My black is Cross Black and my green is Monteverde Monteverde Green, the rest I agree with and have Serenity Blue in my inventory. I like your brown choice and will get a sample and try it. Great video, thanks so much.
I tend to like inks for everyday to be in the blue black range….currently loving Sailor Ink Studio 940, Taccia Dark Indigo, Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean. When in the mood for more color, Diamine Polar Glow and Majestic Blue. And yes, Diamine Blue Black! Always have that one in at least one of my pens.
You finally wore me down -- I tried Oxford Blue and now I almost always have it in a LAMY 2000 and I blame you entirely for that.😉 I agree that Waterman Serenity Blue is underrated. I first started using it because it was my late mother's favorite. Now I appreciate just how versatile it is. It wierd to say but it's always 'blue' and well-behaved no matter the pen, nib or paper. A bit of sheen, a touch of shading, but nothing to detract from its 'blueness'.
I like it that you have such different tastes to me in ink. All great colours, but not for me. Though it was a refreshing journey to watch. The only point where I thought 'oh, no' was Lamy Black. I like the deepest Black I can find and so use Aurora. Having said that I have not tried Noodler's Black and so I'm looking forward to your next vlog. Thanks.
And the PTSD kicks in. 😁 The BIC multi pen was the official "teacher's pen" at the school I went to. This pen is why I have several of the colours I have. They kind of set the bar for certain colours With Diamine inks, you might be able to get them cheaper on eBay. In the United States I get the 30 mL bottles for around $5 USD, and the 80 mL bottles for around $11-12 from the Online Pen Company store on eBay. Free shipping. Dunno if that'd apply for Australia, but it's worth a try. Another great red is Sheaffer Skrip red. Regularly see it referred to as "fire engine red," and, like Waterman or Parker inks, is generally considered a "safe" ink, even for vintage pens. (I will say that my current red is a Diamine one, as it's still cheaper.) I like the selection of inks you are recommending. And I agree about Noodler's inks. Some that are supposed to have certain properties (the bulletproof inks, usually) are not always as permanent as advertised, in my experience. Waterman Serenity Blue is THE recommended ink for vintage pens, though I've found that Diamine inks are generally just as well behaved. Though it's a "royal blue," it's different from the others in the colour. To me, it's a bit purple, instead of the standard "schoolboy royal blue." I got my choices of colours based on the colours from the 1940s & 50s, but none that were made then, originally. (I think that originally I was looking for 10. Hard to remember, now. 😁) Since my first selection, the only regularly used one of the ones from a company that made inks back then is a bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue. Wasn't sure if I'd like it, being a royal blue, but it's different from the run of the mill royal blue inks. It's kind of my go-to for just everyday jotting down things. Thanks for sharing this! Each time I see similar videos, I get ideas for another ink to replace one I currently have. 😁
Hey Paul! I think you already know this by now but just in case you haven't heard: take a look at CultPens for Diamine needs. The standard ink lineup 30mL bottles usually sell for about 2.70-2.75 USD, depending on currency exchange rates. I've seen them for as low as 2.17! Their 135 USD minimum for free international shipping is steep, but I rarely have difficulty reaching that minimum and if I order on Monday I'll have my ink on Wednesday or Thursday. The shipping is quite remarkable. I agree with your assessment of Waterman Serenity Blue. It's one of those royal blues that leans purple. But, by my eye, Serenity and many other inks in the same category lean TOO purple so I don't find myself reaching for it. I like Waterman for Mysterious Blue and Tender Purple, but my preferred, every day office-friendly blue is Noodler's Baltimore Canyon, although Nathan's inconsistencies have me writing off Noodler's moving forward. I'm going to use and cherish the bottle I have but then look elsewhere. I think Sheaffer has shut down its ink manufacturing, sadly. Even their new formulae are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Enjoy your red while you can! My first foray into fountain pens was with Skrip Blue-Black. I have one cartridge left that I'll keep and never use. It is a symbol of my childhood now.
