Old Friends From My Stash

It was a dark and gloomy weekend. Not really. Sunny and comfortable but evenings at my desk were uninspired until I put together paper, pen and ink that haven’t seen the light of day in ages. To my delight the Rhodia No 13 pad, Sailor Sapporo fine nib and Diamine Mediterranean Blue ink were made for each other.

Mediterranean Blue has been a frequent companion to a Platinum #3776 music nib, but never a narrow nib. Not surprising for a Diamine ink, it has excellent flow and color from a fine nib, too. I never post a cap. Ever. However, the Sapporo works better in my hand with the extra length and weight. So doing something different from in the past made an unused pen usable.

I didn’t have to spend another dime to put a Sapporo into my rotation and I didn’t have to wait for a delivery. All I am suggesting is to mix things up especially in unexpected ways. You might get as pleasantly surprised as I did.

If You’ve Ever Wanted To Try A Pilot Kaküno

The Pilot Kaküno is one of my favorite bargain fountain pens. The white barrel with a soft blue cap is just right for a number of blue inks and looks rather sassy with orange. Pink and magenta are attractive colors for it, too. It writes well and is the most lightweight pen in my collection. That is all to the good.

While perusing Amazon for other items, I discovered the blue Kaküno has earned an Amazon’s Choice ranking and is currently listed at less that $10 for either the fine or the medium nib. I ordered mine with a three-pack of CON-50 converters though the pen comes with a cartridge that can be refilled via pipette or syringe.

Hey, what’s not to like about a nib that winks at you!

 

Which Ink Makes You Happy?

It doesn’t have to be just one ink, but which ink makes you happy? It could be any characteristic that does it for you or a combination like color and shading. Turquoise and orange do it for me along with the sort of flow that makes the nib glide.

I have touted Diamine Mediterranean Blue for years. It’s a bright turquoise ink that leans more blue than green. It has good flow and makes a lovely companion for my Platinum #3776 music nib. I am not usually so loyal, but Med Blue has charmed me for years. The pen and ink haven’t been mates for quite some time as the music nib is one of my best pens for ink tests. Might have to find another pen for that purpose and let the two friends take a holiday together.

Elaine from Jet Pens sent a bottle of Iroshizuku kon-peki yesterday, so I have a new turquoisy ink to consider though ku-jaku is number two on my list for turquoise/teal. Will it be replaced? Probably not, but kon-peki is coming on strong. More on that in a few days.

Noodler’s Turquoise Eel might be just the thing for narrow nibs, but I’ve never used it. The urge to order ink is growing stronger and this ink is one of the reasons.

Orange is a bit more complex. Diamine Sepia is an earthy orange-brown that is a fun ink especially with its shading and outlining. It loves the #3776, but it has enjoyed a wide variety of mates over the years. For a more true orange, Noodler’s Apache Sunset is hard to beat and its one of the best shading inks for flexible nibs. When I am in a mood for ink closer to red or pink, Diamine Vermilion will do though it isn’t a lubricating ink.

That’s my short list. Now it’s your turn. Which ink or inks make you happy?

Does your pen choice reflect the season?

Someone else must be writing this. How can an inkophile have only one pen inked? At that it’s a leftover from my last review. The Pelikan M215 stub with Sailor Sky High has no use for the other residents on my desk, an Autopoint mechanical pencil and a Sharpie Pen, as slumming is quite beneath it. Unlike fountain pens that dry out quickly, summer heat has no effect on either so they are here for the duration.

Perhaps over the weekend, one of the Baoer Eight Horses will get a fill. Stipula Sepia was such a good match for the custom italic that it might be worth using during the oppressively hot weather ahead. Diamine Mediterranean Blue is gorgeous in the Platinum #3776 MU, but after six months, it’s time for something different. Any suggestions?

Sticking to one pen for the lazy days of summer does sound awfully inviting. Does your pen rotation reflect the season? If so, how?

It’s Getting Old At Inkophile

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!

Most viewed Inkophile image:

Related Inkophile links:

• Platinum Century B
• Platinum #3776 Music Nib
• Noodler’s Purple Martin
• Stillman & Birn
• Miguelrius
• Staples Arc Collection
• Staples Filler Paper
• Rhodia paper
• Clairefontaine paper
• Levenger True Writer
• Namiki Falcon SF
• Waterman Carene stub
• Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses
• Montblanc Racing Green

Do You Have A Signature Ink?

There is little in life that is more unique than a signature. Unlike fingerprints that are immutable from birth, we get to choose the color by which we are best known as well as the design (signature) by which we are most easily recognized. As testament, my parents have been gone many years but I can still picture their signatures quite vividly. So much else has faded but not that.

Using a real pen with real ink to sign documents may eventually go the way of the dodo bird. Until then, what do you choose in all of inkdom to make your signature memorable? If I had a bottle, Pendemonium‘s Noodler’s Legal Lapis would be mine. In its absence, Noodler’s Ottoman Azure or Diamine Mediterranean Blue will do.

Noodler’s Ottoman Azure with a Brause dip nib and Diamine Mediterranean Blue in a Platinum #3776 Music nib doodled on Clairefontaine GraF it 90g Sketch paper. It has a slightly rough surface well suited to pencil sketching but a little less ideal for pen use. I like the way ink skips over the paper and enjoy the break from perfection found with more fountain pen friendly paper.

Which Trio of Inks Do You Like Best?

A Levenger Notabilia binder with an Apica 6A10 journal and a three-pen case can take me anywhere. The pens should have a variety of nibs and the trio of inks should be colorful and suit text, margin notes, and edits. Finding three that work well together is a fun part of the hobby and worth cataloging the results for future reference.

Sometimes the trio is obvious. Other times it takes some trial and error with lots of swatches to see which inks make a pleasing palette. This week two emerged quickly but the third slot could have been filled by several inks already in pens. Time for a swatch test on the gray Apica paper. It has a subtle influence on the colors, so it helps to see the test patches side by side.

The inks are Diamine China Blue, Diamine Mediterranean Blue, Namiki Blue, Iroshizuku asa-gao, Diamine Sepia, and Rohrer & Klingner Morinda. The names were written with China blue except Namiki Blue and asa-gao which were written with those inks.

Which trio do you like best?