Fountain Pen Ink: More Fun Than You Might Think!

Did you know that there are several types of inks that have really cool special features? Drew is here to run through 8 different types of ink that create fun and unique writing experienced for your fountain pen adventures!
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LEARN more on our blog! www.gouletpens.com/blogs/foun...
LISTEN to The Goulet Pencast here: gouletpencast.fireside.fm/
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LINKS TO PRODUCTS FEATURED:
Shading Inks: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Shimmer Inks: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Sheening Inks: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Water Resistant Inks: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Private Reserve Fast Drying Ink: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Private Reserve Infinity Ink: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Scented Ink: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Robert Oster Caffe Crema: www.gouletpens.com/products/r...
Diamine Marine: www.gouletpens.com/products/d...
Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor: www.gouletpens.com/products/j...
Colorverse Witch by Starlight: www.gouletpens.com/products/c...
Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo: www.gouletpens.com/products/p...
Organics Studio Nitrogen: www.gouletpens.com/products/o...
De Atramentis Document Ink: www.gouletpens.com/collection...
Sailor Manyo Haha: www.gouletpens.com/products/s...
Sailor Manyo Nekoyonagi: www.gouletpens.com/products/s...
Sailor Ink Studio 173: www.gouletpens.com/products/s...
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Shading Ink
01:45 Shimmer Ink
03:34 Sheening Ink
05:02 Water Resistant Ink
07:03 Fast Drying Ink
08:34 Dual Shading Ink
ABOUT GOULET PENS:
Brian & Rachel Goulet started The Goulet Pen Company in 2009 and you can see the evolution of our mom and pop into a full-blown company through this channel. We run a dedicated online store with fountain pens, ink, paper, and other fine writing accessories. Our goal with this channel is to provide fountain pen fans at all levels of experience with comprehensive product reviews, round ups, and how-to videos to answer all the fountain pen questions you may have. Shop at www.gouletpens.com.
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Blog: www.gouletpens.com/blogs/foun...

[@NikeaTiber]

A lot of people think that the pen is the final word in the hobby, but the truth is that pens are just the vehicles we use to traverse oceans of ink and landscapes of paper.

[@wildlyimaginable]

Yes! Yes! Well said.

[@Gouletpens]

Agreed! - Drew

[@bluejchou4404]

Just fantastic. For people new to the hobby this is a must watch video. Maybe you could create a for beginners playlist. I’ll have to look maybe you already do.😊

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for that! I do appreciate it! - Drew

[@thieleaf_the_shelf_dragon]

for me, fountain pen inks are WHY i got into fountain pens at all! i had no interest in the pens until i was seeing beautiful inks, i truly bought fountain pens so that i could use the inks ^^ i do now love fountain pens themselves, but if i had to chose between fountain pens and plain black ink, or dip/nice quality glass pens with colours, i'd chose the dip pens without any question

[@christineg8151]

Same! I have a fairly limited fountain pen budget right now, and so it's either one decent pen, or 4-5 bottles of cool inks. I'm going to pick the fancy ink every time. There are some pretty decent inexpensive fountain pens (Jinhao sharks and swans, in particular) that I don't feel guilty about potentially using with PITA inks (Nitrogen!) or giving away to anyone who will hold still long enough.

[@skeskali]

Drew, I will not stand for this Martin Sheen slander! Say what you want about Charlie but leave Marty alone! 😂

[@hofii2]

Drew is right. Marion Robert Morrison, knows he's right, too.

[@dahak972]

Best President ever! ❤😂

[@wildlyimaginable]

Never could fully grasp shading and sheening but your explanation def help. Thanks Drew!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for saying that! - Drew

[@andreacull8239]

The edits in this video *chefs kiss*

[@willemgroenewegen5934]

Hi from the Netherlands. Love the free set of ink samples with my first GP order! I learned lots about ink from the Diamine Inkvent calendar: multishade, sheen, shimmer, chameleon, scented even. Swatch them (col-o-ring ink swatch cards), and like me, splatter some ink all across your desk trying to spritz ink into an empty cartridge for the first time with a syringe. Fun and games!

