Day 2 is Candy Cane, a standard ink. From the inks I swabbed, Valentine Red is the closest color dupe. It’s not identical, but it’s pretty close.

My ADHD brain in blog form.
Posted in Ink
Posted in Ink
Don’t worry, I won’t be sharing spoilers today (or any day, technically).
When the Diamine Inkvent Calendar was first announced, I thought it was a cute idea, but didn’t plan to get it. As more and more photos and mentions of it appeared, I found myself experiencing FOMO to the highest degree. Eventually, coming across it in person at Bertram’s Inkwell, I decided to get one to satisfy my interest and curiosity.
I went home, and, initially, I planned to be good and open it in December like a proper advent calendar. But then I remembered that I won’t be available to open the inks during Christmas week. I considered opening it day-by-day in November instead, but ultimately decided to just open it up and swab them all one Saturday.
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium and Organics Studio Bert’s Blue.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Diamine Soft Mint and Colorverse Photon.
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Organics Studio BWIPS 2018 and Diamine Dark Forest.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Diamine Pansy and Lamy Dark Lilac.
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Organics Studio Nickel Teal and Robert Oster Morning Mist.
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Pilot Iroshizuku Ama Iro and Krishna Cool Breeze.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Bungubox Piano Mahogany and Robert Oster Australian Syrah.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Sailor Jentle Waka Uguisu and Robert Oster Jade.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Bungubox Kabayaki of the Hamanako Eel and Bungubox Nostalgia.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Diamine Aqua Blue and Montblanc UNICEF Blue.
Posted in Ink
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: Robert Oster NG Special ’16 and Diamine Golden Honey.
I’m comparing seemingly identical inks to see how similar they really are. This week: The Real Teal and Hisoku.
Posted in Ink
Welcome to Ink Dupes. I’ll warn you now, this series will most likely feature fairly irregular posts. Make sure you subscribe to my blog or to the fountain pen category so you don’t miss an issue.
This week, I’m starting with red — my favorite color — with Diamine Matador and Montblanc Corn Poppy Red.
A bit of a backstory — since you all know I’m so fond of stories. I noticed a while ago that some inks are nearly identical to others. When Ink Journal shared an article about chromatography in their Flex Nib Friday newsletter, I was curious to find out just how similar these seemingly identical inks really are.
After the first comparison, it occurred to me that I’m not the only one who’d be interested in knowing which inks are similar (or identical) in color. So, I’ll be sharing my comparisons with you all. I’m hoping it will help those who are looking for expensive or hard-to-find inks.
That said, if you’re curious about how two inks compare, let me know. I may have (or be able to get) both inks for comparison.
Posted in Fountain Pens, Ink, Paper, Pen Shows, Storage, and Stores
This is it for my fountain pen series. I’ve gathered links to every issue of the series into one, easy-to-share post. Enjoy!
Posted in Ink
Welcome back to Fountain Pen 201, and happy Fountain Pen Friday! I’ve had multiple requests over the past few months to give lessons or write a post about how I created and maintain my ink swab notebook. So this week, I’ll be covering my ink swabbing methods.
A little history before I dive into the meat of my post. I used to use the Col-O-Ring system. But once you fill your first ring, it starts getting bulky. So I looked for a different method. I figured a notebook would be suitably contained and portable. Because I love the Maruman Mnemosyne paper, I decided to try the Hardcover Executive Notebook (N195A) for my new ink swab adventure. It did not disappoint.
Posted in Fountain Pens, and Ink
Welcome back to Fountain Pen 201, and happy Fountain Pen Friday! This week, I’ll be covering the benefits of keeping an inventory of your pen and ink collection.
When you have a small pen and ink collection, keeping an inventory probably isn’t at the forefront of your mind. However, as your collection grows, it will become harder and more time consuming to start an inventory, so it’s a good practice to start early. By why should you start one at all?
On the more positive side of things, an ink inventory can help keep you from buying duplicate inks, provide you with a reminder of what inks you do and don’t like, and make ink trading easier, to name a few.
On the other hand, an inventory of your collection can also help with insurance needs and claims.
Posted in Ink
It’s impossible to cover ink in a single post. For one, I don’t know every ink brand, and new brands are popping up every day. For two, there are all sorts of properties that people like to discuss and/or include in their reviews. However, what I’m going to try to do is give you an overview of the ink properties I’ve heard discussed most often and the “best known” ink brands.
As a side note for newbies, make sure you only use fountain pen inks. Ink for dip pens could destroy your pen.
As you start exploring inks, you’ll hear about various properties, including shimmer, shading, sheen, wetness, feathering, and bleeding. Most ink properties are at least partially dependent on the paper you use. Basic copy paper, for example, will negate almost all ink properties, while Tomoe River paper is well-known to enhance most ink properties. To enhance ink properties, you want to write/draw on “ink resistant” paper.