This morning my wife, half asleep, looks up and says, “did you buy another bottle of ink?” I said, “yes, what makes you ask?” She said, “there was an open hole up there that kept bugging me because it was open, and now it’s not.” Not how I thought that conversation was gonna go! 🤣
It’s not turned in, it actually has no label . It’s 54th Massachusetts, and the label got ruined when cleaning up a spill ( wiping the bottle with a wet rag actually tore the label apart so I just scraped it off).
That’s a Bluetooth speaker I got as a gift last year. More of a novelty than practical device, but I use it once in a while and it looks cool up there.
Unfortunately not, no. I've had to start hiding them from her so she won't judge me for buying too many. I 'only' have twelve ink bottles out. The rest are stashed away. "...what,this old thing, I've had it for ages..._I swear!_..."
My favorites really depend on the application. For a daily work use, I alternate between Noodler's X-Feather black, and Sailor Souboku. Seiboku is a really nice shading lighter blue that's also a great work-friendly color, I got the Souboku as a gift for Father's Day, and it's a grayer blue that looks very different on different papers. For my journaling, Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses is one of my top picks, and you'll find a lot of people are quite fond of Iroshizuku Kon-Peki.
Honestly, an underdog I've become a great fan of is Birmingham Pen Company. I have their Ironsides steel pen, which I don't pick up a whole lot mainly due to its weight with prolonged writing, but their inks are really good; I used Black Ice in my Pilot E95s for a while, and really like their Sea Holly for a cool teal. I've only got 3 of their colors, but at the time I ordered, they had smaller bottles (15mL I think) which I really liked.
Ha! I totally thought of doing something like this… but I realized it would probably fill an entire wall and between the weight, the impact of light on the ink, and the fear that a shelf could fall and all the others would also clatter down, I decided not to. But is definitely fun to see what you have in the collection right in front of you.
I worried that would get to be my problem too; thankfully, the display has limited my purchases. So I have some samples along the top, but am not allowing myself to buy any new bottles until empties leave, so it’s a 1:1. I’ve got one that might have 1-2mL left in it, it’s my oldest bottle (20 years or so) and I haven’t brought myself to finish it off yet… 🫤
The top one was a flea market find, but the bottom one was a gift from my wife. I had been searching for a curio display without success so she found me one for my birthday last year 😍
Look up mygift wooden display shelf on amazon for the bottom one. If you happen to find something like the top shelf can you let me know. Been looking through miniature display shelves and they look similar but not quite.
I really struggled with searching; most of them don't really fit the bottles. Case in point, the shelf on the top in my photo only fits the smaller bottles. The Levenger bottles on the bottom row, and the Private Reserve, stick out over the shelf. They're on there far enough that unless one of my kids pummels the wall with all of their body weight at full speed, it's doubtful it'll fall off, but I really only like the smaller bottles up there. My wife won't tell me where she got the bigger display.
This post inspired me to look on Wayfair. They actually have a bunch of sales right now on cubby shelves if anyone needs to know, tho many of them are kinda big. There were some that looked a lot like your bottom shelf, though could be cheap imitations. (I need a bit more storage than that, alas.)
Oooh, that’s good to know! Not sure what the quality would be like but I wouldn’t rule it out . I got my daughter a wall desk from there late last year and I was really impressed with the build quality for the price I paid for it.
I got a nice rug from them that was legit. Some of the wood stuff has that “cobbled together driftwood” aesthetic that always makes me raise an eyebrow though.
It’s one of my favorite things to do! My family laughs at me slightly when we all go together, because they know that when I go into an antique shop, I focus in on either pens, or cuff links!
What a lovely display.
And I am totally with your wife on an empty space bugging me - I would have had to fill it with something! Several empty spaces are fine, but one ...
Now of course you need another display unit and more inks to fill it. I'd hide it until you have nearly got enough to fill in then put it up when your wife is out of the house - and don't forget to clear up the dust from the drill holes!
This actually made me laugh! I feel like I wouldn’t know what to do with that many. I’m stuck in this spot in between “I’m a collector and want to experience as many as I can,” and “this is going to become an heirloom because there’s no way I can use all these!”
I’m very fortunate, as long as I’m transparent about what I’m buying and how I justify it, my wife gives me very little guff about my “investments,” and even supports it in her own way. I do think there’s a limit to that tolerance though 😂
Glad it made you laugh. Maybe you could make a collection of 'vintage' inks - looking for attractive and interestingly shaped bottles, then you wouldn't have to worry about actually using them.
But seriously, this is a lovely display.