[@Gouletpens]

Yay! Thanks for the support! :) - Drew

[@QueenB-ee]

Van Dieman's have had shimmers for years!! And now they have kits to make your own colours that come with shimmer to add. They're so pretty

[@jeremygunkel]

I bought a bottle of Organics Studio Nitrogen years ago, loved it, but man, what a pita lol. I still randomly find little specs of that ink around my desk and I have not touched that bottle in about two years.

[@RobRutherford]

I just switched from OS Walden to KWZ Sheen Machine 2. I think KWZ Sheen Machine is close to OS Nitrogen. I've heard they don't get ink dust everywhere, but I haven't used long enough to confirm or deny, but still worth a try.

[@jeremygunkel]

@@RobRutherford I'll take a look, thanks!

[@jordano476]

Montblanc also has scented inks @11:40

[@JefferyHall-ct2tr]

Hi Drew!: Thanks for the GREAT rundown on inks! You know, I was an old fuddy-duddy, (wait I still am an old fuddy-duddy!), who only had two colors of ink and none with any of the special properties shown on your video. Now I have discovered the fun of trying different inks with different pens, it really is a FUN part of the fountain pen hobby! Thanks primarily to The Goulet Pen Company,, which got me started on this fun path!

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for the kind words! - Drew

[@davidparrishproductions5082]

Drew ink is the funnest part ‘bout pens, yo!

[@EduardoHenrique-nd1ro]

Thanks for sharing another amazing video, Drew! Cheers from Brazil!

[@RobRutherford]

Surprised no mention of the Platinum iron gall or Chou Kuro ink or wide variety of Noodler's under the water resistant/proof inks.

[@Gouletpens]

The Document Series by De Atramentis is much easier to search for, and comes in a wiser variety of colors, so I chose those for this particular video. - Drew

[@jonathonbuist7543]

Noodler's is very inconsistent and requires an asterisk and fine print with every recommendation. They work for a lot of people but also don't work for a lot of people. A blanket recommendation isn't wise.

[@RobRutherford]

@@jonathonbuist7543 Good to know. I don't have much in the way of Noodler's.

[@strzelecszuwarek92]

There are also scented inks from Herbin, Montblanc, and one from KWZ

[@blktauna]

I love Yama Budo and use it alot, but I've never got sheen from it. Instead of Nitrogen, I use Birmingham Pen Co, Tesla Coil. Their inks are much more cooperative and way less fussy.

[@steffymuze]

I so want to try these! (And same, no sheen in YB, even on Rhodia so idk)

[@Stitchxavi]

Emerald fusion from Birmingham also has great sheen!

[@blktauna]

@@Stitchxavi As does Interstellar Bronze. I just love their inks!

[@blktauna]

@@steffymuze I've used it on old Tomoe River, new Tomoe River, rhodia, copy paper, Staeology and moleskine newww and old. Never got a sheen.

[@patriciaclark7135]

Yes! It's my favorite ink. At least for now. It's magic how it looks purple in my demonstrator pen but lays down a wonderful sheen-y dark green@@Stitchxavi

[@annabananabread9773]

I love all of Goulet Pens' videos, but in this one especially all the editing had me laughing a lot! I don't know why but I was cracking up with all of the pictures of Sheen, the shade, waterproof, and Bath & Body Works for scented inks! Great job as always :) As for inks, I love shimmer inks the most, and then shading inks next. I've been so happy with the abundance of shimmering inks in the two Diamine Inkvent Calendars I have: the green and purple editions. Yule Log is my new favorite BROWN!! I never thought I'd like a brown ink, but it just makes me so happy to keep it inked up in my Benu Iced Caramel Latte pen. And my second pen ever was a TWSBI Eco in Black and Rose Gold, and that pen is forever inked up with Robert Oster Rose Gold Antiqua. Watching the ink swirl around is so, so nice.

