Moleskine Meets Fountain Pen Ink

And the winner is…

Moleskine Meets Fountain Pen Ink

Favorite Montblanc Inks

These are a few of my favorite inks, Montblanc at least. The samples are from bottles and not the cartridges. All three turn out darker from a pen but you can still get a sense of the colors from the image below. The properties are similar though not identical and vary from pen to pen. But all are excellent quality and it least one is in my rotation at all times. That’s a pretty good recommendation I’d say.

Montblanc Fountain Pen Inks

De Atramentis Caveat

Now that Art Brown carries De Atramentis ink, many fountain pen folk will get a first look at this German import. While De Atramentis Aubergine has been high on my list of favorite inks for years, the three I’ve recently acquired remain to prove themselves. Reviews are in the works but in preliminary tests, nothing seems amiss in performance.

There is one caveat that needs mentioning now though. The label colors do not fairly represent the ink colors. The result is that I wasted money on colors that do not meet my expectations nor do they fill the holes in my collection for which they were intended. This isn’t just a matter of how the colors appear on a monitor but rather the ink on white paper held against the labels. Since the labels are the only swatches available online for most of the product line, there is no way to predict the color with a fair level of accuracy. With two of the four bottles I own, the difference between the ink and the label is dramatic. The other two are merely inaccurate.

So caveat emptor when it comes to De Atramentis color representations. However, if you like the excitement of things unpredictable, hopefully, you will be happier with your surprise package than I was with mine.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Greens

The Sound of Music’s My Favorite Things floated my way when I thought about comparing the green inks in my current rotation. J. Herbin Vert Empire, Private Reserve Avacado (sp.), and Montblanc Racing Green are delightfully well-matched to their pens but might not be as wonderful in other models. It took a long time to discover two of these pairings and the third was entirely by luck. Oh, if you like flex, Vert Empire shades beautifully in an Esterbrook ‘J’ with a 9128 extra-fine flex nib. So there is that, too.

Dark Green Fountain Pen Ink

My complete list would also include Sailor Uranari Green, J. Herbin Vert Olive, Diamine Emerald, and Iroshizuku shin-ryoku. These inks work well for me in lots of pens so they are worth mentioning as well.

Probably the most versatile of the bunch are Diamine Emerald and MB Racing Green. PR Avacado dries a little slower than the other two but can be easier to find in the U.S.

There is one caveat when it comes to green ink. I’ve found nearly all of them change, whether lighter or darker, softer or bolder, depending on the pen and especially in a scan. If ever there was a color to which YMMV applies, green is it.

Any one of these inks could be a good addition to your collection but if you like green as much as I do, one just won’t be enough.

Orange You Glad It’s Fall

Whether you giggled or groaned at the title, in this part of the world fall has arrived. With all its rich and yummy colors from persimmon to sunset to saffron, it’s that orange time of year. In recognition of the ruling color, here are a few fountain pen inks from my collection.

Don’t take these scans as true representations of the colors but rather as relative comparisons. Orange proved to be a real challenge to get right.

Orange Ink Swatches

And a few writing samples…

Iroshizuku yu-yake

J. Herbin Orange Indien

Iroshizuku fuyu-gaki

Private Reserve Orange Crush

The Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal Showdown

Many journal devotees would agree the Moleskine A6 journal has cachet to spare. So can a newcomer called the Rhodia Webnotebook (a/k/a The Webbie) best it? With certainty in one key category it does but is it enough to make you switch?

Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal

When it comes to form, Moleskine is exactly what a journal ought to be. The cover is thin but sturdy, the perfect little black book. The ribbon marker is durable enough and the pocket tucked inside the back cover is convenient for all manner of uses. The elastic band closure fits just right and helps keep goodies tucked tidily between the pages. The cream colored pages with pale gray lines are easy on the eyes and discreet. The Moleskine is a classy-looking journal in every respect.

The Rhodia Webnotebook is similar and certainly gives more than a nod to the venerable Moleskine. Unfortunately, it misses in some small ways but puts the Moleskine to shame in the most important one. More later about that.

Addressing form differences first, the Rhodia cover is thicker, sturdy, rigid, and smooth. The elastic band is tight and left permanent indentations on the front and back covers of the sample I received from Exaclair. There is a pocket attached to the back cover just like the Mole.  The inside cover is black with no place to write a name or offer a reward should the journal meet with misfortune. This omission could easily be remedied with a bookplate sticker. The Rhodia does not initially lie perfectly flat like the Moleskine but with use the spine will relax enough to make that less an issue.

The paper is a whole ‘nother subject and in this the Rhodia excels. The images tell the story. The Moleskine paper feathers in places with fountain pen ink but does well with pencil, gel pens, roller balls, and Sharpie Pens (not markers). There is show-through and bleed-through from every fountain pen I used. As one would expect, the finest nibs worked best. Although I didn’t have them on hand to test today, Noodler’s Black or Legal Lapis in a dry Parker ‘51′ extra-fine are the best fountain pen and ink duos I’ve ever found for a Moleskine. The Pilot Prera fine nib tested best of the lot this time.

