» Ink Sample Book
Start writing with a fountain pen and you will discover about a billion different colors and flavors of available inks and if you are like me, you will want to try as many as possible to find the perfect shade with the best flow for your favorite pen. When you start testing many different brands/colors of inks, it can be helpful to set aside a notebook specifically for that purpose. I suggest using the same kind of notebook that you use on a daily basis because that will help set the benchmark for how the inks perform on your favorite paper. Didn’t know that water based fountain pen inks can act differently on different kinds of paper? Oh yes…. Most definitely. (Gel ink pens as well) In fact, part of the reason I started my personal blog, Spiritual Evolution of the Bean was to find the perfect journal.
If you wish to sample many different inks without spending a ton of money on full bottles you may never use, Pear Tree Pens and Goulet Pens both sell ink samples. Visit their websites for more information.
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Comments
Oh yes… I keep a book of what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve had a few combos that have been too dry for my taste in writing and it saves time to keep track of those.
I’d really like to try inks, but don’t know for sure what kind of pen I need to use bottled inks.
The fountain pens I’ve tried so far have cartridges as refills. Is there a particular type/brand of pen that you fill from a bottle?
xoxo
Thanks for the shoutout here! The biggest reason I love fountain pens (aside from italic nibs) is because of the colors. I’m a bit ‘color ADD’, constantly wanting to switch and change up colors based on my mood. And yes, paper is a HUGE factor! Not only the brand/type of paper, but also the color….many inks will look surprisingly different on both white and ivory paper!
I use one of my smallar(#13) Rhodia pads just for that purpose. For each new ink I try I fill one page with my writings. I also do something similar on a set of index cards. Then I have a Moleskine and a second Rhodia pad that gets just one line for each new ink – identifying the pen and ink combination. The idea works very well for me when I want to go back and compare the various ink that I test. And with so many colors to choose from I find that at least half me ink usage comes from various samples.
Many different fountain pens have optional converters that allow you to full from an ink bottle rather than use a cartridge. :o)
I’ve been keeping a log of ink-in-which-pen in a Staples bagasse legal pad in my writing folio. This is great and annoying at the same time, as the sheets fall out and I haven’t numbered them, so can’t remember which ink/pen combo is current. My goal is to do a color comparison journal in addition to logging in current pens in use. What I probably need for that is a binder so that I could add pages and move them around. Still pondering what will work best.
@Vicki – Just to expand on Stephanie’s response with a concrete example. (One of many but a good example in my opinion.)
The pen in the picture shown is a Red Lamy Safari. Safari’s are a cheap and robust fountain pen for those interested in experimenting with fountain pens.
Safaris take a large cartridge from Lamy (type T10) and can also accept a Z24 convertor to allow use of bottled ink. You can swap back and forward between cartridge and convertor anytime you want. The convertor is, effectively, a refillable cartridge.
Here’s some more reading from one of my favourite suppliers
http://notemaker.com.au/products/lamy-z24-ink-converter
Thanks Duncan,
I just ordered the converter, ink and a dip pen (I’m guessing to use this you “dip” it into liquid ink)
xoxo
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