[@tortoiseperson]

J Herbin has a small range of scented inks - I have the Lemon 🍋. Also Otto Hutt - I have Wild Cherry.🍒

[@mirrorknight12]

Drew with the impeccable fit.

[@dahak972]

Omg, I just smoked a joint before watching this and at the end when you were like “Write on”, I heard “✌️right on”. For a sec, I was like yeah, right on Dude, until I realized what you actually said. Lol. Great video, thanks!

[@MadameM.]

Been into the lovely realm of fountain pens for awhile. This video was superb. Totally excited about the new Wearingeul "Frankenstein" ink. Wow!

[@CinkSVideo]

Great explanation of these! Thanks Drew.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for watching! - Drew

[@joanwerthman4116]

Some Drew before Friday is also more fun. Edited to correct spelling.

[@hafizkarla8719]

I really love sailor manyo nekoyagani from sailor manyo ink collection. It has great color and not too saturated nor less in my likeness

[@EvanLuke3]

What a great video. I just recently got into fountain pens and learning all about the inks is super interesting! I had no idea there was so much to learn about different inks. I have an order coming from your store and I cannot wait! Thank you for this video!! ❤️

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate the kind words, as well! - Drew

[@ash16lily23]

Love this video so much! Thanks!!

[@somayehmoossavi4133]

Thanks for the videos❤❤. Can you make a video that suggest which nib size goes better with the sheen or glitters inks. Which brand of shimmer would work with fine nibs?

[@pointeplusplus]

I love this! I’m super into inks and love having a handful of the platinum slip and seal pens inked up so I don’t have to worry about them drying out and have options! What is the finest you’d go with a shimmer ink? I’m usually an EF girl (specifically Japanese EF) but not so much with shimmer. I’m new to shimmer inks and I got a TWSBI eco F for Witch By Starlight but it still doesn’t seem to let the shimmer through.

[@PlanYourOneLife]

😁Organics Studio Nitrogen ink is one my favorite inks. I also own a couple of DeAtramentis Document inks. My favorite ones are the Document black and black-blue inks. I agree that Sailor has the best dual shading inks.

[@mathilda6763]

I only recently got back into fountain pens, because me( being a lefty) and them were not the bestest buddies during school days. I might have destroyed a few pens in my past. haha...ha~ However I have been using the platinum preppy in extra fine with waterproof carbon ink from platinum for a few months now and it's been a surprisingly good experience. mainly because it doesn't smudge and dries really fast, but the pen seems to have a pretty good seal so it writes very well. I use it for daily note-taking at work as well as sketchbook work, drawing traditional comic pages and working with watercolour washes (loads of water). it didn't budge. No smudging, nice and crisp...and the pen is cheap enough I can have the same pen at home/in my bag and in my desk at work. it has not much line variation though so for some stuff I still use dip pens or brush pens, so right now I am testing the noodler's tripletrail to see if they speed up my drawing (which the preppy does) while not having to compromise on juicy lines. jury is still out on that... I am not done testing, but there's a lot more ink on the paper with that pen and it does take longer to dry, which means I already smudged a few drawing because I was too impatient to wait or forgot that it's not dry yet.

[@eunicefazzi6697]

Great video! I was looking for something like this as I am new to fountain pens and ink

[@Gouletpens]

Yay! Welcome to the hobby! - Drew

[@shura0107]

I recently picked up a bottle of Jacques Herbin 1670 Gris Orage. Love the glitter. Ironically, the characteristic of the ink with the glitter and the grey color comes out the best in my cheapest pen, the Jinhao Shark pen. It does come out in my other pens that run it, but some of those lay down lines that are more black than grey. I thought my widest nib (bent nib) would show glitter the best, but not really.

