Welcome to my world of Krishnapens. I am Dr. Sreekumar, a doctor by profession, and a fountain pen enthusiast by passion.
My special interests are in making of Fountain pens, inks and in grinding and tuning of nibs. I owe my special thanks to my beloved guru Mr. A.C. Ramachandran of Calicut pens, for gathering my self the adequate knowledge and skills to achieve this.
As a part of program to encourage use of Fountain pens among school children, I am supplying free inks as 5 liter bulk supply . Pay only for the transport. School management authorities please note.
Krishna ink is the result of my intense desire of making high quality fountain pen inks in India. Thanks to the the guidance obtained from my Grand father , Mr.Vellaikkal Achutha Menon, a famous artist of Trichur in his time .
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Current Line up of inks..
The following data will tell about the current line up of Krishna inks and how to select them according to your writing habits. As there are different types of users with different attitude and views, so are the inks..
Briefly there are three brands under Krishna pens.
Krishna inks
Lyrebird inks
ACR inks
Under Krishna Inks there are 4 series
1.Classic series
2.RC series
3.City Series
4.MYC – Mix Your Colour series
LYREBIRD INKS
Lyrebird inks were the lowest maintenance inks from Krishna stable for a long time . Now ACR and Classic series got added to it .
Lyrebird inks are made for every day writing with low or no maintenance of pens. Two every day writing colors. Pure Blue and Blue Black. The inks have a juicy flow in the range of 7-8/10. Very juicy that one may even find it a little more than what’s needed when using a high flow pen. For a dry or medium wetting pen, its a boon and perfect. It’s the most affordable ink from Krishna. Use in any costly pen , No second thoughts.
KRISHNA RC SERIES INKS or Sheentastic Inks
RC inks are the Sheen inks from Krishna. Sheen is a particular character seen in some inks exhibiting a shining colour which is usually different from the base colour. Usually its formed by a process of crystallization. Just think of crystals of salt . Various additives are used in these inks to promote crystallizations. As a result, there will be a tendency for the ink to go for crystallization even inside the pen. This can lead to clogging. So these inks are classified as high maintenance inks . Still such inks are needed by Artists and Calligraphists for their profession and hobby and can not be discontinued. Professionals may also use then in Dip pens. Used in a fountain pen, with following precautions
- Keep the cap closed when not in use ( t0 prevent crystal formation inside the pen)
- Keep the pen upright in a pen stand during night
- If crystals formed and feeder is clogged, do not try to press nib harder on paper in order to resume flow – you will end up in a ruined nib! – Just dip in plain water and you are ready to go with dissolved crystals! – as I told, just think of salt!
- Wash the pen every 2 -3 days. If you are not using the pen for more than 2 days, drain off the ink
ACR SERIES INKs
The latest addition . Advantage of ACR lies in its Organic composition. Result is a very soft ink for pens. Flow may be slightly lower when compared to Lyrebird series . Still good flow in the range of 6-7 /10. Price slightly higher. Due to the nature of components compatibility with cheaper paper is very good .
CITY SERIES INKS
Unlike other series, City series inks do not have common properties.
The three inks in this series are are Dilli ink, Mumbai Ink and The Kolkata ink.
DILLI INK – Sheen – By crystallization .
Dry outs – Yes. Similar to RC inks
Maintenance – High. See precautions for RC inks.
Shading – Yes. More than other inks in this series
Staining – No. But need more washing out with water than ACR / Classic /Lyrebird series.
MUMBAI INK – Sheen – By crystallization
Dry outs – Yes. Similar to RC inks
Maintenance – High. See precautions for RC inks.
Shading – Yes. Moderate
Staining – Slight staining of transparent barrels
THE KOLKATA INK
Sheen – Yes. With no crystallizations.
Dry outs – No
Maintenance – Normal
Shading – Yes. Moderate
Staining – No. But need more washing out with water than ACR / Classic /Lyrebird series.
MYC SERIES INKS – MIX YOUR COLOURS
This series consists of
1.Primary Red
2.Primary Blue
3.Primary Yellow
4.Cyan
5.Magenta
6.Black
With these 6 base colours in hand, create any ink you want. Imagination is the only limit. Create the color, write down the ratio and keep it as a secret of your own signature ink !