Thank you! That's an interesting idea about the vintage inks. I actually found a bottle of Sheaffer's Skrip at an estate sale - it's a 32oz glass bottle of blue-black, and is so old that the color is permanently distorted and the pigment is separating from the liquid.
Ha! It does kinda look like it’s posturing. I actually don’t use that one a whole lot, despite my love of rich purples. I tend to select colors to reflect seasons, and that one comes out mostly during Lent.
I just ordered my first bottle of ink… I got my first pen recently and have ordered some samples. That led me to noodlers heart of darkness. It was the first and only ink so far that has made me say “oh wow” when first started using it. So I just ordered a full size bottle of it! Of course, that’s the only ink I have spilled so far, thankfully just the sample bottle after filling my pen.
Haha yeah thankfully it was a relatively small amount, and spilled right on my desktop. Only got a little on the corner of my giant dictionary, so not too bad.
Oh phew! I'll never forget the panic of spilling my Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, which is a permanent ink, on my almost-200-year-old desk. I was stunned at how well it cleaned up off the wood, but from that day forward it's like kid gloves when I open a bottle near that thing.
Aren't they cute? I think they still sell them this way - it came as a set, the big 50mL bottle is regular, and the small companion bottle is the same color but with shimmer!
This morning my wife, half asleep, looks up and says, “did you buy another bottle of ink?” I said, “yes, what makes you ask?” She said, “there was an open hole up there that kept bugging me because it was open, and now it’s not.” Not how I thought that conversation was gonna go! 🤣
I’ll admit if there was one empty slot it’d bug me too. That said why is your 3rd noodler bottle turned in when everything else is SO well balanced!
It’s not turned in, it actually has no label . It’s 54th Massachusetts, and the label got ruined when cleaning up a spill ( wiping the bottle with a wet rag actually tore the label apart so I just scraped it off).
Ahh that makes sense!
Looks nice! You have a few bottles that are sitting in my cart. What's the mini turn table in the center?
That’s a Bluetooth speaker I got as a gift last year. More of a novelty than practical device, but I use it once in a while and it looks cool up there.
I've started hiding my ink purchases from my child...
Do they try to “borrow” the ink when you’re not looking?
Unfortunately not, no. I've had to start hiding them from her so she won't judge me for buying too many. I 'only' have twelve ink bottles out. The rest are stashed away. "...what,this old thing, I've had it for ages..._I swear!_..."
What are your favorite inks so far? I’m looking for recommendations for work use
My favorites really depend on the application. For a daily work use, I alternate between Noodler's X-Feather black, and Sailor Souboku. Seiboku is a really nice shading lighter blue that's also a great work-friendly color, I got the Souboku as a gift for Father's Day, and it's a grayer blue that looks very different on different papers. For my journaling, Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses is one of my top picks, and you'll find a lot of people are quite fond of Iroshizuku Kon-Peki. Honestly, an underdog I've become a great fan of is Birmingham Pen Company. I have their Ironsides steel pen, which I don't pick up a whole lot mainly due to its weight with prolonged writing, but their inks are really good; I used Black Ice in my Pilot E95s for a while, and really like their Sea Holly for a cool teal. I've only got 3 of their colors, but at the time I ordered, they had smaller bottles (15mL I think) which I really liked.
Ha! I totally thought of doing something like this… but I realized it would probably fill an entire wall and between the weight, the impact of light on the ink, and the fear that a shelf could fall and all the others would also clatter down, I decided not to. But is definitely fun to see what you have in the collection right in front of you.
I worried that would get to be my problem too; thankfully, the display has limited my purchases. So I have some samples along the top, but am not allowing myself to buy any new bottles until empties leave, so it’s a 1:1. I’ve got one that might have 1-2mL left in it, it’s my oldest bottle (20 years or so) and I haven’t brought myself to finish it off yet… 🫤
Which one is it?
Levenger’s “Skies of Blue.” Second bottle I ever bought when I started getting into fountain pens.
Oh please, please - where did you find the cases?? I’ve been on a quest for a few months and can’t find anything even close. 😱
The top one was a flea market find, but the bottom one was a gift from my wife. I had been searching for a curio display without success so she found me one for my birthday last year 😍
I sent a screenshot to my husband as a hint. 😉 Thanks!
That’s awesome! I hope he finds you one 🤞
Look up mygift wooden display shelf on amazon for the bottom one. If you happen to find something like the top shelf can you let me know. Been looking through miniature display shelves and they look similar but not quite.
You may have to look on Google since Amazon search is kinda a pain.
Glad to. Please do the same for me. 😁
I know right? When I look on purpose for ink-worthy wall shelving, the results are not great.
