I’ve mentioned before that my friend Chris knows more about ink than anyone I know. I always learn a lot from her, and I enjoyed reading her 2016 list of inks purchased. My list is for 2106 is here. She asked me the other day, guiltily, I think, “Have you ever thrown inks down the drain?” I have no guilt about that. But it gave me the idea for some inky true confessions.
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Fountain Pen Follies 
Can’t resist, even as a Johnnie-come-lately:
1. Have you ever thrown ink down the drain? How did that make you feel?
A bit naughty truthfully! But then I discovered I can part-fill converters (what I use the most) and feel very virtuous 🙂
2. Any ink regrets?
The paper I chose for my ink sampler (where I sampled all my inks on the same paper stock and with the same dip pen, for comparison and to add samples of them in my pens as I go along). My requirements were only that it should be white and consistent between batches, and it is, but I think I should have been more exacting because it’s also more absorbent than I normally use and kills shading which is what I love most! Should have held out for something better – exacompta record cards are *perfect* and if I have time I will redo it all (and add paper towel chromatography if I can work out how to do several at a time…Laura got me onto ink chromas!)
3. What is the ink you own that ink fans would think is really special? The one you’d casually pull out to impress those who are impressed by inks?
I wish I knew! I’m a paper and notebook person mostly.
4. What is your least cool ink? The ink that ink fans love to hate, but you secretly use a lot, or used to, and still have fond memories of.
Probably most of my inks would be in this category honestly! I have mostly Herbin and a couple of Iroshizuku (minis!) and a bucket of samples mostly from my time with an ink subscription. Not quite like a 3.99 cello bag of WHSmith’s refill cartridges, but pretty basic for inkophiles!
5. Your least favorite ink color(s), and why.
Khakis and yellow-heavy greens. I haven’t hit on a pen where they don’t look sickly. Hard sell though – my instinctual reply to this question was ‘no such thing’!
6. Your favorite ink color(s), and why.
oh noes, don’t make me choose just one! You can’t make me 😛
7. Why did you buy another bottle of ink? What’s your best excuse? (Asking for a friend.)
Hey, I’m using it, it’s running out (not specifying whether it’s running out soon, or years from now). Half-truths > lies?
8. You could keep one pen and ten bottles of ink, or ten pens and one bottle of ink, for the rest of your life. Which setup would you choose, and why?
oooh, this is *tough* I’d have to go with the ten inks – reluctantly and after copious bargaining – because I just can’t resist the colors. But, I’d be REALLY upset.
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My turn!
1. Only when emptying a factory-filled cartridge (like Pilot Black, for example) that I wanted to refill with something more interesting.
2. I wish I had more money to buy some of the Sailor shop-exclusives!
3. Pilot Iroshizuku Shimbashi-Iro, perhaps? Like other commenters, Sheaffer Melon Red and Montblanc British Racing Green would be contenders, also.
4. I really like using black ink. I’m also very fond of my pink Pilot Varsity. In fact, I bought a whole box of them.
5. I am not keen on brownish oranges, for some reason.
6. Deep blues, greens, and teals, though I also like pink a lot.
7. Because I earned the money for it by selling something else on eBay!
8. Definitely one pen and ten bottles of ink.
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I want to play too!
1. I’ve thrown more ink down the drain than I care to admit. These days if the ink isn’t bad, I’ll move it along to someone else.
2. I regret not buying every bottle of the old MB Midnight Blue I could get my hands on before it ceased to be.
3. The ink I’d pull out for the Ooh Factor would probably be Skrip #92 Melon Red.
4. I don’t know if Skrip BB is uncool, but it’s been my favourite ink since childhood. Of course the modern one is not the same, but it’s a lovely ink for writing and a dark horse of shader.
5. Least favourite, or least used ink colour would be black. Yes, it’s not a colour.
6. Favourite ink colour would be teals, with violets a close second.
7. No excuse is ever needed for another bottle. I sometimes look at all my inks and feel guilty. But they are cheaper than a lot of hobbies/obsessions, and aren’t harmful. I gave up the drink to have more ink money.
