A Noodler’s Flex Pen Meets Gorgeous Ink

Ever wondered what you could do with a Noodler’s Standard Flex pen?

Noodler’s Standard Flex with Noodler’s Black Swan In Australian Roses.

Isn’t the ink pretty in a clear barrel?

Parker Penman Ruby Fountain Pen Ink

Parker Penman Inks were introduced twenty years ago and for some aficionados nothing has replaced them. Sapphire is the most often mentioned color but Ruby is no less worthy of note.

Ruby has a bit more yellow and green in its base than other burgundy inks and that gives it a unique, slightly earthy color. It has good shading for its degree of saturation as well as good flow. The color combined with the other properties have kept this ink on my list of favorites for a very long time.

Several years ago, I sent a sample to Diamine hoping they would develop something comparable. After all, Ruby had been off the market since 2000 and there were few burgundy inks available at that time, much less one that offered similar properties. Since then, Diamine has released Syrah and Merlot. From Diamine’s online swatches, Syrah looks like a possible substitute for Ruby while Merlot looks more red or wine-colored.

Inks that are true color duplicates are uncommon so at best Syrah will be similar. If it shades well, it might be a worthy substitute. Not that I’m likely to run out of Ruby anytime soon. My stash of three bottles is more properly a hoard, one that could make even a dragon jealous.

A Burgundy By Any Other Name

Not that anyone has to have a burgundy ink in their color wardrobe, but a true inkophile does love variety. My collection is lacking a Diamine in this color range, something I intend to remedy soon with either Oxblood or Syrah.

For now, the long-discontinued Parker Penman Ruby and Noodler’s Red-Black will do while Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses is perfect for something a bit more pink. All three show a degree of shading with the right pens and good to excellent flow in any pen. None are fast drying but I like the colors so well that this quirk doesn’t deter me .

Noodler’s Tiananmen and Cayenne are my choices for red though Diamine Monaco Red is a good option for a slightly less saturated look.

Noodler’s Black Swan in English Roses would be another good addition to this group but it’s a lot more difficult to find as the good ones so often are.

The dots are more representative of the color produced with a pen except Noodler’s Tiananmen which is less red and more rose colored than reflected in the scan.