inkventory 2012

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Over the past two years or so, I've acquired a lot of ink. The collection above represents my inkventory as of January 2012, not including a rack full of samples. So, I thought I'd catalog my collection just for fun. Below are the bottles of ink that I own, linked to the reviews that I've done for each.

Diamine
Damson
Imperial Purple
Indigo
Jet Black
Midnight
Monaco Red
Oxblood
Red Dragon
Registrar's Ink
Sepia

Everflo
Blue Black
Orchid

Iroshizuku
Kiri-same
Kon-peki
Momiji
Shin-ryoku
Tsukushi
Yama-budo
Yu-yake

Herbin
1670
Bleu Myosotis
Cafe des Iles
Eclat de Saphir
Encre Invisible
Orange Indien
Poussiere de Lune
Rouge Caroubier
Rouge Opera
Terre de Feu
Vert Empire
Vert Olive

Lamy
Blue

Noodler's
Baystate Blue
Black
Black Swan in Australian Roses
Black Swan in English Roses
Dragon's Napalm
Kung Te-Cheng
Navaho Turquoise
Shah's Rose
Tiananmen
Widowmaker

Parker
Quink Blue Black

Pelikan
Blue Black
Edelstein Ruby

Platinum
Carbon Black
Pigment Rose Red

Private Reserve
Chocolate
Orange Crush

Sailor
Jentle Blue Black

Waterman
Florida Blue
Purple

I've also written a handful of reviews based on samples provided by others or purchased on my own. Since the collection wouldn't be complete without them, I've listed them below. There are many more waiting where they came from.

Samples
Rohrer and Klingner Morinda
Rohrer and Klingner Verdigris
Sailor Ultramarine

So, fellow pen people, what does your inkventory look like?

ink review: rohrer and klingner verdigris

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Thanks to the generosity of the Fountain Pen Network member, Jared, I received set of ink samples. Among them were several vials of Rohrer and Klingner ink, which is a German brand that has recently become available in the US. I previously reviewed Morinda, which is a pretty, vibrant, candy-red ink. The second vial I opened was Verdigris, which is one of the more interesting inks I've had the pleasure of using.

Historically, verdigris refers to the green patina that forms on copper, brass, or bronze as it weathers. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, artists have used that patina as a pigment, and it frequently was used in paintings.

This Verdigris captures the character of a weathered bronze statue admirably. In the bottle, the green is quite pronounced, but it dries a dark, blue-green black on the page. It is of medium-high saturation, though not to the level of many Noodler's inks, and produces moderate shading, especially when used with a broad nib.

The dry time was quick, coming in at 3 seconds on Rhodia paper, and even less on Staples Bagasse and garden-variety copier paper. It also exhibited acceptable levels of bleed-through on each of the papers I tested it with, though it did show-though quite a bit on all but the thickest of papers.

Feathering was not an issue in each of my tests. The noticeable feathering on the decorative capital "V" on the writing example was due to my pen putting down far more ink than even the mighty Rhodia paper could handle.

Verdigris is quite a lovely color, and is better behaved on the page than it's cousin Morinda. I have yet to test out other R & K inks, but if they're of the calibre of this one, then I will be quite pleased. If you're a fan of uniquely colored inks, then Rohrer and Klingner is one you should definitely check out.

Review notes: for the thin lines, I used a Lamy Safari with a steel EF nib. For the medium lines, I used a Lamy Joy with a steel 1.9mm italic nib. The broad lines were produced using a Pilot Parallel pen with a 3.8 mm steel nib. The paper is 80 gsm Rhodia.

ink review: diamine damson

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Diamine Damson is the color a ninja fruit would wear when trying to sneak into an orchard under the cover of darkness. Named for fruit it resembles, Damson is a dark, dusky plum that turns nearly black when used in a wet-writing pen. In a dry-writing pen, it produces a washed-out gray-purple line. It's a moderately saturated ink - neither as rich as other Diamine inks, like Imperial Purple, or as light as J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune, which it closely resembles. When written with a broad nib, Damson produces some nice shading, but delivers a fairly consistent line in a fine nib.

Drying time is well within the realm of acceptability: on Rhodia paper, it was dry to the touch in 8 seconds, while on Staples Bagasse and cheap copier paper, it dried in 3 seconds. Feathering, too, I had no trouble with when using an extra-fine nib; the ink exhibited low feathering relative to each of the papers on which I tested it.

