Fountain pen ink

[Orgetorix]

Question for you fountain pen guys--John in Covina, BinkMeisterRick, et al.

Due in no small part to reading the threads about fountain pens here on the FL, I've recently become interested in getting a nice fountain pen. However, 1) I'd never used one before, 2) I can't afford a nice one right now, and 3) Christmas is coming up. So I decided just to buy an inexpensive pen to see how I like writing with a fountain pen.

I tried a few out at Fahrney's in downtown DC, and ended up getting a LAMY All-Star ($35) with a (steel) fine nib. I've been using it for a few weeks to jot memos, write letters, take sermon notes in church, etc., and I think I like it. I do have one point of dissatisfaction, though, and here's where my question comes in: As compared to the disposable rollerball pens I had been using, the ink when it dries on the page seems, for lack of a better word, pale. It just isn't as dark or robust as the ink that the roller puts down.

So, my question: is the ink looking pale because of the color or opacity of the ink itself, or is it an issue with the amount of ink the nib is putting down on the paper? I should say that I didn't go for the converter, so I'm using the standard LAMY cartridge ink that the salesman threw in when I bought the pen. Should I try a different ink? Would a different nib help? Or should I just give up on trying to be satisfied with a bottom-shelf pen and try to get a nicer one?

 

[Mr. Sable]

I look forward to the responses on this one. I think I've been bitten by the pen bug as well as a result of seeing them used on the QM.

This is the ink from one of Bink's fountain pens compared to that of my ball point pen if that helps any.

 

[Riposte3]

Question for you fountain pen guys--John in Covina, BinkMeisterRick, et al.

So, my question: is the ink looking pale because of the color or opacity of the ink itself, or is it an issue with the amount of ink the nib is putting down on the paper? I should say that I didn't go for the converter, so I'm using the standard LAMY cartridge ink that the salesman threw in when I bought the pen. Should I try a different ink? Would a different nib help? Or should I just give up on trying to be satisfied with a bottom-shelf pen and try to get a nicer one?

I wouldn't claim to be an expert, but from both my personal experience and some posts I've read here, I would suggest trying different inks first. Some inks have a higher color density than others.

I've seen this directly with my Shaeffer Reaktor (a piece of junk, I've never been able to get it to write without skipping badly). It won't take any converter, only the short international cartriges. The only SI cartriges I've been able to find in my area have a nice, dark, dense color. In contrast, the Higgins Eternal black that I use in my Waterman Phileas is slightly less dense, and easily distinguished from the other when written side by side.

I've also seen some posts here that suggest some perform better with certain inks than others, though I haven't experienced this yet.

-Jake

 

[moustache]

Inks

The inks in disposable fountain pens/rollerballs are not the same as the bottled inks we use. They have slightly different properties.Usually due to the nature of the disposable user.They won't dry out as fast.
The paper one uses matters quite a bit.The poundage and type of paper can bear directly. Higher quality papers are worth the money.

I use Private Reserve,Shaffer,and Visconti inks with splendid results!!

JD

 

[farnham54]

I use my Waterman pen with Waterman inks, an a medium tip. The paper seems to not matter, as it writes well in anything, though I do find the higher the quality of paper the better it will write. But with mine it's kind of like cold beer after a hard days work--Sure, if it could be a Sleemans OD or a Stella at the end of the day thats' great, but if it's just a bottle of Molson, it's still pretty good!

Curious if someone with a variety of pens in a variety of nib sizes could draw some lines and scan them so we have an idea on the differences?

Cheers
Craig

 

[panamag8or]

The inks in disposable fountain pens/rollerballs are not the same as the bottled inks we use. They have slightly different properties.Usually due to the nature of the disposable user.They won't dry out as fast.
The paper one uses matters quite a bit.The poundage and type of paper can bear directly. Higher quality papers are worth the money.

I use Private Reserve,Shaffer,and Visconti inks with splendid results!!

