# Favourite ink?



## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

What kind of ink do you like to put in your pen? Relatedly, what size nib do you use with it?

I've been using Pelikan, but I'm not thrilled with it (spreads quite a bit, and it smears easily). I'm also a noob, so there's that.


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## teeritz (May 27, 2006)

I had a bottle of Noodler's Bay State Blue. It was by far the most exquisite shade of blue ink I've ever seen. It was also one of the hardest inks to wash off my fingers. It was about three weeks before it faded to an unnoticeable level. And if you ever got it on your clothing, then that was it. The garment would have to be thrown out. 

These days, I go for Waterman inks. They make a great blue-black. Also check out Florida Blue and Havana Brown. Yeah, that's right. Brown. Makes your shopping list look like a historical document. 

Aurora makes a nice archival-quality black ink, but I tend to use blues mainly. Noodlers is a great ink brand to try, by the way. Aside from the aforementioned Bay State Blue, they make a beautiful shade of green (Eel Green) and a striking shade of red (Red Rattler). Perhaps the only ink I don't use in my better pens is Quink, these days made by Parker.
Oh, and Visconti make a pleasant shade of dark blue ink also. 
Pelikan make some decent inks, by the way. I have the Aventurine Green and it's very nice. If you're finding that the ink spreads easily, it might have to do with the type of paper you're using. As for smearing, are you letting the ink dry fully? Not that it takes hours, but it does require a good ten or fifteen seconds. 

In saying all that, I tend to use Medium nibs, but I have a Pelikan M800 with a Broad Bold nib and a vintage Parker Vacumatic with a fine nib. Plus about 30 other pens with various other nibs, but I tend to favour a Medium nib in my modern pens, whereas a vintage pen with a fine nib is like nothing else. 

Experiment with different inks. Like I say, Waterman make some nice inks, and Noodlers make some great ones. 

Best of luck.


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## tsbphd (Jun 11, 2012)

I generally use the Iroshizuku line of inks. These inks can be "wetter" than some brands of ink, but they make wonderful shades that appear to be friendly to most any pen and that wash off the fingers relatively easily (but not immediately) in the event that you stain your hands. The Iroshizuku Asa-Gao (blue) is essentially the same shade as Waterman's Serenity Blue, which until recently had been called Florida Blue. This Waterman ink has a long history of successful use in fountain pens and I would suggest it to folks who don't know what ink they would like to use or who have had issues with other inks. It is also less expensive than something like Iroshizuku, though I have never found the expense of inks burdensome.

Be aware, however, that there are some inks that do not work well with some types of pen filling mechanisms and it might serve you well to ask questions regarding specific pens or inks. Additionally, I have learned from experience that many inks can appear to write differently depending upon the pen used and I expect that this is largely due to the nib size and shape influencing ink flow and saturation. There have been times when I have had to remove an ink from a pen (Iroshizuku Murusaki-Shikibu from a Waterman Edson) because the pen wrote terribly with the ink and then replaced it with another ink and the pen wrote quite well. Lastly, your choice of paper will influence the quality of writing immensely. Modern copy paper is fine for what it does, but it isn't the best friend to a fountain pen. There are many generally available brands of paper that cater to our niche market.

My pens have a range of nib sizes and styles. The Japanese pens generally have a much more fine nib for a given nib size so a Japanese M nib, such as a Nakaya M nib, will likely be quite a bit more fine than a Pelikan M nib. I have about a half-dozen pens and the nibs are as follows-

Nakaya-One each M, B-stub and BB-stub
Waterman-M
Palikan-One each M and M-Oblique
Parker-One each F and M

The Nakaya M writes a very fine line while the B-stub and BB-stub are much more broad and stylistically they stand out quite a bit due to the variation in line width. The Waterman is an Edson and this has the hidden nib; it writes very stiffly without flex and I am in a love-hate relationship with this pen. The two Pelikans are very different pens in that one is a vintage M400 and uses the M-Oblique while the other is an M1005 and uses the M nib. However, the M1005 has such a large nib structure that the M nib is a true gusher and what might be best termed a signature pen. The Parkers are both vintage and the Vacumatic has an F nib while the Parker 51 has an M nib. These have very different characteristics from one another.


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## jar (Dec 24, 2013)

Today it is Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki in a Kikyo Nakaya Piccolo with a Music nib.
















