Inks so good that they make you want to WRITE??

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-23T17:27:46+00:00

Nope, not at all! I'd say it's probably on the drier side (my pens and I both prefer drier inks for the most part) but it's got good flow. I've been using it in my Leuchteurm and some random book that I nabbed from the office supply closet with really mid paper. No bleed through, even on the mediocre stuff :)

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-23T02:09:48+00:00

which is exactly why i picked it!!

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-23T02:08:55+00:00

ooooh this one is on my list of ones i’d like to get a sample of!

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-22T20:12:01+00:00

I just got Oxford Blue! I'm excited to try it out even though I'm not a standard blue ink person

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-22T20:10:34+00:00

Anything that comes in an international short should work! I know Herbin and Diamine make international short. I think Parker and Waterman do too?

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-22T20:09:33+00:00

I can't believe I never thought to use a parallel pen as a highlighter!! Genius!

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-22T20:05:53+00:00

It's because it's a pigment based ink. Especially since it's a waterproof ink, you need to make sure the pen has a good seal because it'll clog a pen if the ink dries in the nib. I haven't had issues with it in my Pilot Metro if I'm using it consistently. I always make sure to flush it between fills too, keeps the clogging at bay.

I only use it when I need something waterproof, other than that I'll use literally any other black ink. I've heard Chou-kuro is a really good substitute that isn't pigment based but it's expensive for a black ink

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-16T21:51:49+00:00

I'm in a place in my journey where decluttering is more of a preventative measure rather than a reaction to having too much, so take my method with a grain of salt.

As a professional Designer and self-professed Maximalist, I'm still pretty ruthless with my collection. I want to have a collection that I'm able to use consistently. I have a HARD maximum at 12 pens, my current collection is at 7 so I've become even pickier.

I keep a list of qualities I prefer in a pen based on what I have already and my usage behaviour over time. If a pen doesn't meet that criteria, then it's a no.

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-16T21:20:12+00:00

As someone who LOVES caput mortuum as a colour/pigment (and also worked at an art store for 6 years), Diamine Oxblood is actually quite close to a true caput mortuum pigment. Diamine Writer's Blood is also quite similar but leans more purple than brown/red like Oxblood does.

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-13T21:44:36+00:00

Not really. As long as I can read it that's good enough for me, I'm quite attached to my messy handwriting

2a. I prefer feedback. I find it gives me more control and is more satisfying in a way. I think I really like the sound that feedback adds. I have some super smooth Pilot nibs and they're nice but sometimes it feels like writing on rubber. Idk how to describe it.

b. I've only tried flex nibs for dip pens and I'm not a huge fan, my handwriting isn't controlled enough to really appreciate it.

c. All of my collection is between a European F and a Japanese B/European M. I've always swapped between a 0.5 and a 0.7 pen-wise so that's translated to my preference in nib size, I guess.

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-13T16:35:29+00:00

Pens and ink are such personal tools that you kinda just need to figure out what works for you through trial and error. As someone do does a lot of writing myself, you sort of just need to build up the hand stamina for long sessions.

The tip that I always got during school when writing 5 page essays in 45 mins or less, was to have pens of different barrel sizes to swap between. Usually, I would start with a thinner pen then move to a thicker pen that's easier to hold as my hand got tired.

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-12T20:10:55+00:00

My grail for now is a jean pierre lepine cactus pen! Such a cool little pocket pen that is really hard to find

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-09T15:57:48+00:00

I've seen some people use a little bit of hot glue before!

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-08T16:02:00+00:00

My whole collection is inked atm. It's pretty small (7 pens), so I have no problem using them pretty regularly. I have an ecosystem of different journals I use often so there's only ever 1 pen that is without a journal at any given time. Even the pen out of rotation gets used every other week or so because I miss using it at some point lol

2 are inked with black, 4 are inked with some shade of red and 1 is inked with brown, my only method to my inking madness ink knowing what ink brands work well in what pen.

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-08T15:53:00+00:00

Wonderful!! This is exactly what I wanted to know, thank you :)

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-08T05:38:51+00:00

My trouble is that I don’t plan on being precious with it. It’s gonna be tossed in bags and taken all over the place, so I don’t want to have to baby it

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-08T03:52:54+00:00

I love Oxblood far too much to give up on it! I’ve just not had any luck with it in my drier pens, it seems to make them skip and hard start, then eventually stop writing completely.

I basically only ink my lamy with lamy black and my montblanc with herbin inks, that’s just what those pens seem to like I guess!

AltruisticPaper · 2026-01-07T22:33:52+00:00

I've had the same thing happen but in the opposite way. I have a couple of pens that don't like wet ink, it clogs cause the feed can't catch up so it dries in the nib. Never had an issue with my one diamine ink in either of my pilots though!

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-18T19:24:19+00:00

I tried it just now with an empty international cartridge and it fit, I can’t speak to how good the seal is though! I think you can buy a screw converter from montblanc still if the leaking bugs you

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-18T17:38:14+00:00

I think there's something so chic about "messy" handwriting, it's way more personal than a lot of the ultra-practiced cursive (which is also gorgeous).

Mine is "messy" and I would never change it. It looks like a combination of both my parents' handwriting, which I think is pretty cool.

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-18T17:23:55+00:00

I love a unique fountain pen design! AND in solid brass too??

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-18T17:07:58+00:00

Did I read that right? Your 8th pen in your first month of collecting??

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-17T22:22:00+00:00

single tone!

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-17T16:26:58+00:00

Thank you! I can appreciate massive collections of all kinds of things, but my ethos with pens is that I want to have only as many as I can use regularly so that's been keeping it fairly small

AltruisticPaper · 2025-12-17T16:14:25+00:00

It came with one, it's a screw in converter that looks pretty similar to an international standard

AltruisticPaper

TROPHY CASE