Posts filed under Ink Reviews

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough Black-brown Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

With all the vibrant, gorgeous ink colors available on the market today, it's a wonder anyone tries the browns and blacks to uncover the subtle treasures they offer, but I'm always glad when I take a trip to the dark side of ink. DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is my latest experiment, and I've been pleasantly surprised.

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough, part of the famous people collection of inks, is a rich black-brown ink that reminds me of caramelized sugar or bourbon when writing. My expectations were a little harsh on this ink just because of the name. When I think of a black-brown, I think of the inks I've tried that so dark that you can barely see the chocolate colors coming through. In the case of this black-brown, the brown is still the star and main attraction. The color reminds me very much of Monteverde Scotch Brown, but just a tad darker.

Along with the sultry color, the ink exhibits some lovely shading. The amount of variance isn't dramatic, but it's just enough to add some visual interest on the page that alters between a dark and medium brown. I was surprised (again) to see this much variation in such a dark color, but these types of unexpected features are always welcome.

It's not often I find an ink that dries in less than 15 seconds, but this ink easily fits in that category. Using the 1.1mm stub nib on my test pen, the ink was typically dry in 15 to 20 seconds. But, when using a smaller medium nib, it was dry between 10 and 15 seconds. Not bad!

The Monteverde I use to test inks can also lean toward the dry side, but this ink does a good job of lubricating the nib and keeping the flow of ink steady and dependable. Using the pen after a long period of rest was also no problem — after a few test strokes, the ink starts flowing easily.

This ink is also incredibly easy to clean out of pens. It washes out quickly and doesn't leave behind any pigment. Overall, it's extremely well-behaved.

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is available in a 35ml bottle for around $14. It's a beautiful but subtle color, and I can highly recommend it if you're a fan of brown inks.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on February 21, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under DeAtramentis, Ink Reviews.

DeAtramentis Louis XIV of France, Antique Pink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

King Louis XIV of France was nothing if not a man of extravagance. He commissioned numerous portraits of himself, and had the Hall of Mirrors built at Versailles to commemorate his military victories.

So, it seems fitting that DeAtramentis chose to name this flamboyant pink color after Louis XIV.

Louis XIV of France (also called “antique pink”), is a lovely shade of pink. It’s not a subtle pink (just as Louis XIV was not a subtle king); rather, it is bright and cheery, much like pink roses.

I tested the ink using my Platinum Century 3776 with a fine nib. Platinum nibs are much finer than Western ones, so essentially the lines are like an extra fine. With such a fine line, you wouldn’t expect to find shading, and I didn’t. But the ink flowed well and had reasonable dry times. You can really see the rich color in the swab. The ink is not waterproof.

Chromatography demonstrates that this ink has little more than pink and dark pink in its composition.

I compared DeAtramentis Louis XIV pink with a few other pink inks I had on hand (I am clearly not a pink person, because I struggled to find four!). Each shade is rather unique, especially J. Herbin’s Rouille d’Ancre, which reminds me of well-worn ballet shoes.

Using my ruling pen, I wrote some nice big letters (with fabulous curlicues befitting King Louis). You can definitely see some shading using this large nib, though the ink doesn’t have any sheen.

King Louis of France ink is a good choice for anyone who wants a shade that is unabashedly pink. This would make a terrific Valentine’s Day ink. You can get a 35ml bottle from Vanness Pens for $14.00.

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Posted on February 9, 2018 by Susan Pigott and filed under DeAtramentis, Ink Reviews.

De Atramentis Alexander Hamilton Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

De Atramentis has taken their standard Aubergine color and put a dashing Alexander Hamilton on the label--giving an already popular ink a new wave of energy. I'm not usually into the relabeling of old products, but the De Atramentis themes are always a fun take.

This rich purple ink is nicely lubricated. I had no flow issues with it at all--and though it behaves like a very wet ink, the dry time isn't too unreasonable. It took about 22 seconds to dry completely on Rhodia paper, but it's relatively dry a bit quicker than that.

It's a very saturated color that doesn't show much shading. There is a little bit, but it's not a key feature with this ink. Chromatography shows that it's a bright pink and grey mix, and the dark tones of it do result in a higher rate of show-through on thin paper. I did not experience any bleeding on the papers I tried. When it pools, it has a subtle brassy sheen to it that is extremely lovely. I didn't see much of this sheen in regular writing, though--only in places where I deliberately tested for it.

One of my favorite features of this ink is its water resistance. It isn't advertised as having any resistance, but both my drop test and my wash test showed that this ink will survive a leaky water bottle or spilled cup of tea. While the pink tone washed away, the darker grey tone stayed put and the text was still easily readable.

While the color is the same as the Aubergine ink from De Atramentis, the shade itself is different from the other purples in my swatch collection. It has a magenta undertone that makes it a little more zippy than the more common dusty purples.

The popularity of Hamilton as an historical--and more recently, musical--figure has led to some scarcity of this ink. If you love the color, Aubergine is still more easily available. But the fun themed labels are worth the wait--and they make great gifts for fans and enthusiasts.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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