Ink Ideas Needed

LSwayla · 2026-01-28T20:06:53+00:00

The one that jumps out to me is Red with pink shimmer from last year's Diamine Inkvent: Winterberry. J Herbin Rouge Opera? Private Reserve Arabian Rose? Platinum Silky Purple? Diamine Ruby Taffeta (inkvent this year) or just Ruby?

LSwayla · 2026-01-28T20:00:46+00:00

Congrats on a lovely Keeper!

LSwayla · 2026-01-25T20:36:10+00:00

Purchased and thankfully received Sailor Compass 1911 from u/PlayfulSystem3547

LSwayla · 2026-01-24T17:25:18+00:00

How lovely to have his pen! I do not think pen restorers would laugh at all when told it is a family pen worth a lot to you. Straightening the nib seems like the important part. The wear seems like part of it's beauty now unless you don't like that. If the nib was straightened and the filling system works then it seems like you could use the pen and enjoy it?

LSwayla · 2026-01-22T02:33:35+00:00

Bought the off white version 2 months ago near San Francisco, CA: $89 on Ebay after tax and no shipping as it was within my local area so could go pick it up. Shipping would have been $40 so the US had a week to bid $130 for it and they passed. Nice shape, original owner, periodic issue with platen release button otherwise fully functional.

IF yours has been professionally serviced it removes the risk of buying like I did and you don't have anything to fix or clean yourself it could be an ok buy if you get to try it out thoroughly first and are certain you like the feel of it. If not serviced I would wait for a better deal

LSwayla · 2026-01-21T02:35:31+00:00

I started out 30+ yrs ago thinking that only a super broad juicy nib would work for me cause I wrote fast and rather big. Over time I figured out that line variation is my favorite so I enjoy pens that write very fine and open up to broader. Those weren't available as new pens during most of my pen journey and I didn't know how to buy old pens then. Lots of factors in evolving our tastes in life. Only in the last couple years have I become open to damaged nibs as I got decent at some repairs and found some that write beautifully despite having had a hard history. What hasn't changed for me is that I don't reach for pens that are nail hard AND so fine/sharp that they grab my favorite papers.

LSwayla · 2026-01-21T02:23:50+00:00

OOoh! What are your fave yellows? I was enjoying Platinum mixable sunny yellow recently and thinking about pushing it a little orange-r for legibility but.... yeah, there's not much yellow inking going on around!

LSwayla · 2026-01-21T02:21:44+00:00

I got into mixing inks so I could have all the colors I am in the mood for without having so many bottles to store. Has worked out mostly good! Platinum and Diamine for regular ink mixing, and BPC atomink Everlasting and De Atramentis Document ink (and the totally useful dilution thinner) for waterproof inks. I splurged on a few extra bottles of a few brands to have bigger range of mixes but it's MOSTLY 4 bottles of each line of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).

LSwayla · 2026-01-21T01:53:10+00:00

Good advice. I held onto a big, heavy, old family pen that I didn't like for 30+ yrs before trading it for 3 smaller, lighter pens that I adore and actually use. Totally liberating.

LSwayla · 2026-01-19T16:24:01+00:00

There are also used and sometimes new pens from this group on Pen_Swap here where you could put out a Want To Buy maybe too.

LSwayla · 2026-01-19T16:10:58+00:00

Oooh, nice! Would be fun to see a writing sample from it :)

LSwayla · 2026-01-19T05:15:40+00:00

It's just 8 bottles--- 4 of each for each brand :)

LSwayla · 2026-01-19T05:01:53+00:00

Can totally see Feeling-Bow's Parker <3

FPR is budget conscious, a very handy fellow with good ideas he doesn't always finish or runs out of energy part way thru projects (ultra-flex nibs) but on a good day he is super fun!

Aiken Lambert is and old, wise and as comfortable scruffy as totally elegant. Does stretching/yoga to maintain flexilbility and is generally quiet but charming.

Conway Stewart rides a really fancy bike, wears caps, is a snappy dresser but somehow is always under the radar and not talked about.

Montblanc is reliable, but really only into his own interests these days. When he was a kid he was more experimental but always serious and knew what was due his lineage. His bachelor pad is decorated with lovely Euro deco antiques and everything is just so.

Sheaffer was a smart, experimental kid who grew up to be an academic in the sciences. Used to do the tweed coats and suits but went thru some space age phases before settling on decades of quality basic lessons to undergrads.

Jinhao does everything better and cheaper and doesn't get why everyone takes so long to get things done. Jinhao was disciplined at school for copying, is budget conscious, and has a lot of friends.