@@twitch7515 Skrip is produced in Slovenia now. Anderson Pens carries it still. With Diamine, The Online Pen Company through their eBay store has 30 mL bottles for around $5ish with free shipping. Cheapest price I know of. And phenomenal service. A sleeper UK company. 😁 My first bottle of ink (I started with an Esterbrook J in 1983) was Sheaffer Skrip blue-black. Why I found a bottle of it from around the same time period on eBay.😁 In my experience the standard royal blue inks (like Pelikan 4001 Konigsblau) look washed out. My bottle of Serenity Blue was originally gotten from an Amazon Black Friday sale for around $5.50. Looks just enough different from a standard "schoolboy blue" (and I have examples from several other companies, including Carter's and Sanford) that I kind of like it. Will I get more? Don't know yet. I generally prefer a traditional blue-black (iron gall. Currently a vintage bottle of Dickson's blue-black 😁) over anything else blue. It's why my first ink was a blue-black. Didn't look like the rest. 😉
@@paulherman5822 Are you sure that Sheaffer is still *making* Skrip? I just picked up some samples of Sheaffer's newer inks a few months ago from Anderson's and looking now it seems like Anderson's is offering less than before. There's only one bottle of Skrip Brown left, some samples, and some cartridges. My concern is that their current stock is all that Anderson's is going to get. Sheaffer used to sell their inks directly via their site. I waited for blue-black bottles to stop being "sold out" for a long time... then more bottles became sold out... then the inks moved to their outlet store, where they were still sold out... it dwindled down to cartridges... now there's no outlet store... even their calligraphy kits aren't available anymore. Brick and mortar stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby used to sell the calligraphy kits and cartridges but not anymore! My point is this: if you love the stuff you might want to stock up, just in case? Maybe sell it in a year for triple the normal price! Or cherish what you've got. Hopefully it comes back. I agree with your assessment of 4001. All of the 4001 inks that I tried inspired a mere "meh" in me. They're fine inks but they were always bested by other inks, including Waterman. That's especially true of Konigsblau, which was just too darn purple for me. I don't even like Baystate Blue, X-Feather Blue, Monteverde Sapphire, or Sargasso Sea because they're too purple for me. Noodler's La Couleur Royale is weird in that regard. Have you tried it? Noodler's claims that it is supposed to be a royal blue but I'll look at it and think, "that's purple." Then I'll blink and see it as blue. It doesn't bother me like most blurples do because it always appears either firmly purple or firmly blue... it breaks my brain. I don't like it well enough to buy a full bottle but it is intriguing. I've never tried Dickson's ink but I like the label! It's got some nice art deco marquee appeal! I've been enjoying Diamine's Registrar Blue-black lately. It isn't as vintage but it's still fun. I'm looking forward to trying TWSBI's and KWZ's blue-blacks as well. I have such a backlog!
@@twitch7515 Guess I look into Skrip now. There's plenty of the inkwell bottles with good ink still out there so I haven't kept up on current stock. (Haven't looked at cartridges in decades.) Only issue is red fades to almost hot pink over the decades. I just gifted a friend a Snorkel era bottle of washable purple Skrip that was great, and I have other colors "with RC-35" as well. I went through the big bottle of Registrar's Ink. Kind of the gold standard for iron gall inks. So far, just started using the Dickson's in a cheap Chinese pen. First truly vintage iron gall fountain pen ink I have tried. Very dry, so I may have to try in a wetter writer than a Liseur 105. 😁 But that's the draw of iron gall inks. Fast drying with virtually no feathering and stays legible for centuries. 😉
We have a couple inks in common. The Aubergine is an everyday "creative writing" ink (I am in the film industry and do some script/concept work every day,) though I use Noodler's Nightshade for more regular daily writing. I also often have California Teal as a daily green, but I switch my greens out a lot. I also use Lamy Black in one of my pens, with another one perpetually inked with Noodler's Dark Matter. I don't really have a daily red though I do switch between Ottoman Rose and Tokyo's Gift in place of a straight red. My daily brown is Aurora Sepia, my blue-black is Noodler's Air Corps, and my blue is Noodler's Navy or Diamine Skull & Roses, or Noodler's Liberty's Elysium (the latter is very fussy about the pen it's in, it can be too dry in the wrong pen.)