Purple, at least in the United States, isn't typically considered a standard ink color. Our conservative business standards are boring blue and black. Diamine Damson, though, is subtle and subdued enough that you might be able to get away with it - particularly in a wet-writing pen, like the Visconti Homo Sapiens. When used with an instrument of that sort, the color is nearly indistinguishable from black at first glance.

Diamine inks are available in a 30ml plastic bottle, which is utilitarian in appearance, and an 80ml glass bottle, which is slightly less so. The smaller plastic bottle has a neck that is very small in diameter. I found that some of my larger pens, like a Lamy 2000, would not fit all the way in, which made getting to the ink a bit of a challenge. My recommendation would be to go for the larger bottle.

Damson is an interesting ink that behaves well on a variety of paper - something I've come to expect from Diamine inks. While it's not quite vibrant enough to make it into my daily rotation of inks, I could certainly see it being exactly what someone in a more conservative business environment is looking for. If that describes you, then consider this a recommendation.

Review notes: I used a Pilot Parallel 3.8mm pen with a steel nib for the widest lines, a Lamy Joy Safari with a 1.9mm steel nib for the medium lines, and a Lamy Safari with an EF steel nib for the narrow lines. The paper is bright white 80 gsm from a Rhodia Bloc No 18.

paper review: moleskine cahier

Amongst fountain pen aficionados, Moleskine is known primarily for the inconsistency of their paper. For a long time, I'd had pretty good experiences with Moleskines and fountain pens, especially as someone who favors dry-writing, narrow nibs. While I've switched to Rhodia notebooks for most of my personal writing, I'm still using extra-large Moleskine Cahiers at work. The 7.5 by 10 inch, cardboard-covered notebooks provide great value for the money: a three pack of the extra-large cahiers, each with 120 pages, runs about $19 online.

(about two years worth of notes)

Over the course of the past two years, I've amassed quite a collection. I fill roughly one notebook a month with the notes I take for all of the meetings that I sit through on a daily basis. Typically, the paper is smooth, thin, and slightly absorbent. When I purchased my wet-writing Visconti Homo Sapiens, I was pleased to find that I saw very little bleed through and only mild feathering - that is, until I finished my last notebook and had to buy a new pack.

(old notebook - nice and crisp lines)

(new notebook - feathertastic!)

(new notebook - terrible bleedthrough!)

The paper in the new notebooks still looks like the same thin, ivory paper I'd been used to. Now, however, it has a bit of a tooth and is extremely absorbent - so much so that my wet writing pen creates a feathery mess on the page. Bleed-through and show-through, which used to be minimal, are now commonplace. I feel like I'm writing with a Sharpie.

What's more distressing is that even within the same notebook, I get slightly different results from page to page. Some pages behave like my last notebook, while others exhibit the aforementioned feathering, show-through, and bleed-through.

I use a fountain pen because I enjoy a superior writing experience when using it. Unfortunately, the inconsistent quality of paper in the Moleskine Cahier means that it doesn't deliver on its end of the bargain. Therefore, I'm making the switch to Clairefontaine notebooks. I just ordered three of them from Goulet Pens, and, while they contain less paper for the same cost, I know that I'll enjoy using them ever so much more.

Moleskine notebooks are available just about anywhere.

pen review: visconti homo sapiens

Let me start by stating that the Visconti Homo Sapiens is the nicest pen I own, hands down. It's been on my "to covet" list for a while, and I decided to treat myself recently, as a reward for a promotion at work.

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The body is constructed from a dense black material that is a combination of basaltic lava and resin. It is slightly hygroscopic, meaning that it will absorb a light amount of moisture, and it's easy to grip, so it's a pleasure to hold for longer writing sessions. The trim, including the spring-loaded clip, is constructed entirely from solid bronze, and appears to be developing a lovely patina as the days wear on. While the pen comes packed with a cleaning cloth for the bronze, I don't envision myself using it any time soon.

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The Homo Sapiens comes with a new 23k palladium "dream touch" nib, which is available in EF, F, M, B, BB, and Stub widths. I purchased the EF nib, which is apparently considered a specialty item, so you may not be able to find it at all retailers.

