I reviewed the Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib last week, and this week, I wanted to give away another option of this excellent nib. The Nemosine 0.8 mm Stub Nib is obviously wider than the 0.6 mm, but still a perfect medium-sized stub writing option. Note: You will need to provide your own housing and feed to slot this nib into, so be sure you are aware when entering this giveaway.
And congratulations to Josh and Nick of Birmingham Pen Co. for their big New York Times feature this weekend!
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
A few weeks ago, I reviewed my first ink from the Birmingham Pen Company — Pennsylvania Slate. I was really happy with that ink and surprised by the color. I've been enjoying it ever since. Later, I broke out the other ink I currently have Birmingham Pen Co.: Pincushion Moss. This ink is quite different than the previous one for one main reason (aside from the color!) — Pincushion Moss uses their Everlasting ink formula, which means it is a pigmented ink that is highly water-resistant.
In my day to day usage of pens and ink, I never use archival or water-resistant inks on purpose. I really don't have any requirements for using these types of ink in my daily routines, but I still enjoy using them. These types of ink can tend toward the dull side of the color spectrum due to the necessary ingredients that make an ink resistant to washing away. There really aren't many examples of bright or poppy archival inks for this reason. This is why Pincushion Moss really caught my eye. It's an organic green color that really reminds of my soft moss that you find in the forest. It's not bright, but it definitely draws my eye. It's light enough in color to stand apart from the typical dark office colors, but not bright enough to cause any problems. Plus, it's not a typical blue, black, or red which means you can use it alongside those colors if you need some kind of color coding system.
There's a fair bit of shading that makes the ink even more interesting to look at once it's dried on the page. It varies between a dark medium green to a lighter thin green. In a lot of lighting situations, it also looks gray and brown. This just makes the moss connection even stronger for me because those are the same colors you'll find around moss in the wild when it's on the forest floor or up against some gray tree bark. The color isn't exciting in a pop-off-the-page way, but it's certainly an eye-catching and interesting color.
The archival quality of the ink is stellar. In my rudimentary tests, there's only a slight decrease in saturation after the paper sample is totally submerged in water for a bit. I couldn't get the ink to smudge either, proving that the chemical bond took place and the ink is now one with the paper. If archival ink is your thing, this one certainly does the trick.
The most astonishing think about this ink that I discovered is the dry time. This is seriously impressive. In most cases, the ink was dry in as little as five seconds. I couldn't do any tests that resulted in smears at the ten-second mark. This ink dries incredibly fast. I'm not a left-handed writer, but I'm pretty sure this dry time should catch the attention of the lefty crowd. I haven't been this surprised by a dry time for quite a while. Seriously impressive!
The only downside I've noticed with this ink is the tendency for it to feather a bit at the edges when it's drying. It's nothing major, but you can see it when you look closely. It feels like a fairly wet ink, and I assume this has something to do with the water content that allows the pigments to suspend properly until they come in contact with paper. It feels great while writing — not scratchy at all — but the feathering does show up here and there, unfortunately.
I love that Birmingham Pen Co. prints some guidance on the ink bottle packaging that explains how to use the Everlasting ink. Tips like, "don't allow the ink to dry inside the pen," and "do not use in demonstrator pens" may sound scary, but it's just part of the territory when using pigmented inks. I appreciate that they've printed some clear and concise tips for the uninitiated. Even with those warnings, you shouldn't be scared to try out this ink! Just make sure you use the pen regularly to avoid any drying/clogging issues, and wash it out when you're done! If your pen does get a little clogged, a thorough cleaning will restore it in no time. But you shouldn't use this ink in a clear pen as it might stain the plastic.
Overall, I've been really pleased by this organic-looking ink! The color is exactly what I'd want in an ink that has "moss" in the name, and the super fast dry time is such an unexpected treat. Throw the everlasting nature of the ink on top and you've got a winner.
Pincushion Moss is available in three size: 30ml, 60ml, and 120ml for $19, $29, and $39 respectively. This is a little more expensive than their normal inks, but the Everlasting formula comes at a (well-owed) premium. If you're looking for a lovely green, a quick drying ink, or an archival ink for your collection, add this one to your list!
(Birmingham Pen Co. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
I've definitely been on an ink kick over the past few months, and my latest fascination has been Van Dieman's ink options. I've really enjoyed exploring what they have to offer and their unique perspective to ink colors that are tied to their local (Tasmania) geography and history. My most recent introduction, however, is a little closer to home: Pennsylvania.
The Birmingham Pen Company is a name I've heard over the last several months, but I haven't had an opportunity to try it out until now. New inks are one of my favorite things about pen shows, and I blame the pandemic and lack of pen shows for these Birmingham inks to hit my inbox. I’m looking forward to a time when pen shows are back on my agenda so I can discover more beautiful inks in person!
For the first ink to try, I went with Pennsylvania Slate because the name made me think of fall and cooler temperatures. But, just like they say you can't judge a book by its color, you also can't always assume an ink's color by its name. In my case, I assumed this ink would be dark and moody — closer to a blue-black than a blue ink. I was very happily surprised when I did my first swatch with this ink. It's a gorgeous dark teal that has some wonderful shading and gobs of character. I have so many blue and blue-green inks in my collection, but Pennsylvania Slate still manages to be unique in a sea of similar shades.
The darker pools of ink take on a dark and mysterious tone, but the real magic happens in the lighter areas where the blue and green tones come out to play. It's incredibly obvious in a swatch that this ink has a wide range of shades, but it also comes out great when writing. For my sample, I used a medium cursive italic nib — it's not a "big" nib by my standards, but does a good job at showing off any flare an ink has without being too wide and ostentatious for everyday writing (for me, anyway). I just love the subtle color changes that happen in each stroke. And it certainly doesn't hurt that my eyes just can't get enough of this blue and blue-green realm of ink colors.
Everything else about this ink is top notch. It flows well, it doesn't have any bleeding or feathering issues, and it actually dries pretty quickly. With normal writing with a medium cursive-italic nib, most lines are dry between 10 and 15 seconds. Not bad!
The ink does a good job of flowing after sitting for a while in a closed pen or even after a minute or so of being unused and uncapped. Likewise, it cleans out quickly and without any fuss.
Even better, this uses Birmingham's own "Crisp" ink formula that touts excellent performance on a range of different paper types and qualities.
I'm not one that normally cares a whole lot about packaging and presentation, but I will say that the Birmingham ink bottles are quite attractive. They apparently pour, seal, and label each bottle by hand. I just know it looks good sitting on my desk and ink shelf.
Pennsylvania Slate is available in 30ml, 60ml, and 120ml bottles for $13, $16, and $19 respectively. If you know you want a lot of one ink color, the large bottle is an incredible value! Regardless of size, you owe it to yourself to try out some of the inks that Birmingham Pen Company offer. I know I'll be adding several more to my list for the near future, and I look forward to seeing some more options in person at the next pen show I attend.
(Birmingham Pen Co. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