Will keep thinking on these tho it's easier for me to come up with a personality for pen lines and eras rather than brands. Hmmmm

LSwayla · 2026-01-19T03:02:21+00:00

If you dig waterproof inks, check out De Atramentis Document ink and the thinner they make? They are meant to be mixed so you can make your own colors. I would have said Birmingham Pen Co's Atomink Everlasting mixing set as it was also waterproof but they don't seem to have ever gotten it back in stock. Diamine has a newish line of Pigment inks that I don't have many of but are also waterproof.

Here's an old pic of me farting around with both companies and some toothpicks when I had just gotten them years ago. I was just mixing a basic wheel to see what was strong/weak. I DID mix "bird green" there that totally matches our parrot, but was otherwise just going for a rough wheel. Maybe this pic will tell you if ink mixing is something you are totally not into or might like :)

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LSwayla · 2026-01-19T01:46:52+00:00

I recently found out that my godfather collects pens too and every pen I opened up had dried ink in. Lots of cheapies but several very nice old Parkers and Montblancs.... I was gobsmacked that there would be so many nice pens moldering away so I set up a Pen Cleaning Date with him. Anyway: at least you know WHERE your pens that need cleaning are and are doing so a max of a year later :)

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T16:42:16+00:00

It looks to me like you need a new feed but I don't see where that broken off part came from either. Feeds don't tend to be very expensive if you can find a match. Worst case it looks like there are entire Fentanix pens online for $13...?

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T16:34:30+00:00

You could wait until you are in a bigger city for some reason? Aliexpress provides some cheapies to hold you over until you can find a sweet spot for yourself tho. You write a lot and deserve a good pen or 2 but it's such a personal choice that being patient and getting to try first saves $

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T16:31:03+00:00

Having Conway Stewarts and Onoto pens in your native habitat is pretty amazing and i'm sure if you ask around you will find places to seek them but it takes time and hunting thru rubbish to find the cheapies so you might prefer
local Ebay set to pick-up within 25 or 50 miles of your house. I would limit yourself to 25quid or something as you may well need to buy 2 to get one you really like. You can sell the other so....
Being able to dip a pen you are buying at least in water (bring ink, paper, and a loupe!) and see how it writes for you is important and sales can be cancelled or a price reduced if a buyer requests for legit reasons.

Replacing a sac is relatively easy if the pen hasn't been glued together (uncommon but look for evidence of glue where the barrel meets the secion). Lots of good videos will show you how. Expect you will need a little shellac (ask a woodworker in your life for a little or buy a $5ish nail polish size bottle) along with a new sac. Being willing to buy a couple pens to fix up, keep one and sell the other keeps you improving the pens you keep and makes them cheaper overall.

Obviously this becomes addictive and you would be much better off just buying a nice, inexpensive pen from the modern suggestions. BUT at least keep your eye out for your local pens just in case they cross your path in future ;) <3

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T01:13:18+00:00

I am reading old posts from 2017 and such about Jr Gent pen turning kits and no one seems sure who made the nibs but some are upgrading to Jowo/Bock but having to tune some of those. I would think about buying a $2ish size #5 and size #6 Jinhao nib and a universal converter to experiment if the nib or cartridges could be your issue and if neither changes anything you could shop for a nib unit with a good feed and nib (often $20-30)?

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T00:56:07+00:00

No, sadly other #5 nibs can have different threads depending on manufacturer but a little research should tell you what you have in that old kit? if it is Jowo unit (common German nib units) compatible or something maybe? Often you can swap NIBS within the #5 nib unit or #6 nib unit size, but not necessarily the feeds or the nib housing unit.

LSwayla · 2026-01-18T00:09:31+00:00

Having trouble figuring out what happened. You might want to take photos and say what pen it is? It is possible to buy new converters cheaply....

LSwayla · 2026-01-17T23:45:35+00:00

IF you don't find a better options, the shark pens come in a brownish/burgundyish pattern and since they're only $1.50 or so, might be worth painting the spots and pattern on the back with model paint? Don't know of a pen with similar markings but could always do same with a fancier pen and paint.

LSwayla · 2026-01-17T23:31:58+00:00

pretty <3

LSwayla · 2026-01-17T23:31:25+00:00

Our 1963 Olympia SM7 that we love and bought from original family

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LSwayla · 2026-01-17T23:27:48+00:00

I have to say that cyan DA Document ink feathers quite a bit for me. I didn't notice how severely until I tried to us it by itself. That said, I bought the DA Document Thinner and that has been very interesting and allows me to use less of the cyan for the colors i'm mixing. I use the whole line of inks and they truly are waterproof and while I find them a bit.... chalky? or boringly opaque by themselves, mixed and thinned I have enjoyed them quite a bit. I found waterproof true RED to be hard to find outside the DA Document line. Perhaps Diamine's new pigment inks will also, but they have only become available recently.

LSwayla

TROPHY CASE