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KRISHNA PEN FLUSH
Maintenance is an important routine for a fountain pen enthusiast. Krishna pen flush is a special cleaning system developed for flushing and cleaning the ink debris accumulated in your pens capillary channels over long usage which can effect the over all performance.
Krishna pen flush is basically Brij 35 in Cellosolve.
Usage –
Wash your pen with usual tap water
Add 5 drops pen flush to 100 ml water and flush ( section of the pen). You may be using a bulb syringe for this I assume.
Flush several times with this solution
Again wash with usual tap water
Now wash distilled water or RO water if available assuming that you are going to keep the pen unused for a long time. If not skip this step.
For more stub born stains keep the section immersed in the solution over night.
Solution itself can be made from Mild to Strong according to ink stains. You may want to make it to the next strength when necessary
Mild – 5 drops Pen flush in 100 ml water
Moderate – 1 ml to 2 ounces of water
Strong – 1 ml to 1 ounce of water
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KRISHNA FOUNTAIN PENS
Watch this page!…..
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For Nib smoothing Films and For Krishna Fountain pen friendly papers- Please WhatsApp to 9020089991
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HOW TO CHOOSE AN INK…
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Be an informed customer… It worth every penny you spend..!
Q1. What are the inks recommended for every day normal use in fountain pens ?
A.
Inks recommended for every day normal usage have the property of lowest possible maintenance in pens.
1.LYREBIRD SERIES 1. Pure Blue Ink And 2. Blue Black inks – Initially these inks were the only series meant for Every Day Writing. But now there are more series are added to this group
2. ACR – Soft Ink series – 1. Free Range Blue 2. Biowood Green 3. Ruby wood Ruby Red – New range of Organic ink series. Due to the nature of the components, its costlier than other series. But as soft in nature they are highly recommended for every day writing.
3. Krishna CLASSIC Series – 1. Purple Blue 2. Classic Blue Black 3. Emerald Green 4. Plum 5. dense Black 6. Chocolate Brown . These series are classic dye based inks with Organic materials as essential critical components . Less expensive than ACR and same low maintenance.
Q2. What’s the difference between Lyrebird, ACR and Krishna Classic inks?
A.
Lyrebird Ink – Classical Formula of Dye based low maintenance ink from Krishna Stable. Pure Blue and Blue Black inks – Have good Juicy flow in pens. In scale of 10, Flow is 7-8/10. Non fading in nature. The most affordable ink from Krishna.
ACR Ink – Organic Ink series from Krishna. Soft in nature. Least maintenance. Flow slightly lesser when compared to Lyrebird series. Flow 6-7/10. Still juicy flow. Due to organic nature, writability in cheaper non FP friendly papers is very good.
Krishna CLASSIC Ink – . It’s a Classic Dye based ink with Organic components in essential critical areas. Something in between Lyrebird and ACR. An affordable soft ink. Flow 6-7 for most inks.
Q3. When inks are soft in nature, will it fade easily?
A
Never. Soft inks doesn’t means that it fades easily. In fact all the soft inks from Krishna are non fading in nature.
Q4. What are the criteria’s to consider when choosing an ink among Lyrebird, ACR and Krishna Classic?
A.
Choose LYREBIRD Ink
- You want a practically economical Every Day writing ink
- Your pen is writing dry.
- You like wet inks.
Choose ACR Ink
- You want a soft ink for your Antique/ High value writing instrument.
- You want a high quality Organic ink. Affordability is not a problem.
- You are mostly using non friendly papers in your office /OP.
- You need a moderately wet ink.
Choose Krishna CLASSIC Ink
- You want to add more colours in life!
- You want a Classic Dye based ink with Organic components but with value for money.
Q5. Are ACR series and Krishna Classic series Dry writing inks ?
A
Never. They are easy flowing inks. Practically they are also juicy inks but when compared to Lyrebird they are drier. You get a good flow in almost all except very dry writing pens.
Lyrebird is the ink with juiciest flow.
BELOW IS THE WETNESS CHART OF ALL INK FOR COMPARISION
In wetness Scale – 1 to 10
Lyrebird Inks
Pure Blue and Blue Black – 8/10
ACR Inks
Free range Blue, Biowood Green, Ruby wood Ruby Red – 6-7/10
Krishna Classic Inks
Classic Blue Black, Plum, Chocolate Brown – 6-7/10
Purple Blue Emerald Green, Dense Black, – 7-8/10
Q6. Does Dense Black ink have same intensity of colour as old iBlack4?
