Fountain
Pens > Papers & Inks > All
About Inks
My
Experiences and Choices In Inks
I’m not going to go to great lengths to criticize any
brands here. Experiences vary based on too many factors.
Instead, I’ll list the inks I’ve worked with,
assessed, compared, then provide a list of those I prefer.
I don’t use an array of ink colors, but have “tested” many
brands. You do not have to use the ink offered by your pen’s
manufacturer.
I maintain my inks in the classic Sheaffer ink bottle with
the side “well.” I think this bottle is the most
convenient for filling converter or piston pens. Lamy also
has a convenient bottle. Cartridges I tend to reuse a few
times, keeping to the same ink color and brand. I refill/empty/rinse
them using a standard insulin syringe.
My stationary is bright white or ecru, usually 100 percent
cotton. An emerald (dark green) ink is my primary color choice.
I also use a deep blues, but not blue-black. When using an
italic nib I want a dense black, not some washed out weak
appearance or line and that means I tend to be even more
finicky about black inks. That’s why my list is short
for this color.
You will have to experiment with your pen(s), inks, and stationery
(papers) to find the optimal combination; there’s no “school
solution.” One pen might work well with a paper and
ink combination, another not. The only way I found to determine
this is try it – experiment. You may have noticed the
link to Crane’s on my site and that’s not merely
commercial. I am a true believer in their line of papers
and stationery (100% cotton). I have yet to find a pen and
ink combination that isn’t outstanding with this paper.
Oh, and a side benefit is it’s environmentally friendly.
I’ve included a short list of vintage inks you might
find at shows or sales.
Inks Used & Compared
-
Aladine – Black, Bleu, Lagoon
Bleu, Vert.
-
Aurora – Blue,
Black
-
Bexley – Black,
Blue, Green.
-
Delta – Black,
Blue.
-
Herbin – Black,
Vert Reseda (green), Bleu Nuit (deep blue).
-
Hero – Black,
Blue
-
Lamy – Blue,
Black, Green
-
Levenger's – Blue,
Black, Green.
-
Montblanc – Blue,
Blue-Black, Black, Green.
-
Namiki - Blue, Black
-
Omas - Blue, Black, Green.
-
Parker Quink - Blue, Blue-Black, Black.
-
Pelikan - Blue, Blue-Black, Black, Turquoise, Green.
-
Penman
(Parker – now discontinued but still
available in stocks)
- Sapphire, Ebony, and Emerald.
-
Private
Reserve – Lake Placid Blue,
Velvet black,
Midnight Blues, Sherwood green.
-
Reform - Black, Blue, Green.
-
Sheaffer:
-
Old
Skrip Colors – Blue, Peacock Blue, Blue-Black,
Black.
-
Current
Colors – Black,
Blue-Black,
Blue.
-
Visconti - Lapus Blue, Black,
-
Waterman - Florida Blue, Blue-Black, Black, Green
My Ink Preferences
Let me begin by saying I do not agree with the less than
favorable press given the Penman (Parker) line of inks,
never have, and was sad to see them discontinued. Fortunately, I have a
large stock.
They have been my personal primary choice in inks almost
since they came on the market. I’ve used them in pens from every
major manufacturer and have never had the first problem. A “wetter” nib
is beneficial to flow, but I’ve used a variety of pen/nib combinations
and had no difficulty whatever. Keep in mind, I am disciplined
about maintenance of my pens and clean them after use.
This may be a factor
in my experience versus other users.
Herbin inks have been made since 1670 and ink is their
specialty. Many of their inks contain vegetable dyes versus
the more common synthetic aniline dyes and salts. As far as quality and
variety of colors,
this brand is difficult to match, reflecting one of the
advantages of specialization.
That said, here are my personal preferences:
GREEN
- Penman Emerald – Very
intense deep green ideal for ecru paper.
- Parker
Quink Green – I darken this some but it is a nice tint and
flows good.
- Levenger
Gemstone Green – My alternate for Penman Emerald.
- Herbin
Vert Reseda – A little too light for me. Excellent
flow for dry nib.
- Herbin Lierre Sauvage – Excellent deep green,
great flow.
BLUE
- Penman
Sapphire – Deep Blue, excellent line.
- Herbin
Bleu Nuit – Very deep blue. Good for dry nib.
- Private
Reserve Lake Placid Blue – Closest I’ve found
to Penman Sapphire.
BLACK
- Penman
Ebony – Good, dense black with excellent line.
- Parker
Quink Black – My old standby. Older stock seems deeper.
- Aurora Black – Good opaque black. Very good
flow for most pens.
I buy Sheaffer and Lamy inks for the convenient bottles. Of the inks
out there from major manufacturers Mont Blanc stands out as the worst
(in my opinion). The colors are weak across the board. Their black is
atrociously weak.
Vintage Inks
- Sheaffer’s
in various colors
- Stafford’s
Brown
- Carter's Washable blue
- Carter's Blue-Black
- Carter's washable blue
|
|