[@jonathonbuist7543]

+1 for Jinhao + shimmer combination. I have yet to find a pen that keeps the shimmer consistent across paragraphs of text, but my favorite so far is a demonstrator Jinhao 992 1.1 stub, which I use for header text in my planner. It works great, is easy to fully disassemble and clean, and the transparent plastic makes it easy to see where the shimmer has settled.

[@shura0107]

@@jonathonbuist7543 Jinhao shark is a surprisingly good pen for the cost. I gave a few away as gifts too.

[@jess53nz]

When i was new to fountain pens i found a 2019 inkvent. At first with shading i was like wtf is this. Now i love it. And sheen, omg the best ink property! Looooooove it.

[@Gouletpens]

Yay! - Drew

[@GarbauxM]

How does these inks work with/Tracy go other mediums ex acrylic paints? And I guess they can be added on with brushes?

[@Pursuit_Of_A_Homestead]

This is right on time! I’m new to fountain pens and got a little lost with shading vs sheening lol

[@jonathonbuist7543]

Welcome to the rabbit hole!

[@Pursuit_Of_A_Homestead]

@@jonathonbuist7543 haha thanks!

[@coveygroff]

Mont Blanc has some scented inks as well.

[@INCWorks]

Drew, you rock. ✊

[@ichirofakename]

Thanks for more info. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of your personal opinions.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks a bunch! - Drew

[@diaphanus17]

wish this video was made before my last purchase! for the last couple years I bought fountain pen inks that matches Pantone color of the year. this year’s color is Peach Fuzz and bought Sailor Dipton Coral Humming. while I love it, it is only to be used with dip pens…I totally would have bought Sailor Studio 173 instead so I can ink it up in my new Sailor Pro Gear Slim!

[@cynthiaslater7445]

I love shimmer inks, but I find a dip pen is best when using them.

[@UmiChan358]

Bro I LOVE inks even if i don't like the color, I'm a fan of tsukushi even if normally don't like Brown

[@joefaracevideos]

Drew. thanks so much for this video. It was fun and entertaining

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks, Joe! - Drew

[@toplectures]

Does J Herbin not sell their scented inks in the US? I remember those from the first time I got into fountain pens, when I was still in high school around the change of the millennium. At least I know they sold them then in the Netherlands, both in cartridges and in bottles

[@KDIY]

I've seen them in small stationery stores.

[@steffymuze]

They seem HTF. I have a sample of the violet I cannot now find a full bottle of.

[@KDIY]

@@steffymuze they are, I remember the only 2 available at the store were the green and the orange, the colors that are harder to read.

[@_pramodchauhan]

Great shirt that one

[@thanks600]

That Sailor Ink Studio 173 kinda similar to Pantone color of the year 2024 - Peach Fuzz

[@lisathaviu1154]

Noodler’s Lexington Gray is the best water resistant ink I have ever used. I use it for drawing.

[@jonathonbuist7543]

Cherish your bottle. The Lexington bottle I received is full of a very watery ink that attacks the page. It has terrible spread, feathering, and bleedthrough. I am not being over-dramatic or facetious when I say that it turns an EF nib into something beyond Medium (beyond Broad on some paper). Buying a Noodler's ink is like playing roulette. You might win and have a wonderful, large quantity of fantastic ink... or you just waste your money. It is too inconsistent. Even buying samples is risky because your sample and your bottle are likely to be from different batches. I was warned about Noodler's inconsistencies and ignored it. I purchased at least 22 bottles and regret most of them (mostly because I'm a lefty and Noodler's is known for having long/forever dry times. What doesn't work for me might work fine for most. My bottle of Lexington does not suffer the long dry times). Now I try to help others by passing the warning along. If you get a good batch, cherish it. Otherwise, De Atramentis Document Urban Grey is an alternative to Lexington to consider.

[@teristaudinger1034]

What pen are you using in this video and where do I get one?!?

[@KendallW]

All ink properties should start with "SH": shading, shimmer, sheen, "shapeshifting" instead of color change / dual shading. If you speak it with a Sean Connery voice "scented" already has an "SH" sound too :)

[@Gouletpens]

What a shtellar ideah, shir. - Drew

[@hah.365]

Do you guys ever do ink-specific sales?

