From you initial grouping this would be what tickles my fancy today;
Red Dragon
Majestic Purple
Twilight
Ochre
Just thought I would put my two cents in!
Tom
Red Dragon
Majestic Purple
Twilight
Ochre
Just thought I would put my two cents in!
Tom
Gradually getting closer to settling on my favourite inks
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- #22
AimlessWanderer
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Twilight is one I'm hoping to replace. At first I found it pleasantly ethereal, but then later I just found it a bit miserable and morose. However, I think Misty Blue has just evicted it (the second one I have tried so far - Mediterranean Blue was a fail)
The dragon is already a favourite though, and majestic purple and ochre are certainly looking very promising.
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- #23
AimlessWanderer
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You were absolutely right about Majestic Purple and Ochre, Tom. Those two are definitely keepers. However, I will be keeping Grape and Chocolate Brown too. Damson and Sunset were both fails for me, as was Mediterranean Blue.
I have also worked my way through the new blues (Eau de Nil and Misty Blue will be replacing Teal and Twilight), and I just have Matador and Crimson left to try from the new inks. I do still want to revisit a few of the inks I already had though, before I make the decision about which inks will be kept, and which will be booted out.
So currently, I have earmarked 7 of these to definitely stay, 9 more to definitely go, and the remaining 8 inks need test cards doing before I make the final call. It's looking like I'll be keeping about a dozen of these 30ml bottles, plus Quink Black, and Diamine Midnight, which I still need a large bottle of, once I've freed up the drawer space. Hopefully, early next week, I'll have this exercise done. Considering that some of my older bottles are quite well used, and I also have a pile of cartridges, I should be left with enough ink to refill my pens about 700 times
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- #24
AimlessWanderer
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First wave of the cull is complete, and these twelve bottles will be finding new homes. Four of which are from the new batch of recruits, and have only been used for this quick test.
That leaves these fourteen, plus Diamine Midnight (which I still need to order a bottle of), as the current picks. However, I may whittle them down further at a later date.
The steps between some of these are quite subtle. Maybe too subtle to keep both Burnt Sienna and Ochre, for example. However, I probably have another 40 to 50 refills of each to work through, before deciding which one to buy again.
So it might whittle down to 10-12 colours over time, especially if I don't bond with some of the new ones long term, but I don't think it will dip much below that.
However, I might just give Crimson a second chance, and let it battle it out with Oxblood for a while. That's the only one I'm not 100% on letting go. Everything else in the out tray is a safe bet to part with.
That leaves these fourteen, plus Diamine Midnight (which I still need to order a bottle of), as the current picks. However, I may whittle them down further at a later date.
The steps between some of these are quite subtle. Maybe too subtle to keep both Burnt Sienna and Ochre, for example. However, I probably have another 40 to 50 refills of each to work through, before deciding which one to buy again.
So it might whittle down to 10-12 colours over time, especially if I don't bond with some of the new ones long term, but I don't think it will dip much below that.However, I might just give Crimson a second chance, and let it battle it out with Oxblood for a while. That's the only one I'm not 100% on letting go. Everything else in the out tray is a safe bet to part with.
You will definitely bond with some other inks. You just give it some timeFirst wave of the cull is complete, and these twelve bottles will be finding new homes. Four of which are from the new batch of recruits, and have only been used for this quick test.
View attachment 1639316
That leaves these fourteen, plus Diamine Midnight (which I still need to order a bottle of), as the current picks. However, I may whittle them down further at a later date.
View attachment 1639319
The steps between some of these are quite subtle. Maybe too subtle to keep both Burnt Sienna and Ochre, for example. However, I probably have another 40 to 50 refills of each to work through, before deciding which one to buy again.
However, I might just give Crimson a second chance, and let it battle it out with Oxblood for a while. That's the only one I'm not 100% on letting go. Everything else in the out tray is a safe bet to part with.
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- #26
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
You will definitely bond with some other inks. You just give it some time
Ochre, Matador, and Majestic Purple were instant wins. Damson, Sunset, and Mediterranean Blue were instant fails. Misty Blue is a pretty certain win, but not quite as convinced about Eau de Nil. Crimson is a probable fail, but I maybe ought to give it a fairer chance.
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- #27
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I need to retract my comments on Mediterranean Blue.
On a whim, I decided to try it in another pen, and it is world's apart from what I was seeing before, both in appearance and performance. As such, I'll be hanging on to that one and Crimson, even if they do get phased out later. Good enough to keep using, doesn't necessarily mean good enough to buy again. Time will tell.
Sunset and Damson will still be leaving though, along with a number of inks that have already been tried in several pens. I don't want to be holding onto inks I rarely reach for, or ones that I get bored of before a pen is run dry.
On a whim, I decided to try it in another pen, and it is world's apart from what I was seeing before, both in appearance and performance. As such, I'll be hanging on to that one and Crimson, even if they do get phased out later. Good enough to keep using, doesn't necessarily mean good enough to buy again. Time will tell.