JD

I was also going to suggest that it might be the paper. I notice that my Parker 51, with regular old Quink ink in it, won't write well on post-its. I have noticed it on several other types of paper, as well.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I've been bitten by the pen bug, big time. I've been experimenting with a few different inks, and have been quite satisfied with Mont Blanc ink. I also just learned that Cross pen ink is actually Pelikan ink in a Cross bottle.
I hear very good things about Pelikan ink, and I have been planning on purchasing some for my new Pelikan fountain pen, but haven't gotten to the store yet.
Ink is really a personal thing. Experiment with a bunch of different kinds and your bound to find something you like.

 

[moustache]

Yes

I was also going to suggest that it might be the paper. I notice that my Parker 51, with regular old Quink ink in it, won't write well on post-its. I have noticed it on several other types of paper, as well.

Which is why nice writing papers are so much more expensive.
They bleed so little and make the ink very vibrant.I prefer almond or off white.
The Cross inks are just like Daisy saidelikan inks.Good inks though.
Mont Blanc does fine too.Just a bit limited on the colours.

I prefer Noodlers and Private Reserve for colour selection.Very wide range.
Even a flourescent highlighter ink for FP's!!!(Noodlers Firefly!)

I think i'm up to 30 bottles of different ink now.Fun habit/hobby though!

JD

 

[Mindraker]

Heh... when I was in a Belgian grammar school they just couldn't understand why I (an American) would write with a ballpoint pen. In fact, they couldn't even understand why I would call a ballpoint pen a "pen". To them, a ballpoint was a "Bic" (the trademark name for ballpoints). I couldn't care less. It drove my Belgian teacher up the wall. Anyway, I vaguely remember writing with a "Pelikan" (Dutch for "pelican") pen and also with a "Waterman" (My brother's fountain pen when I lost my Pelikan and started scribbling with my ballpoints again).
A Mont Blanc pen can be rather expensive, from what I remember. Kind of the "Graduation gift" you get in Europe -- a nice Mont Blanc.

 

[moustache]

Mont Blanc

Heh... when I was in a Belgian grammar school they just couldn't understand why I (an American) would write with a ballpoint pen. In fact, they couldn't even understand why I would call a ballpoint pen a "pen". To them, a ballpoint was a "Bic" (the trademark name for ballpoints). I couldn't care less. It drove my Belgian teacher up the wall. Anyway, I vaguely remember writing with a "Pelikan" (Dutch for "pelican") pen and also with a "Waterman" (My brother's fountain pen when I lost my Pelikan and started scribbling with my ballpoints again).
A Mont Blanc pen can be rather expensive, from what I remember. Kind of the "Graduation gift" you get in Europe -- a nice Mont Blanc.

Having sold Mont Blanc pens before,i was never impressed by the quality.Seems many were buying only name recognition.To each his own though.
I would rather own a Visconti or Signum.Better nibs and most certainly better barrels.

JD

 

[PAULL KUPLER]

fountain pen

the nib (pen point) has much to do with the amount of ink, a broader nib will give more. i have both vintage (try buying one in a shop dealing with collectables) and have newer, cartridge style. what i do after using up the ink in a cartridge is, having bought ink in a bottle (they sure are expensive, now) is refilling the cartridge with a syringe.i go back to when the first ball point came out. macy's was selling then and my dad gave me one for xmas. it was black came on a cylinder base with a hard clear celephane cover with a black cardboard cover over that. worked for shit. now whenever i write cards i only use my fountain pen or a glass pen. sometimes at estate sales you can find a bottle of watermans,skip or sheaffer ink. lots cheaper. happy writing!

 

[Canadave]

...ended up getting a LAMY All-Star ($35) with a (steel) fine nib.

That's a really good first pen. Great for every day. I would get a converter and experiment with different inks until you find one with which you are happy.

