KWZ Iron Gall Blue #4 Ink Review

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

I recently reviewed another KWZ Iron Gall blue ink, and I was a little more than excited to try out another. This time, it's another member of the blue family — Blue #4.

Blue #4 is very similar to Blue #1, except that it dries a little slower, is slightly more lubricated, and doesn't have as much of a dramatic color-changing drying performance. Still, for all the similarities, it's the color that certainly sets this one apart from its sibling.

Let's cover the similarities first. Iron gall? Check. Dries darker than the original wet color? Oh yes. Water resistant? You bet. Easy to clean out of a pen? Definitely.

Now, let's talk a bit more in depth about the differences in Blue #4. For one, this ink is slower to dry than Blue #1. Average dry time for #4 is around 30 seconds, compared to 20 seconds for #1. 30 seconds is a bit on the long side for my tastes, so that's not something I can get over quickly.

Blue #4 can exhibit some nice shading behaviors — nothing extreme, but definitely pleasant. You'll notice it more after the ink dries since the wet ink is a pretty flat color. Like its #1 sibling, #4 also performs at an excellent level where show-through, feathering, and bleeding are concerned. Seriously, these KWZ IG inks are champs in this regard.

One thing that I definitely enjoy in this ink is the fact that it's less dry than Blue #1. It's certainly not a wet, easy-flowing ink, but it feels more normal when writing. Or, put another way, the pen/nib that I'm accustomed to still feel like the same pen/nib. With Blue #1, I hardly recognized my pen due to the significant drag on the nib from the dry ink.

Finally — possibly the most important attribute of the ink: the color. When writing, the color is a dusty purple with some distant blues shimmering through. As the ink dries, it transforms into a dark purple. It's a beautiful color once it dries, but I'd argue it's far from any blue I've seen. In certain spots, I can make out a dark, dark gray-blue, but my eyes still refuse to see anything but a purple foundation. Who knows, it may just be my unique eyes and a problem with how I see color (that's the funny thing about colors, anyway - we all see them differently to some extent), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

That said, I like the color quite a bit. It's not what I recognize as blue, but that doesn't mean it isn't an intriguing, beautiful color.

There's a lot to like about these KWZ Iron Gall inks. What it really comes down to is your color preferences. Like the Blue #1 I tried before, Blue #4 offers some fantastic characteristics, and my favorite one by far is watching the color turn darker as the ink dries. If that sounds interesting to you, you really need to try out some KWZ IG Inks.

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

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 185 - Don't Make Me Cry Again

The new Lamy AL-Star, Lamy Safari, and TWSBI Vac Mini were the pen highlights of the week, but a little announcement I made stole the show. You should listen.

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

lynda.com: An easy and affordable way to help individuals and organizations learn. Free 10-day trial.

Pen Chalet: use the code PENADDICT to save 10% on your order or click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password 'penaddict' for even more savings, as well as your 10% off.

Karas Kustoms: Get 15% off anything in their store by using the code "PENADDICT" before you checkout.

Platinum 3776 Century Chartres Blue Fountain Pen Review

The Platinum 3776 Century Chartres Blue is not the first 3776 I have owned or reviewed, but it is the first 3776 that I have felt like was designed for me.

I’m particular, we all are. Especially when it comes to spending non-trivial amounts of money on fountain pens. I could have bought a standard 3776 years ago if I wanted to settle for one with gold trim. I didn’t want to settle, so I waited. And waited. Rhodium trim limited edition models came and went, and I jumped on the Sai when it became available, but I was holding fast for Platinum to decide that their stock, gold nib, entry level fountain pen was deserving of the rhodium trim treatment.

It finally happened in early 2015. Platinum added rhodium trim throughout the 3776 lineup. And it was beautiful. It didn’t happen with every model, but Chartres Blue was the pen that benefitted the most, and they even added the Black Diamond barrel, which, like Chartres Blue and Bourgogne, has a very sublte demonstrator look.

While the barrels look and feel great, the 14 karat gold nibs are what make Platinum pens the favorite of many. They are different in a way that only Platinum has been able to pull off. Unfortunately, the feel of the nib is very difficult to explain in words.

The best way I have found to describe it is that there is a pencil-like feedback when writing. Imagine if you held a pencil in your hand and dragged it across a piece of paper without gripping the pencil. As lightly as possible, no pressure in your fingertips. You hear the sound of the graphite on the page. You hear Platinum nibs when you write with them.

This sounds like a negative, right? It’s hard to explain how it isn’t, but you need to try it. It’s a wonderful feel. If you did a blind test of basic 14k Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum nibs you might mix up the Pilot and Sailor offerings, but I promise you will know which one is the Platinum.

The line these wonderful nibs leave is right up my alley. Crisp, clean, and even across every letter. Consistency is their hallmark, making them perfect every day writers.

Now that rhodium has happened, I need Platinum to start expanding the 3776 lineup even further. Bourgogne in rhodium trim would be a great start, but making the UEF nib more widely available is something I personally want, although admittedly it would not be a top seller. What about stub nibs? Does Platinum even make one in any pen outside of the Nakaya brand?

You are on your way Platinum. Make it happen!

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