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An Esterbrook 9128 Has A Date With Namiki Blue Ink

2013/05/22

Namiki Blue ink is the standard ink for more than a few fountain pen users. It even works well at flex writing. But there’s a catch and it will be a deal-breaker for some pens.

Namiki Blue, Esterbrook Deluxe Pen, Miguelrius Notebook

The deep blue color leans slightly blue-black which makes it suitable for almost any business environment. Mild shading and outlining make this ink intriguing to use. It exhibits average show-through on Miguelrius from a fine nib but significant show-through with a wet nib. That performance is comparable to other pens and inks so I wouldn’t mark it down for either. Many inks dry a second or two faster so Namiki Blue might not be a first choice for lefties but I am not a good judge of that.

Esterbrook Deluxe and Parker '51' Aerometric

There is one caveat. My Esterbrook Deluxe SM, the model that closely resembles my navygray Parker ’51′ Aero, now has several Namiki Blue ink stains. Not a pretty sight. So be careful when using it in a pale colored pen.

Namiki Blue on Miguelrius

Last night the 9128 flex nib got properly acquainted with Miguelrius paper. Very nice, indeed. The nib has an extremely sharp tip but the combination of ink and paper tamed its tendency to dig in too much. The ink flow is just right and did its best to prevent any railroad tracks. Not that the nib doesn’t deserve the lion’s share of the credit, but a helpful ink is, well, helpful.

Too bad the staining issue will keep Namiki Blue and the Estie from future dates. It was fun while it lasted.

Namiki Blue Ink

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Nothing Shy About This Lot

2013/05/19

Warmer weather always brightens my ink rotation. Orange, pink, and a paler shade of green add some fun to the hold-overs from early spring.

In addition, Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa is getting a run in the Namiki Falcon SB fire hose. So far – so good with that test. It’s a muted gray-purple that suits clouds more than unrelenting sunshine, but if it tames the beast, it will be a good choice.

  • Kyoto Levenger True Writer custom stub with Diamine Dark Brown
  • Clementine Retro 51 Scriptmaster II fine with Iroshizuku fuyu-gaki
  • Lamy AL-Star custom fine italic with Iroshizuku tsutsuji
  • Montblanc 220 OB with Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses
  • Namiki Falcon SB with Rohrer & Klinger Scabiosa
  • Namiki Falcon SF with Diamine Violet
  • Waterman Deluxe Carene Stub with Iroshizuku asa-gao
  • Platinum Century B Chartres Blue with Diamine China Blue
  • Platinum #3776 music nib with Diamine Mediterranean Blue
  • Namiki Falcon SF with Diamine Kelly Green

Ink and Pens

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A Dozen Links From Around The Web

2013/05/19

This ought to keep you out of trouble for awhile…

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An Inkophile And The Spam Folder

2013/05/12

Spam is a total time suck. So Inkophile management has made an executive decision to dump the junk without review in favor of spending more time doing fun things like painting doodles on a mixing tray.

Akismet does so well at identifying comments from miscreants, that little, if anything, of value will get tossed. Actually, the statistics give Akismet a whopping 99.83% accuracy rate after reviewing over 86,000 comments at Inkophile. I read all of those comments just to be certain nothing of value would be deleted but no more. After getting an eyeful from a particularly noxious spam comment, I am done.

Bye, bye spam. Hello sanity!

(If you must know, the paint is a mix of Daniel Smith Manganese Blue Hue and Green Gold tube watercolors. The brush is a #5 Cosmotop that is particular impressive for controlled strokes.)

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Mixed Results With A Mead Comp Book

2013/05/12

The test scan tells the tale of the fountain pen ink and the Mead Composition Book. The smooth paper ought to behave better but the performance is about what you would expect from a low-end product.

Mead Composition Book

At 100 sheets/200 pages, the show-through and bleed-through limit use to one side so it isn’t exactly a bargain. Still the low amount of feathering with some inks means this comp book has its uses.

Mead Composition Book with Fountain Pen Ink

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The designs for the cardboard covers are simple if youthful and the college ruling will work well for most writers. The dimensions are 9.75 x 7.5 inches and will lay flat after a little use. The notebook comes with a stitched binding concealed by a cloth strip which is typical for any composition book.

My comp book was made in Vietnam in 2012 so another run might have different properties. For $1.50 at Target stores, you just might find a slot for it in your paper arsenal.

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Links For Handwriting, Calligraphy, And Pen Junkies

2013/05/05

This is a rarity. All nine links are pen and handwriting related. How totally on topic!

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It’s Getting Old At Inkophile

2013/05/04

Can you believe it? Inkophile is five years old today. You thought it was older? Yeah, it seems like it has been around forever. The number of page views per month has more than doubled in the past year and I hope that indicates a sizable increase in the number of people who have grown to love fountain pens as much as it represents repeat visits from my steady followers. A larger community will expand the marketplace and in turn increase the available products. That would be a very good thing.

Looking back at new acquisitions this past year, the Platinum Century B nib and the Platinum #3776 music nib were very welcome additions to my collection and handily won slots on my top five pens list. Noodler’s Purple Martin was a surprise addition to my favorite inks while Stillman & Birn moved onto my favorite journals list. The Epsilon and Zeta Series are good with pens while the other journals are lovely with watercolors, not that you can’t mix them up any way you want. For lined paper that works well with fountain pens, the Miguelrius notebook is getting a lot of use. Two inexpensive finds at Staples were the Arc Collection and the filler paper from Brazil. Both made fast friends with a variety of inks.

None of this discounts some of my continuing favorites like Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper, Levenger True Writers, Namiki Falcon soft fine nibs, my Waterman Carene stub from Leigh Reyes, Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses, Diamine Mediterranean Blue, J. Herbin Lie de Thé, or Montblanc Racing Green plus so many others.

My other favorites are Inkophile visitors. Without you, this blog would have been put to rest a long time ago. You are the best!

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