A
Yes. Dense Black is the lower maintenance version of iBlack4. A pen filled with Dense Black will practically deposit more ink per cm when compared to iBlack4. After drying you get the same colour intensity as iBlack4. Probably swab by swab iBlack may still feel intense, but in practical writing both have same intensity of Black colour. Lower maintenance is the advantage.
Q7. It’s confusing to choose between two Blue Blacks from two series ?
A
Classic BlueBlack in Krishna Classic series is made for Antique effect. Ink reminding of older BlueBlack inks which came into use along with Iron gall inks. That was the era of Non iron gall Aniline inks. Also the colour of Blueblack with slight teal with shading to Black gives the perfect antique effect! This is a moderately wet flow ink.
Lyrebird BlueBlack is a modern BlueBlack colour ink. Flow is Highly wet.
Please note – Both Blue Black inks are non iron gall low maintenance and washable inks. No water resistance for both !
So choose accordingly…
Q8. Are Waterproof inks available ?
A
No. The present series of inks do not have iron gall or Waterproof inks. One who want them may buy from the retailors who still stock them because these were in production till last month .
Q9. I want a Blue ink for every day office use . Please suggest ..
A
For every day writing Lyrebird Pure Blue is the mainstay ink. Its Pure Blue colour. Non fading . Quite juicy flow in all pens. Cost effective.
The other ink to consider is Free Range Blue from ACR Organic series. It do have some Turquoise under tones. Non fading. The one who can afford for an organic ink may go for FRB. Quite good on cheaper Non FP friendly papers too.
Not Blue – But other inks to consider for office use/ taking notes
Lyrebird Blue Black – Affordable Blue Black
Krishna Classic – Blue Black , Real Antique effect
Krishna Classic Purple Blue – Bright Purplish Blue
Q10. I want a Sheen Blue ink. How to choose between Moonview 1 , 2 and Kolkata inks ?
A
Here are the criteria for choosing your sheen Blue ink
- Choose Moon view 1 or 2
a. You are a professional / serious artist calligrapher who write in controlled environment . You use Fountain pen friendly papers for your work. You have a in a calm work place. You have the facility and opportunity to keep your pens upright and closed in between work sessions.
b. You want a Deep Saturated Blue ink with High Sheen.
Note – Moonview 2 – More sheen at the expense of more crystallization tendency at nibs. More Turquoise under tone than Version 1.
2. Choose Kolkata ink
a. You do not have a controlled environment. And you are too busy to take care of pens at work. You may not get high quality papers . But you want to have a beautiful writing.
b. You like Purplish blue with Turquoise under tones.
Q11. Is Biowood Green Ink a successor of Ghat Green Ink? What are the replacement inks for popular inks like Sailor’s, Thulsi etc?
A
No. Biowood Green is not direct successor to Ghat green. Both are Forest Green colours. You will get more shading with Ghat green. Occasionally you may get some crude formation with Ghat green. Not with Biowood.
Ruby Wood Ruby Red is replacement for Sindhoor.
Chocolate Brown is successor of Dark Chocolate with lesser Red tones.
Plum is replacing Njaval.
Dense Black is the direct Successor for iBlack4.
Q12. Among the two Greens, which is better ? Biowood Green or Emerald Green?
A
Choose Biowood Green
- You like Forest Green colour.
- Like Organic nature of ink. Affordability is no problem.
- You need moderate yet easy flow Green ink
Choose Emerald Green
- You want an Urban Green shade
- Like organic nature. But not at a premium.
- You like a real wet Green ink.
Q13. What are the sheen inks available ?
A.
RC SERIES
- Moonview 1 ( Blue )
- Moonview 2 (Blue)
- Poyka ( Green )
- Sea at Night ( Complex Dark Turq-Teal)
CITY SERIES
- Dilli Ink ( Purple)
- Mumbai Ink (Red Brown)
- Kolkata Ink ( Blue)
Q 13. Might I suggest a simple table with the ink data arranged likewise? It will be easier to follow..