[@LauraKnotek]

This was a fun video! I do have a question regarding iron gall ink. How is Diamine Registrar's Ink? What pens would it be good to use in, and what pens should be kept away from it completely?

[@neemancallender9092]

Excellent ink Use it any pen Rinse before each refill

[@highnoon9333]

What about lubricating inks? what do they do?

[@neemancallender9092]

Iron Gall Amazing shading Waterproof Fast drying Rinse pen with water between filling to clean the pen

[@jonathonbuist7543]

I'm glad you mentioned modern iron galls. Rohrer & Klingner's Salix and Diamine's Registrar's Blue-Black are two of my favorite inks of any category. Another caveat that goes beyond the increased pen hygiene is that iron gall is not guaranteed to be archival quality. Many of them fade in sunlight and their acidity will eat away at the paper. Also, I'd argue that many are water resistant rather than waterproof, but that might be splitting hairs in a category where the color components tend to change or fade away anyway. On the flip side, they are a ton of fun to watch dry! It is also fun to see how they change over time. This is definitely a good category to add to the list.

[@GarbauxM]

Also, i Want a fountain/dip pen to use om art. For ex line art with ink. I want to use it to make ”rings” on one painting. But i would like to of possible use Acrylics inks aswell. But i have NO IDEA What to look for regarding these pens. I dont want to pay a lot since i wont use it a lot. What should I look for? Will anyone work?

[@penguinsforever1609]

Just discovered Vinta inks. Will you be selling these Philippine made inks in the future? They look awesome. Would love to see a reaction or a review of them. Thanks.

[@merlinsbeard2416]

Noodler's Southwest Sunset is one if my favourite inks. It's absolutely gorgeous 😍 But the dry time is horrendous! The Sailor Studio 173 is my wishlist.

[@mikedulrich]

Any chance yall could add dual shading as a filter option on your website?

[@Gouletpens]

That's possible! It would be a little subjective, but we'll see if we can maybe figure something out. Thanks! - Drew

[@TheMagicalSock]

Drew, what’s that dip pen you’re using? I may be ahead of myself, as I’ve not finished the video. Haha.

[@bellboots]

J. Herbin has a scented ink too?

[@steffymuze]

Yes. I've been trying to find a FS bottle since trying a sample of the Violet.

[@LucyLu_meztli]

10:39 Thank you for the note! I was like the E95 would never behave like that! 😅🤣🤣 I do recall you mentioned at some point which pen it was, but let the anonymity (for now) remain 🤭

[@LucyLu_meztli]

Had to dig for the reference, but yeah, Pencast Ep 10 22:28 ;)

[@iterumm]

i’ve heard that scented inks tend to feather, but in my experience (with the diamine inkvent 2023) i didn’t notice much feathering when i tested with a glass pen on rhodia paper.

[@jujingelion]

2023 was better than 2022 for Tomoe River but with Cosmo Air Light paper it feathers heavily when you still have a lot of ink on the dip pen or the brush. So each time I inked both up freshly the first part feathered in every direction.

[@LilZombieFooFoo]

Hi! Curious about the pen used for some of the demonstrations, specifically for the shading inks at the start? That nib is striking. Does anybody know the name of the pen? Thanks

[@jonathonbuist7543]

The dip pen at 0:55 looks a lot like the Kakimori Brass Dip Nib to me... which is odd because I think Goulet only sells the steel version. But I know next to nothing about them. There might be other brands with a similar shape.

[@LilZombieFooFoo]

Thank you!

[@JRDiaz-tn5kb]

I enjoy all those properties too - but don’t forget the other two eSses - Smell (Diamine’s Pick Me Up).- mm-good :). or. Stink (Noodlers Baystate Blue) uggh :( but they both are wonderful inks.

