Posts tagged ink

While exploring the NoteMaker web site, I stumbled across this gem, the Kaweco cartridge dispenser. Maybe I’m uninformed but I was unaware that such a thing existed and now I must have one! What a perfect way to store extra ink cartridges for your beloved Kaweco (well, mine is beloved)!

$9.89US from NoteMaker. Don’t forget to enter the code WELLAPPDESK at checkout to get a 10% discount.

Original Article

Goulet Pens brought out all the “May Flowers” to contrast last month’s “April Showers” with an array of brightly colored and scented inks for this month’s Ink Drop. My favorite is Elderberries from De Atramentis which smells lightly floral-y but makes me want to say “and your mother’s smells of elderberries” every time I see the ink. The color is a deep burgundy red.

This month I used a stiff metal dip nib as well as swabs for a different look and hopefully a lot less feathering and bleeding. I don’t think most fountain pen inks were designed to withstand the abuses of a super-flexible dip nib.

The other colors this month were:

• De Atramentis Rose (which smells just like red roses, a deep rosy pink color)
• De Atramentis Hyacinth (pretty light floral fragrance and a purplish blue color)
• Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu (which translates to “Japanese Beautyberry” and is a vivid purple)
• Diamine Meadow (bright spring grass green)

Original Article

This month’s Ink Drop selection plays on the theme “April showers” with a range of blue hues from aqua to true blue.

The colors are:

• Diamine Aqua Lagoon
• Noodler’s Blue Eel
• Noodler’s Ottoman Azure
• Noodler’s Turquoise Eel
• Waterman Mysterious Blue

For more information, check out Goulet Pen Co. Ink Drop HQ.

Original Article

I just joined the Ink Drop, the Goulet Pens monthly subscription service that sends five ink samples directly to subscribers every month. I was lucky enough to subscribe in time to receive the February Valentine’s Day assortment which included Noodler’s Purple Heart and Black Swan in Australian Roses, Diamine Pink Hope, Waterman Red and Private Reserve Chocolat.

To test these colors, I used a dip pen so I could quickly sample each color with minimum clean up between colors — just swipe the nib with a rag and dip the next color. Nib is of an unknown origin, fairly stiff in a Koh0i-nor No. 127 N cork and wood holder. This is not my finest lettering or anything, I just wanted to see how these colors performed.

I was surprised how much I liked the Diamine Hope Pink, with a fine line its a bright magenta pink. With a flexible or wider nib, the color darkens to a rubine red. It also feathered least of all the inks. As this is my first experience with Diamine inks, I am excited to discover if this phenomena is common with all Diamine inks or if its just a quirk of this perky pink.

I would describe both of the Noodler’s colors as tinted blacks. The Purple Heart is a black-purple and the Black Swan in Australian Roses is a black-red. The Purple Heart is not distinct enough in color for my taste but I find the subtle color of the Black Swan in Aussie Roses to be intriguing.

The Waterman Red (now called Audacious Red) is a bit on the orange-y side of the reds. Its a bright tomato-y color. Red isn’t an ink color I would normally choose for myself but this makes me consider searching others out to compare.

The last sample is the Private Reserve Chocolat which is a rich chocolatey tone. They couldn’t have picked a better name for it. I have tried two other browns so far, J. Herbin Lie de The and Waterman Havana Brown (now called Absolute Brown) and I think I am going to prefer Private Reserve Chocolat. Its a much warmer dark brown. Havana Brown is a little bit lighter and a touch more neutral in color. Lie de The is lighter with a distinctly greenish cast in comparison.

PS: In case you’re curious, I used my Miquelrius medium notebook with grid paper to test the inks.

Glass pens and flexible nibs accompanied by bottles of ink. This is as low tech as you can go when it comes to writing. And still the most beautiful expressive way to write.

(via thingsorganizedneatly)

Do you know about the Swab Shop at Goulet Pens? This is a section on their site where you can view swabs of ink colors by color grouping across brands, all the swabs for a particular brand or even try out an interactive swatch tool and then immediately add a sample or bottle to your cart. Looking for the perfect lipstick red ink or, in my case, the quintessential lemon-lime green? This is the best way to find it.

(photo from Goulet Pens in the Black Swab Shop section)

As I’ve been getting more interested in fountain pens this year, I have also discovered fountain pen inks. While some would not be surprised by this revelation, I’ve been blown away by the huge variety of colors available in fountain pen inks from companies like J. Herbin, Noodlers and so many more. But how does one choose which colors or brands to buy as one bottle of ink can sell for $10 to $25 per bottle? That’s where the Goulet Pen Company’s Ink Drop comes in handy. For a fee of $10 per month members receive five small sample vials of inks along with access to special promotions and a special club page on their site. The vials provide enough ink for several fillings of your fountain pen and gives you a chance to try out a brand or color before committing to a whole bottle.

Ink Drop club seem like too great a commitment? Goulet also offers individual samples of most of their stocked brands and colors in prices ranging from $1.25 to $2 each. There are also Ink Sample Packages that are organized by theme, color, property or brand and ink samples from previous Ink Drop subscriptions. Prices for sample packages range from about $7 up to about $18 depending on the number of individual vials.

I wonder what colors would be in a Well-Appointed Desk sampler package?

(via Goulet Pens)