What Inks Have You Acquired Recently?

[Kulprit]

My lighting, phone camera, pen, and, significantly, handwriting, don't do these justice. I use Noodler's flex Pens for all my ink testing--flex writing brings out properties of inks that you don't get with normal writing--but their steel nibs, unfortunately, are slow to transition from fine to broad and they tend to gush when the tines are spread. That said, they're easy to disassemble for thorough cleaning between inks and using them frees up my FA-nibbed CH912 for more serious work.

I finally got around to trying out my sample of Ama-iro recently. I wasn't sure I'd like it but I ended up loving it so much I just picked up a bottle this weekend.



A coworker recently gifted me a bottle Eclat de Saphir that he didn't like. It's a poor shader, and can look a little too much like just another dark, almost-purple, blue ink in certain lighting, but in the right lighting it's quite lovely.



And then I did something I almost never do - I bought two bottles of inks I'd never seen in the flesh. First was Yosemite Green. This is a beautiful shade of green, with an appropriate amount of wetness and great shading.



Second was Edelstein's newest: Olivine. Online this looked like a lovely hunter green. In real life it's much more like its namesake. It's a dark, olive green with excellent (not overpowering) shading. It has a dignified, vintage look to it, if that makes sense. This might end up in my daily rotation. My only complaint is that it's drrrryyyyyy. So dry the nib feels like it's dragging along the page, rather than gliding over it. I shudder to think of how it will perform with a dry nib.



Again, apologies for the poor photographs and cringe-worthy handwriting.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wuddus]

I really like the look of that Olivine.

[KrazyIvan]

Frank at Federalist Pens sent over some Robert Oster Frankly Blue for review. I have a high bias towards blue ink.

[Jon Szanto]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast. 🤩

[lsmith42]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast. 🤩

Awesome catch...

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Not bad at all for $65.

MB is a brand of ink that I've yet to try. Maybe one day - there's a lot of alternatives to wade through out there!

[Jon Szanto]

Not bad at all for $65.

MB is a brand of ink that I've yet to try. Maybe one day - there's a lot of alternatives to wade through out there!

Oh, true, true. Most of their inks don't do anything in particular for me. The obvious fascination here was the RG ink, but also I love those bottles! I have 2 others of that particular vintage and I can forsee having my favorite inks decanted into a small cadre of the bottles, always ready to ink most any pen. Great design and they fit on the desk better than the equally nice Akkerman bottles. I have a little slush fund for moments like this so I'm not stressing.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

What's the deal with the bottles? What makes them a great design - bearing in mind I've never seen one beyond a picture on the internet.

If I was to buy just a single bottle - for experimental purposes only - what would be a good colour to go for? (I know,taste and all that, but I wonder if some colours are definitely to be avoided).

[Jon Szanto]

What's the deal with the bottles? What makes them a great design - bearing in mind I've never seen one beyond a picture on the internet.

If I was to buy just a single bottle - for experimental purposes only - what would be a good colour to go for? (I know,taste and all that, but I wonder if some colours are definitely to be avoided).

I really can't offer a recommendation on which ink to try, as I'm not that into MB inks. They seem routinely excellent in terms of behavior and quality, so I might just look at the reviews in various places.

What is neat about the bottle is that the front 1/3 or so of the bottle, directly underneath the cap, is that it is a somewhat separated well. You tip the bottle forward and fill that area up, unscrew the cap, and dip your pen in. The opening is big enough for any pen, the well deep enough for most pens (I believe, might be exceptions) to get a good drink, and you can really use up your ink reliable without a lot of hassle when the bottle gets low. It is also a very stable design, heavy enough and low, so that it isn't likely to tip. A simple and elegant design that is worth having just for that.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Neat!

Are you familiar with Sailor Jentle bottles? They too have an ink reservoir (removable). How does the MB bottle compare?

[Jon Szanto]

Neat!

Are you familiar with Sailor Jentle bottles? They too have an ink reservoir (removable). How does the MB bottle compare?

Much better.

[Chrissy]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast. 🤩

Neat catch. I would have caught that if I'd been in time. Always the bridesmaid.......

[FredRydr]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast.

Jon, like any good Montblanc owner, I trust you required original box and papers with each.

[Scooby921]

Neat!

Are you familiar with Sailor Jentle bottles? They too have an ink reservoir (removable). How does the MB bottle compare?

Neat!

Are you familiar with Sailor Jentle bottles? They too have an ink reservoir (removable). How does the MB bottle compare?

Much better.

Seconded. I like Sailor inks, but I remove the plastic ink trap because it only works for pens with small nibs. MB bottles are much better with the divider. When the ink volume gets low in an MB bottle you can also prop it up on your finger (using the indentation which creates that reservoir divider) and tip think ink even more to one side. It's more stable than doing the same on other bottles which don't have the little indentation your finger can rest in.

[Jon Szanto]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast.

Jon, like any good Montblanc owner, I trust you required original box and papers with each.

Not even.

[Chrissy]

Just found on the Bay and quickly purchased: five MB inks, including a green one that goes fast.

Jon, like any good Montblanc owner, I trust you required original box and papers with each.

Not even.

For Racing Green I wouldn't have minded either.

[migo984]

In the mail, bottles of Diamine Roman Bronze Oxidation.

[Gobblecup]

Most recently, in the mail and arriving tomorrow, De Atramentis Document Ink Red, with a couple of samples of the dilution solution.

[Chrissy]

Arrived today: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo that cost me $17.50

[Wuddus]

Arrived today: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo that cost me $17.50

Wow! Good catch!