Ink Review #2908: Van Dieman's Marriage of Figaro

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Today’s ink is Van Dieman’s Marriage of Figaro from the Encore collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Marriage of Figaro is a dark blue black.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some red sheen and some red and gold shimmer.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, and on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: no shading, medium red sheen, and red and gold shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in the flex nib and some ghosting.

Comparison Swabs:

In swabs the ink is a little bit darker than Scribo Blu Cosmico. Click here to see the blue black inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Petrol with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink, especially in longer writing. My sample had hardly any shimmer in it, which is why you can’t really see it in the larger swabs.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2907: De Atramentis Document Black Blue

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Today’s ink is De Atramentis Document Black Blue from the Document collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Document Black Blue is a gorgeous blue black. I have no idea why they named it black blue, probably because it’s on the darker side of blue black, but who knows-either way the color is so beautiful. It’s also the darkest blue black ink I have with high water resistance. All of the others are lighter and less saturated.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shades almost to a purple.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, and on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: High

Feathering: Low-just a very small amount.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly on Leuchtturm in the larger nib sizes.

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in the flex nib and some ghosting.

Comparison Swabs:

Black Blue is darker than Robert Oster Thunderstorm, but lighter than KWZ Warsaw Dreaming. Click here to see the blue black inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Wish with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a wet flow.

Overall, I’m in love with the color. I know I’m biased because I love blue black inks so much, but this one is amazing. In a medium nib the wet flow was actually a little bit wet for my tastes (which is something I never thought I would say). I tried it in extra fine and fine nibs and loved the flow so much more. I love the fast dry time and high water resistance. I’m a fan!

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2906: Inkebara Caramel

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Today’s ink is Inkebara Caramel from the Standard collection. This ink is available in 60ml bottles. My sample of ink came from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Caramel is a warm medium brown.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has quite a bit of shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, as well as cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some bleeding and feathering in all nib sizes. I don’t use this ink on cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

Caramel isn’t super close to any of these other options. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Bronze with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a dry flow.

Overall, I love the color and the awesome shading, but the flow is very dry, which is not my preference.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2905: Colorverse Rainy Day

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Today’s ink is Colorverse Rainy Day from the Joy in the Ordinary collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Rainy Day is an unsaturated medium blue with a slight green undertone.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shades almost to a green where it pooled.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, and on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Rainy Day is lighter than Lennon Tool Bar Hobe. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Elite Royalty with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice medium blue, but even in a broad nib it’s on the lighter side and can be hard to read, especially in the smaller nib sizes.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2904: 3 Oysters Hwangto

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Today’s ink is 3 Oysters Hwangto from the I.COLOR.U collection. You can find this ink at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Hwangto is an unsaturated burned orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, as well as on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, low orange sheen, and no shimmer. It’s odd to have sheen the same color as the base ink, but this ink has an orange base and darker orange (almost brown) sheen.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and just a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Hwangto is closest to Wearingeul Kyonghui. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a dry flow.

Overall, in most nibs I found this ink to be way too dry, but in a wet Pelikan nib it worked well. It also has some interesting sheen!

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Spring Means Green Ink Palettes

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I’m so ready for spring, and in my mind spring means green! 🍀 I told my mom the other day that I had decided to become a plant lady, but that I kill every plant I get. She gave me a lovely plant (I have no idea what it is) and so far I’ve kept it alive for five days, so I’m going to count that as a win! I love the color of Colorverse Brane. It’s a little unusual, but lovely in writing.

There are so many good green inks out there! I love having a range from pale spring greens to bright lime greens inked up. I have Robert Oster Evergreen in a pen today, and it’s helping cheer me up a bit.

I find I am unable to just stick to greens and neutrals. I have to throw in a few other colors, so here’s some yellow and orange to add to your greens. I absolutely love the color of Taccia Daidai Orange, but man does it have some nib crusting (as quite a few orange inks do).

I have no idea why I don’t use Montblanc Oyster Grey more often. I have a bottle and love it when I use it, it’s just not one I think of often for some reason. Robert Oster Thunderstorm on the other hand, is an ink I use frequently.

I hope y’all are having an awesome spring, full of green and sunshine! What’s your favorite spring green ink? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2903: Caran d'ache Delicate Green

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Today’s ink is Caran d’Ache Delicate Green from the Chromatics collection. This ink is getting harder to find, but you can still find it in stock at a few retailers including JetPens.

The color:

Delicate Green is a bright lime green.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, as well as on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and just a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Delicate Green is similar to Robert Oster Light Green. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a dry flow-I had to prime the feed a few times to write out an entire A5 page.

Overall, I like the color of this ink but in everyday use I did not enjoy it. It’s just too dry for me. I had trouble with skipping and choked flow every time I wrote more than a paragraph or two. At $37 per bottle it’s just not worth it to me.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ashera Oleatus Review

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I reviewed the Ashera Aeon in Holly last year, so I was excited when I found out that Ashera had released a new fountain pen model-the Oleatus. Ashera was very kind and sent me an Oleatus in Yew Burl with a 14k gold medium nib to try. The Oleatus is available in 8 different woods. This material/nib combo retails for $870.

The pen comes in a gorgeous wood box with the Ashera name engraved.

The finish is oiled rather than lacquered, which gives the pen a fabulous feel in hand.

This is a very large pen when compared to other popular pen models.

The yew burl material is so pretty!

The cap is a twist-on, but it only takes one twist to remove, rather than the multiple turns some pen caps take.

The 14k medium nib is very juicy and slightly bouncy.

Yes, the nib is very dirty, but that just makes me like it more. She’s pretty, juicy, bouncy goodness. Sailor Black is the first ink I usually put in a pen and this combo did not disappoint.

You can see the ink on my fingers from where I made a mess when I refilled the pen.

More close-ups of the pretty nib. I love that it doesn’t have a ton of engraving or logos on it.

She’s definitely classy, but with plenty of personality.

The nib is just a little bit wider on the downstroke than the sidestroke.

The pen works well with both cursive and print writing.

Overall, this is a fabulous pen. It writes well, feels great in the hand, and looks gorgeous.

Disclaimer: This pen was provided by Ashera for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post is not sponsored, and does not contain affiliate links.

Ink Review #2902: Caran d'ache Electric Orange

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Today’s ink is Caran d’Ache Electric Orange from the Chromatics collection. This ink is getting harder to find, but you can still find it in stock at a few retailers including JetPens.

The color:

Electric Orange is a medium red-orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, as well as on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and just a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Electric Orange is closest to Scribo Arancio di Sicilia. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a good solid orange ink. I didn’t have any issues with performance and the color is lovely. The $37 price tag is a bit steep for this ink though.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #2901: Colorverse No. 012 a Ori

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Today’s ink is Colorverse a Ori from the Project collection. You can find this ink for sale at most pen retailers, including Vanness Pens.

The color:

a Ori is a bright red-orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more red than on the Col-o-ring swab.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm, as well as on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, low green sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

a Ori is closest to Robert Oster Rust Orange. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice ink. The color is bright and interesting and it performs well.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.