Hello again readers,
Since I talked about my personal favorite inks in my last post, found here, I wanted to get a little more in depth about why some of these inks are ones I would recommend for other lefties. I am going to discuss both some more standard types of inks along with higher maintenance that I think still can cooperate for us lefties without our needing to make too many adjustments. As with everything else I have stated here, this is simply my feelings on these inks and they are based on my use of these inks as well.
The first ink that I would like to talk about is Herbin Lie de The, which if you read my last post may not be too surprising. So far I have only used this ink in my Monteverde Ritma with an extra-fine nib, so I have not seen it just pouring out of a broader nib. This ink is a light brown with a little hint of gray to it that looks really nice on just about any paper. I love writing with this ink for many reasons, mainly the fact that it seems like a much drier ink than most and in my pen does not feather or really bleed through the page even when used on cheaper paper that I can’t use most inks on. This ink is a more standard one in that it does not have any sort of sheen or shimmer to it. When I use this ink I find that I can actually just write like I normally do even with something like a gel pen or a pencil, and don’t really have to worry about if I am going to smudge my writing at all. I think this ink is very work appropriate when not restricted to blue or black.
The next ink that I would really recommend for another leftie would be Fountain Pen Revolution Blue Black. This is another standard ink that dries very quickly, so you can run your hand over it to continue writing without much worry. It is a lovely dark blue that can turn black depending on how much ink is on the paper. Part of why it dried so quickly for me was the fact that I used it in an extra-fine pen (I know, a real surprise there!) but the ink itself seems like a quicker drying one when I made a slight mess filling the pen. A big part of why I would recommend this ink for not just lefties but everyone is the fact that it is a very work appropriate ink no matter what restrictions you face.
Now for my final standard ink of the list, we have something that I love but admit that it is not a work appropriate ink at all, Lamy Mango. This ink is a lovely orange-yellow that stays legible when put onto paper. I purchased this ink along with the matching Lamy Safari pen in an extra-fine nib, and so far have only used it in this pen. This ink has a great shading quality even in a finer nib, but if you use it in a broader nib you will see a lot more shading happening. This ink also dries pretty quickly and does not feather when used on cheaper paper.
Moving on to nonstandard and higher maintenance inks, the first one that I would recommend is Private Reserve Pearlescent Violet-Silver. Honestly I would recommend the entire pearlescent line of inks, though I have only had a chance to try the Violet and Turquoise myself. As the name might suggest, this ink is a purple ink that has a lot of silver shimmer particles, like glitter, that goes down looking very purple but turns into a silvery purple after a few seconds. This ink is a wet one no matter how fine a nib you are using it with, so I would actually recommend using this in either a fine or extra-fine pen. The biggest reason I would recommend this ink for a leftie is just how quickly it dries. As soon as a word is finished being written, you can watch it dry within mere seconds. The thing that makes this ink a high maintenance is the amount of shimmer particles it has suspended in it. The particles will settle at the bottom of the pen however it is laying, and the best way I have found to mix them back into the ink is to just take the pen and rolling the pen back and forth for about 30 seconds before writing with it. This ink also looks gorgeous in a clear or demonstrator pen, which is good because that also makes it easier to make sure that the shimmer is all mixed in with the rest of the ink. Sadly this ink does have some bleed through, so I would really only recommend it for use on higher quality paper.
The final ink in this list for lefties that I would recommend for lefties in this post is Diamine Polar Glow. This is another higher maintenance ink because it is a sheening ink, being a rich blue color with a red almost purple sheen to it under certain angles of light. Again I have only used this in finer pens, but if used in a broader nib it will pool up in spots and really show off all of that sheen. Since this ink is a sheening one, it can take longer to dry if you use it in a broader nib. It still shows off a lot of that sheening even in a fine or extra-fine nib and dries much quicker. This ink does suffer from some slight feathering on cheaper quality paper, but not too badly in my opinion.
I hope that this list has been helpful for you. I would love to hear your thoughts or feeling on any of these inks or even what inks you would recommend instead, so please feel free to comment. My next post is going to be a review of a pen that I recently received as a gift, so look forward to that coming soon. Until next time readers. Stay happy and healthy, and keep on learning!
Shaggy
Shaggy's Left Handed Journey In Writing 