What Are My Forever Inks?

A while back I read a post from UK Fountain Pens where he talked about his list of “forever inks”, which is inspired by a post on Fountain Pen Network asking “if you had to rebuild your ink collection from scratch, what would your initial selections be?”. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since reading his blog post, so I figured I’d give it a go myself. While he goes through a fairly meticulous process in selecting his inks, mine is going to be a bit more… spontaneous.

My Selection Process

I don’t really have any rhyme or reason to my ink choices and never really pair particular inks to particular pens. If anything, I try and use pen/ink combinations that I’ve never used before to get more data for my ink journal. But I do have inks I prefer, regardless of which pen they’re in. Some I love for writing, while others are favorites for doodling.

For this exercise, I limited the inks I considered to only inks that I have bottles of. I have loads of samples and really enjoy many of them, but figure if I have never bought a bottle of a particular ink, then I can’t really say that I love it enough to re-purchase it. In total, I have over 60 bottles of ink (not counting my vintage inks). This means that my options are limited to these bottles. While I’m sure there are many inks out there that would make this list if I had tried them, I can only speak to what I know.

To start my initial ink selection, I pulled out my ink journal and flipped through the pages. I noted which inks I have used the most and also which ones I remembered enjoying and thought I should use more often. This process created the following list:

PenBBS #276 Chungdu
PenBBS #178 Rose Quartz
Montblanc Corn Poppy Red
Iroshizuku Yama-budo
Sailor Jentle Apricot
Diamine Autumn Oak
KWZ Old Gold
J. Herbin Lie de Thé
Troublemaker Kelp Tea
Sailor Rikyu Cha
Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
Iroshizuku Syo-ro
J. Herbin Bleu Calanque
Taccia Aoguro
J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor
Sailor Studio 123
Sailor Yama-dori
Visconti Blue
Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium
Platinum Carbon Black
Kaweco Smokey Grey
Jacques Herbin Gris de Houle
Kobe #53 Kitano Pearl Silver
Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu

Some colors were fairly similar that didn’t make the cut, so when possible, I went with my gut and picked my favorites. There were also a few that, even though I have used them quite a bit, I don’t think I’d buy again. This process removed the following inks:

Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium
PenBBS #276 Chungdu
Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu

Now that I had a good list, I decided the best way to select my forever inks was to try them all out. I grabbed a bunch of pens, inked them up and started writing. Over the next week or two I paid particular attention to which pens I reached for more often and, when there were similar colors, which I chose the most often.

I made some notes for each ink, which I thought it might be interesting to share here:

• PenBBS #178 Rose Quartz – I really like the shading and color, but it’s kind of hard to read.
• Montblanc Corn Poppy Red – Such a good color. It’s not bright red, but still pops off the page.
• Iroshizuku Yama-budo – The burgundy color of this ink is so rich and vibrant, it’s hard not to like. The gold sheen provides a beautiful accent.
• Sailor Jentle Apricot – Such a bright color, love the shading
• Diamine Autumn Oak – Great shading, a more everyday orange than Sailor Apricot
• KWZ Old Gold – Love the shading but may be too severe for some writing. Great for doodling.
• J. Herbin Lie de Thé – A solid, rich brown. Not extremely exciting, but a great color nonetheless.
• Troublemaker Kelp Tea – A good brown-green multichromatic ink with nice shading.
• Sailor Rikyu Cha – I’m a fan. Is it brown or green? It’s both!
• Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun – Fantastic shading, but the actual color just doesn’t excite me. Still, this ink is an amazing value.
• Iroshizuku Syo-ro – This might be one of my all-time favorite inks. The color is fantastic, the hint of sheen beautiful and the shading is fantastic. Bonus points for changing colors as it dries!
• J. Herbin Bleu Calanque – Such a great color of blue with very little shading and the slightest hint of sheen. I love it more than I should.
• Taccia Aoguro – A very dark blue-black with copper sheen. I like it, but am not sure I love it.
• J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor – I am never sad to find a pen filled with this ink.
• Sailor Studio 123 – Such an interesting ink. There are a lot more multichromatic inks out there these days, but this was one of the originals and still one of the best.
• Sailor Yama-dori – Beautiful teal color with a nice, overall red sheen.
• Visconti Blue – What I consider to be a “pure” blue with nice red sheen. I don’t know how often I want to use an ink that’s this blue.
• Platinum Carbon Black – Pretty much the only black I use, great for general writing, addressing envelopes and doodles.
• Kaweco Smokey Grey – Out of the three grey inks in this list, I’d say this is my least favorite. It’s just a bit too warm compared to the other two.
• Jacques Herbin Gris de Houle – This is a very nice dark grey that’s wet and shades quite a bit.
• Kobe #53 Kitano Pearl Silver – I feel like this is my grey ink for life. I just love it.

