# Coloured Ink? Well, Whaddya Think?



## turban1 (May 29, 2008)

I may become a fountain pen enthusiast and the FP websites are full of people trumpeting the virtues of ink in all colours. Years ago, Miss Manners said that a gentlemen writes in black or blue-black ink and nothing else. Still true? Wiggle room allowed?


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## Nico01 (Jan 8, 2009)

I could see a very dark green* working, possibly a brown. Purple is usually reserved for english teachers who do not wish to scare their students with red ink.

If you decide to go with a colored ink, I suggest you adopt it as your trademark, rather than jumping from one color to another. Make it something your acquaintances and coworkers recognize your correspondence by.

*Heres a good example:


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Not really. 

I use an FP exclusively. Experimenting with inks is an example of the passion of the recently converted. Go through that stage if you must, but I'd stick to a few colors. I only use Waterman Blue-Black and Florida Blue (I don't use black as I need to discern an original signature from a copy). Yes, I've tried Noodlers and everything else. But for dependable daily use with no fuss, Waterman in these two colors is all I need.


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

I associate colored ink with Sharpies, plastic rollar ball Bics, etc. I'm no expert on the subject, but anything other than dark blue or black would--I would think--take away from the elegance associated with writing with a fountain pen. Just mho.


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## anteaks (Aug 5, 2010)

PeterW said:


> Not really.
> 
> I use an FP exclusively. Experimenting with inks is an example of the passion of the recently converted. Go through that stage if you must, but I'd stick to a few colors. I only use Waterman Blue-Black and Florida Blue (I don't use black as I need to discern an original signature from a copy). Yes, I've tried Noodlers and everything else. But for dependable daily use with no fuss, Waterman in these two colors is all I need.


I echo these sentiments exactly (right down to Waterman and the reasoning for non-black).


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## Valkyrie (Aug 27, 2009)

I usually mix my own. I like a little bit more blue than in the usual (Pelikan ink, in my case) blue-black, so I add a few eyedroppers full of blue to new bottles. It provides a bit of individuality (to anybody who cares, which is not many) while avoiding the 'look at me—aren't I creative?' response caused by brighter inks like kelly green or turquoise.

A dark forest green wouldn't be too bad, but most writing is business and blue or black (or some combination thereof) is business.

Now, for a moment of sexism, colored social use inks for women are cute, mostly, but not men.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Never disregard Miss Manners' advice.


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## DCLawyer68 (Jun 1, 2009)

Now, now...if you need a youthful dabble in midnight blue before returning to the fold, by all means, sew your wild oats.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

For business, I use a vintage Montblanc pushbutton ballpoint, with a broad black refill. However, I compose drafts of articles, manuals, etc., in longhand for someone else to transcribe on the computer. The drafts are returned to me with the transcriptions, so I enjoy different colors of ink. I stick to MB black, blue and green for MB pens, but use other colors and brands of ink from any of the four excellent pen stores in Denver for a Conklin, Swans, Parkers, Rotrings, a Wyvren and the other FP's that enrich my life. Immodesty allows me to mention that several of the FP's have stub and semi-cursive nibs I have ground myself.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

maybe we need an fp photo thread.


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## MidWestTrad (Aug 14, 2010)

Waterman with blue ink.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

A gentleman uses only black or blue-black ink. Thank heavens that need not trouble me!


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## a pine tree (Jun 20, 2010)

Nico01 said:


> Purple is usually reserved for english teachers who do not wish to scare their students with red ink.


Ha! This was my mother.


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## rlfsoccerdad (Mar 28, 2008)

I guess it does depend on what you are using them for. When I am signing formal documents I will use blue ink (again, this allows one to distinguish an original from a copy). Now for other occasions I have been know to use a variety of colors. I usually choose one and stick with it for a while. For example, right now I am using a blue Visconti in my Pelikan and copper burst in my Visconti. But my willingness to use different colors I think matches my unique style and as a professor I have that flexibility.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

MidWestTrad said:


> Waterman with blue ink.


