Ink Links

-- On Fountain Pens (Pipe Redirect)

-- Bobino Slim Pen – Black (No Pen Intended)

-- Review: Omas Hong Kong Red (1997) Fountain Pen Ink (Gourmet Pens)

-- Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen - Twin Tip - Black + Grey Ink (A Penchant for Paper)

-- Vintage Notes: Sheaffer Snorkel Saratoga (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Conid FPR Demonstrator Streamline Bulkfiller 2013 (kmpn)

-- Lamy Logo (Informal Scribble)

-- Pilot Petit1 Fountain Pen Review (Ed Jelley)

-- Kelly Green - Diamine Ink Review (Ink of Me Fondly)

-- review: three-barrelled pilot coleto (Paper Lovestory)

-- Tombow Reporter 4 (penfan.ru)

-- TWSBI 803 Micarta, Version 2: The Saga (From the Pen Cup)

-- Where nibmeisters differ (And All Other Tasks)

-- Tutorial: Filling a TWSBI with a syringe (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- My journey to Journal 21 (Plannerisms)

-- Highlighter Alternative (East...West...Everywhere)

-- Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica Gel Ink Pen – 0.3 mm (OfficeSupplyGeek)

-- Retro 51 Hex-o-matic Black Ballpoint (The Clicky Post)

-- New BIC 4 Way Pens (My Supply Room)

-- A Review of the Lamy Al-Star 2013 Matte Black Special Edition Fountain Pen (Built from Ink and Tea)

Diamine Red Dragon Ink Review

Red fountain pen inks are tough for me. Red gel, red ballpoint, red roller ball inks - no problem. But red fountain pen inks can't seem to crack the rotation. Why is that?

I think the obvious answer is maintenance. I try to keep as few fountain pens inked as possible, ranging from five to a somewhat overwhelming ten. My preference lies with blues, predominantly blue black, with possibly one turquoise, one black, and one orange ink filled somewhere within the group. Anytime I have inked up red I end up not using it (maybe orange is my red?), and down the sink it goes.

Friends and readers of this blog seem to love red inks though, at least judging by the amount of questions I get about them. Luckily my friend Thomas sent a couple of samples my way, like this Diamine Red Dragon, so I am able to test without comittment. That is always a bonus in my book.

In my admittedly limited experience I categorize red inks two ways: bright or dark. Bright includes pure reds that really pop off the page, or reds that show strong hints of pink and/or orange. Dark includes inks that are on the blood or brick end of the spectrum, possibly with some brown showing through. Red Dragon is an ink you should consider if you are looking for a dark, blood red.

Like most Diamine inks - which are becoming some of my favorites - it is well behaved from my TWSBI 1.5 mm stub nib. The feedback is smooth and consistent with minimal shading, and an average to below average dry time. I'm impressed by it, but it isn't the red ink that is going to make me reconsider adding one to my rotation.

What other red inks should be on my radar?

In honor of this review, I present the song that got me hooked on Okkervil River:

performed at MusicFest NW, Crystal Ballroom, Portland, September 10, 2010

Lamy Al-Star Fountain Pen Black Limited Edition Giveaway

The Lamy Al-Star Black Limited Edition fountain pen is now available at JetPens, and to mark the occasion, I am giving one away to a lucky reader.

I try to make it as simple as possible for you to enter my giveaways. Here is all you need to do:

1. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now and Saturday night at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You are limited to one entry. This contest is limited to US residents only.

2. For this contest, I will pick one winner at random from the comments section of this post. The comments will be numbered in the order they are received, i.e. the first comment is #1, the second #2, and so on. The Random Integer Generator at random.org will be used to pick the number of the winner.

3. The contest winner will be posted on Sunday, July 21st. The winner will have one week to email me via the Contact link at the top of the page.

Thanks and good luck!