[@s.n.11]

Great review Drew! It's nice how the brands develop new interesting features and combinations. I'm still hoping some brand will create the glow-in-the-dark shimmering ink. But this video is missing the "changing color inks" from Monteverde.

[@Gouletpens]

I knooooww!!! I can't believe I forgot those! I realized that a few days before this video was ready to publish. It was even in my original notes! Arrrgh! - Drew

[@s.n.11]

@@Gouletpens 🤣🤣 it's ok! Anyway they were a special thing, as you need to combine 2 inks to get the effect. By the way, do you know if the transparent ink can make other inks change colors as well? Have you guys tested it with other monteverde inks or even other brands?

[@richardnathandaniels2534]

Hi Drew. Great video. Very informative. Why was there no mention of noodlers inks in the waterproof section and no mention of their bulletproof line? Seems like a pretty obvious addition. Thanks!

[@Gouletpens]

The "Warden Series" that Noodler's has could be mentioned (Bad Blue Heron, Bad Belted Kingfisher, etc) but Noodler's Black isn't technically a part of that collection - though some people do call it bulletproof black. Then there's the "Eternal" inks that are a different collection, but their names don't have anything in common - you just have to look for the 1oz bottles. Additionally, there are other waterproof inks that aren't a part of any collection - it's all over the place. Overall, suggesting the DeAtramentis inks was just easier - and that collection is easier to locate for the customer as well. - Drew

[@richardnathandaniels2534]

@@GouletpensThat makes sense. I am glad that is the reason and not because the Noodlers owner said something offensive again. :)

[@oscarcalva2189]

KWZ Sheen Machine and Vinta Dugong Bughaw kick Nitrogen’s sheen ass. And are less of a pain.

[@jonathonshanecrawford1840]

I know that Lamy A6 note books are made in Italy and their pens are made in Germany, however, where is their ABS plastic made?

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

I’m not enthusiastic about shimmer or sheen. But give me an ink that really shades well and I get the giggles. I really like Noddler’s Southwest Sunset.

[@DigitalBrooke]

I want this ink SO BADLY

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

@@DigitalBrooke It’s a very nice color and the shading is absolutely superb. You should put it on your “Must Have” ink list. Turquoise of the Mesas from Noodler’s also shades nicely.

[@jonathonbuist7543]

Apache Sunset/Southwest Sunset suffers from Noodler's forever dry time (i.e., 8+ hours) here in SW Michigan, which has above-average humidity from Spring through Autumn. I am a lefty, so long dry times are particularly problematic for me. I also think that it is so bright and vibrant that it is only useful for small blocks of text. IMHO, it isn't fun to write or read entire pages of it. It overwhelms my retinas. There is something about Noodler's formulae that leaves an oily layer on the surface of FP ink-friendly papers that will always smear. Cheaper/more absorbent papers will soak in the grease but then you won't get the same visual appeal. The Noodler's brand is like dating a cheerleader: fun to look at but high maintenance. Sunset is absolutely a beautifully shading ink, but (between the above issues and Noodler's inconsistencies between batches) my advice is this: consider buying a sample instead of a bottle. If you lived near me you could have my bottle. I splashed around in about 3mL of the stuff for the novelty of it, but ultimately decided that it doesn't really serve a practical purpose when there are so many other beautiful shading inks... ...such as Navajo Turquoise/Turquoise of the Mesas (TotM)! If I judged it on appearance alone it would be a top 5 ink. But thanks to its long dry time (not as bad as Southwest Sunset) it struggles to make my top 50. The dry time is long enough that once I run out I won't buy another bottle. But its appearance is so nice that I have looked for other options. Diamine's Arctic Blue (a shimmer ink, but I usually use it without mixing the shimmer) and Robert Oster's Bondi Blue are similar. As a bonus, Arctic Blue will produce an edge of pink sheen on ink-resistant papers. It is a triple threat-shade, sheen, and shimmer. Well-behaved business-friendly inks dominate my top 5, but Arctic Blue likes to try to push its way in there. Private Reserve's Naples Blue, Robert Oster's Soda Pop Blue, and Oster's Blue Water Ice are not shaders when fresh, but gain shading as they age in a pen (roughly 2+ weeks, depending on how much your pen allows evaporation). Naples Blue has moments where it looks exactly like TotM to me but will eventually evaporate to the point of becoming too dark, heavily-sheened, and gummy. Soda Pop Blue has the same range of shade as TotM by my eye, but if TotM is 50% light to 50% dark, Soda Pop Blue is closer to 20/80. I have tried numerous other turquoise inks (Lamy, Pelikans, R&K, etc) but they don't shade as well as the above-mentioned inks. TotM is truly special.

