Favorite Ink

[Lion]

I know we talk about the new and old pens we have and the ones we lust after and about stationary and journals. So how about a thread discussing your favorite color ink.....Mine right now is the Bordeaux by MontBlanc!!!

[JBat]

Great thread! I can't wait to see the responses. As of now, I've only used Montblanc black in cartridges.

[shandy]

Great Thread Leo!
In fact this would make a great sticky as the number of different colour inks out there is mind boggling!

My Favorites at the moment boil down to Three.
Diamine majestic blue, one of the most beautiful blue inks I have ever seen, dark enough for business but with enough shading for more creative writing such as journaling.
Here is an example of that one!


Next up is the wonderful Mont Blanc Bordeaux, like you Leo this is my favorite of the red spectrum, lovely shading and depth!
This sample shows both broad and fine nib and shows the different colour and shading with different types of nib!


Last but not least is my Favorite brown and the ink I use the most. Noodlers standard brown.

Nice and dark nutty colour with lovely shading.
This image shows a fine to medium nib at the top and a fine flex Duofold jr on the bottom!


I am looking for a really nice black, a friend of mine says she knows a lovely one and will pick me up a bottle when she is in Italy later this month!

I am looking also for a nice green, I love the MB racing green but it is a little black, I want something that pops out green but deep with lot's of shading, anyone know of any like that?

[sunburst]

I have two favorites

1. Aurora - Blue
2. Private Reserve - Ebony Purple

[JBat]

Ian, the majestic blue looks spectacular, further enhanced by your amazing handwriting.

[JBat]

Joji, I have the Aurora blue and black on backorder. I'm looking forward to trying them.

[shandy]

Originally Posted by JBat

Ian, the majestic blue looks spectacular, further enhanced by your amazing handwriting.

Thanks so much John Though I must admit that the flexi nibs make handwriting look really great and is more to do with the nib than the operator of said nib

Any luck is sourcing a local store for your ink needs? I will ask at the next pen club meeting this month as a few of the folks who attend go down into Washington a lot!

[JBat]

Ian, I'm going to contact World Lux and Silberman this weekend and see what they carry. In fact, I'll give them a ring tonight to get the ball rolling. Both Seattle and Bellevue are within a 30 minute drive. With the Omas arriving soon I want to have ink on hand!

And you're too modest!

[Lion]

Ian, I really like that Diamine Majestic Blue, love the shading and it looks sort of like a blue/black...and your Noodlers Std. brown is amazing. I see why it's your favorite every day use. Wow, there are so many colors out there that you could use a different color everyday of the week!!!

[2careless]

Great thread Leo!

My current favourite is J Herbin Eclat de Saphir ink - it's a blue that shows a lot of uniformity and not too much variations. 2nd favourite is the MB British Racing Green.
The paper in this sample is a Clairefontaine A4 pad.

[Mrdi]

Quink
No question
Forgiving for those of us who use our fountain pens as their daily carry.

[JBat]

The J Herbin looks great, Kai.

[Skullring]

I bought a bottle of Waterman Florida Blue not too long ago and that is my current favorite.

[shandy]

Leo, that Noodlers is a wonderful ink,I particularly like using it with the flexi nibs!

Kai! What lovely handwriting you have. I really love the shade of blue from the Herbin!

John, good luck with the quest for ink. I really hope you can get some of the copper burst, it will suite that pen down to the ground!

All this talk of ink has me itching to write!

[shandy]

Originally Posted by Skullring

I bought a bottle of Waterman Florida Blue not too long ago and that is my current favorite.

That is a classic blue Phillip, did you know as well that waterman inks are a really good fountain pen spa!

My local pen store swears by waterman if pens have got clogged or have flow problems. They always fill a pen with that and tell the customer to go away and write with it, a bit like flushing an engine to make it run better. MB ink is good for that as well they tell me!

[JimC]

I second the Waterman Florida Blue. I "rediscovered" an old bottle (about 2/3 full) in a box in the garage the other day. Loaded a couple of pens and it brought back good memories.

The only "issue" and I think why I may have put it away, was that there just was absolutely no water resistance. But it is a nice blue, and flows well in any pen I have used.

