Happy Friday fountain pen friends! 

There’s been a change of plans with Goulet Q&A this week. Unfortunately, Rachel and Ellie Goulet have both been fighting pneumonia, so Brian’s been home taking care of them. The good news is that everyone seems to be recovering well! 

Consequently, there was no way to shoot a new episode of Q&A this week, but we didn’t want to leave you bereft of fountain pen tips.  We decided to serve you up several slices of past Goulet Q&A episodes based around a theme. One of the most difficult choices in this hobby is knowing what ink is right for you. Gouletpens.com carries over 600 different types alone, with many more available in the world at large. It can get confusing and even frustrating to choose amongst all those options, but luckily Brian has answered questions on everything from the difference of all the Noodler’s black inks to mold prevention. You’ll even find his personal recommendation for an ink in each color in the slices below. Hopefully, this will curb your thirst for fountain pen knowledge until Brian is back in action!

You all asked some great questions this week, so we’ll be saving them for a future episode. Enjoy, and we’ll be back to our regular episode of Q&A soon.

1. What is the Difference Between the Noodlers Black Inks?

2. Should You Dispose of Ink After Use or Put it Back in the Bottle?

3. Can You Discuss “Fast Dry” Inks?

  • In general, I (Brian) don’t like them personally
  • I don’t have a need for the fast-dry feature most of the time, and the trade off is too high for me (desaturated color and lack of shading)
  • Noodler’s Bernankes are pretty good, dull colors though

4. What One Ink Would You Recommend For Each Color Category On Gouletpens.com?

5. Are Some Inks More Prone To Clogging Fountain Pens Than Others?

6. Can Mold Infect An Entire Bottle Of Ink? Is There Anything You Can Do To Prevent It?

  • Mold is weird, and it really freaks people out
  • If you had it in your pen, you most certainly exposed your Apache to it
  • Hardcore enthusiasts will tell you to throw it out, I would normally be inclined to agree but it’s really your call
  • Noodler’s does use some pretty legit biocides, it’s RARE I ever hear of a mold issue in a Noodler’s ink
  • Chances are what contamination you had won’t survive in the Apache, but you’re definitely taking that risk so be aware
  • If you use cheap pens it’s probably okay and worth the risk, but expensive pens…it’s safer just to toss the ink and get a new one

7. How Can Ink Color Vary From The Color On The Bottle To Darker Shades Of The Same Color?

  • Flow
  • Nib size makes a huge difference
  • All about ink volume
  • Some inks vary more than others, typically called “shading”

We hope you enjoyed these slices of Q&A! You can find all of the slices from past episodes here. You can also check out the Goulet Q&A library here to see any episodes you might have missed. It’s hard to believe episode 100 is right around the corner…

 
Write on, 
The Goulet Pen Company Team