Lamy black and Lamy blue have been staples for me since college in the seventies; I've used them for decades in my Lamy 2000 and a pile of other pens. However, I also use Waterman inks also very regularly.
hmmm, favourite inks(without cost consideration): brown - Colorverse Coffee Break, blue/black - definitely Aurora, no contest!, purple - Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu; black - Pelikan(I know it’s not the blackest, but I like it!), blue - ouch!: love blues, probably would choose Diamine Imperial Blue and J Herbin Eclat de Saphir, but also love Waterman Serenity Blue and Montblanc Ultramarine!:), green - definitely Montblanc Irish Green(no contest!) and red - Montblanc St Exupéry
Great choices...and I love the idea of taking inspiration from the multi pen. My first worry was "where is the purple?", so I'm glad you took care of that right away. My vote for black ink would be Aurora Black, however.
Great video and good choices. As for black, I prefer Noodler’s black. No problems with it and bulletproof. But, everyone has their own choices. Thanks for the video.
1. That California Teal is one gorgeous ink.I need it. 2. I don't (yet) have a red or green I would consider everydayish. However I'm permanently attached to Noodler's Baystate Blue because of its vibrancy, along with my contrariness. And I'm happy with Noodler's Borealis Black, cause it is nice and dark, and the wettest ink ever.
@@theoffstageme No, though it would be an interesting comparison. I don't think anybody other than I uses Borealis. I picked it cause ViitaR called it the wettest ink she had ever tested, and An Ink Guy called it the blackest ink he had ever tested. No dang shading.
It's a great list - but I wonder what you'd recommend for a GREY ink. (I'm currently using some Diamine 150 "Silver Fox" - so I wondered what you'd recommend?
Silver Fox is a great Grey. The other Diamine I use is Earl Grey which has a hint of purple. One of the only Noodler's Inks I recommend is Lexington Grey... it's a good colour and also bulletproof. Two more that I really like are Robert Oster Summer Storm and Monteverde Smoke Noir which goes on darker and dries a really lovely shade of grey.
Diamine blue-black is quite well-behaved and safe, low-maintenance, in my experience. Have you not considered Parker Quink Blue-Black, Waterman Serenity Blue, Sheaffer Skrip blue-black? Those are a few that pop to mind now as very suited to vintage pens.
@@likelyrain …Oh ok..I was going to mention Pilot blue-black. But you say you use Pilot inks, too. So, you’re really like covered already. I think most of the Diamine blues and blue-blacks are appropriate for vintage pens. The 1864 blue-black mentioned in this video is an ideal choice.
@@likelyrain …Very cool, Kushal. As a lifelong lover and user of fountain pens and inks, I sure like sharing experiences and helping other, newer pen hobbyists. Continue to look, research, experiment and decide what interests you and suits your needs and preferences most. Pen, ink and paper form the trifecta of traditional fine writing. We need all three, obviously. 🙂
My black is Cross Black and my green is Monteverde Monteverde Green, the rest I agree with and have Serenity Blue in my inventory.
I like your brown choice and will get a sample and try it.
Great video, thanks so much.
I tend to like inks for everyday to be in the blue black range….currently loving Sailor Ink Studio 940, Taccia Dark Indigo, Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean. When in the mood for more color, Diamine Polar Glow and Majestic Blue. And yes, Diamine Blue Black! Always have that one in at least one of my pens.
You finally wore me down -- I tried Oxford Blue and now I almost always have it in a LAMY 2000 and I blame you entirely for that.😉 I agree that Waterman Serenity Blue is underrated. I first started using it because it was my late mother's favorite. Now I appreciate just how versatile it is. It wierd to say but it's always 'blue' and well-behaved no matter the pen, nib or paper. A bit of sheen, a touch of shading, but nothing to detract from its 'blueness'.
I like it that you have such different tastes to me in ink. All great colours, but not for me. Though it was a refreshing journey to watch.