Sunset and Damson will still be leaving though, along with a number of inks that have already been tried in several pens. I don't want to be holding onto inks I rarely reach for, or ones that I get bored of before a pen is run dry.
I'm only recently getting back to my fountain pens and inks. Like so many, I am first focusing on blues (purples and greens are my favorites but work blues first). I really like the De Atramentis Document Blue—fast drying, little to no feathering on cheaper paper, and photocopies like a black. My favorite daily dark blue is Jacques Herbin Bleu de Minuit, which also works well on 'business' paper.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoy Diamine Midnight. In 2009, Diamine was looking to expand their line of ink colors, and I contacted Phil Davies at Diamine, asking if he would replicate a hard-to-find ink color that many of us admired but could not find a good alternative for - S.T. DuPont Blue-Black (Austrian manufacture), posted by a fellow member at the Fountain Pen Network. I asked Phil if he could make something similar. He created a good replica, and allowed me to name it. I chose "Midnight" but sometimes wonder if I should have given it more thought and chosen another name as that name in a very similar color was already in use by Noodler's Ink. Regardless, it's a lovely color.
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I like every colour ink as long as it’s black. Really dark like a black hole and permanent.
De Artamentis Document Black is the one. Platinum Carbon black is a close second.
De Artamentis Document Black is the one. Platinum Carbon black is a close second.
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- #31
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I think it's great. I haven't tried much in the way of alternative inks, as I've been trying to stick to that one brand. Even within Diamine's ranges, I haven't tried that many, really. Deep Dark Blue and Regency Blue were darker than I was wanting, and Sargasso Sea has a sheen, which I'm trying to avoid. Midnight is right in the sweet spot I was looking for, for a dark blue contender.
I'll still be keeping Sapphire Blue and Bilberry though, plus at least one of either Eau de Nil, Mediterranean Blue, or Misty Blue. I'm not ready to settle on just one blue ink yet.
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- #32
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Over the next few months, I'd like to whittle these down further..
Misty Blue vs Eau de Nil vs Mediterranean Blue
(aiming to pick one)
Misty Blue is leaps and bounds ahead so far. I will try them all in other pens before committing, but I am heavily biased at the moment, and don't expect to be swayed.
Red Dragon vs Matador
(aiming to pick one)
Work in progress. I need to use more pens with both. Matador seems to shine best in bold nibs, while the Dragon works well in fine. Do I really need two reds though?
Sapphire vs Midnight vs Bilberry ... OR Bilberry vs Grape vs Majestic Purple
(aiming to pick three or four of those five)
Bilberry is so fickle! Sometimes it's dark blue, sometimes it's purple. Both are nice, but I need to get my head around what it's competing with.
Oxblood vs Chocolate Brown vs Ochre
(Aiming to pick two)
Yeah I know, most folks think of Oxblood as a red, but it's not a contrast/editing ink to my eye. It would be used more generally than that here, so I'm pitching it against the browns.
Sherwood Green, Quink Black Permanent, Burnt Sienna
These three are pretty much assured keepers. It's nice to have a few that aren't in doubt.
Misty Blue vs Eau de Nil vs Mediterranean Blue
(aiming to pick one)
Misty Blue is leaps and bounds ahead so far. I will try them all in other pens before committing, but I am heavily biased at the moment, and don't expect to be swayed.
Red Dragon vs Matador
(aiming to pick one)
Work in progress. I need to use more pens with both. Matador seems to shine best in bold nibs, while the Dragon works well in fine. Do I really need two reds though?
Sapphire vs Midnight vs Bilberry ... OR Bilberry vs Grape vs Majestic Purple
(aiming to pick three or four of those five)
Bilberry is so fickle! Sometimes it's dark blue, sometimes it's purple. Both are nice, but I need to get my head around what it's competing with.
Oxblood vs Chocolate Brown vs Ochre
(Aiming to pick two)
Yeah I know, most folks think of Oxblood as a red, but it's not a contrast/editing ink to my eye. It would be used more generally than that here, so I'm pitching it against the browns.
Sherwood Green, Quink Black Permanent, Burnt Sienna
These three are pretty much assured keepers. It's nice to have a few that aren't in doubt.
Bilberry is a great color! One of my favorites overall. I do find it can smear a bit at times. Have you experienced that as well? I think it is due to that it is so saturated.
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- #34
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Yes, but I think me being a klutz is as much of a factor as the inks properties
In a similar vein, I think my wonky vision might be part of the reason it can seem so fickle. Although it does seem more blue if it goes down heavy, and lean more purple when spread a bit thin.- Thread starter
- #35
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
True to form with my typical awful pictures.
Out of focus, poor white balance, one ink name written in the wrong colour, ugly scrawl, and a couple of clumsy smears...
But that aside...
This was written on Rhodia paper, with a particularly wet 1.5mm italic nib, yet Eau de Nil and Samson still look a bit washed out. This is the best I have seen Mediterranean Blue looking since I have had it, but in a regular nib, it's a little too pale for my tastes. Ditto with Sunset.
That's four off the list.
