I’m In The Mood For Green – Ink That Is

There are four green inks that form the mid-range of my green rotation. Each is different enough to get its own time usually in one of my Pilot Elite ‘Socrates’ pocket pens and when I’m in a bold mood, a Lamy Vista 1.1 mm calligraphy nib.

• Diamine Kelly Green has the most yellow of the green inks and shades incredibly well from light green at the tops of letters to shamrock green at the bottom.
• J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage is less yellow and might be considered the truest green of the bunch. It shades less and offers more consistent coverage than Kelly Green.
• Rohrer & Klingner Verdura starts the transition to blue-based green. The blue isn’t strong but is definitely present in greater measure than yellow. Shading is more subtle and the flow a bit dry compared to the other green inks.
• Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku is the most blue of the group. Depending on the paper it can produce excellent shading with excellent flow. Even though it leans decidedly blue, it is definitely a green.

In that same color range ,Diamine Umber, J. Herbin Vert Empire, and Diamine Emerald get high marks, too.

No one has done a better job of comparing green inks than geoduc with two outstanding posts (#1 and #2) at FPN. Be sure to scroll through all of the graphics. It’s an amazing body of work.

Starting Out The New Year With A Clean Sweep

What better way to start the year than with a thorough cleaning. Ten pens got the treatment and are drying, nibs down, in a wad of paper towel. That leaves a mere five for general use and two for testing. Does that sound like a lot? I assure you that is lean for me.

• Parker ’51′ Aero F with Noodler’s Zhivago
• Parker ’51′ Aero Special XF with Noodler’s Black (pen test)
• Sailor 1911 F with Noodler’s Red-Black
• Lamy Vista 1.1 with Iroshizuku shin-ryoku
• Levenger Mink True Writer Masuyama CI with Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan
• Montblanc 220 OB with Rohrer & Klingner Magenta
• Pilot Elite Socrates F Pocket Pen with Diamine Presidential Blue (ink test)

When a fountain pen won’t do, there are four more writing instruments at hand.

• Levenger Starry Night Roller Ball with a black felt tip refill
• Autopoint Mechanical Pencil
• Pentel Pocket Brush Pen with a black cartridge
• OXO Pink Highlighter

Elena sent a couple of Mitsu-Bishi 9800 2B pencils that will get some playtime soon. It’s likely the Levenger Kyoto True Writer Masuyama Stub will get a load of Iroshizuku syo-ro or possibly Private Reserve Ebony Blue in the near future. I love writing with this pen so it never stays clean for long.

That’s my winter rotation. What’s on your desk to start the new year?

The Bounty On My Desk

Sometimes it’s good to appreciate the amazing choices we have. So today I took stock of the bounty on my desk and found plenty to make a pen person smile.

Next to my right hand, coffee mug, and mouse are ten fountain pens, three felt tips, a brush pen, a mechanical pencil, and one highlighter. Does that seem like a lot? You should see the mountain of art supplies that hogs the left side of my workspace. Pens are small, tidy things in comparison. Paper is the biggest space invader but that’s another story.

Inkophile Pen and Ink Samples for August, 2011

The first three pens get daily use and I am content with each. The newest addition is the Namiki Falcon SB which is well-matched to Stipula Verde Mushiato both in flow and shading. The Levenger True Writer Masuyama Cursive Italic is perfect for brown ink but the Namiki Falcon SF gets to change its colors frequently. Its ink will be determined by what is missing when the other pens have been filled.

The three pens not pictured in the sample are due for cleaning and replacement by old favorites like my Sailor 1911 EF. That one works brilliantly with Noodler’s Red-Black and is an easy choice. The Sapporo F might get a fill of something turquoise or possibly one of my 1976 Pilot Elite “Socrates” pocket pens will get Diamine Teal. All three pens are good for long sessions and disinclined to clog even if unused for days at a time.

Sometimes I like to dig deeper in my pen drawer for older pens that deserve some playtime. The navy gray Parker ’51′ Aero F looks like a good mate for Noodler’s Zhivago and the Pelikan M250 Fine Stub has had a thing for Diamine Emerald for years. The dimensions of these two are slightly different from the other pens so that helps reduce hand fatigue on those days that seem to have no end.

Lastly it’s time to go back to black. Either the Limited Edition Sailor Hougado Deep Moss Black or Noodler’s Black but the pen has yet to be determined. The Lamy Safari OB and the Pilot Custom Black Stripe F are good candidates for a rich, dark ink. Again maintaining a variety of dimensions will determine the winner.

