Fountain pens investigative reporting. Part 2
When curiosity and fascination meet, a deep well of interesting blooms; during my first Google search on fountain pens, I was in a trance about all the information available. How writing with a feather evolved into a mechanical device. Who, when, and where did this all take place? The patents involved and fountain pens became the masterpieces they are today. It’s no easy task having a controlled drip that does not ghost, feather, and all those other problems that tend to happen.
I was given a Parker 75 as a gift as a child when I was about ten or eleven years old. I’ve reached that interesting age when I look back and take account of events and realize how truly important they are. Decades later, I still have and use this very fountain pen. It was pictured in the first segment of this series. I had no idea at the timethe treasure I was offered. I learned to write very fancy cursive with this pen.
After my first Parker 75, I added various fountain pens to my domain. Cartier, Artex, Montblanc, and Junhao. Cartier and Montblanc are my more pricey fountain pens. Artex runs in the $100 to $600 vicinity pricewise. Jinhao is a Chinese company that manufactures fabulous fountain pens for $8.00 a pop. I own four, and another is on its way. I favor the transparent style since it allows me to see the barrel and how much ink is still available. I’ll write more about Jinhao later. Just know that they are worthy.
Issues with my fountain pens that frustrated me until I started this research were that the Montblanc would run dry mid-sentence. I’m quirky. I need things to work with no hassle. Now, I’ve learned that these pens need to be washed to clean out dry ink in their system. Who knew? Pens have cholesterol buildup or something similar. Further research uncovered a product made by Monteverde USA, Fountain Pen Flush. Ebay. About $12.00. They recommend the fountain pen submerged in warm distilled water to help soften the debris. Afterward, take the pen apart and submerge it in the Monteverde product. All kinds of old ink swims out from the fountain pen. I thought I heard my Parker 75 sigh in relief after decades without this needed flush. It worked even without the flush, but it is much better now.
This flushing method should also be used if you decide to change the ink color you’ve been using with any particular fountain pen. This avoids ruining the freshness of the colors. Mixed colors look like dirty dishwater.
I’ve also read extensively about nibs, inks, paper, and a wide variety of awesome fountain pens. Which nib works with which paper is relevant to the outcome of your writing. Fast-drying ink versus the riches of sheen inks also has a direct effect on your finished product. Some sheen inks don’t work at all with fine and extra fine nibs.
Ink is the bloodline of the fountain pen. Without ink there are no words recorded, ever. The variety of colors exploded into my awareness. They are like candy. Inviting, gorgeous, and delicious to look at and touch. Believe me or not, scented fountain pen inks are the new rave. I plan to buy the Lily of the Valley scent. It’s incredible that so much attention can be paid to something hidden.
My personal taste transferred to fountain pens quite nicely. In general, I favor figural objects. Lalique with their dancers surrounding their vases. The birds and flowers that you can trace with your fingers. Daum, which is all sculpture with a functional part, be it a brandy sniff or a Baccana Decanter. I like to feel with my fingertips in addition to seeing an object. Well, fountain pens fulfill this particular taste. Fountain pens like Stipula, Mentegrappa, Artex, Parter, Montblanc, and many others have created masterpieces in design and function. Stipila’s Il Dono is very much on my want list. I’ll add a picture so you can see the object of my devotion.
So far, I have purchased the following inks:
Monteverde Hope Ink, from their Emotions line. It’s glorious. I’m a purist when colors are involved, and I can see where mixed colors come from. This green, titled Hope, is emerald green and awesome. I paid $16.17 for a 30 ml bottle. It’s worth it.
We also have Noodler’s Ink. The color is called Rome, and it’s gold. My bottle is 3 0z. for $26.70. You must shake the bottle before feeding your fountain pen, and after you write, you need to wait until the writing dries. It will turn to gold right before your eyes. I just love it.
Diamine is a renowned ink maker. They create wonderful, beautiful products. I purchased a Havasu Turquoise—80 mi bottle for $19.00. Before engaging in the ink-buying frenzy I’ve always favored aqua-colored ink. It reminds me of the Caribbean ocean. It’s a happy color, and the recipient of my writing, even myself, deserves this happy moment.
In my quest for ink, I decided to find their hidden emotion. We have responded to what our eyes show us, yet each ink, as the blood life of words, must have an inner feeling. And off I went to discover these meanings. I ‘see’ that gray is the ambiguous color of envy. Envy is misguided admiration. The holder or creator of the envy falls short of their own expectations and creates feelings of envy aimed at someone or something. Gray. So my search for a beautiful gray started, and I came up with Private Reserve Ink, Pearlescent Black-Silver. It’s gorgeous. It hides its true emotion well. The bottle is 60 ml for $21.73.
I also tried my hand with a sheen ink, which means multicolored. KXZ Ink, handmade sheen machine. That’s what the box says. $26.20 for 3 oz. I need to work on this some. I believe this ink needs a broad nib to express all its colors. I have a new wide-nib Jinhao fountain pen available, so I’ll report back with the results. So far, using a fine nib, the color is a beautiful blue, but I want to see the magenta too!
Since gray stands for jealousy, I read some more about the components of colors and their interaction with light and the absence of light and decided that, for me, the purest color is black. It keeps the truth about everything. My quest for the perfect all-truthful black ink rendered some surprising results. Pigmented ink versus unpigmented ink. Opinions from artists about the blackest black ink. I’m fascinated and shall be purchasing many bottles of black ink. The blacker the ink, the more expensive, so as a starter black ink, I purchased, and love, Monteverde Raven Noir. I bought the 90 ml bottle for $19.95. I wanted a big bottle of truth. It’s beautiful. Elegant and easy as it flows onto white paper.
What started this fountain pen ink craze was that local stores carry no ink. Why? No idea, so I trodded on to eBay and found Diamine’s Writers Blood. As a published author, I felt the pull and the push of ink being my blood and here we are, many beautiful bottles of ink later. Writers Blood is the dark color of blood after it dries. It gives off a vampiric feeling. I like and intend to use it sparingly so I don’t run out of blood—$ 13.38 for 30 ml.
Two more bottles. Diamime Majestic Blue. Blue is the rarest color in nature, except for the sky. If you are into fountain pens, blue ink is a given. There are many beautiful blues, but this Magestic Blue entrances me after it dries and sits on a page, winking silly and serious stories at me. 30 ml. For $12.00.
Last but not least, yesterday’s arrival was Private Reserve Ink, Dakota Red. 60 ml for $21.71. I wanted balance, pure red. I can see the mix of colors; too much yellow, blue, black, and others allow them to play peek-a-boo with my vision. I wanted red, plain, unadulterated red. It takes a while since you need to look, walk away, and come back later to see if what you saw was what you thought you saw. Messy, isn’t it? But, this red hit it out of the park. I’ve never even liked red ink. Who likes red ink? I’m in. The emotion it carries is vibrant and authentic. I used a blunk nib transparent Junhao pen since it was the only new one available, and wow, red is like it has never been before.
Thank you for reading. More ink and stuff coming up
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