+1 but, make that a Waterman with black ink! :thumbs-up:


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## cumberlandpeal (May 12, 2006)

Fountain Pen blogs have extensive ravings about ink colors, brands, acidity and on and on. I would recommend Aurora black (I have found no blacker black) and Waterman Florida Blue.


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

cumberlandpeal said:


> Fountain Pen blogs have extensive ravings about ink colors, brands, acidity and on and on. I would recommend Aurora black (I have found no blacker black) and Waterman Florida Blue.


You mean there are others as crazy as we?

JB


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## Naval Gent (May 12, 2007)

You're a hack if you stray from black

Scott


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Trivia: when I was a police officer in London early 80s to mid 90s, before the police were using computers, and when the station log, strength sheet, charge sheets, and incident report book were still being handwritten, a Chief Inspector or Supt or on rare occasions even the Chief Super or a visiting Commander signing off on said documents used green or purple ink. This was to differentiate from the red ink of the Sgts and Inspectors and the blue and black ink of the Constables.
I was always fascinated by the fact that these higher ranks used green and purple and looked into it and found out that it had always been thus. The purple of course with its obvious connotations of royalty. And many of the first commissioners of the Met Police from 1829 onwards were drawn either from very high ranking ex-military officers or from the nobility and especially those qualified as barristers. So the purple ink historically for them is understood. Green a bit further down the scale, then red, then black & blue for the lowest rank and the true gentlemen of the street, the constables.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Trivia: when I was a police officer in London early 80s to mid 90s, before the police were using computers, and when the station log, strength sheet, charge sheets, and incident report book were still being handwritten, a Chief Inspector or Supt or on rare occasions even the Chief Super or a visiting Commander signing off on said documents used green or purple ink. This was to differentiate from the red ink of the Sgts and Inspectors and the blue and black ink of the Constables.
> I was always fascinated by the fact that these higher ranks used green and purple and looked into it and found out that it had always been thus. The purple of course with its obvious connotations of royalty. And many of the first commissioners of the Met Police from 1829 onwards were drawn either from very high ranking ex-military officers or from the nobility and especially those qualified as barristers. So the purple ink historically for them is understood. Green a bit further down the scale, then red, then black & blue for the lowest rank and the true gentlemen of the street, the constables.


Thank you. I found that a very interesting and enjoyable bit of history.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Trivia: when I was a police officer in London early 80s to mid 90s, before the police were using computers, and when the station log, strength sheet, charge sheets, and incident report book were still being handwritten, a Chief Inspector or Supt or on rare occasions even the Chief Super or a visiting Commander signing off on said documents used green or purple ink. This was to differentiate from the red ink of the Sgts and Inspectors and the blue and black ink of the Constables.
> I was always fascinated by the fact that these higher ranks used green and purple and looked into it and found out that it had always been thus. The purple of course with its obvious connotations of royalty. And many of the first commissioners of the Met Police from 1829 onwards were drawn either from very high ranking ex-military officers or from the nobility and especially those qualified as barristers. So the purple ink historically for them is understood. Green a bit further down the scale, then red, then black & blue for the lowest rank and the true gentlemen of the street, the constables.


Since we seem to agree to let this thread drift a bit in an interesting direction, I will ask if you remember the handwriting style. I refer particularly to the Civil Service Hand, taught widely throughout the UK and persisting in at least some areas up through the 1960's. The idea of its Victorian origins was to have pre-typewriter documents similar and legible throughout the Empire. I wonder if the same handwriting style was used by officers of all ranks and roughly parallel social origins. Thanks.


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## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

Sometimes the choice of ink brand depends on the pen, and how "wet" or "dry" of an ink it can take. Pelikan black is dryish and works in one of my pens perfectly; aurora black is wettish and works in different pens. But I only use an old esterbrook anymore which likes the Pelikan ink.

Life's too short to limit your colors in my view. That said I stick to black myself. Whenever I've tried colors in the past, the novelty wears off and I start asking myself, why am i writing in this silly green or bright blue ink?


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

This thread is most enjoyable. When I was in the third grade (1955), when we moved on from printing to cursive, we also moved on from No 2 pencils to school-issued fountain pens (the mass market ballpoint was just a gleam in Baron Bic's eye), and instructed to use only blue, black, or blue-black ink. Brat that I was, I got a jar of Shaeffer's Peacock Blue. My first assignment was returned with the comment "Dinosaur blood is unacceptable."


