the same, and you realize you have no idea which is which and what is what. Time to get AR.

[Aleks]

Not to sound like a troll but i just ink a bunch of pens (which sometimes range up to 10 ---cant do more for i have no space to have >10 pens lying around on my desk) and literally hope for the best. i do a little scribble and hope i can remember by looking at it which ink i used. Now that's quite a challenge if you take into consideration i have 60+ ink bottles of which easily 25 are some sort of purple shade >_<' maybe not the smartest way to keep "inventory" but definitively keeps things interesting

[tandaina]

I try to keep less than 6 pens inked. So honestly I just grab a pen and use it. I don't care what color is in it, I sorta like it being a mystery. *shrug*

[SteveE]

I try to keep less than 6 pens inked. So honestly I just grab a pen and use it. I don't care what color is in it, I sorta like it being a mystery. *shrug*

The mystery can be fun -- until you accidentally mix two inks that do not play well together. That's one reason why I keep my ink card in my pen case. No permanent record, just notes of what's in which pen so I don't make a mess when I refill.

[kia]

Well, when I was first starting - and buying more feverishly than any other time (really) - I had nearly 40 pens inked at one time and it was near impossible to remember. Now, like Tandaina, I like to keep less than half a dozen pens (preferably only three to four max) inked at any given time; and they are inked with colors I like, so whichever pen I choose is good. Three or 4 is much easier to remember than nearly 40, as well. Also, after this much time, I now recognize the colors I used once the ink flows to page, and I'm happy.

[tandaina]

I always, always flush a pen before refilling. So this is not an issue.

[ypsilanti]

I use the itty bitty Rhodia pads, make a list of currently inked and keep the slip with my pen case. Before writing I look at the list to decide which flavor sounds good at the moment. Usually have about eight pens inked up.

[broadoblique]

Maybe that's why I like piston demonstrators so much.

[Titivillus]

When I had a test tube rack for my pens I would do a strip of paper with the colors scribbled in front of each pen. Then when I would change one I redid the entire list to keep all the pens ready.

[Plume145]

I have two sets of listings, an ink journal and a memory aid.

The ink journal is a mini binder filled with cards cut out from Deleter comic paper from Jetpens (could be any paper, I just went with that because I bought a pack for my mom to try, she didn't like it, so I used that). Each ink is on a separate card: every time I open a new ink (sample or not), I make up the card. The name of the ink goes first, using my glass pen for comparison, then every time I put the ink in a new pen I go back to the card and add the pen model and nib size to the card. It probably sounds a lot more of a faff than it really is :P

The mini binder stays home stashed with my inks, but sometimes i need a portable memory aide. So I list all my in-rotation pens with their inks on a little piece of paper and washi-tape it to the back of my journal. But on this one I can just use any paper I have lying around, consistency doesn't matter, and I can list the pens and inks partially, not in whole. Like, 'Waterman Red - O.S. L Frank Baum', instead of 'Waterman Phileas Mississippi Red, M nib - Organics Studio L. Frank Baum Emerald'.

But I'm thinking about ditching that and going with ethernautrix's idea. Updating the memory aide is a pain in the neck, and her solution has long-term value as well, whereas when I change inks I ditch the memo and make a new one.

[inkyletters]

I haven't really jumped into the world of ink yet (for someone who loves color and variety as much as I do this is about to become an EXPENSIVE hobby. However, I do have something extra to throw in: right now I have several clones, especially Hero 529's and each has a different ink in it since I just got a big shipment of ink samples from goulet. So I could distinguish easily between the three kids I wrapped a small strip of washi tape around the body, it looks intentional and helps me remember what color I have in there (green colored tape for green ink, red for red/pink shades, etc) I don't expect the tape to last long but I think it should last long enough until I change the ink in the pen and put a new strip on there.

[Alex2014]

An Excel 2013 file.

[spotted and speckled]

Everytime I ink a pen, I write down what the pen is and what ink I put in it. I keep a list for the month (or two) and restart the list when I empty everything out and start over. I write the date on the top of the list, so I know I'm looking at the current list.

I also write a scribble or 2 about the ink in my ink journal, and state which pen I used for that particular scribble.

I have about 20 pens inked today. Two of the greens are very similar.

[sharmon202]

I use a journal to record every ink refill or change, Rhodia side staple 48 sheets, nice white to see colors. Also helps see differences between ink and nib. I also have played with a visual chart for quick reference using dot paper.