AbE:

Pelikan 4001 ink is a relatively dry ink and so if you are getting feathering and spreading with it, some of the inks mentioned may be far worse for you. Are you pressing too hard, using really crummy paper? What pen are you using?

All fountain pen inks can smear and will take awhile to dry. Maybe you need to resort to the old standby of a "blotter"?


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## MrCCartel (Aug 15, 2013)

Out of the many Bottles of Ink I own. Here are my favorite.

Diamine Oxblood










Midnight Blue









Palm Green









Alfred Hitchcock Red. 









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## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

jar said:


> Pelikan 4001 ink is a relatively dry ink and so if you are getting feathering and spreading with it, some of the inks mentioned may be far worse for you. Are you pressing too hard, using really crummy paper? What pen are you using?


I'm likely pressing too hard, using too wide a nib (medium) on my Faber Castell Ambition, _and_ using crummy paper.



jar said:


> All fountain pen inks can smear and will take awhile to dry. Maybe you need to resort to the old standby of a "blotter"?


I'm actually finding that it smears even days after it was written. Maybe paper, but also probably the ink.


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## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

That is some gorgeous, gorgeous ink and pens, MrCCartel. I admit, a little rich for me at this stage.


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## tsbphd (Jun 11, 2012)

It smears DAYS later? Something is wrong. If it is smearing after that long an interval then you either have a large ink stain, which I doubt, or you are using paper that is itself either saturated with water or is otherwise not absorbing the ink sufficiently.


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## MrCCartel (Aug 15, 2013)

cdemwell said:


> I'm likely pressing too hard, using too wide a nib (medium) on my Faber Castell Ambition, _and_ using crummy paper.
> 
> I'm actually finding that it smears even days after it was written. Maybe paper, but also probably the ink.


Our suggestions are almost useless without pictures of what you are suffering from. Even me as a lefty don't have any issues near what you are having, tho I do have to be more careful than a right handed person.

My first question would be what paper are you using, and what ink are you using.

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## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

Well, next week I'm going to pick up a Clairefontaine notebook, so I can try that out. I also will get a Lamy Safari with an extra-fine nib. I'll draw on a page and see how it goes.

The paper I'm using is.. whatever is in this notebook that I got from work. I've really no idea, but I'm willing to bet it's terrible. I was mostly interested in hearing about inks from people who know a thing or two, so I can get off on the right foot.


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## MHe225 (Jan 24, 2010)

Waterman Blue-Black for our pens with fine nib. Easy to get, fairly economic too.

I do prefer Royal Blue, but that one is harder to get and my wife always mumbles something about "document proof" (she's a retired lawyer .....).

Anyway, not exciting, I must admit. Maybe I'll get adventurous one day and get brown(ish) ink.


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## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

Or red! I admit I've been inspired by that blood-red Montblanc...


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## MrCCartel (Aug 15, 2013)

cdemwell said:


> Or red! I admit I've been inspired by that blood-red Montblanc...


Diamine Oxblood is a very nice ink as well. It is many times cheaper than the limited edition Alfred Hitchcock.

Here is another shot of the Diamine Oxblood. 









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## cdemwell (Sep 19, 2015)

Wow, you aren't kidding - that's many times cheaper indeed, and quite pretty.


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## Nokie (Jul 4, 2011)

Noodler's Bay makes some great inks. Agree, that their blue is an outstanding color, very deep, very rich.


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## teeritz (May 27, 2006)

Sadly, I don't think they're importing Noodlers inks to Australia these days.


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## thomasrhee (Nov 9, 2015)

The Diamine Oxblood looks nice.


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## dobbermn (May 18, 2015)

Well, I unfortunately am left handed with the claw overwrite. I'm a lot more limited to the inks I can use. My current favorite is Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo. It's a cool blue blackish ink that dries really fast. Shows a lot of shading in a Lamy M nib. Waterman and Mont Blanc inks work well for me as well but I don't think they are as nice looking. 

A funny note, I bought Private Reserve Sherwood Green "Fast Dry". What a joke that is. It takes forever to dry. That's unfortunate for me because I think it's a very nice looking ink.


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## MrCCartel (Aug 15, 2013)

dobbermn said:


> Well, I unfortunately am left handed with the claw overwrite. I'm a lot more limited to the inks I can use. My current favorite is Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo. It's a cool blue blackish ink that dries really fast. Shows a lot of shading in a Lamy M nib. Waterman and Mont Blanc inks work well for me as well but I don't think they are as nice looking.
> 
> A funny note, I bought Private Reserve Sherwood Green "Fast Dry". What a joke that is. It takes forever to dry. That's unfortunate for me because I think it's a very nice looking ink.


