Ponderink.

I lift a mode of title from Ink Quest; I hope Penquod’s crew will take it as an homage rather than a liberty.

I was considering which ink to put into my pen today, and I remembered a little note I’d made in one of the previous entries about how frequently Herbin inks ended up being the choice for the day. I’m not a mad ink collector by any means (unlike some), but like Ink Quest’s prime misanthrope I do find myself buying inks in a speculative frame– perhaps this is the one which will make me cry, “Aha! That is the very colour of my inner life! The pen now expresses me perfectly!”

Despite my pointedly non-Gallic nature, it seems that Herbin is the line of inks that calls out to me most– I have six different colours of theirs, a good deal more than any other maker. We’ll leave aside that two of them I rate as an error in my own judgement; I bought them in the pursuit, and I have to live with them (actually, my wife loves one of them, so the error is redeemed). Even the ones which I’m not apt to use, I find generally pleasant.

So, why not eschew other inks entirely? I might, except Herbin inks have a couple of failings that seem general to the line. They are somewhat given to feathering, and on all but the best papers, this tendency leads to them appearing somewhat faded, almost dusty. Sometimes, the content of my writing makes a certain langour, an air of ennui, acceptable, but for the most part I don’t want to feel like I’m reading things across a misty moor.

On the other hand, I find that most of the Herbin inks I’ve tried are very resistant to water. They may not stay the same colour, but the words remain legible. I’m confident sending things overseas when I’ve written with Herbin.

I guess my other favourite ink balances this French intrusion– Pelikan blue-black. Some hate it, but I find it sorts very well with vintage pens and is very hard to shift once it’s on paper. The woes of Herbin are absent, as it squats firmly on the paper, and is nearly innocent of feathering. Pelikan’s problem is a small range of colours– their only green ink is all too vivid for daily writing, and I have occasional green moods.

So, I suppose I have found an element of my make-up in my preferred inks; caught between French and German influences, I reveal my Dutch ancestry. I don’t have a problem with that, really.

Today’s pen: Waterman C/F
Today’s ink: Quink blue-black (the new stuff, which fades amazingly, like modern Waterman blue-black– I am composing a letter of complaint, to be written in some other company’s ink).