So that’s my latest pen and ink rotation.

Putting aside everything on my desk but the fountain pens and the written sample, I looked for a common thread to this rotation. Danged if I can find one save the pleasure in using a fountain pen and the colorful line it produces. That’s pretty simple but it does make me wonder about other fountain pen people. If you are a member of that club, what drives your rotation?

New Lamy Safari In Aquamarine!

Goldspot Pens just posted an image of the latest Lamy Safari and it certainly is a pretty turquoise. This hot new model sports a stainless steel nib but it might be fun to purchase an extra nib in black for contrast and variety. Hmmm…

New Links To Start The New Year

A few links to start the New Year right…

• Reacquaint yourself with the pleasures of a hand-sharpened pencil
• Chocolate Vodka Recipe from Withoutink
• A better Post-It
• My Year in Journaling from d’blogala
• Being A Good Writer
• Paper Art by Hunter Stabler
• Do you love turquoise?
• UK science journal publishes study by 8-year-olds
• Thrifty Flair: New Year’s resolutions for the home
• Pels and Lamys invade the Philippines (h/t HisNibs.com)
• Beginner Fountain Pens from Office Supply Geek
• Jack the Cat

Inkophile’s Favorites for 2010

Some new, some old, here are a few of my favorite things…

• Rohrer & Klingner Ink – Two colors have been in my cabinet for years so this was not a brand new find. However, when Pear Tree Pens began to offer it this year, I started to expand my collection and am happy to report R&K has earned several places in my regular rotation. Solferino, Verdigris, Alt-Goldgrün, and Magenta are my current favorites but Morinda and Blau Permanent are not far behind. The palette is a well-round offering with something for every need. At $12.50 for 50ml the cost is in my acceptable range especially considering the quality.
• Iroshizuku remains the ink that tops my guilty pleasures list. For color and performance this one is hard to beat. Ku-jaku joined my collection this year and instantly won a place on my favorites list displacing several turquoise and aqua inks.
• J. Herbin Ink continues to be my mainstay. There isn’t a dud in the bunch plus they are exceptionally easy to clean from a pen. Lie de Thé is my favorite and most-used brown with Poussière de Lune in my rotation nearly as often.
• A sample of the Rhodia dotPad (courtesy of Karen at Exaclair) quickly earned a place in my paper arsenal along with anything from G. Lalo now that I’ve tried various weave samples from Jean Elie at Pen and Co.
• For calligraphy or flex nib practice, Clairefontaine French-ruled paper rules here. Thick, juicy ink lines dry slowly but it is definitely worth the wait.
• This was a lean year for me when it comes to new pens but a Noodler’s Fountain Pen was a nice addition to my collection. I am fond of ebonite so that added to its appeal.
• Courtesy of the generous Peggy Love (who also insured I have a lifetime supply of Apica Journals), I got my hands on a trio of Levenger True Writer Rollerballs with Fiber Tip refills. They won’t replace my fountain pens but they certainly are convenient and very easy on my hand. These pens are useful for writing situations that include frequent stops and starts since they do not have to be capped as quickly as a fountain pen. I have enjoyed filling pages with doodles and even managed a bit of line variation by playing with the angle at which the nib contacts the paper. A girl’s gotta have fun, you know?
• An old favorite has taken up residence in the number one position in my rotation and it isn’t a fountain pen. Shocked? Well, sometimes you’ve just got to go with what’s convenient and a mechanical pencil is hard to beat. No uncapping, no flow issues, no muss, no fuss. While I only use it for notes to myself, that is what I write most often so why not use the best tool for the job? Besides anything that works on a Post-It gets high marks from me. After trying several mechanical pencils, I’ve concluded that my old Autopoint Jumbo All-American Pencil, with a 0.9mm HB lead, is just right. Because the wide lead does not dig into paper, it erases easily. Unlike my other MPs, the lead has never broken. Not once! While that is in part attributable to the chunky lead, it is also a result of the design of the pencil. Years ago I bought the ivory and the red. The former blends in while the latter stands out. Both are winners in my book.

