Three keeper inks for three favorite fountain pens

A recent post on The Gentleman Stationer is part of a series where the author picks ten fountain pens they would keep, then chooses an ink for each. This installment covers three pairings, and the logic behind each one is what makes it worth reading.

First is Platinum Classic Citrus Black in a Montblanc 146 with a medium stub nib. The ink is pale yellow when wet and dries to a dark green-gold. Because it is an iron gall ink, it bonds to the paper and darkens as it dries, which also helps tame the wet flow of a stub. The author says it behaves on everything but the flimsiest copy paper.

Second is Maruzen Athena Blue in a Pilot Custom 823 with a medium blade grind. It is a darker blue, flows well and is permanent: in a test the ink barely ran after a page was held under a faucet for a full minute. The ink is sold only in Maruzen shops in Tokyo, not online. The author prefers blue or blue-black in this pen because its vacuum filler is hard to clean fully.

Third is Taccia Ukiyo-e Hiroshige Ruri in a Pelikan M800 with a medium perspective grind. It is a vibrant blue with balanced flow and quick drying, with a red sheen on certain coated papers that never overwhelms the colour.

I like that the choices are practical rather than just pretty: permanence, cleaning, and paper behaviour all matter. It also made me curious about iron gall inks in general.

Source: The Gentleman Stationer