I was able to "test" a MB146 for a few days (thanks to Eric on FPN) and since I didn't have access to any MB ink, loaded the pen with the Waterman and it performed wonderfully. Because of that test, I am on my quest for a MB. It was such a smooth and juicy writer, with a fine tending toward extra fine nib. I know understand all the great sentiments about those pens...

[JimC]

Ian, again, a sincere compliment on your handwriting! Even more so, that Diamine Majestic Blue looks wonderful.

I fear in my hands, it just wouldn't appear the same...

[JimC]

Kai, nice handwriting! That is a great comparison of pen and ink.

[shandy]

Originally Posted by JimC

Ian, again, a sincere compliment on your handwriting! Even more so, that Diamine Majestic Blue looks wonderful.

I fear in my hands, it just wouldn't appear the same...

Thank you Jim, though I really mean what I said to John, it is all in the nib!

Get thee a nice vintage flexi fine nibbed waterman or such Jim and see what I mean!

[JimC]

Originally Posted by shandy

Thank you Jim, though I really mean what I said to John, it is all in the nib!

Get thee a nice vintage flexi fine nibbed waterman or such Jim and see what I mean!

I actually saw a nice "little" vintage Pelikan on FPN, but once again I was trumped... A bit too slow in my "old age", I guess... One of these days, though, I really would like to try something along those lines.

I don't want to copy anyone's style, per se, but would like to see what I can do. If I can buy in to something "cheaply" all the better, for I fear I will just have a pen that I might never be able to really use.

[Shangas]

1bt. Parker Quink Blue Black + 6-eyedropper-squeezes of Quink Black.

Seal bottle & shake well.

= Shangas's blue-black ink.

= k00lz.

[JimC]

Cool! OK, Shahan, you have peaked my interest now in "mixing" inks.

[Andad]

I also like Watermans Florida Blue but I have been using Noodlers Black 'feather' with my 149 medium nib and Nakaya music nib.
This 'feather' ink keeps the lines crisper especially with the high flow of these nibs.

If I mix inks, is it ok the mix brands or should I stay with the same brands to keep the chemistry correct?

[Shangas]

Fountain pen inks all share two things in common:

1. They're all water-based.
2. They all use liquid pigments.

So it's perfectly safe to mix them between brands. I know of lots of people who do this. Originally, I used ordinary Quink blue/black but it was too light for me, so I darkened it with some Quink black to turn it into a sort of navy blue/purple colour.

[daveathall]

I too believe that this thread would be a prime candidate for "Sticky status," could build into a very useful reference.

Wow, stunning writing Ian and Kai, I think I will have to order some of the beautiful inks on parade here.

A couple that I will throw into the ring for your consideration.

Noodlers Blue/Black is the ink I use everyday, the rulings at my work state that I have to use Blue/Black, this colour is IMHO a bit of a rebel, a thumb in the eye of the establishment if you will, there is a just hint of green that jockeys for a place in the colour spectrum of this ink.

The other colour that I quite enjoy using is Onoto Medditaranian Blue, lighter than I am used too, but quite refreshing in a "different" sort of way.

Onoto, top.
Noodlers, below.

[TswaneNguni]

Ian,your writing style is sublime !!! I am jealous !!

[shandy]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Ian,your writing style is sublime !!! I am jealous !!

Thank you so much Chris, try and get yourself a nice flexible nib, it works wonders for line variation!

[shandy]

Originally Posted by JimC

Cool! OK, Shahan, you have peaked my interest now in "mixing" inks.

I seem to remember Richard has a special mix as well, hopefully he can show us a sample!

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by shandy

Thank you so much Chris, try and get yourself a nice flexible nib, it works wonders for line variation!

What I need is a miracle !!! .....although my style is improving.

[Taffi Abernathy]

My choices are restricted due to the fact that only ink cartridges are compatible with my model FP. Having said that, earlier today I placed an ink order at MB. I ordered 2 boxes of blue-black. (I am supposed to document in black, but I find that the blue-black possess enough intensity and depth that it is acceptable), Holiday 2007 (a deep red with vanilla scent like the ones Ian had sent me), and finally, Holiday 2005 (chocolate brown with scent of cookies and spices).