David

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Orgetorix, since you're in DC, do yourself a favor already and go to Pen Haven in Antique Row in Kensington, MD. Ask Barry, I've made him a convert. The Lamy is a great user pen, especially for the money. I've used one before and was impressed with it.

As for ink intensity, yes, it varies from ink to ink and sometimes depending on the paper you write on. My brief scrawl shown above by Mr. Sable is a nice comparrison of fountain pen vs. ball point ink. The color in my pen is Visconti Brown. I scribbled that with either a 1947 Parker Vacumatic or a 1926 Parker Red Duofold Jr.

I find that the same ink sometimes varies between pens. This could be due to the flow and line width of the nib and especially if another color ink had been previously used in the pen, even despite cleaning. But welcome to the addiction! Though I don't necessarily want to derail an INK thread, go to Pen Haven and look at Esterbrook pens. They're great vintage user pens that are every bit as affordable as the Lamy you bought.

 

[moustache]

Visconti

I adore brown inks and Viscont does very well.I also admire the new chocolat from Private Reserve.

JD

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Is the Private Reserve chocolat a darker or lighter brown than the Visconti?

 

[Fletch]

I was given a box of Levenger inks last Xmas. Nice colors but I find they're very slow to dry (especially cobalt blue). No good for me since I'm a lefty. Plain old black Quink is my standby.

Pens: 1933 Sheaffer Lifetime; 1989 Parker Centennial.

 

[Curt Chiarelli]

Hi Orgetorix:

The choice of ink - as with a pen - is a very personal choice. Inks lacking density can come from only 2 different causes: #1 - When (or if) you or the salesman flushed the nib with water; or #2 - The ink itself lacks the correct density when it was formulated.

Having experimented for about 7 years with fountain pen inks, my personal favourite started out as the classic Pelikan 4001, until Pelikan was (again) bought out by another corporation in 2002 and the quality suffered (it was heavily diluted and thus lacked its former density).

Disappointed, I searched for a substitute. I was always very pleased with the density of the ink in my cartridges for my Rotring 600 series pen (a rugged and solid performer - and a steal at only $69.00!), but I needed a bottled ink for my Pelikan which doesn't accept cartridges.

On a recomendation, I tried the Aurora brand ink and fell in love with it! Dense and even flowing, it dries fairly quickly too. I won't even attempt to tackle the subject of lightfastness and permanency right now because it falls well outside the parameters of our original subject. Suffice to say, I don't think you'll have any complaints with the quality of Aurora's ink in that category either.

As far as pens go, this ink works great with every pen in my modest collection, which includes a Pelikan brown tortoise shell, a blue Waterman Patrician, a Waterman Opera and the aforementioned Rotring 600 series. Out of all of them, the Rotring and the Pelikan are the best performers, each with its own distinct qualities. I've tried many different brands, but these little guys are my workhorses and I swear by 'em!

I hope this helped you somewhat.

 

[Orgetorix]

Thanks, all, for the information and suggestions. I'm going to get a converter and experiment with some different inks; hopefully I'll find something satisfactory.

Rick, I've seen your previous ravings about Pen Haven, and it's definitely on my list of places to visit. Hopefully I'll get up there sometime soon, though since I'm getting married next week both time and funds are in short supply.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Married? Aw, come on, which is more important, a wedding ceremony or a pen shop? Get your priorities straight, man!lol Congrats and good luck on your wedding day! When you eventually make it up to PH, let me know. Chances are I'll be there anyway.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Mont Blanc's holiday scented ink

Don't bother with Mont Blanc's holiday ink. It's supposed to smell like chocolate & cinnamon - great idea - but there's no scent to it at all. It arrived yesterday (as did a certain magazine...) and I let it sit overnight to come up to room temperature. Still no different smell from other ink. I used my dip pen to write a few lines - no scent. Let it dry. No scent. BIG disappointment and I'm going to return it. But the good news is I have this magazine to now lift my spirits!