“If you had to rebuild your ink collection from scratch, what would your initial selections be?”

I have to admit, before I ever even made my list, there were three inks I knew would make it. These were J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor, Iroshizuku Yama-budo and Platinum Carbon Black. Emerald of Chivor is such a beautiful color of teal and the red sheen accents it perfectly. Even though I’m not a big fan of shimmer, I don’t mind it one bit in this ink. Yama-budo is another ink that I love the color/sheen combination of. The ink color is such a rich burgundy that the accents of gold sheen really make it look beautiful. Carbon Black can certainly test the ink-handling capabilities of some papers, but it doesn’t budge when water is applied, making it my first choice for anything that needs to remain permanent.

In some cases, I felt like I had to decide between two similar colors. For example, I had a really hard time deciding if I’d rather repurchase a bottle of Sailor Apricot or Diamine Autumn Oak, as if I could only have one orange ink, but then realized that I could have both! There’s no reason to limit myself to only one bottle of each color. The purpose of this exercise was to figure out which you would repurchase, not choose your Top X inks, and I realized that I would want to get both!

When I inked up these inks, I did it in groups. I want to quickly run through each group and make my final decisions.

Sailor Jentle Apricot, Diamine Autumn Oak, KWZ Old Gold

I don’t normally go in for bright, bold inks, but Sailor Apricot sure does make me happy. The color is nice, but I think it’s the combination of shading and glossiness that it has that I really enjoy. Autumn Oak is a much more subdued orange/brown ink, at least compared to Apricot, that is much more suitable for daily use. It still has fantastic shading and really nice color variation. I do love KWZ Old Gold and it’s a favorite of mine for doodling, but surprisingly, when I had other inks to choose from, I didn’t reach for it as often as the others.
Keep: Sailor Jentle Apricot, Diamine Autumn Oak

PenBBS #178 Rose Quartz, Montblanc Corn Poppy Red, Iroshizuku Yama-budo

When I first used a sample of PenBBS Rose Quartz at a pen meet-up, I knew I had to get a bottle of it. I’ve used it quite a bit and think that it is a fantastic color, but honestly don’t use it very regularly as it can be a difficult color to read. Corn Poppy Red, on the other hand, is a wonderful red ink. I used to prefer intense, bold red inks, but have grown to love the slightly darker color of Corn Poppy Red for regular use compared to something brighter. Yama-budo is one of those inks that I am always filling a pen with and never get tired of it. For me, it’s a must-have.
Keep: Montblanc Corn Poppy Red, Iroshizuku Yama-budo

J. Herbin Lie de Thé, Troublemaker Kelp Tea, Sailor Rikyu-cha, Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun, Iroshizuku Syo-ro