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

@@jonathonbuist7543 I don’t have issues with drying time where I live. I’ve got a nice set of Noodler’s inks and never had any trouble with any of them except Red Fox. It was too red. I mean like, bright red! It looked a bit softer on the website. If I was a school teacher or editor, I would use that for marking errors. I’ve got many of Noodler’s Polar inks, some of the Russian series and the “standards”, like Heart of Darkness and the Bay state series. I really like them all for different reasons. Most of what I write needs to be “bulletproof” so those are the inks I mostly use. Noodler’s makes fast dry inks, but I don’t have a use for those. The Heart of Darkness is what I use for line work on my art. I use several of Noodler’s Ahab and Konrad pens for that since they are simple pens to modify and tweak for what I need them to do. I’ve never had an issue with reading things written with Southwest Sunset. Maybe it’s my artistic eye that makes it easier for me. But I guess I can understand how untrained eyes might have trouble with it. Turquoise of the Mesas shades nicely. But it doesn’t shade as well as Southwest Sunset. All that being said, Noodler’s is my go to ink maker. Diamine makes some good inks as does Organic Studio, Herbin, Sailor, Pilot and others. I always go back to Noodler’s. They make solid no nonsense inks that are a good value for the money. $22 for 4.5 oz. Of Heart of Darkness Is crazy cheap, plus you get a free “Charle” eye dropper pen. I’ve still got 5 unused ones stashed away even though I hand many off to others who show interest in fountain pens. Like I said, I don’t like shimmer or sheen that much. Shading inks are good enough for me. It’s likely a result of my artwork that I don’t feel the need for more ostentatious inks.

[@a.c.6124]

The Sultan of Sheen! 😂😂😂😂

[@dymetex6360]

FWP tumbling time blue is my roman empire. idk how i don't own a bottle yet

[@vernaracey1174]

How about Noodler's Legal Blue? Dries in seconds with few problems.

[@lynnmiller4669]

Don’t Herbin and KWZ also have scented inks?

[@Gouletpens]

Potentially! We don't carry them, though - so I can't speak to them as far as recommendations go. - Drew

[@LucyLu_meztli]

With the glitter ban in Europe, I'm still wondering if this would affect some Fountain Pen Ink Brands that use it??

[@Gouletpens]

Good question! I have no idea! - Drew

[@jonathonbuist7543]

The idea behind the glitter ban is to reduce the amount of microplastic pollution that harms aquatic life. Most glitter is far too large to be mixed with ink. The shimmer in our inks is usually mica, a natural type of rock. Mica might go up in price as the EU looks for alternatives to glitter, but I wouldn't expect the inks to get banned. But I'm no prophet.

[@vishal_pho3nix]

writing with fountain pen and experimenting it with different inks and papers is like a painting process. Each and every time , its different fun and different experience.

[@plaipie]

Colorverse gonna have the 2024 Blue Dragon ink with choices of no shimmer, gold, silver or blue shimmer :)

[@Gouletpens]

Heck yeah! We're excited! - Drew

[@monkpato]

Private Reserve's fast dry inks can dry so quickly on regular paper that you literally can't smear them, at least in a fine point pen.