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

I knew a topic like this would surface on the trad forum at some point. I have been collecting mostly Pelikan and vintage Parker (pre 1990) some Aurora and Omas (pre LVMH) for about 10 years. The ink brands I prefer are Noodlers, Diamine and Aurora. As for color, I am usually a Sapphire/Royal/dark blue and blue black ink guy until I discovered Noodlers Vmail series Midway Blue which could be reversed engineered 1940s vintage Sheaffers Skrip Peacock Blue, I fell in love that shade and I have it in two different Parker 51s. 

As for the "Trad" fountain pen, this topic will come up at some point, here are my recommendations. 

If you are period authentic I would suggest a Parker 51 Aerometric or a Parker 75 in sterling silver cislele pattern. 

Now if you are more 21st century my suggestions would be: 

Pelikan M 400 to 800 in either green stripes (their classic colour combo) or black. 

or

The Aurora 88 full size or Optima in black, this Italian pen company have been going since the end of WWI and is one of the few that still make their own nibs. I really like the hidden reservoir feature with their piston fill.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

Joe Tradly said:


> You mean there are others as crazy as we?
> 
> JB


Fountain pen collectors make this crowd look like weekend dabblers. Believe me I am one of those fountain pen collectors.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

"Skrip:" that's the word I was looking for ... thank you, Uncle Bill. Ever since I mislaid my Pelikan in 2000 (the much-anticipated millenial disaster, though I'm sure it will turn up), I've been soldiering on with a fat Meisterstuck No 169 that a grateful client gave me, and a shade of black ink that looks uncannily like a photocopy. And I had planned to celebrate the return of the prodigal with a bottle of peacock blue .


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

The Rambler said:


> "Skrip:" that's the word I was looking for ... thank you, Uncle Bill. Ever since I mislaid my Pelikan in 2000 (the much-anticipated millenial disaster, though I'm sure it will turn up), I've been soldiering on with a fat Meisterstuck No 169 that a grateful client gave me, and a shade of black ink that looks uncannily like a photocopy. And I had planned to celebrate the return of the prodigal with a bottle of peacock blue .


The current Skrip ink line is brewed in Slovenia and from what I gather is on the same level as Waterman as a mass produced ink.

Thing with Noodlers and I love it with this brand, it's a cottage industry and you get a lot of ink for you money. To my understand is Vmail Midway Blue is a reversed engineered Peacock Blue. To date I have used it only in a Vac and aerormetric Parker 51, it works great in both pens. From what I have read, it works best with fine nibs.

I hope your Pelikan returns, I never could get into Mont Blanc.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

me, neither ... it fights me every step of the way. Though the last thing I need is another, er, pursuit, I can easily see the attractions of this one.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

The Rambler said:


> me, neither ... it fights me every step of the way. Though the last thing I need is another, er, pursuit, I can easily see the attractions of this one.


Like my passion for photography, collecting pens is safer, not cheaper than drugs.


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## Memphis88 (Sep 10, 2008)

I often use a Pilot Varsity in blue or black for class. I once bought a three pack for about 8 bucks and sold a single pen for $10 to a guy in my class. One of these days I'll get a nice pen, but I have no need for one right now.


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## P Hudson (Jul 19, 2008)

My favorite ink brand is Private Reserve. I esp. like their "Tanzanite" which is an understated purple. It is different without being silly. I also like their "Midnight Blue". I have a couple Waterman and Parker colors, but find the former a bit thin. Parker blue/black is imo the best all-round value.