Being a lefty is not so bad. Tho I agree that it looks far easier to write with the right hand.

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## gangrel (Jun 25, 2015)

Nokie said:


> Noodler's Bay makes some great inks. Agree, that their blue is an outstanding color, very deep, very rich.


The brand is Noodler's; the Bay State line is an unusual...and in some ways, problematic...collection of 3 colors. 
Baystate Concord Grape & Cranberry - Noodler's Ink

Private Reserve had big problems with seemingly never drying; IIRC, Sherwood green and their sapphire blue were unusable because of this. They also dried much too easily in the feed, and were very hard to clean out. Great colors, but unusable.

I've been going with Edelstein and Iroshizuku inks. I also like certain of the Noodler's waterproof colors...some have flow problems, but the devil red, grizzly, and eternal brown have worked fairly well for me.


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## bmaher7 (Dec 25, 2015)

I'm left handed and two of my favorites are both by Noodler's. I like their Bernanke Blue (this one drives insanely fast) and their walnut ink. The walnut is very rich looking on creme colored paper. I prefer the fine nibs, I have a fine Pilot Metropolitan and a fine Lamy Vista. Love the Pilot and my only complaint about the Lamy is that it's still too thick...I think I should have gotten a Lamy EF.


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## hoppes-no9 (Jun 13, 2010)

I'm of the opinion that a couple of good reds and a few blues and other dark colors are sufficient for 99% of my writing.

Together these get used more than the 30 or so other inks I have.

Red
Diamine Oxblood
Diamine Red Dragon
Noodler's Red-Black
Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock

Dark blues and others
Montblanc Midnight Blue
R&K Verdigris
Diamine Denim
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Iroshizuu Tsuki-yo
Noodler's Zhivago
Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black


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## Slarnos (Apr 13, 2014)

My favorite ink? Waterman Serenity Blue (used to be Florida Blue.)

It's not the most exciting ink to look at compared to some super-saturated blues out there, but it's the most useful ink I own.

Want to keep a pen looking nice? Serenity Blue doesn't stain.

Need to diagnose a nib that isn't working properly? Serenity Blue flows freely even in stubborn nibs.

Worried about cost or availability? Serenity Blue is easy to find and decently priced.

And on top of that it's sedate enough to use for any occasion, yet not completely boring.

I use other inks too (big fan of Diamine and Noodler's, and I'd use a lot more Pilot Iroshizuku if it wasn't quite so expensive) but Serenity Blue is the one I can reach for at any time and know it'll do the job, no matter what the job is.


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## Trel (Nov 21, 2009)

For my basic blue and black, I like Aurora. They have great color saturation, behave on cheap papers and lubricate nibs very nicely.


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## thomasrhee (Nov 9, 2015)

Most of the times I use black and blue and my favorites are:

For black: Pelikan Edelstein Onyx and Montblanc Permanent Black
For blue: Waterman Florida Blue and Montblanc Permanent Blue

I also picked up Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst last week and really love it.


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## MLJinAK (Feb 14, 2015)

I'll second the Serenity Blue, it was the first ink I tried so I can only comment on the color. It is a gorgeous shade.

Piper Inks, from Franklin-Christoph (not Franklin-Covey) are decent inks after my 1 week with them. They take a second or so longer than the Waterman ink to dry, beware of that. Their black is very deep and bold from an extra-fine nib. 
Ink, etc. - Franklin-Christoph Fine Writing

I like how they come in short cartridges, too. I can swap out colors quickly without feeling I've wasted ink. Unless I run into any issues or want a different shade of ink, I'll probably stick with Piper.


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## paul.karroum (Jul 5, 2015)

I'm partial towards the Montblanc Black. I am using the standard blue cross small cartridge now and it seems almost watered down. Between the waterman and Montblanc which blue is deeper? 


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## fbones24 (Jun 13, 2014)

hoppes-no9 said:


> I'm of the opinion that a couple of good reds and a few blues and other dark colors are sufficient for 99% of my writing.
> 
> Together these get used more than the 30 or so other inks I have.
> 
> ...


Tsuki Yo and Air Corp Blue-Black are two of my favorite inks!


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## Recoil Rob (Jun 28, 2014)

I find the Diamine line to have relatively good characteristics and a broad range of colors, they are a safe, affordable choice.

