Ink Supplies

[David John]

Really new at this hobby so expect some bizarre questions. Do you order as needed as far as your supply of ink goes? I got a bottle of Noodlers Black and Blue ink coming my way as I feel are the more common colors used today. How long will the ink keep in its original bottle as long as it is properly sealed? I would eventually like to be a bit more creative trying different colors. At the same time I would not like having my inks dry up for lack of regular use.

On a side note: I was pleasantly surprised how far a sample vile of ink goes. One vile will fill the generous capacity of the barrel of my 580.

 

[Eeyore]

Really new at this hobby so expect some bizarre questions. Do you order as needed as far as your supply of ink goes?

[emoji38]

How many shaving soaps do you have, and how many do you need?

Most of us probably have enough inks for three or four lifetimes! :wink2;

 

[Snargle]

Properly sealed and kept out of direct, bright light, a bottle of ink can last years, or even decades. I have a couple of perfectly fine bottles of vintage ink that are almost as old as I am...and I'm collecting Social Security!

 

[David John]

Thanks fellas. Puts my mind at ease.

 

[strop]

I have ink that belonged to my father and is older than I. Still perfectly good.

 

[Eeyore]

I have ink that belonged to my father and is older than I. Still perfectly good.

Just one warning ... thoroughly inspect old inks each time before using them. Some inks stay good for a long time, and then suddenly turn moldy, in my experience. You do not want that in your pen!

For instance, I had a bottle of Quink Turquoise that was great for years (I used it very sparingly), and then when I took it out of my cupboard, all kinds of yuck were floating on top. Quite painful to let that go really

(But not as painful as when I filled my Lamy 2000 from an old bottle of Lamy Blue, and then discovered sludge at the bottom of the bottle!)

 

[djm2]

I wish I only ordered as often as truly needed.

 

[Eeyore]

I wish I only ordered as often as truly needed.

You switched to fountain pens to save money?

 

[andrew98]

I wish I only ordered as often as truly needed.

Same here. I'm 35 years old and probably have at least a lifetime's worth of ink on hand. Luckily, there's only really one or two more bottles I'd like to eventually buy.

-Andy

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Ink lasts FOREVER. I have 2 noodlers bottles one of the blacks and one of the blues (cant remember which ones off hand) and they have lasted me for the year I have had them and I have barely made a dent in either bottle. I have read here about mold growing in ink but I keep my stuff in a room temp area that is on the dry side. I shake it up a bit before i use it and I have yet to have any issues.

A lot of people here like to play with different colors but I am always afraid to do this as I know I will spend a lot on bottles of ink I may never finish or even make a dent in. The majority of writing I do needs to be blue/black anyway so its all I really need to stock.

Regards
Dave

 

[musicman1951]

I've got 13 bottles and one is a 30+ year old bottle of Quink. I'll stop when I run out of attractive colors.

 

[Eeyore]

Ink lasts FOREVER. I have 2 noodlers bottles one of the blacks and one of the blues (cant remember which ones off hand) and they have lasted me for the year I have had them and I have barely made a dent in either bottle. I have read here about mold growing in ink but I keep my stuff in a room temp area that is on the dry side. I shake it up a bit before i use it and I have yet to have any issues.

Wait until they are 15 years, or older, and check for mold again then. One year doesn't say much.

 

[vossad01]

A lot of people here like to play with different colors but I am always afraid to do this as I know I will spend a lot on bottles of ink I may never finish or even make a dent in.

That is where ink mixing comes in, with just three primaries you can make a large array of colors.

 

[August West]

We should start a 3017 ink thread.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I order inks in full bottles based upon the color. My viewpoint is like soaps you can never have enough inks either.

 

[Runnin_Ute]

In 2013 I finished off a bottle of Levenger Raven Black that I bought in the late 1990's!

Currrently (not counting samples) I have the following:
Diamine - Blue Black, Sherwood Green, Classic Red, Steel Blue
Noodler's - 54th Massachusetts, Black, Apache Sunset
Pelikan - 4001 Blue Black
Waterman - Serenity Blue
Levenger - Pomegranate
BlackStone - (these are pre-production inks) Blue Cashmere, Red Cashmere, Black Cashmere and Green Cashmere
I also have between 20-30 ml bottles of Akkerman Shocking Blue and Voorhout Violet
My samples include some vintage powdered inks I am testing, a sample of Dromgoole's Blue Steel, KWZI IG Mandarin, Iro Tsuki Yo, Diamine Twilight, Levenger Empyrean among others.

I keep about 15 pens inked.

 

[Stonerman33]

I've almost used up a bottle of noodlers 54th mass that I bought 3 years ago. I always have it inked up in one of my pens.

One down, 15 or so to go.