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks great to know! On fountain pen friendly paper they take around 30 seconds - but that type of paper is definitely going to be slower. - Drew

[@jonathonbuist7543]

@@Gouletpens As a lefty, dry times are essential data. My PR fast dry experience is limited to their American Blue. But in that case, the fast dry formula actually took longer to dry than PR's standard American Blue formula! I'd consider the possibility that the sample vials were mislabeled but other enthusiasts have said the same thing. On the plus side, the American Blue fast dry formula doesn't attack the page like other fast drying inks. I experienced no feathering or distracting ghosting on the other side of the page. The "slow dry" American Blue had some spots of bleedthrough but was otherwise well-behaved (and beautiful, in the eye of this bee holder). Ultimately I decided to buy a bottle of PR's DC Supershow Blue. I am well-blessed with blues... but I am also looking forward to trying out a sample or two of Monteverde's Blue Skies. I'd ❤ to see Goulet reach out to De Atramentis (or Sailor's or Platinum's pigmented lines) to come up with an exclusive "Goulet document blue" ink. I don't trust Noodler's lack of consistency and the sample of Liberty's Elysium that I received (was beautiful, but) spread too much. Whatever nib I tried wound up looking one size too big and the lines weren't crisp. I've received too many lemons from Noodler's to spend any more money on Nathan, so I think there is still a big "vibrant, archival blue" hole that needs to be filled.

[@krys6461]

Polar Glow vs Nitrogen?

[@jess53nz]

Polar glow was my first introduction to sheen and still one of my all time fav inks!

[@MrG0CE]

I'M SURPRISED U DIDN'T MENTION NOODLER'S WITH THE WHOLE RANGE OF COLORS THEY HAVE !

[@dragonrambles]

Herbin also does scented. Haven’t tried them because why would anyone want scented?! 😂 (Plus the scented inks in the latest Inkvent did not behave well on TRP)

[@nullnullsjo]

Herbin's Rose encree which smells of roses, is my go-to proof reading ink. I hate proof reading, but love the smell of roses.

[@jonathonshanecrawford1840]

Where can I buy _white_ ink for fountain pens? Yes there are white inks for dip pens and brushes! Windsor & Newton make white ink, however, no good for fountain pens. As I sometimes use black and dark coloured paper! The overall cost I prefer to pay is around $15-20 (NZ) and low cost shipping! Even a sample would be nice to _"Test"_ the ink!

[@marilyngardner4269]

DeAtramentis has a white ink in their Document line. You can see it clearly in this video at 06:25 or so.

[@jonathonshanecrawford1840]

@@marilyngardner4269 Thank you! That one is water proof! For certain documents etc. yes perfect! As to ordinary ink is there a white?

[@alexanderalfaro8314]

3:36 Ink's not the only shady thing in this video lmao

[@danbolton3180]

At the end did you say, "Right on!", or "Write on!"

[@Gouletpens]

Write on! - Drew

[@penguin1780]

Sheen, also known as Estevez.

[@penguin1780]

Ha! I commented when I saw the first picture.

[@ladyamalthea85]

A+ Dwight reference

[@ahall3823]

Whatever happened to noodlers ink?

[@Gouletpens]

They're still around! - Drew

[@varadharajannadarajah]

I'm still searching for a good, black colour, dye-based fountain pen ink.........

[@888SpinR]

I like the Document inks and they're incredibly practical, but I must say the colours look rather dull and they tend not to like the paper I use them with. Guess there's always a tradeoff

[@dragonrambles]

You can mix their colours if you want some fun. I got a set because I thought their colours were boring too 😊

[@Gouletpens]

Thanks for that insight. I've only used them in testing. - Drew

[@managingmarlys]

You left off KWZ for scented inks

[@Gouletpens]

I'm not familiar with KWZ. Sorry! - Drew

[@ChadHerring]

Estevan 😂😂😂

[@nadrojneerg]

Sheen! Brain blast!!

[@woodthrushcottage]

sultan of sheen ... hee hee🤣

[@jamesbaird1342]

🐱🐱🐧