Quink - wet or dry?

[FoolishMortal]

I'm using a great little Esterbrook - I love this pen! - that has a nib that I would put at "fine", but I don't know what they offered. The nib is stamped with "2556". A very kind member sent me a sample of Quink Royal Blue, which I put into the Esty.

When writing on this terrible paper (in a Staples spiral-bound notebook), the ink has a tendency to be wet. Compared to the Diamine Bilberry coming out of my Cross 2106-M, which actually writes really well on the paper, there's about 25% more spread and bleed-through as it hits the paper. The thing is, I don't know if that's due to the nib or the ink.

So...is Quink usually considered to be a "wet" or "dry" ink?

 

[tankerjohn]

Nice looking pen! Its looks almost like you could eat it, huh?! Like a stick of cinnamon hard candy. Esterbrook was famous for its extraordinary selection of nibs. They even had testing stations that stores could display to let patrons try out the different nibs and pick the one they liked best. Here's a good primer: Esterbrook Nib Numbers and Writing Samples - Fountain Pen Love - https://fountainpenlove.com/fountain-pen-education/esterbrook-nib-numbers-and-writing-samples/ And yes, the 2556 is a fine nib. Good eye!

I have Parker Blue Black and find it to be a rather wet ink. One color isn't definitive, but that's my experience. The color is okay. I like it when its fresh - a nice dark teal-type blue-black. But it dries down to kind of a dull matte greenish teal, like you might find in an old hospital room or spearmint gum that's lost its flavor. Not so much my jam, so I don't use it much anymore.

 

[nemo]

I find modern Quink blue to be in between wet and dry, a little more on the dry side. It flows freely and was an ink I used to use to test pens after a repair, similar to Waterman. It does feather on cheap paper.

Older vintage pens, again my opinion, tend to flow more than newer stuff.

I use the vintage Quink more than the modern which seems to fade, at least the blue does. Like @tankerjohn I don't care for the newer blue-black, it's ugly after it dries.

Here's some old iron-gall Quink from the 1940s ... really dry.

Nice looking Esterbrook! @FoolishMortal

 

[jar_]

Quink was initially designed as a fast drying ink. IIRC it had two advantages touted, one was that it smeared less and the other was that it was absorbed by the high rag content papers of the period. It was sold as 'The Quick Ink'.

 

[FoolishMortal]

Thanks, @tankerjohn and @nemo, I do love this little pen! It's a bit on the small side, but that's part of the charm for me. I think it was about $5 at an antique store; I think I made out. Heck, I don't even know what model it is, nor how to figure that out, but it's not a big deal.

And John, I really enjoyed reading that article. Thanks for the link! I now know more about Esterbrook nibs than I knew there was to know.

@nemo, I think you nailed it - I think the ink feathers on cheap paper. When writing on a Post-it Note - by no means "nice" paper, but more dense than the Staples notebook paper - there's a little less spread to the ink.

I use my pens at work to write to-do lists and to "pencil out" ideas. It's nothing like journaling, but just the same, it feels good to use a quality pen with a nice ink. I wish that Moleskine used better paper, because those little notebooks are perfect. At some point, I should just drop the coin for some Rhodia (or similar) notebooks. I also saw mention of Tomoe River, so maybe I'll give those a try.

Strangely enough, the other sample I got is Quink Blue Black. I'll probably give it a whirl at some point, but I have some Diamine colors inbound and those will see action first.

 

[tankerjohn]

You’re welcome! Your pen is an Esterbrook J “Double Jewel” from the late 40’s to early 50’s. They made three versions - the J, a slimmer model called LJ, and a short model called SJ. I can’t tell which one your pen is from the photo, but I’m guessing it’s a J.

There’s a few threads on here about fp friendly notebooks. The ones I really like for work are the Black n’ Red books. You can get them in different sizes and bindings. I prefer the hard bound ones. They’re cheaper than most premium paper notebooks and readily available at B&M office supply stores. The only rub is that you can get them in any color you like as long as it’s black with a red spine.

Parker Blue Black feathers a lot too. Maybe that’s why I think of it as on the wet side. But YMMV with different nibs and paper. I think you’ll like the Diamine inks. Excellent value and quality.

