Krishna Ink Review: Jungle Volcano

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

Krishna Ink is made in Palakkad, Kerala, India, and is the brainchild of a doctor and pen enthusiast named Sreekumar. He researched ink-making because he wanted to produce high quality fountain pen ink in India. You can read about his process here. Krishna inks are made to be safe (neutral) for all fountain pens and are water soluble (except for the Kot-massi series which are iron gall inks). Krishna inks are available to people outside of India through retailers like Vanness Pens.

Krishna inks come packaged in a plain cardboard box. The bottles hold 20ml of ink and are made of glass.

I saw photos of Krishna Jungle Volcano on Instagram and knew I had to get a bottle. I am thrilled with this ink. It’s a georgous orange ink that I find hard to categorize. Is it a terra cotta or a peach or a sunset? I don’t know because it looks different depending on the paper. Jungle Volcano also has a crazy lime green sheen—it’s unlike any orange ink I’ve tried.

I used a Maruman Septcouleur notebook for my initial ink testing because it contains smooth, pure white paper that shows off the ink’s true color(s). Jungle Volcano is a saturated orange with a definite pink tint on this paper.

I did not observe much shading with my Franklin-Christoph medium italic nib, but the ink flowed well and was not too wet, drying completely after 30 seconds. The ink is definitely not waterproof, and it’s not meant to be. You can see the pink tint clearly in the water test.

Although the green sheen did not show up much on the Maruman paper, it absolutely exploded on my MD Cotton Paper. Just look at those colors! Now you know why this ink is called Jungle Volcano.

You can really see the green sheen on the Col-o-dex card (review coming soon), both in the swirls and the splats.

The chromatography test I did demonstrates the complex colors in Jungle Volcano ink. The base color is a neon pink, with orange and green components.

I am crazy about Krishna Jungle Volcano ink. I love how it’s a gorgeous, deep orange when you use a fine nib. But when you use a wide nib it erupts with green sheen. This stuff is amazing! It reminds me of Hawaii! It makes me want to eat bananas and sing Jungle Book songs! Seriously, though, I’ve had so much fun playing with this ink.

You can purchase a 20 ml bottle of Krishna Jungle Volcano from Vanness Pens for $8.00. Be forewarned, the bottle is tiny, so you won’t be able to fill pens with super large nibs from it. You’ll need to use a syringe or, if you’re using a converter, just fill the converter itself rather than filling through the nib.

(This ink was purchased from Vanness Pens using a reviewer’s discount.)

Stationery Packing List for a Writer's Conference

(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.)

If you're going to a writer's conference, you're probably planning on writing. Or maybe not--maybe you're taking a break from writing to socialize. But you might write... What if ideas start filling your head? Best to be prepared either way. Use this list to pack for your next writer's conference! Note: to use this list for a pen show, double the numbers.

1 large satchel. No, larger. Worried it might be too unwieldly? Perfect. Make sure it has a ridiculous number of pockets, then add a bag-in-bag for yet more pockets. Partition everything for ease of locating tools in its depths.

In the satchel, pack the following.

Paper:

X number of pocket notebooks where X = Z + 5 and Z = the number of friends you're trying to win over to the analog life.

3 large notebooks, ideally each in a separate case. One for the project you're currently working on, one for the project you wish you were working on, and one for the project you're supposed be working on. Add additional notebooks in the last category as necessary.

3 (or more) notebooks for planning and organizing the above projects.

1 planner for organizing everything else.

1 small notebook for writing down all the brilliant, intrusive ideas that don't fit into the above categories.

1 small notebook for taking conference-related notes on panels, speeches, workshops, etc.

Pens:

3 pens for everyday writing. One with high ink capacity for text, one in a contrasting color for notes within the text, and one with a fine point and bright ink for proof marks.

X number of additional pens where X = Y + 3 and Y = however many fit in your case(s).