I've thinned my collection of pens a bit, but Parker 51s are great writers, and the old Parker Vacuumatics are stunning. My favorite all-purpose newer pen may be the Waterman Charleston: interesting enough design, reliable writer, etc. I also have a Sheaffer Balance with Italic nib that is a pleasure to write with.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Again I ask, and I'd do it myself but I got nothin', for a few photos :icon_hailthee:


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Uncle Bill said:


> I knew a topic like this would surface on the trad forum at some point. I have been collecting mostly Pelikan and vintage Parker (pre 1990) some Aurora and Omas (pre LVMH) for about 10 years. The ink brands I prefer are Noodlers, Diamine and Aurora. As for color, I am usually a Sapphire/Royal/dark blue and blue black ink guy until I discovered Noodlers Vmail series Midway Blue which could be reversed engineered 1940s vintage Sheaffers Skrip Peacock Blue, I fell in love that shade and I have it in two different Parker 51s.
> 
> As for the "Trad" fountain pen, this topic will come up at some point, here are my recommendations.
> 
> ...


All GREAT advice. You will hear a lot of conflicting opinions on pens and ink, but Uncle Bill's advice is spot on.

Pelikan is my go-to modern brand. Over 20 years of daily FP pen use, and it is hard to beat an M200 as a constant companion. I carry a three-pen leather case, and the M200 is always in there. An M400 (same size as the M200) is prettier and more expensive. I usually carry an M400 stub nib. Pelican nibs are a bit stiff, but with a easy flowing ink, they work great. I agree about Diamine ink.

Also, ditto on the Parker 75. An pen that gets lost in all the love for the 51. The 75 is an elegant slender pen. My third pen in my daily case is either a 75 or a 51.

My other piece of advice is not to go crazy on the size of the pen. I think a moderate sized pen (again like the M200 and M400 size) is perfect. Men with massive pens remind me of men who smoke massive cigars. No further comment.

The secret to using a fountain pen is to use one every day for most if not all writing. FPs do not do well with neglect. With daily use and regular flushing with water, they are very dependable. Pens not in daily use should be emptied and flushed and put up.


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Peter there are intrinsic reasons to prefer a big fat cigar. I've discovered none for my big fat Montblanc, which I really should replace. Are used fountain pens not advisable, due to the set of the nib or something?


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Used pens are fine, but purchase from one of the great dealers, like Richard Binder. He will tune the nib.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

PeterW said:


> All GREAT advice. You will hear a lot of conflicting opinions on pens and ink, but Uncle Bill's advice is spot on.
> 
> Pelikan is my go-to modern brand. Over 20 years of daily FP pen use, and it is hard to beat an M200 as a constant companion. I carry a three-pen leather case, and the M200 is always in there. An M400 (same size as the M200) is prettier and more expensive. I usually carry an M400 stub nib. Pelican nibs are a bit stiff, but with a easy flowing ink, they work great. I agree about Diamine ink.
> 
> ...


Well put Peter and very sound advice on the pen maintenance.

I have Pelikans from the M400 (modern and vintage) to the M800 and all are great pens.

The one bit of advice I would give for anyone looking for a Parker 51, it is a classic with its production lasting from 1940 to about 1972 in the US and a little later in the UK and Argentina. They came with two filling systems from 1940-48, the vacumatic was used, great pen but the rubber diaphram has to be replaced every few years. The later Aerometric pens have a bomb proof filling system and they were made from 1949 to the mid 1970s. Check out https://parker51.com for more in depth history.

The Parker 75 was another animal all together, it was the first fountain pen conceived as a status symbol and to a lessor extent a collectible. They were made I think from 1964 to 1980 in the US and production was consolidated in Meru France in the 1980s with the pen being discontinued in the early 1990s and replaced with the Sonnet. More info here:


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

[QUOTE
The Parker 75 was another animal all together, it was the first fountain pen conceived as a status symbol and to a lessor extent a collectible. They were made I think from 1964 to 1980 in the US and production was consolidated in Meru France in the 1980s with the pen being discontinued in the early 1990s and replaced with the Sonnet. More info here: [/QUOTE]

On the basis of substantial experience with fountain pens, including many examples of both American and French Parker 75's, I would urge anyone at all new to these instruments to avoid the Parker 75. Many writers find them unbalanced. That affects the way pressure is applied when using one. The result, for this and other reasons, is that they tend to be fragile.

