Moon palace sumi ink

[Trazo]

In my short calligraphy journey I have tried all the inks I could find and I have to confess that I am not fond of (generally beloved) sumi ink, specially for pointed pen. Everybody recommends Moon Palace, but the only sumi ink I can find around is Kuretake. My question is very simple: is Moon Palace much better than Kuretake? If so, where is the difference? I just would like to know if it is worth to try to find it somewhere. Thanks in advance.

[Bianca M]

Trazo,

Here is a recent post regarding sumi inks with some discussion on Moon Palace.  The video may help you out.  Moon Palace is my favorite of them all, and I do not like Kuretake primarily because it eats my nibs, but I also prefer the performance of MP.  Both benefit from being diluted with water. 

https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6949.msg79027#msg79027

[Trazo]

Thank you very much for your answer. I didn't know that video and it is very instructive indeed. I don't quite like Kuretake mainly for two reasons: it makes thick hairlines it sticks to the nib (you can't wash it out). However in the video ranking it is one with the finest hairlines. The only advantage I see is that it works well in almost any paper (doesn't feather at all). However I will buy a bottle of Moon Palace if I can find it around. Thanks again.

[handmadeletters]

Trazo, your point about being able to use MP sumi on any paper is true. I have poor quality printer paper and am able to use it as practice paper without the MP feathering too much.

Also, when you get to the stage of scanning and reproducing your calligraphy digitally, MP sumi is the ink to use. It's a beautiful black tone and hairlines are captured well. Good luck!

[nicole.t]

I started out using Kuretake and found it very frustrating to use! I recently bought a bottle of Moon Palace Sumi and it's so much better! I haven't needed to dilute it yet; I use it straight from the bottle.

If you're in the US you can get it through Paper & Ink Arts: https://www.paperinkarts.com/moonpa.html (I'm not sure if they ship international)

I also was able to find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kaimei-Sumi-Basic-Pack-Japan/dp/B001C70A8W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25OY51N8DTSPF&dchild=1&keywords=moon+palace+sumi+ink&qid=1608484419&sprefix=moon+palace%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-1

[Trazo]

Thank you for the information, Nicole. I am not in the US and Moon Palace is not easy to find her. I will try anyway.

[brose]

Adding here to not start another thread on this ink.

I have been trying a jar of Moon Palace I bought from John Neal Books on and off for a couple of months. When stirring the jar before pipetting out a bit into a dinky dip it is very thick and stringy, gel-like. Even after adding some DI water and stirring the 'gelatinized' bits persisted making it behave terribly for broad edge. After letting the original jar sit for a day and only pipetting the top into a new dinky dip it seems to perform much better for broad edge.

I have not noticed gel forming behavior with Yasutomo KY or Kuretake KY sumi formulations. If they get dry, just adding a bit of DI water brings it back to life. For Moon Palace do people get the stringy gel parts and just decant away? Are there any tips? Breaking up the thick gel-like bits seems difficult, but may be possible.

[Erica McPhee]

I have never had that issue with Moon Palace Sumi. I’m wondering if it’s a bad batch? I will note though, I have recently had this same problem with McCaffery’s and I have never experienced that before.