 

[FoolishMortal]

You’re welcome! Your pen is an Esterbrook J “Double Jewel” from the late 40’s to early 50’s. They made three versions - the J, a slimmer model called LJ, and a short model called SJ. I can’t tell which one your pen is from the photo, but I’m guessing it’s a J.

There’s a few threads on here about fp friendly notebooks. The ones I really like for work are the Black n’ Red books. You can get them in different sizes and bindings. I prefer the hard bound ones. They’re cheaper than most premium paper notebooks and readily available at B&M office supply stores. The only rub is that you can get them in any color you like as long as it’s black with a red spine.

Parker Blue Black feathers a lot too. Maybe that’s why I think of it as on the wet side. But YMMV with different nibs and paper. I think you’ll like the Diamine inks. Excellent value and quality.

Great, thanks for the identification! Capped, the pen is 4.75" long - does that help?

I actually saw one of your earlier posts and went looking based on your recommendations. I'd like to support Goulet, but their prices are quite a bit higher than elsewhere. I prefer soft-bound journals like Moleskine, though as you noted, the paper isn't great for fountain pens, so I ended up ordering a couple of Apica A5 graph notebooks for roughly $12 each (from a Japanese market seller on Amazon). I'm not really a fan of the script on the covers, but at 96 sheets each, they'll last me a long time! Maybe I'll get a portfolio holder for them.

I got the Diamine bottles last night. I already had their Bilberry and an orange (Sunset, maybe?) in the house and like how the ink acts in my wife's Metropolitans, which is why I felt comfortable getting three new colors. I inked up a no-name copper-rod FP in my office with the Green-Black and tried it out on the bad paper. There's bleed-through and feathering similar to the Quink Royal Blue in the Esty, so I think it's just a matter of the nibs flowing a generous amount of ink and paper that won't take it well. The Cross is noticably more dry, even as a Medium nib.

 

[tankerjohn]

That would be an SJ, then. The full size J is 5". The SJ is a perfect shift pocket size. Good find!

I love Apica notebooks. Good choice! I admit, I like the vintagey covers. But I'm old timey like that. You know, I was actually thinking of the Apica when I wrote the last response, but thought I shouldn't overload you and the Red n' Blacks are sold in the same places as Moleskine. But anyway, the Apicas are outstanding with fountain pens.

Nib-ink-paper combos are a little like razor-blade-lather combos when you're trying to dial in your shave. All the elements work together and a change in one factor can throw the whole thing off. Figuring out what works for you is part of the fun. With super wet nibs, the two solutions are send it off to a nibmeister to get tuned drier or use drier ink. For most people, changing inks is cheaper and easier. Try Pelikan 4001. My go-to dry ink is R&K Salix, but its got iron gall content so don't know if I would trust it with a vintage steel nib like the Esterbrook. Its mild IG and Esterbrooks are easy to unscrew and flush frequently, so maybe.

 

[FoolishMortal]

I have some 4001 Black, so I can try that in one of these “wet” pens. I agree, getting to the right combination of properties is much like figuring out the shaving kit. The difference is that I can shave once per day, but I can write (and change pens) all day!

 

[dojpros]

I have used Blue, Blue-Black and Black Parker Bottled inks in 3 different Parker 45 Flighters and in other pens.

For me, blue and blue-black were middle of the road on a wide variety of papers. I have found black to be a wet ink over that same variety which includes: Red and Black Notebooks, Tops Docket Gold Legal Pads, Leuchttrum Journals and the ubiquitous green govt hardbound journal.

When I am done with the Parker ink in Black, it will be a retired color for me. I will use Lamy Black and Pelikan instead as both are more well behaved across multiple paper types. Indeed, between the bottle shape, integrated blotter paper and cost/value, Lamy is simply very hard to beat in any color of 50 ml bottled ink they sell.

 

[Borderboss]

Generally speaking, it's the nib that drives "wet or dry" more than the ink, IMHO. That's because it's the nib that determines how much ink the pen is going to lay down. That's also going to lead to feathering on the paper. I'm guessing your Etsy is a pretty wet writer no matter what ink is used.

You can always get a blotter and do a quick blot before you turn the page so that it doesn't smear.