Teach me about fountain pen ink

[nosedog]

Hi all,

I recently bought my first fountain pen, a clear Lamy Safari. I am happy with it, but like the original (blue) ink it contained better than the (blue-black) ink I put in it when the original cartridge ran out. The newer ink seems more watery, in that it looks a little blurry and inconsistent on the page after it has dried.

I'm guessing there must be a variety of inks of different brands I can buy for this pen. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Gavin

[Dave258]

There more inks then one can imagine! Go to Gouletpens.com and check out their swab shop. you will get to see what a sammple swab of each ink looks like, and can even take it further by buying a sample to try instead of buying an entire bottle to start.

On the subject of your cartridge, maybe give the new cartridge a little squeeze to make sure the feed is totally flooded with ink. That sometimes happens when you change carts. Lamy does sell their blue ink in bottles also. For any bottle ink, you need a converter.

Hope that helps.

[Doc4]

This place may be a better option for shipping to Australia.

For sure, some inks can seem much more watery than others ... it's just a question of trying various ones and finding one you like. Are there any Australian companies that offer ink samples? If not, an order of a whole bunch of samples from the Goulets may be in order ...

[Mike Schutz]

Some inks react better with paper than others. Some papers do not react well to inks. The problem is called feathering. It's a matter of experimenting with various combinations to see what works best for you. If we all used ball points, there wouldn't be a problem. But most of us here know how bad ball points can be. Play around, enjoy and have fun. See what works for you.

[BigAlum]

If you are looking for specific brand ideas, I have been very impressed with the Diamine inks I recently purchased...specifically Poppy Red and Ancient Copper. As was previously mentioned, to experience the full range of inks available, you'll need to get a converter for your Lamy. Exploring different inks/paper combinations is the other half of the fun of fountain pens!

[oc_in_fw]

IMO, a good starting point is Pelikan Brilliant Black. It is a BLACK black, and dries pretty quickly on all the paper I have tried. Start there, then branch out. There is a lot of great ink out there. Shaving isn't the only realm that has good software.

[nosedog]

Thanks for the tips, information and advice. I'll have to look into converters, and will look at the brands mentioned. Nothing like word of mouth.

The two places I use the fountain pen are an expensive notebook and an expensive diary. I hope that means they have decent paper :)

[Doc4]

The two places I use the fountain pen are an expensive notebook and an expensive diary. I hope that means they have decent paper :)

Quo Vadis does. Some do not ... you are paying for 'cool' covers & bindings, not quality paper ... and since most people use ballpoints &c anyhow, they don't notice or care.

Rhodia is good too ... but for less formal stuff (paper & staple binding, not leather & thread)

[oc_in_fw]

Thanks for the tips, information and advice. I'll have to look into converters, and will look at the brands mentioned. Nothing like word of mouth.

The two places I use the fountain pen are an expensive notebook and an expensive diary. I hope that means they have decent paper :)

A little food for thought- I have two pens that I made into eyedropper pens- a Cross Century and a Parker Reflex. If you don't know, that is using the body of the pen as a reservoir for the ink, filling it with an eyedropper. On both of these pens, all I needed to do was but silicone grease on the threads. Some say to back that up with an o-ring. I didn't do that, as I didn't have a proper size handy. Neither have leaked so far.