I have some Noodlers inks for their permanence but I only use them in Platinum Preppies and other $5 pens. I have read too much about their corrosive properties and have also experienced it. Preppies used to come with color coded nibs, all other inks I tried were fine but Noodlers Black Eel peeled that coating right off, not willing to see what it does to the innards of a Pelikan.

FYI, The Goulet Pen Co. offers ink samplers, usually eight 2mm vials of a color (e.g., eight different reds) or of a brands ink line (8 Faber-Castells). You can get individual vials too. 

And over at the The Fountain Pen Network you can get in on ink trades.


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## agentdaffy007 (Apr 12, 2012)

The best blue i have ever tried has to be the Montblanc Permanent Blue. Dry to medium flow, deep blue, no bleedthrough, not even a hint of showthrough, waterproof (yes waterproof). It is by far my favorite ink, i dare say it is the perfect ink. Certified ISO as well.

Since i need document proof inks, i also use Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black and Pelikan 4001 Black. Both are very dry inks but it works out well with my vintage 1960 Montblanc 149 firehose.

It's really the 3 inks i'll ever need.

Honorable mention would go to Montblanc Royal Blue since that ink works great with wet and dry pens. No feathering, no bleedthrough either!


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## heb (Feb 24, 2006)

I like Sheaffer "Script" blue-black. I haven't bought a bottle of it in a long time.

heb


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## Hayseed Brown (Mar 2, 2013)

My favorite blue (and overall) is Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo (which I've seen mentioned a bunch in this thread).

My favorite red is Iroshizuku Yama-budo.


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## paul.karroum (Jul 5, 2015)

I am in need of a deep or dark red color for everyday writing. It wouldn't be put into a high value pen; it's a Cross Bailey. I wanted to get the Alfred Hitchcock ink but each bottle I found was extremely expensive. 


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## alfbacca (Nov 8, 2015)

Right now it's Noodler's Zhivago in my Franklin Christoph 03 with a Matsuyama Medium Italic.


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## Slarnos (Apr 13, 2014)

paul.karroum said:


> I am in need of a deep or dark red color for everyday writing. It wouldn't be put into a high value pen; it's a Cross Bailey. I wanted to get the Alfred Hitchcock ink but each bottle I found was extremely expensive.


Try Diamine Oxblood. It's a great red, and it's quite economical as ink goes.


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## hoppes-no9 (Jun 13, 2010)

Slarnos said:


> Try Diamine Oxblood. It's a great red, and it's quite economical as ink goes.


+1. Also Diamine Red Dragon, or Noodlers red black


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## paul.karroum (Jul 5, 2015)

Slarnos said:


> Try Diamine Oxblood. It's a great red, and it's quite economical as ink goes.





hoppes-no9 said:


> +1. Also Diamine Red Dragon, or Noodlers red black


Thanks for the input!

I will look into both. I don't mind spending for a 60ml bottle 30-40 USD but the Hitchcock was close to 80 when I checked last. Bit excessive for my purposes.

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## BenE (May 12, 2009)

Great photos and nice pen.



MrCCartel said:


> Out of the many Bottles of Ink I own. Here are my favorite.
> 
> Diamine Oxblood
> 
> ...


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## Nickr71 (Nov 13, 2015)

I really like Diamine ancient copper, but when you have the cap off for a while the ink actually oxidizes and creates and awful residue. I could just recap my pen but I often have to write multiple full pages a day, so I need to be using it. 

Last week I picked up some Noodlers Black Swan in Australian Roses and I'm really loving it so far, but have been really interested in trying English Roses too. If anyone has any experience with both of really appreciate your opinion on how they compare.

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## imaCoolRobot (Jan 1, 2014)

Iroshinzuku ShinKai
I also love Diamine Oxblood but find it somewhat rude to use.


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## fbones24 (Jun 13, 2014)

hoppes-no9 said:


> +1. Also Diamine Red Dragon, or Noodlers red black


Noodles red black is a great ink. The name is deceiving. It's one of my favorite brown inks.

Sent from House Mars.


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## drgoretex (Jul 14, 2014)

My favourite (and usual go-to) out of the 30 or so inks that I have is Pelikan's 4001 Royal Blue. It's not overly wet, so it behaves well on cheaper paper (less feathering and show-through), and the colour is enjoyable without being so wild that one cannot use it at work. I started out with a little 30 ml bottle, went to the big 250 ml refill bottle, and more recently picked up a gargantuan 1 litre bottle (should hold me a couple of years…)

Ken


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## hoppes-no9 (Jun 13, 2010)

fbones24 said:


> Noodles red black is a great ink. The name is deceiving. It's one of my favorite brown inks.