Moleskine Journal - Front

Moleskine Journal - Reverse

Now for the challenger. The darker cream/gray lined Rhodia paper is thicker, smoother, and absolutely loved nearly everything I threw at it. Finally, double-sided writing is feasible in a small, black journal. No feathering, no bleed-through except with a Sharpie Marker and only the very faintest show-through with anything else.

Prefer fountain pens? This is a match made in heaven at least with the new 90g version. Depending on the ink and pen, drying time can be longer than with the Moleskine but I think it is worth the few-second wait. A piece of blotter paper should eliminate any smearing if that is a concern.

Rhodia Webnotebook - Front

Rhodia Webnotebook - Reverse

For anything but fountain pens, both the Moleskine and the Rhodia work well. The Sharpie Pen was particularly nice. It didn’t even leave an indentation. For compatibility with fountain pen ink though, the Rhodia Webnotebook easily came out tops. Every pen on my desk worked well including the stub and the free-flowing cursive italic, just the sort of versatility that is perfect for an inkophile.

Update: One of the comments below states that the line spacing is larger in the Webnotebook. A side by side comparison of the 9 x 14 cm sized journals used in my test showed no difference between the two.

Note: Another Rhodia Webnotebook review at Rhodia Drive.

Ink made from wine? How perfect for an Inkophile!

Yipee! Art Brown now offers De Atramentis ink in the U.S. and may I say it’s about time someone nailed down that brand for inkophiles on this side of the pond. How can anyone not be intrigued by a basic palette of 56 colors or ink that smells like coffee or ink that is made from wine? Is your interest piqued now?

De Atramentis Coffee Ink

At present quantities are limited so get your order in pronto if you want to be the first on your block to own a bottle or two. Unfortunately, the only color I’ve tried isn’t available in the first offering so I’ll wait to place an order in hopes Aubergine turns up in future. None remains on my shelf to write a review but it was a lovely, well-behaved ink. Hmmm. Maybe an ink made from wine would be just the thing to toast the holidays. On second thought who needs to wait for the holidays?

De Atramentis Pinot Noir Ink

Note: There is a substantial difference in color, at least on my monitor, between some of the swatches at Art Brown and those at De Atramentis. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

Back to Black

It’s been a long summer and life is now starting up on the other side of the break. Back to the desk, a little writing, and a few reviews.

Needing to test a pen without ink prejudice, I decided to bring out my old bottle of Noodler’s Black. Several years ago NB was one of three inks, along with Noodler’s Legal Lapis and Parker Quink BBk, in my business rotation. For a couple of 1940’s Parker “51″ fountain pens, those inks worked beautifully in my Moleskine journals but there were other benefits at least to the black. Its lack of color helped me focus on the words and screen out thoughts about the ink. It also allowed me to judge a pen’s performance without considering aesthetics like shading or outlining, quite useful when I am undecided about a nib. Yesterday was one of those days.

The pen in question was a Leonardo Black Lacquer Calligraphy pen intended for Chinese calligraphy. The nib turns up and allows for a variety of line widths. A review of the pen is on my To Do List but for now suffice it to say it is not for everyone but it is great fun for a change of pace.

The bigger point (Ha!) is that using Noodler’s Black allowed me to focus on the nib and the writing without being swayed by the beauty of the ink. Noodler’s has a good degree of blackness to it though the Leonardo can make it shade from charcoal to black. More importantly the writing flowed unhesitatingly from my thoughts to the paper. That is good. Very, very good. I wrote until the letters blurred and I could no longer be certain the letters were sitting on the paper’s lines, there being multiples of them by day’s end.

When was the last time you wrote that intensely? The black made me do it. I swear it did. So if you haven’t tried it lately, grab a fill of black and see if your thoughts don’t embellish the written word far better than the color of your ink. I dare you!

Leonardo Calligraphy Pen Meets Noodler's Black Ink

A Sailor Falls for Diamine Steel Blue

I love this color. How’s that for a simple recommendation? Diamine Steel Blue is incredibly nice in my Sailor 1911 with the elegant fine nib. The flow and the color just make using the pen a treat. The Bloc Rhodia No. 16 paper obviously agrees so you don’t have to take my word for it. See for yourself.

Diamine Steel Blue

More aqua and turquoise ink swatches.

Lots of Inkophile Ink Reviews

Links to all Inkophile ink reviews through August, 2009:

• Diamine Damson
• Diamine Kelly Green
• Diamine Sepia
• Diamine Violet
• Iroshizuku fuku-gaki
• Iroshizuku syo-ro
• Iroshizuku tsukushi
• Iroshizuku yama-guri
• Iroshizuku yu-yake
• J. Herbin Ambre de Birmaine
• J. Herbin Bleu Nuit
• J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche
• J. Herbin Bouquet D’Antan
• J. Herbin Cacao du Brésil
• J. Herbin Café Des Îles
• J. Herbin Gris Nuage
• J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis
• J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage
• J. Herbin Perle Noire
• J. Herbin Rouille D’Ancre
• J. Herbin Terre de Feu
• J. Herbin Vert Empire
• J. Herbin Vert Olive
• J. Herbin Vert Réséda
• Private Reserve Arabian Rose
• Private Reserve Ebony Blue
• Private Shoreline Gold
• Sailor Uranari Green
• Sheaffer Skrip Burgundy