2 (or more) pen cases, one for bulk storage and one more portable for just the essentials. Fill to capacity.

A handful of Stranger Danger crappy pens to hand to people who ask you for a pen, which will happen approximately every 30 minutes. More can be obtained from around the hotel, or from bystanders who no doubt have dozens of dubious pens marinating in granola dust at the bottom of their bags. These pens can also be used for bar and coffee receipts.

Spare ink refills--cartridges and sample vials--in case you manage to write enough to run out.

Other essentials:

As few electronic devices as possible and their chargers.

Headphones

At least one pencil.

A fidget, if that helps keep you in your chair writing.

Water

Something to read that isn't your own writing for when you get sick of your own writing.

Directions to the nearest stationery store. For emergencies. Or for the fun of it.

If your satchel does not fit these essentials, obtain a different satchel. Optional: a small pack animal, such as an alpaca, for portage. Enjoy your conference knowing you are prepared for any writing scenario.

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Print Prologue Foil Stamp ed. 1 Notebook Review

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

There's never a shortage of notebooks available on the market at any given moment, and that means that the choices are nearly endless. Interested in a minimal, no-frills notebook? Easy. Something rugged and suited to outdoor use? You have several options there as well. The one thing that they all have in common, though, is that there was significant thought put into the printing materials and method before the product ever existed. These design decisions sometimes get left out once the final product is completed, but some companies like to publish that information along with the stationery products they provide. Field Notes is a great example of this. The materials, machinery, print shop, and other meticulous details are documented in the back cover of each notebook. You know, in case you're interested in that.

In the case of Print Prologue, the assumption is that you're definitely interested in those details.

The front cover of the Foil Stamp limited edition notebooks contains the detailed specifications of the notebook, from paper, ink, size, machinery, binding, and more. Print Prologue are definitely serious fans of the printing process, and that enthusiasm is seen in every detail of these notebooks.

While you can't buy these notebooks anymore, this review will hopefully provide some awareness for the company and help you decide if you'd like to jump on the next limited edition notebook they release.

The Foil Stamp ed. 1 notebook features 48 pages of 5" x 7" 60# white paper. I'm not an aficionado when it comes to paper stock, but this sounds (and feels) very similar to the paper you find in the standard Field Notes. And, of course, there's a single black foil stamp on the front cover to commemorate the edition.

The edges are square, and the binding is "perfect binding," which means the spine is square and uses glue to bind the pages. The notebook is fairly easy to open and break in, meaning it lays open fairly easily when in use. But, this also means that the front cover will always be slightly ajar once you break it in.

The inside covers are blank, and the back cover features a few places to organize your notebook. There's a place to add a date range, and there's also a nifty "Thumb Index" built into the notebook. This allows you to categorize the notebook into the three areas.

Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the exterior aesthetic of this notebook. But, I can see how it would speak to others. It's classy and well-done.

As for the insides, the notebook has a great dot-grid system using a "light-black" ink. The grid spacing is 0.25" (no metric system here) and feels comfy when writing. As an added perk, the notebook comes with a 6-inch ruler inside.

While trying out different pens and inks with this paper, I came to the conclusion that I would only use this notebook with gel or ballpoint pens and pencils. Fountain pens and rollerball pens just bleed too much to be useful. Another thing I noticed when using fountain pens is that this particular paper stock has a lot of fibers in it that get caught between the tines. I've never had this experience with other notebooks, so this was fairly disappointing. For gel pens, ballpoints, and pencils, the paper works great. It's a smooth surface with minimal feedback.

This particular edition cost $16 per notebook when it came out. Each notebook came with a 6-inch ruler and one Print Prologue branded pencil. It certainly nails the aesthetic they're after, and I'm sure that it appeals to a wide range of people. For me, the Foil Stamp ed. 1 missed the mark both aesthetically and performance-wise. That said, it's still a well-executed notebook, and I'll be interested to see what Print Prologue come up with next.

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

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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!