Diamine Grape and Chocolate Brown were favourites when they were the only two dark inks I owned. Now I have Midnight and Quink Black, I am finding myself drawn more to the Ochre and Majestic Purple.
Two more to go? That would leave thirteen.
Reds? I'm really undecided here. Maybe a topic for a new thread, but if I can settle on one choice from Oxblood, Crimson, Matador and Red Dragon, I would be neatly down to ten favourites.
Out of focus, poor white balance, one ink name written in the wrong colour, ugly scrawl, and a couple of clumsy smears...
But that aside...
This was written on Rhodia paper, with a particularly wet 1.5mm italic nib, yet Eau de Nil and Samson still look a bit washed out. This is the best I have seen Mediterranean Blue looking since I have had it, but in a regular nib, it's a little too pale for my tastes. Ditto with Sunset.
That's four off the list.
Diamine Grape and Chocolate Brown were favourites when they were the only two dark inks I owned. Now I have Midnight and Quink Black, I am finding myself drawn more to the Ochre and Majestic Purple.
Two more to go? That would leave thirteen.
Reds? I'm really undecided here. Maybe a topic for a new thread, but if I can settle on one choice from Oxblood, Crimson, Matador and Red Dragon, I would be neatly down to ten favourites.
That is a really nice comparison of those inks.
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- #37
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Thanks. They're not entirely true colours die to the white balance, but still useful for me to glance a, while trying out different configurations. I'm now doing another with a regular nibbed pen, having culled some of the easier discards.
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- #38
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Sorted! I think. This isn't everything, but I'm confident it tells me enough...
These twelve will be leaving, along with a few boxes of cartridges. I have a friend who lives quite local, who said that she would give them a good home
This next pile I will keep (for now), but probably won't replace most of them when they're done. Maybe I'll replenish one of the reds, which I'm guessing will be either Red Dragon or Crimson. Matador is too bright for general use, and Oxblood not bright enough for contrast. Red Dragon and Crimson straddle those two uses quite well.
Here are the keepers. These nine, plus whichever red finally wins me over.
Misty Blue, Majestic Purple, and Ochre really surprised me. They were really not the kind of inks that I thought I wanted when I started this journey, but actually serve really well as both general purpose inks, and also as decent contrast inks against my primary blues and black.
In time, I'll probably move to the larger bottles of each, and maybe get a couple more in cartridges, for those pens that don't take converters. Off hand, I'm not sure which are available that way. Hopefully, these nine/ten inks are ones that I won't tire of using, and will keep me from needless future acquisitions.
These twelve will be leaving, along with a few boxes of cartridges. I have a friend who lives quite local, who said that she would give them a good home
This next pile I will keep (for now), but probably won't replace most of them when they're done. Maybe I'll replenish one of the reds, which I'm guessing will be either Red Dragon or Crimson. Matador is too bright for general use, and Oxblood not bright enough for contrast. Red Dragon and Crimson straddle those two uses quite well.
Here are the keepers. These nine, plus whichever red finally wins me over.
Misty Blue, Majestic Purple, and Ochre really surprised me. They were really not the kind of inks that I thought I wanted when I started this journey, but actually serve really well as both general purpose inks, and also as decent contrast inks against my primary blues and black.
In time, I'll probably move to the larger bottles of each, and maybe get a couple more in cartridges, for those pens that don't take converters. Off hand, I'm not sure which are available that way. Hopefully, these nine/ten inks are ones that I won't tire of using, and will keep me from needless future acquisitions.
That is a very nice selection and you will make someone very happy with your PIF.Sorted! I think. This isn't everything, but I'm confident it tells me enough...
View attachment 1645372
These twelve will be leaving, along with a few boxes of cartridges. I have a friend who lives quite local, who said that she would give them a good home
View attachment 1645375
This next pile I will keep (for now), but probably won't replace most of them when they're done. Maybe I'll replenish one of the reds, which I'm guessing will be either Red Dragon or Crimson. Matador is too bright for general use, and Oxblood not bright enough for contrast. Red Dragon and Crimson straddle those two uses quite well.
View attachment 1645376
Here are the keepers. These nine, plus whichever red finally wins me over.
View attachment 1645374
Misty Blue, Majestic Purple, and Ochre really surprised me. They were really not the kind of inks that I thought I wanted when I started this journey, but actually serve really well as both general purpose inks, and also as decent contrast inks against my primary blues and black.
In time, I'll probably move to the larger bottles of each, and maybe get a couple more in cartridges, for those pens that don't take converters. Off hand, I'm not sure which are available that way. Hopefully, these nine/ten inks are ones that I won't tire of using, and will keep me from needless future acquisitions.
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- #40
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Thank you. She's been going through a rough spell of late, so I hope it will brighten her day a little.
I'm glad to have this done, so I can start to feel more settled and content with my options. It took a while to feel that way with shaving gear, and already feel that way with my array of pens and paper (particularly Clairefontaine and the Parker IMs). It's nice to feel that whatever you choose from your line up, it will never be wrong.
