Shimmer ink is a labor of love
Shimmer inks have been a double-edged sword for me. I’m drawn to the fun color match-ups available in many shimmer inks: black and silver, orange and gold, green and rose gold.
I also appreciate how shimmer inks are also viewable against glare. And my classroom receives a lot of glare most mornings in the spring. So Midnight Twinkle and Schwarz Rose will be easily scannable from afar even while my classroom is bathed in morning light.
Shimmer inks, while exciting and decidedly fabulous, also demand more stringent pen hygiene. The solids in shimmer inks are prone to clogging tines and feeds after periods of disuse, or long writing sessions. And glitter tends to stick around in pen feeds multiple refills afterward.
I find a quick flossing before I start writing alleviates many of the writing-related issues that shimmer inks welcome.
For a good tine: floss. (I’m sorry.)
I’ve chosen two shimmer inks to serve as accents in task management (black and silver) and notetaking (green and rose gold). The primary writing ink is a light grey, which should contrast well with the very unsaturated colors in the remainder of this week’s palette: a denim blue, dark green, and dusty purple.
I anticipate a lot of detailed notes this week as I have a new unit on industrial Norwegian history to plan and two lectures on the legacy of Jim Crow to attend. My weekly kit is subsequently heavy on F and EF nibs: four F’s, one EF, and one B.
Grey/Black
Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black (F). Birmingham Midnight Twinkle. My adventures in finding a black ink accent continue. Midnight Twinkle is a black ink with silver shimmer, and is wet enough to behave well enough in most pens. The shimmer will help important tasks stand out. And the F is a round nib, so it works well as a pocket writer. Task management (accent), journaling, some pocket notes.
Pelikan m805 Stresemann Anthracite (F Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). Lamy Agate. My intended daily driver. The multitasker nib offers me an EF line for detailed notes and task management. The sharp F end of Gena’s nib grind offers headings, and broader, wetter lines that make for fun journaling. Task management, lecture notes, lesson plans, journaling, meeting notes.
Blue/Teal
TWSBI Vac700R Iris (F-CSI, by Pen Realm). Kyo-no-oto Aonibi. My plans for this pen and ink combo remain the same as last week. It worked well for lesson plans, reading notes, and journaling. I was surprised at how forgiving the stub grind was with faster writing tasks.
Earth Tones
Lamy Safari Terra Red (EF). Robert Oster Schwarz Rose. This combo brings two of my soft spots together: this particular EF nib and RO’s Schwarz Rose. SR is, far and away, the best-behaved shimmer ink I own. No clogs. No hard starts. My primary pocket carry as the Safari’s clip holds onto jacket and pant pockets equally securely. Pocket carry. Scratch notes, lecture notes, lesson plans, journaling.
Wing Sung 601 Battleship Grey (F). Robert Oster Fire on Fire. My primary marking pen for the week. Orange is a favorite for marking as it’s viewable and not red. A solid pairing, with some hard starts. Marking, grading, lesson plans, a little journaling.
Wild Cards
TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (B). Sailor Shikiori Yozakura. My old favorite pairing returns for one final week in the rotation. Yozakura makes a fantastic accenting pen. The shading from a B nib also brings out the most fun aspects of the ink while journaling. This is my primary journaling pen for the week. Journaling, lesson plans, lecture notes, meeting notes.
