Posts filed under Ink Reviews

The Proof is in the Water

*Many Q-tips died to bring us this information.*

(This is a guest post by Tony. Whereabouts unknown.)

In my opinion, every fountain pen user should have at least one waterproof black ink in their collection (yes even you person-who-never-ever-uses-black-ink). Unfortunately, by last count there are approximately 137 different black fountain pen inks currently on the market that claim to be waterproof. Some are more waterproof than others. Some have additional properties over and above their waterproof-ness that you may or may not want. Toss in terms like "eternal", "bulletproof", "nano-pigment", along with a host of others and it becomes almost impossible to decide which one best suits your needs[1].

You could go out and buy samples of every single one and test them, but that takes time and money which could be better spent elsewhere. Wouldn't it be much more convenient if someone else did all that legwork for you? Well today is your lucky day: Brad has graciously allowed me some space on his web log to be that someone.

For this article I have assembled 17 common and readily-available waterproof black inks. The list is limited to inks I had on hand or could easily acquire (with my own money, thanks Brad) from site sponsor Vanness Pens. That said, I feel like this sample covers enough of the bases to be both useful and not overwhelming. I am also including three permanent black inks that are not for fountain pens to serve as a "control group". Each ink will be tested on 6 different types of paper known to be fountain pen friendly. For the best balance of presenting the inks' color properties I have decided to use a glass nib pen and a cotton swab[2]. Once the ink has been put to the page, I'll allow it to dry completely, take a "before" picture, and then submerge the sheet of paper in a basin of water for 5 minutes. Finally, after removal from the bath each page will air dry and have an "after" picture taken.

We've seen the results. I think the "losers" are pretty clear, but who's the winner? There are a few contenders. My personal preference is DeAtramentis Document Black. Platinum Carbon Black is also a solid performer. If you're on a budget, Noodler's Black will serve you just fine. The two Rohrer & Klingner inks are good options if you prefer a wetter ink. I want to recommend Colorverse Selectron, but it's only available in a two bottle set with Electron, and it's the tiny 15ml part of the pairing.

(Disclaimer: I paid for all items used in this review with my own money. Nary an ink sample was provided to me free of charge.)

[1] I'm not testing any of these additional properties. As of this writing, my laser is still in the shop.

[2] I recognize that a cotton swab doesn't always give the best results, but I felt that it would give more consistent and controllable results across trials than another method such as a letter opener or knife blade.

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Ink Reviews.

Vanness Pens x Robert Oster Hemp Fountain Pen Ink Review

It takes a lot to get me to like a green ink.

Akkerman #28 Hofkwartier Groen is far and away my favorite, and is a top five personal ink, regardless of color. The green is bright, no doubt thanks to a hefty dose of yellow in the mix, and shades wonderfully. It’s flat-out fun to use.

Well down the line after that shade comes the classic Rohrer & Klinger Alt-Goldgrun, primarily because it is weird as heck, and shades like a beast. It’s one of those inks that once you see it in person you know you have to have it. Faber-Castell Viper Green is a more traditional shade of green, but has an electric/searing nature in its tone. This would fall into an everyday writing green, but with a bit of an edge.

Vanness Pens x Robert Oster Hemp Fountain Pen Ink

That’s mostly it for my green use, at least until I took a chance on Hemp, one of the three Vanness Pens collaborations with Robert Oster. This one is going into the rotation, most likely as my second green behind Akkerman #28.

Green inks are a short list for me, although I can’t explain why. Unlike blue, orange, or purple, green has to be a little weird for me to use. Traditional greens in the Kelly or Forest shades need not apply. Yellow undertones are good, which brings out the brightness, and having odd questions come to mind, like “What color of frog is this?” only serve to make it more fun.

Vanness Pens x Robert Oster Hemp Fountain Pen Ink Dry Time

I wasn’t sure what color Hemp would actually be. Was this to represent fresh growth, or in a processed for production phase? It’s definitely the former, with a good combination of established green in the middle, and the youth of yellow around the edges.

Vanness Pens x Robert Oster Hemp Fountain Pen Ink Writing

In my bank paper Musubi Notebook I saw more shading than I expected, using an Aurora Optima with a Medium gold nib. On Rhodia, the color was more flat, but bright (and had a loooong dry time.) On Tomoe River paper, the range of darkness showed up. The swab on the Col-o-ring Oversize is the best representation of the color that I see when writing with a nib.

The only remaining question I have at this point is how the ink will look on the page in one of my finer nibs. will the brightness and character still show up? I hope so, because I’ve answered the other important question - do I like this ink - already. And now I’m ready to use it more.

(I bought this ink from Vanness Pens at a discount.)

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Vanness Pens x Robert Oster Hemp Fountain Pen Ink Lines

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Sailor Manyo Yomogi Fountain Pen Ink Review

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

Based solely on my collection of inks and what I normally have inked up in my pens, you could assume that I lean very unfairly toward the blue realm of ink colors. While it's true that I have way more blue inks than any other combined, I didn't try to amass this many on purpose. I'm just fascinated by the different shades of blue and how they play with green, purple, black, and red, and there just seems to be so many interesting inks that I need to try. The latest ink in my blue collection is Sailor's Manyo Yomogi.

The Sailor Manyo ink series is a collection of eight dye-based inks that represent popular flowers that are frequently mentioned in the Japanese Man'yōshū — an ancient collection of poems. Yomogi is a dark blue with a lot of green in the mix, as well as a gorgeous red/purple sheen in some areas. It's been a pleasure using this ink for the past couple of weeks, and it's still surprising me with the amount of character it can expose through shading and sheen alone.

Comparing it directly to other inks in Sailor's lineup, this is like a darker version of Yama-dori — one of my favorite dark teal inks to date. While this is an obviously blue ink, there's also a fair amount of dark green that transforms this from blue to teal depending on the width and heaviness of the stroke. it's fascinating to write with this ink and see how the colors change across the page. The shading is subtle, but it does just enough to vacillate between these colors sporadically and create something magical.

While shading is always a favorite characteristic of mine, Yomogi has another trick up its sleeve — some amazing red and purple sheen. You can only see the sheen in certain light and particularly where the ink pools up. When it happens, it's spectacular. I really enjoy seeing these red/purple hues pop off the page in certain light.

One thing this ink does not excel at, however, is dry time. It normally takes between 20 and 30 seconds for strokes to dry with this ink, which is a little on the long side for my preferences. I definitely have to remember to keep notebooks open a little longer than normal before closing them, and I can't imagine how problematic this ink would be for left-handed writers. While it's gorgeous, it certainly takes its time when drying. This is something worth considering before purchasing this ink.

And that's another thing — this ink isn't exactly cheap. For a 50ml bottle, you'll spend $24. Is this too much? I don't think so. The delight I derive from using this ink is well worth the price of admission, but you can find many other high-quality inks for a lower price if that's a major concern. In terms of Japanese fountain pen inks, this price is right on target, especially with recent price increases to keep up with inflation. 50ml will last quite a while, so it's a good investment in your own joy if this is an ink color that makes you happy. I've really enjoyed using it over the past couple of weeks, especially with all the cold weather that's hit the states over the last week.

You can find Yomogi at JetPens, along with many other Sailor Manyo inks.

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

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