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Grey Ink. Anyone use it?

For those that had sediment/settlement issues, had you regularly been mixing the wells, or did any use mixing balls to no avail in that regard? Curious, as new to this, if either should be made part of regular maintenance and care. Thanks kindly.
 
For those that had sediment/settlement issues, had you regularly been mixing the wells, or did any use mixing balls to no avail in that regard? Curious, as new to this, if either should be made part of regular maintenance and care. Thanks kindly.
shake the snot out of the bottle prior to loading a pen, once I saw any degree of particulate sticking to the walls of the bottle. I didn't stick any kind of stirrer into like I might with paint. I ere'd more towards keep it thin and the gunk in the bottle and out of my feed/nib.

generally, giving a bottle a good shake to mix up anything that may have settled/separated out is a good idea, and enough.
 
shake the snot out of the bottle prior to loading a pen, once I saw any degree of particulate sticking to the walls of the bottle. I didn't stick any kind of stirrer into like I might with paint. I ere'd more towards keep it thin and the gunk in the bottle and out of my feed/nib.

generally, giving a bottle a good shake to mix up anything that may have settled/separated out is a good idea, and enough.
Thanks much, driver. I appreciate it.
 
Here is the de Artamentis document “Fog Grey” written with my Tactile Turn FP EF nib. The top is on a tan heavy weight paper and the bottom is on a white heavy weight paper. I don’t think it shows in the photo, but it does have a blue tint.
2715C530-6E81-416F-A23A-1B059735EE52.jpeg

I think it would benefit from a M nib or larger.

Tom
 
I've bought Diamine's Grey but it is really pale and doesn't look right, so it is always used for testing pen nibs and then gets chucked away. Never again.
 
This thread made me ink up my Pelikan m200 with iroshizuku fuyu-syogun. It has sat on my desk and I've used it for notes and random things. I've liked it a lot more than I used to. I don't know if it got darker than a fresh bottle or if I never tried it in this pen but I am liking what it has been writing.

I'm going to try it in my next fill on my Lamy 2000. I want to see if I can use it at work. The large written prep list will be the key. Can I read it from a a decent distance away?! :)
 

Claudel Xerxes

Staff member
I know I'm late to the game, but Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same & J. Herbin Gris Nuage are two lovely greys. To me, grey inks have far more appeal and character when used with a wider nib.
 
I've been thinking of picking up some Grey ink only because I don't have any. But I'm hesitant because I feel like grey would be just a washed out black and not look good. I suppose with the right paper it could look nice.

For example, I use brown ink on ivory paper and it looks amazing.

So my wise and learned grey ink fans, what do you use and why?
I love gray ink on gray paper. I also love it on ivory paper.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
What do you guys think about a grey ink that has a bit of colour added? Either by the inkmaker, or by the end user (your and me) ... adding a touch of blue or red or green or ... ??
 
Why not? Do a small amount in a separate container such as a sampler vial and see how it works. I suspect that in some combinations the other ink could overwhelm the gray so you would want to start with a small amount.
 
What do you guys think about a grey ink that has a bit of colour added? Either by the inkmaker, or by the end user (your and me) ... adding a touch of blue or red or green or ... ??
Frankenstein colours?
What next?
Perhaps we should just make our own inks and cut out the middleman.

I'll have to start saving lamp black from my lanterns straight away. With that I can easily make black ink.
The extract from one or two tea bags will form the basis for my brown ink.
Pressing the juice from blackberries will give me the pigment for a dark blue ink.
Laundry bluing agent can be used in a pinch for Prussian blue ink.
And if I draw a little of my own blood, I'll get a serviceable ink that will be suitable for curses, hexes and incantations against mine enemies.

Now if someone would just PIF me some gum arabic, I can get started.

ps. all of the above (except blood), are real pigment agents for home-made inks.
Home-made inks are not advisable for fountain pens as they are likely to clog the feed.
However, they are fine for dip pens.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
What do you guys think about a grey ink that has a bit of colour added? Either by the inkmaker, or by the end user (your and me) ... adding a touch of blue or red or green or ... ??

If I already had a grey ink I didn't like, then yeah. I'd try mixing to make it usable. Maybe a purple or blue. I wouldn't buy a grey purely for mixing purposes though. There's so many great colours out there, I'd rather buy one of those. I only mix to try to find an alternative to pouring ink down the drain.
 
What do you guys think about a grey ink that has a bit of colour added? Either by the inkmaker, or by the end user (your and me) ... adding a touch of blue or red or green or ... ??
If possible you should try to use inks from the same manufacturer. Mixing inks can result in unpredictable reactions and potentially gunk up or even melt your pen. The likelihood of problems is reduced within the same brand, but it can still happen. In any case you should mix a small amount and let it sit for a few days and check there are no sediments, fumes, or other problems before you put it in a pen.
 
I am using Diamine's Earl Gray right now - I had it in a fine point pen previously and found that it didn't perform well - it was too light. I have it now in a Pilot Falcon with a soft medium nib that lays down a much broader line, and I think it looks great!
 
Diamine Silver Fox

Looks more like a pencil than anything else I can compare it to. Silver Fox is one of those smaller pie shaped bottles. (40 ml I think) I use it some, but will never displace my Pelikan 4001 Blue Black.
 
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