 

Inkophile's Favorite Products for 2010

 

So that’s my list of new or rediscovered items for 2010. Unlike in years past my regular rotation remained the same led by a Sailor Sapporo, a 1911 and a couple of Pilot Pocket Pens. The Pilot 742FA and Montblanc 220 OB are off for repair so we shall see how they work out on their return in January. There is one Lamy Safari with a custom cursive italic nib that is always inked with Montblanc Racing Green. It remains my #1 writer though I wish the nib had a snazzier body. Two Namiki Falcons with soft fine nibs are always close at hand and a Levenger True Writer is usually inked as well. That makes my core rotation total seven pens, give or take a True Writer or two.

Inks come and go but I am consistently pleased with Waterman Blue Black in my vintage pens especially those with flexible nibs. At the price point and with its easy availability, WBBk is an excellent match for pens that go through a volume of ink. It is also a good one to include with a gift pen. It won’t cause damage and it writes well from any nib. If the recipient loves it, a new bottle can readily be found.

Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Quo Vadis Habana, and Apica continue to be my favorite brands of paper. Triomphe and G. Lalo are excellent stationery though often I use a lined Rhodia pad for casual letters. For variety I have a few pads of Japanese paper that are lovely with even the roughest nibs. Lastly my stock of the long discontinued Exacompta Black Block is waning so I don’t use it as often as I would like though it has a softness that suits me perfectly. If you run across this one, do let me know. I would love to add a few tablets to my reserves.

So that’s my list of favorite things. Rumor has it that Santa just might have on his sleigh one of the new Noodler’s flex nib pens with a bottle of Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses. Yeah, I know. That’s a mouthful but can you picture that pair? The demonstrator (clear) model with plum ink should be lovely. Hopefully, it gets delivered to the right home. I don’t think any of my neighbors would appreciate this dynamic duo but I could be mistaken…maybe…

So What’s The Deal With Iron Gall Ink

Iron gall ink is old. Really old. Traces of it have even been found on the Dead Sea Scrolls. It has been around that long but does it belong in your fountain pen?

Iron gall became the ink of choice during the Middle Ages and was common well into the 20th century. Made from iron salts and tannic acids from vegetable sources, the blue-black is the quintessential vintage color.

Originally used with tools like reeds, quills, and later dip pens, these inks fell out of favor with good reason as fountain pens and modern formulations emerged. Not only do iron gall inks have a reputation for damaging pens but writing surfaces as well. In other words, those old formulas did not play well with paper.

Recent inks are less risky because they contain only small amounts of the offending components. Diamine, Montblanc, Lamy, and Rohrer & Klingner offer blue-black colors with R&K adding a purple version as well.

That iffy reputation made me reluctant to risk pen damage. However, when Pear Tree Pens offered an appealing discount on ink, I couldn’t refuse.

For the past week I’ve tested the two made by R&K. The colors are excellent for conservative uses and the properties are in line with some of my favorite brands. Flow, drying-time, coverage, show-through and bleed-through all measured well for me. There is some question about how light-fast these inks might be but I haven’t used them long enough to have an opinion. If you like shading, both Salix and Scabiosa are lovely.

Some people use iron galls with good success though others report these inks can do serious damage to pens if maintenance isn’t regular. Then there are those pen users who report no issues despite infrequent cleaning but I suspect they use their pens often enough to prevent ink drying out in the feed or nib. Or perhaps they are exceedingly lucky.

Despite those good reports, I find it hard to make a full-fledged recommendation for what is likely a high maintenance ink. It is worth noting that the companies that offer them are top-notch so that is an endorsement of sorts. Thus if you practice careful pen hygiene, you might enjoy Salix or Scabiosa in your regular rotation.

Using these Rohrer & Klingner iron gall inks has been a bit like tapping into history. In fact one of them could be just the mate for that vintage-looking leather covered journal I’ve been considering. Hmmm…

 

Rohrer & Klingner Salix and Scabiosa Inks

Overrun by Fountain Pens

Does this happen to you? No matter how limited I try to keep things, my desk gets overrun by fountain pens. Time to whip them into line or at least to make my fountain pen excess more manageable.

Actually, only a few duos get regular use based more on the inks than the pens. Sure, I’m a sucker for color but other properties as well. Nevertheless, there are a few pens that are so much fun to use, they are rarely given a rest especially when matched with the perfect ink.