From another post: Richard Binder is widely known and admired. His site has useful information. There are a great many other pen restoration experts and nib grinders, Mike-it-Work, Parkville Pen and Inkpen, for example, whose prices and turnaround times are more agreeable to many customers than Binder.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

The Parker 75s have their fans and I'm one of them but I am also the first to point out they are not everyone's cup of tea. Two if you're going to get one, get an earlier American made one because, I had a heap of trouble with a late production 75 with a plastic inner cap, the earlier American production pens had a metal inner clip. The other weak spot is the threads holding the grip section and the barrel, once they are gone, time to start shopping for a new grip section. 

That being said, I love the 75 and I write with them on a regular basis. If you're looking for a durable (relatively speaking) vintage American made pen, hunt for an Aerometric Parker 51, they go forever. I know because I own a bunch of 51s.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

[/QUOTE] If you're looking for a durable (relatively speaking) vintage American made pen, hunt for an Aerometric Parker 51, they go forever. I know because I own a bunch of 51s.[/QUOTE]

This is absolutely true. 51's are still relatively easy to find at decent prices on the FPN and Pentrace boards, where there are also links to many competent craftsmen who can rebuild them if necessary. There is abundant information about 51's on the web and in print. Among my many are three with factory broad nibs. I like them as well as my Montblancs, which is saying a lot.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

Godan, 

Speaking to the converted, I have two broad nibbed 51s a MKI American production in navy grey and a MKIII UK production in teal. 

One thing I'll share, the UK Parker 51s have nicer nibs and write slightly wider than their American cousins.


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

I use turquoise have been for the past couple of years. 

I have a friend who is a retired spook in his 70's who uses lavender

When I was buying ink the other day the shop girl and I were talking about colours and when I told her that she smiled and replied that 
'some men adopt the strangest habits as they grow old.'

I found the Earl's comments about the Met and their colour choice an interesting bit of history.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

I have a shopping list of Noodlers and Diamine fountain pen inks I want to try out. I think for now I am going to use what I got or I will have a desk full of bottles. Really love Noodlers Vmail Midway Blue a vivid Peacock Blue which I never thought I would like.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Uncle Bill, 

Where do you get you Diamine ink. I recall having trouble ordering last time I tried from the company site in the UK.


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## linklaw (Aug 1, 2007)

I have been using a fountain pen for more than 25 years and my favorite ink of all time was Parker Penman Sapphire Blue. They quit making it several years ago and I have been using either Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue or the above mentioned Waterman ink. I have a bottle of MontBlanc Black and occasionally fill a MB 149 with it. Much prefer blue ink though.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

godan said:


> Since we seem to agree to let this thread drift a bit in an interesting direction, I will ask if you remember the handwriting style. I refer particularly to the Civil Service Hand, taught widely throughout the UK and persisting in at least some areas up through the 1960's. The idea of its Victorian origins was to have pre-typewriter documents similar and legible throughout the Empire. I wonder if the same handwriting style was used by officers of all ranks and roughly parallel social origins. Thanks.


Hi Godan, well to start off let me point out that the Home Office police forces of the UK, just like the UK armed forces are Government Service not Civil Service. In the old blue UK passports, before the EU standard, there was an occupation line, mine both as an RAF Regiment gunner and as a Metropolitan police officer said: Government Service. 
The Civil Service comprises civilians (hence its name) that are the administrative workforce for ministries and some government authorites, and they stay in post regardless of changes of government. 
So the Civil Service hand is not something I would even recognise if I saw it. Nothing like that was ever taught to soldiers or
police officers.

However, the handwriting style of most of the police officers I encountered of all ranks was legible without being overly fancy or extreme italic.
I do remember however in the late 80s that quite a few of the younger officers coming in couldn't join up their writing, simply writing each individual letter alone, and some even wrote everything in capitals. One chap seemed to be so, shall we say "uptight" that all his letters looked very similar and so his writing was close to impossible to read, I remember struggling with it many times, for example, his S, F & G were indistinguishable.

Last year when I was testing some of our overseas WASH https://www.wsscc.org/ field staff, here in Sweden, I collected in the papers after the English test and one of the Swedish men, aged about 40, had written the whole four sides in block capitals. I asked him if that wasn't very tiring on his hand, and he said, "yes, but it's the way I've always written" God, preserve us!