8. Definitely one pen (MB 344 OBB) and ten inks. Although if I could only have one ink it works be Diamine Eau de Nil.
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Really enjoyed this one, Laura! I’d like to participate, if I may.
1. Have you ever thrown ink down the drain? How did that make you feel?
Yes. An entire bottle minus 2 fills of Akkerman Voorhout Violet. It felt liberating as I had been holding onto it for over a year. I was thoroughly disappointed with the color and performance. After dumping it, I filled it with Pilot Blue-Black, of which I buy in the monstrous 330mL bottles.
2. Any ink regrets?
Not buying more Montblanc Hitchcock.
3. What is the ink you own that ink fans would think is really special? The one you’d casually pull out to impress those who are impressed by inks?
Montblanc BRG
4. What is your least cool ink? The ink that ink fans love to hate, but you secretly use a lot, or used to, and still have fond memories of.
Levenger Pinkly
5. Your least favorite ink color(s), and why.
Yellow. They’re never as vibrant as I want them to be.
6. Your favorite ink color(s), and why.
Turquoise, by far.
7. Why did you buy another bottle of ink? What’s your best excuse? (Asking for a friend.)
Because I wanted it. If I needed a reason it’d be because it’s a limited production and if I don’t buy it now I’ll just spend more buying it later when it’s scarce.
8. You could keep one pen and ten bottles of ink, or ten pens and one bottle of ink, for the rest of your life. Which setup would you choose, and why?
I think I would be unhappy either way. I would either long for more pens in the first situation, or more inks in the second.
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Interesting blog today for sure. When I started in fountain pens I swore off blue and black for ink choices. That was because I used regular pens, and I was sick of both colors for a long time. Now I’ve gotten over the blah attitude towards those colors. I have a few different colors, and enjoy them all. My favorite is green, followed by maroon/burgundy, and turquoise. I do like purple ink very much. A true red doesn’t appeal to me much, but a darker red is better.
I would rather have ten inks, and one pen. I know for certain that one ink color would just not do it for me.
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What a cool idea. If I can capture the post and give my answers, here they come 🙂
1. Have you ever thrown ink down the drain? How did that make you feel?
Yes, there was one ink I hated from first feel. Everything about it was making me clench my teeth and as at the moment I wasn’t active on pen boards and didn’t know I can just give it away I’ve thrown the ink down the drain. I still think it’s one of most repulsing inks ever created in terms of behavior and color – Diamine Onyx..
2. Any ink regrets?
Due to some undiagnosed neurological issue I sold my bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Amber that I rather enjoyed. I’ve spent next two years looking for a reasonably priced bottle.
3. What is the ink you own that ink fans would think is really special? The one you’d casually pull out to impress those who are impressed by inks?
Maruzen Akane – stunning red ink. Almost impossible to get and when it appears the prices may be shocking for those faint of heart.
4. What is your least cool ink? The ink that ink fans love to hate, but you secretly use a lot, or used to, and still have fond memories of.
Hmm. none. Although J. Herbin Rouille d’Ancre is my guilty plesure ink.
5. Your least favorite ink color(s), and why.
Black – I almost never use it. I don’t use blue much, maybe I fill a pen with it once in two – three weeks. I viscerally hate cyano-turquoises and smaragd greeens with strong cyan component.
6. Your favorite ink color(s), and why.
Earthy or yellowish browns, green-yellows, deep red and darker oranges. Recently I became purple inks hard user. Why? Dunno, I just like the way they look.
7. Why did you buy another bottle of ink? What’s your best excuse? (Asking for a friend.)
No excuses. It’s one of my hobbies. I’m always curious to check new things. If I dislike them I resell or give them away. No excuses needed.
8. You could keep one pen and ten bottles of ink, or ten pens and one bottle of ink, for the rest of your life. Which setup would you choose, and why?
One pen and ten bottles of ink. While I can imagine myself using just one pen (it wouldn’t be easy to choose just one, mind you) I can’t see myself limited to one color.
Thanks for nice questions 🙂 I enjoyed your answers and I hope you don’t mind I posted mine here.
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This is an enjoyable read and thought-provoking. Perhaps true penlightenment consists of being content with one pen and one ink, which is back where we all started.
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