(Note that the ink scan is far from ideal. Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku is darker and a bit more green while Diamine Violet is slightly more red than the image appears on my monitor. Even Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün could be a tiny bit more yellow. The image of the pens is spot-on but then black is hard to get wrong even for me. )

A Simple Fountain Pen Ink Rotation

After much winnowing the core of my rotation now includes

• Turquoise – Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku in Sailor Sapporo Fine
• Blue-Black – Diamine Blue-Black in Pilot Custom Black Stripe Fine
• Purple – Diamine Violet in Namiki Falcon Soft Fine
• Magenta – Rohrer & Klingner Solferino in Pilot Elite ‘Isaac Newton’ Fine
• Dark red – Noodler’s Red-Black in Sailor 1911 Fine
• Brown – J. Herbin Lie de Thé in Levenger True Writer Fine
• Dark green – Montblanc Racing Green in Lamy Safari Custom Cursive Italic
• Medium green – Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün in Lamy Safari 1.1 mm

Alt-Goldgrün is so right for so many uses that it deserves a better performing pen than the Safari. That is the only weak spot in my lineup and it could get remedied as soon as a few pens return from the spa.

A Few Favorite Fountain Pens

For additional variety, two or three duos from my Very Nearly Perfect List will do.

The secondary players:

• Green – Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku in Pilot Elite ‘Socrates’ Fine
• Dark green – Private Reserve Avacado in Waterman Carene Stub
• Red – Rohrer & Klingner Morinda in Lamy Vista 1.1 mm
• Orange – Iroshizuku Yu-Yake in Retro 51 Scriptmaster II Fine
• Blue – Diamine Mediterranean Blue in Namiki Falcon Soft Fine or Montblanc 220 OB
• Black – J. Herbin Perle Noire in Levenger True Writer Fine
• Dark brown – Noodler’s #41 Brown in Noodler’s Aero Medium Fine (still testing this one) or Pilot Elite Fine

There are a few inks that either haven’t met the right pens yet or other inks nabbed the great pens first.

• Noodler’s Cayenne
• Rohrer & Klingner Magenta
• Sailor Deep Moss Black
• J. Herbin Café des Îles
• Iroshizuku Syo-Ro
• Stipula Moss Green

These inks will eventually meet ideal mates and join the secondary list which will bring my total rotation to twenty-one with ten to twelve inked at a time. Add to that a few inks being tested for Inkophile reviews and it’s no wonder my desk always looks so overcrowded!

Do you have a core group of inks and pens? Do add your list to the comments. I would love to know which ones make you happy.

Pens and Inks for Summer

For the last two weeks, my pens and inks have taken on summer hues. Inks more than pens but black is a neutral, right?

Summer Pens 2010

While other inks and pens will surely get added over the next few weeks, my current rotation includes

• Mabie Todd ‘Jackdaw’ Stub with J. Herbin Lie de The
• Sailor Sapporo with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
• Namiki Falcon SF with Diamine Violet
• Lamy Vista 1.1 italic with J. Herbin Rouille D’Ancre
• Lamy Safari Custom Cursive  Italic with Montblanc Racing Green
• Montblanc 220 with J. Herbin Larmes de Cassis
• Pilot “Isaac Newton” with Rohrer & Klingner Solferino
• Pilot Blue Flower Pocket Pen with J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche
• Yellow Levenger True Writer with Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
• Retro 51 Scriptmaster II in Clementine with Iroshizuku Yu-Yake

There are five fine nibs, four stub/italics and lastly one lone, flex nib. Not until I completed the list did I realize how well it represents my usual choice in nibs. Unintentionally, I picked just the right mix of pens.

Summer Ink Palette 2010

The inks were a bit more considered but still without a true plan. Summer weather does call for lighter, cheerful shades like orange and turquoise. Larmes de Cassis fits the season as well. So the inks skew a bit softer than my usual rotation.

Just to keep things from getting into a rut, I’ve also have at the ready two Levenger True Writers with fiber tip refills, one black and one blue. Veering even further from the fountain pen fold, a couple of Pigma Microns showed up in orange and evergreen. Those two will make colorful notes on anything including an old Moleskine Cahier with paper that just doesn’t play fair with fountain pen ink.

Well, that’s my seasonal kit. Varied and colorful it invites playful use which is just the thing for the lazy days of summer.

How about you? Do you have a group of pens and inks that suit this time of year?

Newest Lamy AL-Star in Coffee Brown

Finally a brown Lamy AL-Star though I’ve read it is more bronze than dark brown. It hasn’t hit the U.S. quite yet but it already has a place on my latest wishlist. Martin at The Writing Desk says it’s available in Europe so if you must be first on your block, that’s the place to go. Otherwise, Art Brown has it arriving in May, 2010 so expect it at your favorite retailer soon.

Lamy AL-Star in Coffee Brown