The only point where I thought 'oh, no' was Lamy Black. I like the deepest Black I can find and so use Aurora. Having said that I have not tried Noodler's Black and so I'm looking forward to your next vlog.
Thanks.
Why black when there's a whole gamut of colours?
And the PTSD kicks in. 😁 The BIC multi pen was the official "teacher's pen" at the school I went to. This pen is why I have several of the colours I have. They kind of set the bar for certain colours
With Diamine inks, you might be able to get them cheaper on eBay. In the United States I get the 30 mL bottles for around $5 USD, and the 80 mL bottles for around $11-12 from the Online Pen Company store on eBay. Free shipping. Dunno if that'd apply for Australia, but it's worth a try.
Another great red is Sheaffer Skrip red. Regularly see it referred to as "fire engine red," and, like Waterman or Parker inks, is generally considered a "safe" ink, even for vintage pens. (I will say that my current red is a Diamine one, as it's still cheaper.)
I like the selection of inks you are recommending. And I agree about Noodler's inks. Some that are supposed to have certain properties (the bulletproof inks, usually) are not always as permanent as advertised, in my experience.
Waterman Serenity Blue is THE recommended ink for vintage pens, though I've found that Diamine inks are generally just as well behaved. Though it's a "royal blue," it's different from the others in the colour. To me, it's a bit purple, instead of the standard "schoolboy royal blue."
I got my choices of colours based on the colours from the 1940s & 50s, but none that were made then, originally. (I think that originally I was looking for 10. Hard to remember, now. 😁) Since my first selection, the only regularly used one of the ones from a company that made inks back then is a bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue. Wasn't sure if I'd like it, being a royal blue, but it's different from the run of the mill royal blue inks. It's kind of my go-to for just everyday jotting down things.
Thanks for sharing this! Each time I see similar videos, I get ideas for another ink to replace one I currently have. 😁
Hey Paul! I think you already know this by now but just in case you haven't heard: take a look at CultPens for Diamine needs. The standard ink lineup 30mL bottles usually sell for about 2.70-2.75 USD, depending on currency exchange rates. I've seen them for as low as 2.17! Their 135 USD minimum for free international shipping is steep, but I rarely have difficulty reaching that minimum and if I order on Monday I'll have my ink on Wednesday or Thursday. The shipping is quite remarkable.
I agree with your assessment of Waterman Serenity Blue. It's one of those royal blues that leans purple. But, by my eye, Serenity and many other inks in the same category lean TOO purple so I don't find myself reaching for it. I like Waterman for Mysterious Blue and Tender Purple, but my preferred, every day office-friendly blue is Noodler's Baltimore Canyon, although Nathan's inconsistencies have me writing off Noodler's moving forward. I'm going to use and cherish the bottle I have but then look elsewhere.
I think Sheaffer has shut down its ink manufacturing, sadly. Even their new formulae are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Enjoy your red while you can! My first foray into fountain pens was with Skrip Blue-Black. I have one cartridge left that I'll keep and never use. It is a symbol of my childhood now.
@@twitch7515 Skrip is produced in Slovenia now. Anderson Pens carries it still.
With Diamine, The Online Pen Company through their eBay store has 30 mL bottles for around $5ish with free shipping. Cheapest price I know of. And phenomenal service. A sleeper UK company. 😁
My first bottle of ink (I started with an Esterbrook J in 1983) was Sheaffer Skrip blue-black. Why I found a bottle of it from around the same time period on eBay.😁
In my experience the standard royal blue inks (like Pelikan 4001 Konigsblau) look washed out. My bottle of Serenity Blue was originally gotten from an Amazon Black Friday sale for around $5.50. Looks just enough different from a standard "schoolboy blue" (and I have examples from several other companies, including Carter's and Sanford) that I kind of like it. Will I get more? Don't know yet. I generally prefer a traditional blue-black (iron gall. Currently a vintage bottle of Dickson's blue-black 😁) over anything else blue. It's why my first ink was a blue-black. Didn't look like the rest. 😉
@@paulherman5822 Are you sure that Sheaffer is still *making* Skrip? I just picked up some samples of Sheaffer's newer inks a few months ago from Anderson's and looking now it seems like Anderson's is offering less than before. There's only one bottle of Skrip Brown left, some samples, and some cartridges. My concern is that their current stock is all that Anderson's is going to get.
