Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
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Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
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Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#2Richard Binder is a legend in the fountain pen community, both for his skill and helpfulness in repairing and restoring pens, but also as one of the community's best curmudgeons. (Nathan, of Noodler's ink fame is another.)
I've been a big fan of Richard for years, while using exclusively Noodler's ink for its permanence. I've had no ill effects. (Twitch, twitch.)
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#3I use fountain pens when I can because I like the feel of writing with them and, to a limited extent the, I enjoy the ritual of caring for the instruments.
It has long bothered me that I cannot simply buy pen ink without the background information presented in this article. Because of the issue of inks damaging my pens, I've become increasingly unwilling to experiment with new brands of ink or trying sensational colors. I now limit myself strictly to inks sold by pen manufacturers (specifically, Pelikan, Waterman, and Parker), which don't pose the problems discussed in this article.
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#4Hmm, I love using fountain pens, and have been using Iroshizuku inks for years. However, none of my pens have a bladder well (mostly screw plungers) so I think I am safe ?!?
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#5I love fountain pens! I've been using them all my life and try to have my kids use them too (with some success so far).
But, so called "rocking" (or rocker) blotters are increasingly hard to find, so much so that I decided to design and produce my own. (It's a beautiful sheet of metal with a bent plastic part to hold the blotting paper).
But I wonder if there really is a market for it? Do people still use fountain pens, and of those who do, how many would buy a blotter? Anyone knows where to find that kind of information?
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#6Hmm, I love using fountain pens, and have been using Iroshizuku inks for years. However, none of my pens have a bladder well (mostly screw plungers) so I think I am safe ?!?
Most Iroshizukus tend to have high pH [1]. It might be problematic on e.g. celluloid pens depending on the particular ink color you use. It's a shame as they are superb inks.
I tend to use J Herbin Lie de Thé which is close to neutral and its formula is very safe (basically water plus food-grade colorants).
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#7I stopped using my fountain pens years ago, but my kids have picked them right back up, and thats about the best good use of them that I can imagine. Nothing like seeing a young 'un, carefully spelling out the letters in their words, oblivious to the splats and puddles on their periphery ..
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#8I love fountain pens! I've been using them all my life and try to have my kids use them too (with some success so far). But, so called "rocking" (or rocker) blotters are increasingly hard to find, so much so that I decided to design and produce my own. (It's a beautiful sheet of metal with a bent plastic part to hold the blotting paper). But I wonder if there really is a market for it? Do people still use fountain pe…
Fountain pen-related stuff seems to do pretty well on Massdrop.
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#9As someone who writes with his left hand I hate them with a vengeance. Haven't looked at them since primary school.
Re: Fountain pen inks: the good, the bad, and the ugly (2011)
#10I love fountain pens! I've been using them all my life and try to have my kids use them too (with some success so far). But, so called "rocking" (or rocker) blotters are increasingly hard to find, so much so that I decided to design and produce my own. (It's a beautiful sheet of metal with a bent plastic part to hold the blotting paper). But I wonder if there really is a market for it? Do people still use fountain pe…
Fountain pen-related stuff seems to do pretty well on Massdrop.
Agreed. Massdrop actually re-ignited my fountain pen obsession after years of me trying to pretend I wasn't obsessed about them...