What fountain pen ink is the best for my fountain pen?

What fountain pen ink is the best for my fountain pen?

When you are selecting the best ink for your fountain pen there is such a wide range of brands, colors and styles. Most fountain pen inks will work well with most fountain pens. A good place to start is always with the same brand ink as your pen. Rarely will you find that a particular brand of ink will not work with the same brand of pen. But this limits you to such a narrow selection of ink and colors. Inks come in more than just blues and blacks and there are so many brands and inks available and we want to try them all!

Remember there are really 3 factors that will determine your writing performance: fountain pen, ink, paper. Consider all 3 of these when writing with you pen and when selecting inks.

When selecting the correct ink for our fountain pen consider the following ink characteristics:

• Flow How well does the ink flow? You want an ink that flows well but not too well. If an ink flows too well it will bleed or feather. If it does not flow well enough it will skip.
• Lubrication Some inks have lubrication in the formula of the ink giving them a smoother glide when writing.
• Clogging Inks that contain more pigments and dyes tend to clog more than other fountain pen inks.
• Staining This refers to how transparent an ink is after writing. An ink that stains more will leave a darker, richer less transparent line.
• Creepability Creepability is made up fountain pen term to describe when the ink creeps up and out of the slit on the nib and accumulated on the surface of the nib.

Fountain pen inks vary in viscosity. This simply means some are more "wet" or "dry". Wetter inks have a faster flow while dry inks have a slower flow and more surface tension. Wetter inks include Omas Technical ink Blue, Noodlers Ink Widow Maker, or Aurora black. Dryer inks include Pelikan 4001, Noodler's Black or Lamy blue or black.

Inks that contain lubrication include Sailor Jentle ink or Noodlers Ink American Eel series inks.

So what ink is the best? The answer to this question is all a personal preference. Each fountain pen user has different tastes. Some prefer darker inks. Others want more color choices.

How do I select the best ink for my fountain pen? We have given you some various properties of fountain pen inks to help you get started but the best thing is to test the inks out. You can always begin with the ink provided, if there is any, or with the same brand ink as the pen and then branch out from there with other inks and colors. You will be able to see which inks flow the best and write how you like them to as well as give you the color, darkness and results you are looking for.

Remember, take good care of your pens. Clean out the ink and flush your pens when not using them for extended periods of time.