Sheaffer used to sell their inks directly via their site. I waited for blue-black bottles to stop being "sold out" for a long time... then more bottles became sold out... then the inks moved to their outlet store, where they were still sold out... it dwindled down to cartridges... now there's no outlet store... even their calligraphy kits aren't available anymore.
Brick and mortar stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby used to sell the calligraphy kits and cartridges but not anymore!
My point is this: if you love the stuff you might want to stock up, just in case? Maybe sell it in a year for triple the normal price! Or cherish what you've got. Hopefully it comes back.
I agree with your assessment of 4001. All of the 4001 inks that I tried inspired a mere "meh" in me. They're fine inks but they were always bested by other inks, including Waterman. That's especially true of Konigsblau, which was just too darn purple for me. I don't even like Baystate Blue, X-Feather Blue, Monteverde Sapphire, or Sargasso Sea because they're too purple for me.
Noodler's La Couleur Royale is weird in that regard. Have you tried it? Noodler's claims that it is supposed to be a royal blue but I'll look at it and think, "that's purple." Then I'll blink and see it as blue. It doesn't bother me like most blurples do because it always appears either firmly purple or firmly blue... it breaks my brain. I don't like it well enough to buy a full bottle but it is intriguing.
I've never tried Dickson's ink but I like the label! It's got some nice art deco marquee appeal! I've been enjoying Diamine's Registrar Blue-black lately. It isn't as vintage but it's still fun. I'm looking forward to trying TWSBI's and KWZ's blue-blacks as well. I have such a backlog!
@@twitch7515 Guess I look into Skrip now. There's plenty of the inkwell bottles with good ink still out there so I haven't kept up on current stock. (Haven't looked at cartridges in decades.) Only issue is red fades to almost hot pink over the decades. I just gifted a friend a Snorkel era bottle of washable purple Skrip that was great, and I have other colors "with RC-35" as well.
I went through the big bottle of Registrar's Ink. Kind of the gold standard for iron gall inks. So far, just started using the Dickson's in a cheap Chinese pen. First truly vintage iron gall fountain pen ink I have tried. Very dry, so I may have to try in a wetter writer than a Liseur 105. 😁 But that's the draw of iron gall inks. Fast drying with virtually no feathering and stays legible for centuries. 😉
Hadn't heard of School Blue. Looks good.
We have a couple inks in common. The Aubergine is an everyday "creative writing" ink (I am in the film industry and do some script/concept work every day,) though I use Noodler's Nightshade for more regular daily writing. I also often have California Teal as a daily green, but I switch my greens out a lot. I also use Lamy Black in one of my pens, with another one perpetually inked with Noodler's Dark Matter. I don't really have a daily red though I do switch between Ottoman Rose and Tokyo's Gift in place of a straight red. My daily brown is Aurora Sepia, my blue-black is Noodler's Air Corps, and my blue is Noodler's Navy or Diamine Skull & Roses, or Noodler's Liberty's Elysium (the latter is very fussy about the pen it's in, it can be too dry in the wrong pen.)
I'm curious why you prefer Noodler's Dark Matter? Currently I'm using Noodler's Borealis Black, which is very dark and the wettest ink I've foundd.
Great choice. California Teal is my all time favorite green. Thanks for sharing.
Check Monteverde Green 💚
Lamy black and Lamy blue have been staples for me since college in the seventies; I've used them for decades in my Lamy 2000 and a pile of other pens. However, I also use Waterman inks also very regularly.
