Inks I like to avoid

First let me say I choose most inks based on how easy they are to clean out of my pens.  I don’t want to spend half an hour on one pen and take the nib unit out and scrape glitter out of the feed with a brass shim.  I’m not interested in that.  If you don’t mind it, use whatever ink you like.  🙂

What are some inks that I consider safe (easy to clean)?  Kaweco, Sheaffer, Waterman, Parker, Pilot, Pelikan, Montblanc, Monteverde, and a few colors from Diamine (ones that don’t separate), R&K,  DeAtramentis, KWZ, and I know there are more, but I mostly stick to Kaweco and Waterman for tuning my nibs, so that’s where my experience lies.

But listen, my friends at Vanness could tell you better than I could about what inks you should really avoid (and really, there aren’t many), but most of them are fine to use if you don’t mind a little more time at the sink.  There are THOUSANDS of colors to pick from, hundreds of brands.   Have fun and enjoy your pens.  🙂

I avoid shimmer and glitter inks, and any inks that separate after several hours of sitting.

Now – I’m not saying you should avoid these inks, or that there’s anything bad or wrong with them.  I avoid them.  I like easy to clean inks and water proof writing isn’t important to me.

Diamine Lavender separated in the converter…

I decanted the lavender into an empty bottle once the sediment settled so I could use it without the headache.  Is the color a little different?  Yes, but it’s still purple, and for me that’s good enough.

An article about one iron gall ink and what it can do to a nib.