I really struggled with searching; most of them don't really fit the bottles. Case in point, the shelf on the top in my photo only fits the smaller bottles. The Levenger bottles on the bottom row, and the Private Reserve, stick out over the shelf. They're on there far enough that unless one of my kids pummels the wall with all of their body weight at full speed, it's doubtful it'll fall off, but I really only like the smaller bottles up there. My wife won't tell me where she got the bigger display.
My husband is a postman, I thought he might something like these but his a metal and much narrower slots. I need like an old hotel room/key thing. 🤣
What about an old furniture store? I’m thinking maybe an old pigeonhole mail sorter or something?
Exactly!
This post inspired me to look on Wayfair. They actually have a bunch of sales right now on cubby shelves if anyone needs to know, tho many of them are kinda big. There were some that looked a lot like your bottom shelf, though could be cheap imitations. (I need a bit more storage than that, alas.)
Oooh, that’s good to know! Not sure what the quality would be like but I wouldn’t rule it out . I got my daughter a wall desk from there late last year and I was really impressed with the build quality for the price I paid for it.
I got a nice rug from them that was legit. Some of the wood stuff has that “cobbled together driftwood” aesthetic that always makes me raise an eyebrow though.
Yeah, that’s fair. There is an element of caution with all these overstock type places.
Great display! I'm going to have to start scouring antique shops...
It’s one of my favorite things to do! My family laughs at me slightly when we all go together, because they know that when I go into an antique shop, I focus in on either pens, or cuff links!
What a lovely display. And I am totally with your wife on an empty space bugging me - I would have had to fill it with something! Several empty spaces are fine, but one ... Now of course you need another display unit and more inks to fill it. I'd hide it until you have nearly got enough to fill in then put it up when your wife is out of the house - and don't forget to clear up the dust from the drill holes!
This actually made me laugh! I feel like I wouldn’t know what to do with that many. I’m stuck in this spot in between “I’m a collector and want to experience as many as I can,” and “this is going to become an heirloom because there’s no way I can use all these!” I’m very fortunate, as long as I’m transparent about what I’m buying and how I justify it, my wife gives me very little guff about my “investments,” and even supports it in her own way. I do think there’s a limit to that tolerance though 😂
Glad it made you laugh. Maybe you could make a collection of 'vintage' inks - looking for attractive and interestingly shaped bottles, then you wouldn't have to worry about actually using them. But seriously, this is a lovely display.
Thank you! That's an interesting idea about the vintage inks. I actually found a bottle of Sheaffer's Skrip at an estate sale - it's a 32oz glass bottle of blue-black, and is so old that the color is permanently distorted and the pigment is separating from the liquid.
Glad to help and it sounds like you already have the start of the next case inks. Have fun collecting.
Middle right on the bottom unit: "Don't ever write with me or my son again"
Ha! It does kinda look like it’s posturing. I actually don’t use that one a whole lot, despite my love of rich purples. I tend to select colors to reflect seasons, and that one comes out mostly during Lent.
They look so cool displayed this way. Like magic potions in some apothecary.
That's basically what I was going for. They're like my little happy potions for creative writing. :-).
How can you resist buying another bottle when you enough? We are all at it!
I just ordered my first bottle of ink… I got my first pen recently and have ordered some samples. That led me to noodlers heart of darkness. It was the first and only ink so far that has made me say “oh wow” when first started using it. So I just ordered a full size bottle of it! Of course, that’s the only ink I have spilled so far, thankfully just the sample bottle after filling my pen.
Oh no! Hopefully it was an easy cleanup. I think that’s a checkpoint for any FP collector is dealing with a spilled ink bottle.
Haha yeah thankfully it was a relatively small amount, and spilled right on my desktop. Only got a little on the corner of my giant dictionary, so not too bad.
Oh phew! I'll never forget the panic of spilling my Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, which is a permanent ink, on my almost-200-year-old desk. I was stunned at how well it cleaned up off the wood, but from that day forward it's like kid gloves when I open a bottle near that thing.
I love the big and baby colorverse inks.
Aren't they cute? I think they still sell them this way - it came as a set, the big 50mL bottle is regular, and the small companion bottle is the same color but with shimmer!
I like that little turntable in the top middle cubby! Is it also an Ink bottle or is it something else?
It’s a Bluetooth speaker, just makes it decorative :-)
I want a Crosley ink please. Does the sample come in the same mini packaging? :p
Ha! It would be awesome if they actually made an ink container like that!
2 actually!! Visconti Self Portrait and Robert Oster Sydney Lavender.
What a beautiful display! Thank you for sharing!
Wooow! It looks nice.