One ink only. I wanted the violet ink French schoolchildren used to write with, and I found it: J. Herbin Violette Pensee. All I use, and I am happy. I tried some other inks and they were either too weird or too boring for me.
iron gall...iron gual
It sounds like we have very similar taste in ink. I’ve recently ordered some Diamine Registrar’s and am thinking of also picking up some KWZ iron gall.Not at all, at least anymore. After using fountain pens continually since the early 1980's, I have arrived at what I like. That's almost exclusively iron galls or permanent inks. I abhor smudging or running, so these inks work excellently for me. As I get older, they are also much more legible on the page.
Some of my favourites are:
In the permanent camp:
- Montblanc Midnight Blue (IG, long out of production)
- Diamine Registrars
- Akkerman #10 IJzer-Galnoten
- KWZ iron galls, especially Blue Black and Blue #3
- Platinum Blue Black
- R&K Salix
- R&K Dokumentus Dunkleblau
- Sailor Sei-boku
- Platinum Carbon Black
All of these are extremely well-behaved inks. Sure, there may not be much in the way of colour range, but most shade brilliantly, which is enough for me.
Black swan is my is my go to. But I no longer work in an office. When I did, BSIAR was what I used in my home pens, and I used Diamine Damson at work, which is a dark purple.Pelikan 4001 Turquoise would be my "You can only have one ink forever" ink. Unless I need it water resistant...
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses and Diamine Ancient Copper are others that I can use daily and have no problem giving notes to bosses or underlings.
Between the KWZ iron gall #1 and #3, which would you say finishes darker?
Thanks. I’m looking for a highly saturated and permanent IG. The Salix and Pelikan colours were too washed out for my taste. How does the KWZ Blue Black compare to your Diamine Registrar’s.Blue Black is the closest to a traditional iron gall. It cures to black. As you move through the blues (#1 --> #5), there is more of a blue dye load that remains. #3 cures to a very dark blue black, #5 to a dark teal. So, if you are wanting a darker finish, #1.
Bear in mind that Konrad is discontinuing some of the IG Blues. If I had to choose between #1 and Blue Black, I'd just got with Blue Black, it's a wonderful ink.
In typical B&B fashion, I got them all.KWZ IG BB is much wetter than DRI, and cures to a darker black. DRI, after some time, is more of a dark grey/black.
DRI is also a monster shader, if you like that (I do!), and is much more waterproof. KWZ will withstand a soaking, but will shed more dye, whereas cured DRI is practically immovable.
Both are great inks, just slightly different.
Dependng on where you are, you could also throw Akkermann #10 IJzer-Galnoten into the mix; it's similar to DRI but a little wetter and darker (mid-way between it and KWZ, roughly).
Happy writing!
I'm curious to know what Lamy ink you will use instead of Waterman Serenity Blue (formerly Florida Blue)? I love this blue, but would be interested in trying an equivalent Lamy colorRambling post follows. All inks described below are from the bottle.
I started out very pen/ink brand centric. I acquired Pilot, Parker, Lamy, Waterman and Pelikan pens, all in the sub 50.00 range. Each brand of pen was mated to their respective brand of inks in blue, black and blue/black. The "sets" worked just fine. I felt like I was avoiding some fountain pen pitfalls going that route. Not very adventurous at all.
Soon, I added some seasonal/"affiliation" inks-A Private Reserve Green for Scouts/A J. Herbin Orange for Fall/a Lamy Red and a J. Herbin Gray Ink with Gold Shimmer Ink for Xmas.
A few years went by. I learned that most quality pens will works with most quality ink so long as you were writing on quality paper.
I also learned that some inks transcended brands of pens i.e. Waterman Serenity Blue and Pelikan Black are two inks that have a reputation for being well behaved out of many brands pens on many types of paper etc.
A few more years have gone by. I have trimmed down my collection a bit, selling off plastic bodied Watermans and a few others modest plastic bodied pens as I simply no longer like how they "feel" i.e. Pilot Petits, Platinum Preppys etc.
I am no longer buying inks that were temperamental ( slow drying and/or too wet) for me, i.e. A Noodler's Blue and Parker Black for sure.
Since March of 2020, I have tried to eliminate clutter and let go of things that do not bring me joy. I am making a conscious decision to "buy quality and cry one" v. the intersection of quality/value and I am avoiding buying anything Made in China or owed by a Chinese conglomerate when it can otherwise be avoided, even at additional expense.
In that vein, I have settled on Lamy as my go to ink brand because it just works well, it is well priced and I very much like the bottle/integrated blotting paper dispenser. Simultaneously, I have been buying a number of Lamy Al-Stars to correspond to the various colors of Lamy inks. Some of the pens are supposedly "limited editions" as are the inks. I also happen to think that Lamy just does it better in the sub 50USD space than anyone else given how well they write, how easy it is to write "well", how well their converters work, how easy it is to change a nib and how they "feel" in the hand given their colored aluminum nature.
When I run out of Waterman Serenity Blue and Pelikan Black, I will not be replacing them as Lamy will do the trick.
When I run out of Parker Blue (purchased by the US GOVT when I convinced my office supply admin person that a GSA priced 8.19 bottle of ink will last me a lot longer than a 12.96/12 count Pkg of Skillcraft Gel Pens), Lamy will do the trick as well.
My next ink pivots are two fold:
1. Identify microbrand/small brand ink makers and buy from them for my "season/affiliation" inks.
2. Consider custom mixing already owned inks.
View attachment 1332180
TT
Standard Lamy Blue. I confess that function and simplicity is driving the train more than "color" itself.
FWIW.
JetPens.com - LAMY Blue Ink - 50 ml Bottle
LAMY inks are popular across the world for their reliable, well-behaved performance in virtually any pen. This 50 ml bottle of ink features a convenient shape with a basin in the middle that makes it easier to fill your pen when the ink is running low. The dispenser built into the base holds...www.jetpens.com
TT
Standard Lamy Blue. I confess that function and simplicity is driving the train more than "color" itself.
FWIW.
JetPens.com - LAMY Blue Ink - 50 ml Bottle
LAMY inks are popular across the world for their reliable, well-behaved performance in virtually any pen. This 50 ml bottle of ink features a convenient shape with a basin in the middle that makes it easier to fill your pen when the ink is running low. The dispenser built into the base holds...www.jetpens.com
Diamine Registrars Ink