Both my sons, aged 12 and 7, can already write a good hand (and in italics if they want to, as it is being taught in their school).


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Green ink is also the colour of choice for cranks writing letters to newspapers.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Kingstonian said:


> Green ink is also the colour of choice for cranks writing letters to newspapers.


How do you know that?


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> How do you know that?


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## ASF (Mar 6, 2006)

Levenger's Cobalt Blue. I use it in my No. 146 and Parker 51. I don't know if Levenger's ink is any good, but the color is rich and closer to navy.

asf


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Right, I see. I had no idea. My intimation was that perhaps you had personal experience of sending "Mr Angry of Cheam" letters to the Times 

I must say, I do miss both the receiving and the writing of real letters.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> I must say, I do miss both the receiving and the writing of real letters.


Me, too, so I write handwritten thank you notes for everything. Very good way to get back a little of what has been lost. Get some nice social stationary and write any time anyone does anything halfway nice.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

PeterW said:


> Me, too, so I write handwritten thank you notes for everything. Very good way to get back a little of what has been lost. Get some nice social stationary and write any time anyone does anything halfway nice.


Good idea Peter. Thanks for the tip, actually I might just start doing that.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Well, you can thank me with a note! P.O. 600 Charleston 29402


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

PeterW said:


> Uncle Bill,
> 
> Where do you get you Diamine ink. I recall having trouble ordering last time I tried from the company site in the UK.


I have a couple of outlets here in Canada but your best bet in the US is Pear Tree Pens in Michigan. They carry a great line up of inks including Diamine.

https://www.peartreepens.com/

I never had trouble ordering Diamine direct, in fact it's cheaper than ordering from the Canadian distributor (figure that one out).

You will love the ink, check out their blue black, Sapphire Blue, Majestic Blue, Imperial Blue and Presidential Blue.

Bill


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Right, I see. I had no idea. My intimation was that perhaps you had personal experience of sending "Mr Angry of Cheam" letters to the Times
> 
> I must say, I do miss both the receiving and the writing of real letters.


Green could be the classic igent ink.

Regardless of the colour of ink used (there is little evidence of correspondence actually in green ink), it is common to refer to correspondence of any kind (including email and webpages) as being in "green ink", if it broadly fits the following identifying characteristics of Stridency, Impertinence, Unreasonableness, *Unrealism, Fancifulness and Obsessiveness.*[citation needed] Writers and correspondents who fit this general profile are referred to as "Green Inkers" or as members of the "Green Ink Brigade" (GIB). The term "Green Biro Brigade" is also used occasionally


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Earl of Ormonde;
Both my sons said:


> Thanks for the detailed, useful reply. I wish students in this country were taught to write legibly. With regard to the Civil Service hand, it appears in some late 19th-century manuals, and a man posted on FPN that he had learned it in school in Northern Ireland in the 1960's. I don't know what instruction is offered there now.


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## Dragoon (Apr 1, 2010)

My hand writing has bothered me my whole life. In most things I have good eye hand coordination but for some reason I just can't write in a legible long hand. I print everything. As a bean counter; my tool of choice is the Pentel P205.

The only time I recollect using a fountain pen was in an attorney's office signing papers. My brother had to coach me to get the thing to write.

I certainly "get" the appeal of them though.


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## N05J3W3 (Feb 2, 2010)

To get back to the original question:

In business, anything other than black or blue-black ink is suspect. For personal use, it might be safe to reach to a blue, sepia or grey. The others are novelty or affectation.

The pen itself can be colourful, the ink, not so much.


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## tlocke (Jan 9, 2010)

Agreed. Waterman blue-black is a classic ink color. You might also want to try Pelikan royal blue.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

I have always found Pelikan ink to flow on the dry side. My safe ink of choice is Diamine out of the UK.


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## gordgekko (Nov 12, 2004)

Waterman Blue-Black is all that I use. Anything else would seem a little too non-conformist.


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## Monorailcat (Aug 26, 2008)

I have been using a fountain pen for sometime, and in the last couple years I normally fill it with a purple ink. Its my favorite color so I like writing with it. I occasionally fill it with black ink.


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