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Keeping track of what inks are in your pens

Hi Gents. I keep a few pens inked up at any given time, and generally haven't had much of a problem remembering which ink I have in a pen, because I've only had a few inks and only one of each major color. However, as my ink collection has expanded, now I have multiple blacks, blues, etc, and some are quite similar. I guess it's time to implement some sort of system to keep track of what's in a given pen, before I go and load up from the wrong bottle.

So the question is - what are some good ways to keep track of it? The obvious is some sort of running journal that lists the ink in each pen, scratched out whenever I change. But, I'd like to hear what others do (or that I just need to get over it and start improving my memory! :) ).
 
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rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
I only have two inks: Blue-Black Quink and Noodler's Black Eel
Makes it easier for me to know what's where :tongue_sm
 
Keep an ink journal. Pick a reliable paper to record the ink and pen combos. I record the date, pen, nib and ink before a small sample of writing. If I forget (which happens more and more often) I can use the ink journal as a reference.
 
I only have two inks: Blue-Black Quink and Noodler's Black Eel
Makes it easier for me to know what's where :tongue_sm

Don't listen to Sam. He's odd because he only has two inks and obviously can't be trusted to give advice due to that shameful fact! :tongue_sm

Keep an ink journal. Pick a reliable paper to record the ink and pen combos. I record the date, pen, nib and ink before a small sample of writing. If I forget (which happens more and more often) I can use the ink journal as a reference.

+1. Ink journals are quite fun and they will serve the purpose you are looking for!
 
I use a FC notebook that the B&B notebook comes with. I name the pen nib ink and date. When I change inks I put a line through the old one. The notebook lives in my pen case. I also record random pen thoughts in it also.
 
Yeah ok, so ink journal seems like the way to go ( in addition to the one ink per pen sub-goal ;) ). I guess as an added benefit is that you have a long term recording of various inks in a given pen/nib - that's a nice bonus. Thanks for the feedback guys and gals.
 
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I got 13 samples of black inks back in September 2011 and I still haven't gotten around to using all 13 yet; I have two or three left to try. I created writing samples to compare the inks. I didn't even know this was called an ink journal.

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I normally keep 12 to 16 fountain pens inked at any given time. I have a 50+ ink selection to choose from. I clean my pens bi-monthly.
When I go to re-fill them I make a index card, listing the pen name, nib size, ink manufacture, color, a swab of the ink , and the date.

I think what I will do for 2014 is keep a ink journal, show that I'm able to write more about the inks behavior etc.
 
Heh heh...yeah, none of mine do. Although, I'm pretty sure I still couldn't tell one black from another (in a window). Heck, sometimes I can't even tell a black from a dark blue on the page! :)

You mean not all pens have ink windows?! Guess I'm spoiled by the Pelikans ;)
 
I keep a spreadsheet with fountain pen details like nib size, pen colour, fill type, etc. I just added two extra columns, one for ink brand and another for colour.
Helps when one has a few pens inked at once.
 
Seems like I "ought" to keep a paper ink journal.

Instead I keep an Excel spreadsheet which also serves as a catalog of my pens. Currently inked pens show what's in there. When I empty them, I change the font to a strikeout font so that I know what ink was last in there. In a few cases, I last emptied the pen before I started doing things that way, and there is no ink entry. The screenshot below shows what I mean.
 

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nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Too much work -- it appears as if the details are becoming a burden. The inks I used recently are still sitting in the front row if I forget.

Fill the pen, write with it, when it runs out fill it again. Limit the number of inked pens.
 
Yeah, picking it up and writing on a scrap piece of paper tends to help me remember on the few pens I have without windows. I try to only have two or three inked but it is usually 5-6 inked.
 
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