Too Many Inks

Anyone else challenged by the number of inks on the market? So many brands. So many colors. A few have piqued my interest including several offered by Colorverse and Robert Oster, but I cannot begin to follow all of the Sailor inks and so many others now available. A few days ago, I was looking for an ink for a 1970’s Pilot pen and found myself wishing there was another color in the spectrum. Absent that, I decided to revisit inks that have been around for decades.

Reliable inks from Herbin, Iroshizuku, Diamine, a few Noodler’s and older Sailor colors beckoned. There isn’t an ink in the bunch that I haven’t known for at least ten years, and some are on their second or third bottles, a testament to their properties and characteristics. One of those old inks might be just the right mate for a newer pen.

Iroshizuku syo-ro has been a constant on my shelf since it was introduced. Despite having a number of partners over the years, no pen had proven to be its ideal mate. A few months ago, a Delike fude joined the crew and despite dancing with a variety of partners, the pen with syo-ro has proven to be a terrific match that invites writing in a daily journal, an activity that had fallen out of my routine quite some time ago. Now I look forward to it and the fude is on its fourth fill of syo-ro. Isn’t that the best evidence of a perfect pairing?

Other inks that have new pen mates are J Herbin Larmes des Cassis, Violette Pensee and Rouille D’Ancre. Diamine Raw Sienna continues to look for a companion. Perhaps a mink (brown) True Writer will take to it or a Japanese fine nib or even a Platinum Century. More experimentation is in order along with a bit of restraint or the number of pens on my desk will get crazy.

Are you willing to give some of your earliest inks a chance to play again? I bet none of them will turn you down.

Ideas For Pairing Pens And Inks

Deciding which pens and inks to put together can be anything from a pleasant endeavor to a time-consuming frustration. Do you have rules for matching pens and inks? I don’t after more than twenty years of using fountain pens. However, I have developed a few observations that help narrow my choices when either a pen or an ink is begging for a workout. More often than not, the pen comes first and then the ink. These guidelines help refine my search.

• Dark green and red inks work best with narrow nibs.
• Blue, brown and black work with all nibs.
• Orange and purple suit medium and wide nibs.
• Turquoise and burgundy go well with medium nibs.
• Pastel and pale inks are best paired with wide nibs.
• Blue, teal and brown inks are good with fine to medium fude nibs.
• Wide fude nibs bring out the best qualities of gray inks.
• For the palest pink inks, only the Platinum #3776 Music Nib will do.
• Sailor Peach Pink, Sailor Sakura Mori, Iroshizuku Kosumosu, Herbin Bouquet D’Antan are pretty with any wide nib.
• Characteristics like sheening, outlining and shading are best revealed with stub and italic writing.
• Often I will forget which ink is loaded in which pen, so I keep a scorecard nearby.
• I track how pens and inks perform together by writing a few words in a dedicated pen and ink notebook.
• If there is an outstanding combination, like Diamine Violet with a TWSBI 580 1.1mm stub, that gets noted, too.
• I can be guilty of matching inks to pen colors though on occasion to shake things up, I will put together complementary ones. Red pen with green ink as an example.

Perhaps too many guidelines, but they suit my needs. Most came from analyzing how I put things together without giving my actions any prior thought. They help me narrow my search, and with the size of my collection, they are essential. Your list will be different, but creating one can be a helpful action if choosing pen and ink mates is challenging, frustrating or even too time-consuming. Or you might just do it for fun.

Van Gogh Palette

Mostly Ink Links

Much ado about ink…

• The Well-Appointed Desk: Paper Review and Giveaway: Musubi Cosmo Air Light Notebook
• Liz Steel: Revisiting My Colored Ink Collection (nice range of colors)
• Incredible Colours: Ferris Wheel Press Pink Eraser on Rhodia
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Review: Robert Oster Pen Chalet Exclusives
• Mountain of Ink: Teal Ink (might be my favorite color)
• From the Pen Cup: The TWSBI Draco: I Had My Doubts
• Penultimate Dave has several videos about Lamy inks
• The Gentleman Stationer: Workhorse Inks
• Read Cursive Fast
• Jet Pens: How to Pick the Best Fountain Pen Paper

From the archives, a Sheaffer Taranis Fountain Pen with Sheaffer Blue-Black ink on Apica 6A10 paper.

A Few Links To End The Week

Ink and pens are a lot more entertaining than what passes for news these days. Take a break and enjoy a few articles about pens and such.

• Jet Pens: Intermediate Guide to Fountain Pen Inks: Sheen, Shading, Shimmer, and More
• Fountain pen blog: Inky Pursuits: some notebook tales.
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Eye Candy: Papier Plume Desire (New Orleans Collection Fountain Pen Ink)
• Fountain Pen Quest: Trail Log – February 7, 2021
• Ed Jelley: Esterbrook x Accutron Fountain Pen Review
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review: Endless Recorder

From the archives:

 

Starting Off The Week With A Few Worthy Links

Still looking without success for a printer/scanner (preferably Canon) under $200 for good quality photo printing. Inventory is stunningly low and prices are very high, the principle of supply and demand being fully in play. Regardless, a few articles turned up that are worth sharing with you.

• The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Brand Overview: The New Birmingham Pen Company Inks
• Althouse: How To Write A Book (Includes John Steinbeck’s advice on writing.)
• Jet Pens: Yamamoto Paper Tasting Volumes
• Rediscover Analog: Retro51 is here to stay
• Gourmet Pens: Fountain Pen Handwriting Fun for $25 – Moonman + Fude Bent Nib!
• The Pelikan’s Perch: Edelstein Ink of the Year 2021 – Golden Beryl
• Muryō to launch a Kickstarter campaign on February 9th, 2021.
• FPR Mardi Gras Fountain Pen Ink (30ml) – Purple Sheening Ink

Doodles from the archives.

Why Use A Fountain Pen?

 

 

Recently, I was asked why people use fountain pens. The question caught me off guard as I hadn’t given it a thought in ages. Having written with them for almost twenty years, they are just a part of who I am. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of reasons for using fountain pens. 

Value for money. A well-designed and well-built pen will last decades if not generations. I have pens that are over 100 years old and still write perfectly. Ink can also last decades. Some of mine are more than 25 years old and continue to perform as they should. 

Environmentally friendly. No detritus for the landfill, unlike gel pens, ballpoints and markers, since fountain pens get reused indefinitely. The ink comes in glass bottles that are perfect for recycling.

Variety. Pens and nibs come in lots of shapes and sizes off the shelf. Not satisified with standard models? Purchase a custom-made pen or a custom ground nib. No need to compromise when you can buy a match made exclusively for you.

Improved penmanship. Some users find that fountain pen nibs produce lines that enhance letter formations. Stubs and italic nibs are especially good for this.

Comfortable size and shape. Especially good for arthritis and other limitations. Long writing sessions can be less fatigue-producing with a fountain pen since it will glide rather than drag across the paper.

Uniqueness. Inks have a variety of characteristics from subtle shading to multi-toned, reflective coloring and many variations in between. The right nib on fountain pen-friendly paper will bring out its best qualities.

Enjoyment. Writing with a fountain pen can be cathartic and relaxing. Its use encourages time away from technology with obvious benefits.

These are at least some of the reasons to use a fountain pen. What is yours?

Autumn Inks

Inks are Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan and Sailor Tokiwa Matsu. Pens are a Platinum #3776 Century medium from Luxury Pens and a Lamy Studio fine.