I’ve always had a soft-spot for brown inks. When I first started using fountain pens brown seemed like the most “old-fashioned” color of ink I could use. Over the years I’ve had quite a few brown inks, but never use them as much as other colors. I think Lie de Thé is the same. I enjoy it, but not as much as some of the more complex green-browns like Kelp Tea and Rikyu-cha. These are both such fun inks that can look so different depending on the paper or pen you use them with. They also have great chromatography. Alt-Goldgrun is one of those inks that I want to love, but just never want to use. I like the funky dark green color and the price can’t be beat, but I find myself getting bored of it after I fill a pen with it. Syo-ro is an ink that I never get bored of. I feel like I could always have a pen filled with it and not get tired of the color, shading and hint of sheen that it has.
Keep: Troublemaker Kelp Tea, Sailor Rikyu-cha, Iroshizuku Syo-ro

J. Herbin Bleu Calanque, Taccia Aoguro, Visconti Blue, Sailor Studio 123, Sailor Yama-dori

Let me start by mentioning the inks I realized I don’t like as much as the others. Aoguro is a blue-black that’s too black and Visconti Blue is a blue that’s too blue. I know it sounds weird, but I didn’t find either as exciting as the other inks I had inked up at the same time. Bleu Calanque is a beautiful turquoise blue that appeals to me so much more than Visconti Blue. The first time I tried it I knew it was a keeper. Yama-dori is a classic teal ink that occasionally leans towards blue-black and one that I would almost always rather use than Aoguro. The odd ink in this grouping is Sailor 123. I knew it wouldn’t really fit into any particular color group, so just decided to ink it up with these other inks. I don’t think it mattered where I inked it up, as I think it’s such a fun ink to use. It’s going to be different from any other ink I’m using at any given time.
Keep: J. Herbin Bleu Calanque, Sailor Studio 123, Sailor Yama-dori

Kaweco Smokey Grey, Jacques Herbin Gris de Houle, Kobe #53 Kitano Pearl Silver

I really like all three of these grey inks, but found myself using the Kobe #53 the most often. I just love the light, neutral color and shading that it has. The Gris de Houle is another favorite of mine, but it is significantly darker than the Kobe #53, so in very wet or fine pens I don’t find it as interesting. The Kaweco Smokey Grey is a great color, but when I had the other two grey inks to choose from in addition to it, I always found myself choosing one of the others.
Keep: Kobe #53 Kitano Pearl Silver

J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor, Platinum Carbon Black

To be honest, I didn’t even ink these up. I have used Emerald of Chivor so much that I know I love it and it might be the first bottle I would replace. I always have a pen inked up with Carbon Black, so there was no need to ink up another pen with it. I use it regularly for addressing envelopes and doodling.
Keep: J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor, Platinum Carbon Black

My Final Selections

So after much writing, doodling, analyzing and pondering, here are the inks that made my list of “forever inks”:

• Sailor Jentle Apricot
• Diamine Autumn Oak
• Montblanc Corn Poppy Red
• Iroshizuku Yama-budo
• Troublemaker Kelp Tea
• Sailor Rikyu-cha
• Iroshizuku Syo-ro
• J. Herbin Bleu Calanque
• Sailor Studio 123
• Sailor Yama-dori
• Kobe #53 Kitano Pearl Silver
• J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor
• Platinum Carbon Black

Again, I want to reiterate that these are simply inks that I currently own bottles of and would replace if I somehow lost my ink collection. I am sure that there are other amazing inks out there that would easily make my list if I had tried them or had a bottle of them, but you can’t replace something you don’t have, right? It is also somewhat random, as I didn’t really use any particular criteria in choosing the inks other than those that I have used frequently or remembered enjoying, and also enjoyed when I filled them for this article. If I were to re-do this again next year my list may look completely different.

Still, I find this color selection to be pretty interesting. I have no purple inks (unless you count Yama-budo as purple), but three green inks (or four if you count Syo-ro). I have multiple inks that show up as more than one color most of the time (Autumn Oak, Kelp Tea, Rikyu-cha, Sailor 123). I have a decent mix of sheening inks and shading inks.

In general, this list is a bunch of inks that I love to use! Just seeing them all grouped together makes me want to go ink up some more pens with them and do some writing and doodling. How do you feel about it? Any inks on this list that you absolutely love or hate? Which inks do you love that you think I should try out? Please let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for new inks.