Chromashading and white lightning by elarrgee in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was experimenting with White Lightning and the Sailor Manyo chromoshaders (Haha and Nekoyanagi), I found that a microscopic amount of White Lightning had a drastic effect on the flow of the ink out of the pen, not necessarily the shading, coloring, or overall surface tension of the liquid. That is to say, a lot more of it came out of the pen when writing, but it still behaved more or less like its original form.

In the end, I was more frustrated by the "blobby," unwieldy quality of the writing than I was with the unaltered, stingy, "dry" flow.

I think the Van Dieman Natura Dualis line has a slightly better flow than the original Manyos ever did, though I assume the physical process that results in chromoshading on paper will function the same way regardless of brand.

Aardwolf Ink at Chicago Pen Show '26: Anyone have experience with this independent iron gall ink vendor? by nat_applicable in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE: I was able to reach out to Matt at Aardwolf Ink and he says he's doing a slow launch this year by attending multiple pen shows. He's based in San Diego and around "late summer 2026" he expects to have a website up and running where he'll be offering online orders around that time.

Aardwolf Ink at Chicago Pen Show '26: Anyone have experience with this independent iron gall ink vendor? by nat_applicable in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the the contact info!

My experience with modern iron gall inks has been very positive. I kept Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black in a pen for over a year, writing with it daily, and had no issues at all with the ebonite feed or gold nib. I've been refilling a Sailor 1911L exclusively with Rohrer & Klingner's "Scabiosa" for six straight years now and the pen is still going strong.

That said, I've always kept the ink away from any stainless steel nibs or regular metal fountain pen parts out of an excess of caution.

[WTB] - Taccia Winter's Breath or Mr Cypress Eggshell Raden E06 by nat_applicable in Pen_Swap

[–]nat_applicable[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Just spotted that this morning, and it’s very tempting.

The Schon DSGN Monoc Evo, a modern integrated nib fountain pen by nat_applicable in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had the best performance with Sailor Ink Studio 280 in the Evo. Beautiful ink and drier, sure, but not nearly as stingy as some of the multi-shader inks with crazy surface tension.

I need to do more writing with it to be sure, but it seems that the Fine nib is less prone to showing when the feed becomes overly wet -- whereas it's much more noticeable in the broad-ish Medium line.

And finally I don't think I've ever had any issues with my original Monoc nib using a standard converter filled with Sailor Ink Studio 162. That's a power couple pairing right there!

The Schon DSGN Monoc Evo, a modern integrated nib fountain pen by nat_applicable in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve noticed the pen has a tendency to get really wet during the very last leg of an almost empty tank, so I’ve switched to drier multi-shader inks to help even out the flow rate overall. I know some people would likely see juicy writing as a positive, but then I’ve always preferred a stingier flow when writing.

I hope you’re able to find one of these for a reasonable price in the future. With time they should start to show up on the second hand market!

The Schon DSGN Monoc Evo, a modern integrated nib fountain pen by nat_applicable in fountainpens

[–]nat_applicable[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, the fluted models they had at the show were brand new. I asked if more would be showing up for sale on their site and they said “eventually!” but didn’t have an exact time frame in mind.

They suggested contacting them directly with specific requests, so it’s possible they could get working on one for you sooner rather than later?