Hi nice choices ,
It gives me ideas for next bottles
Your swatches are very beautiful, fil of character and making the ink shine
Cheers
Dominique
I'm a big fan of the Massacar. I also got the Diamine Espresso - another favourite brown.
hmmm, favourite inks(without cost consideration): brown - Colorverse Coffee Break, blue/black - definitely Aurora, no contest!, purple - Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu; black - Pelikan(I know it’s not the blackest, but I like it!), blue - ouch!: love blues, probably would choose Diamine Imperial Blue and J Herbin Eclat de Saphir, but also love Waterman Serenity Blue and Montblanc Ultramarine!:), green - definitely Montblanc Irish Green(no contest!) and red - Montblanc St Exupéry
Some lovely choices. Aurora Blue-Black is high on my list if it wasn’t so hard to come by here.
Great choices...and I love the idea of taking inspiration from the multi pen. My first worry was "where is the purple?", so I'm glad you took care of that right away. My vote for black ink would be Aurora Black, however.
Aurora Black is the best. Probably my favourite black ink. It’s just not an easy or affordable ink to get here in Australia. :(
Do you happen to know how Diamine Mocassar compares to Diamine Chocolate Brown?
@@theoffstageme I was guessing that might be why you didn't choose it for this line-up. Too bad as it is such a lovely ink.
red : keweco ruby red, orange: diamine pumpkin, yellow,: deatramentis hilianthis , green: mv calif teal , blue: mv caribbean blue, purple: twsbi royal purple, brown: diamine ochre, black: deatramentis document black
Great video and good choices. As for black, I prefer Noodler’s black. No problems with it and bulletproof. But, everyone has their own choices. Thanks for the video.
Noodler’s Black is excellent. Heart of Darkness is my favourite Noodler’s Black… and that features in the next of these videos
@@theoffstageme another great ink. Can’t wait to see the video!
1. That California Teal is one gorgeous ink.I need it.
2. I don't (yet) have a red or green I would consider everydayish. However I'm permanently attached to Noodler's Baystate Blue because of its vibrancy, along with my contrariness. And I'm happy with Noodler's Borealis Black, cause it is nice and dark, and the wettest ink ever.
Have you tried Aurora Black? The ink Borealis Black is reverse engineered too? Baystate Blue is an awesome colour absolutely!!!
@@theoffstageme No, though it would be an interesting comparison. I don't think anybody other than I uses Borealis. I picked it cause ViitaR called it the wettest ink she had ever tested, and An Ink Guy called it the blackest ink he had ever tested. No dang shading.
Really enjoyed this review 👍🏻
I thought Sailor Blue Black would be your top pick for Blue Black category
It's a great list - but I wonder what you'd recommend for a GREY ink. (I'm currently using some Diamine 150 "Silver Fox" - so I wondered what you'd recommend?
Silver Fox is a great Grey. The other Diamine I use is Earl Grey which has a hint of purple. One of the only Noodler's Inks I recommend is Lexington Grey... it's a good colour and also bulletproof. Two more that I really like are Robert Oster Summer Storm and Monteverde Smoke Noir which goes on darker and dries a really lovely shade of grey.
Is Diamine Blue Black safe to use in my Vintage Parker 51 and Sheaffer Snorkel?
Diamine blue-black is quite well-behaved and safe, low-maintenance, in my experience. Have you not considered Parker Quink Blue-Black, Waterman Serenity Blue, Sheaffer Skrip blue-black? Those are a few that pop to mind now as very suited to vintage pens.
@@sajjadhusain4146 thank you. I use Skrip and Quink, and those are my staples besides Pilot, but I was thinking about other options.
@@likelyrain …Oh ok..I was going to mention Pilot blue-black. But you say you use Pilot inks, too. So, you’re really like covered already. I think most of the Diamine blues and blue-blacks are appropriate for vintage pens. The 1864 blue-black mentioned in this video is an ideal choice.
@@sajjadhusain4146 thank you. I love discussions about pens and inks and papers. They broaden my horizons.
@@likelyrain …Very cool, Kushal. As a lifelong lover and user of fountain pens and inks, I sure like sharing experiences and helping other, newer pen hobbyists.
Continue to look, research, experiment and decide what interests you and suits your needs and preferences most.
Pen, ink and paper form the trifecta of traditional fine writing. We need all three, obviously. 🙂