Not brown in my pens on any paper I've used. Deep red. Maybe yours has gone off?


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## fbones24 (Jun 13, 2014)

hoppes-no9 said:


> Not brown in my pens on any paper I've used. Deep red. Maybe yours has gone off?


Probably just subjective. To me, it is certainly a brown ink. A reddish brown, not a green brown.


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## chrisso (Jul 17, 2014)

Baystate Blue, such an amazing and vibrant (and finicky) ink.


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## marmun (May 6, 2014)

Speaking of going off, is there some kind of expiration date for inks, from the ordinary to the most expensive ones? By expiration, I mean the ink doesn't function properly anymore with respect to flow, nib-friendliness, etc. Thanks for your input.


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## heb (Feb 24, 2006)

Private Reserve "Black Magic Blue"


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## cchiu (Dec 13, 2015)

Noodle's Liberty Elysi*m (censors the full word for some reason), really nice blue.


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## tyzator (Apr 22, 2015)

My favourite ink for general use is Montblanc JFK Navy Blue, it writes great on any paper and has a beautiful yet serious colour. But I must say the Diamine Red Dragon does also look great...


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## FranzS (Apr 22, 2016)

Unfortunately JFK Navy Blue is no longer available.
Currently I'm using Midnight Blue but this is really really dark.
Does anybody know it it is possible to mix "Royal Blue" with "Midnight Blue" to get an inc color similar to JFK Navy Blue?


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## panaria12 (Jul 2, 2013)

Pilot iroshizuku Syo Ro is my favourite for some time now. Love the way it transforms colour from wet to dry-goes down blue/black dries blue green.


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## gangrel (Jun 25, 2015)

FranzS said:


> Unfortunately JFK Navy Blue is no longer available.
> Currently I'm using Midnight Blue but this is really really dark.
> Does anybody know it it is possible to mix "Royal Blue" with "Midnight Blue" to get an inc color similar to JFK Navy Blue?


I know that feeling. Visconti Roma Blue and Roma Red (?) are both gorgeous and very nicely behaved...but not available any more.


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## AlejandrOmega (Jul 5, 2010)

Diamante Oxblood is quite good

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## Sose (Nov 22, 2006)

MrCCartel said:


> Out of the many Bottles of Ink I own. Here are my favorite.
> 
> Diamine Oxblood
> 
> ...


I wish we could get rollerball/fineliner refills in those reds. Wow!
Thanks for sharing.

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## drandall (Feb 20, 2013)

right now i'm enjoying Diamine twilight. its a beautiful blue black ink with a definite green hue. a nice twist on a traditional blue black ink.


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## shea2812 (Jun 25, 2016)

No one has mentioned it on this thread but my current favourite is GVFC Black. Bottle is same with Pelikan and yet the ink is a lot more saturated that Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black.

And a new find is vintage Sheaffer Skrip Burgundy.


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## Trel (Nov 21, 2009)

I couldn't pick a single favorite, but of the colors I use, these are my favorites. They are generally sober colors, not too bright or flashy. 
Except Yama-budo, that's my wife's color. The only one she uses, in fact.


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## brunico (Jan 8, 2017)

Sailot Sourakuen Tea Green, Sailor Minatogawa Lime or Sailor Rokko Green.


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## danicycle (Dec 20, 2016)

Noodlers for black ink - bulletproof, doesn't bleed easily at all
Iroshizuku Kon Peki for blue - this is beautiful but bleeds


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## zalhera (Mar 20, 2017)

I'm loving BungBox's 4B! And also Noodler's 54th Massachusetts. I gravitate towards the blue blacks hehe.

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## tar6 (Jun 20, 2016)

Iroshizuku Kon Peki has just the right touch for me.


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## vulgarhands (Aug 4, 2014)

Noodler's Bernake Black is most excellent. 


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## smashie (Aug 25, 2007)

All Diamine for me at the moment, Grape and Ancient Copper then the Diamine Cult Pens Deep Dark Green. The grape and the deep dark green pass for black at a casual glance


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## lmtfi (Sep 10, 2010)

My favorite is Private Reserve - DC Supershow Blue. About 80& of my pens are fine nibs - the rest medium/MF.


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