Unfortunately, I ran into trouble with the nib when I first got the pen. When I pulled it out of the box for the first time, I noticed that the nib and feed were misaligned. It wrote, but the pen was fairly dry, was a bit of a hard starter, and felt scratchy, due to a lack of lubrication from the ink. Goldspot Pens, who I ordered the pen from, arranged for me to send it back to the distributor for a nib swap. They would have done it themselves, but since the EF nib is considered a specialty item, they didn't have any spares in-house.

When I got the pen back from the distributor, I was dismayed - it looked like the nib and feed were still slightly misaligned. I inked it up to test it, and was immediately relieved. Yes, the alignment still appears to be slightly off, but now the pen writes like a dream (living up to the "dream touch" moniker). It has become a wet writer, and it simply glides across the surface of the page.

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On Rhodia paper, the EF nib produces a line very similar to the gold EF nib on my Lamy 2000. However, the extra ink it puts down results in a much darker line; both writing samples above were written with Diamine Imperial Purple, and the Visconti is clearly darker. On more absorbent papers, like that in a Moleskine cahier, the line ends up being somewhat thicker - acting more like a fine nib.

The Homo Sapiens uses a vacuum power filler that's made from titanium. While I have heard other people complain that it doesn't draw much ink, I haven't had any trouble with it. It is definitely a bit trickier to get the maximum fill from this pen than one with a piston fill mechanism, but once you get the hang of it, it works quite well.

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At 5.75 inches, the Visconti is just a bit longer than a Lamy Safari (or an Al-Star, pictured here). However, it is quite a bit heavier, weighing in at 1.6 ounces - a full ounce heavier than the Safari. Those that prefer their pens light may want to test drive one before purchasing. The cap is heavy enough that it does not lend itself to posting, but at 5.625 inches long unposted, I can hold it comfortably in my gorilla-sized hands.

I can certainly see why the Homo Sapiens received a number of pen of the year accolades for 2010. It's a beautiful, elegant, and well-crafted pen. It took a little bit of effort to get the nib tuned right, but it was worth the effort. It was worth every penny of the $595.00 it cost. I can highly recommend it for those who are looking for a high-end fountain pen.

The Visconti Homo Sapiens is available from:

• Goldspot Pens

chili limerick

Oh, cumin and spice make a flavor

That's incredibly easy to savor

When consumed with a spoon

It is gone far too soon

But it's worth all the hours of labor

pen review: twsbi diamond 540

Many excellent things have been written about the TWSBI Diamond 530. A clear, piston-fill, steel-nib demonstrator available for US$40, it was one of the best pens in its price range. It was also constructed to be completely user-serviceable -- it came with instructions on disassembly and reassembly, along with a tub of silicone grease and a purpose-built wrench for removing the piston.

(image courtesy of TWSBI)

I used my 530 extensively - it was a workhorse of a pen that I could have easily held onto for years. That is, until TWSBI came out with its successor, the Diamond 540. Despite being a well engineered pen that featured a great design, the 530 had two minor issues that kept it from being a classic: the threading on the cap was very tight -- enough so that to remove and replace the cap took more effort than one would expect; the piston was likewise stiff, and would occasionally stick -- I would worry that I was going to damage the mechanism when filling it with ink.

I'm pleased to report that the 540 fixes both of those problems. The cap still feels secure on the pen, but it now twists on and off with ease. The piston was also fixed. Now it moves through its entire range of motion without issue. Additionally, they've increased the ink capacity of the pen to a notable degree. The pen almost holds a full 2 ml at capacity.

(image courtesy of TWSBI)

The steel EF nib is the same one that shipped with the 530 -- in fact, the nib units are interchangeable and available from TWSBI separately. It's a stiff nail, so there is neither flex nor spring, but it does write smoothly and reliably. It's an easy starter, and can take being uncapped for a few minutes without much issue.

While the price has gone up by $10 over the 530, it is still an excellent value at this price point. The only improvements I could suggest now would be a spring-loaded clip and the option for a gold nib - both things I would only expect on a pen costing twice as much.

I can't recommend the Diamond 540 enough. It's one of the best values for its price, and nearly rivals pens costing more than twice as much.

The TWSBI Diamond 540 is available from:

• Goldspot Pens
• Goulet Pens
• TWSBI ebay store