Ink Review #857: Troublemaker Blueberry
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Recently Shigure Inks sent me their two store exclusive Troublemaker inks. I reviewed Grape Vine yesterday, so today we are taking a look at Blueberry.
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Ink Review #856: Troublemaker Grape Vine
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I’ve heard about Troublemaker Inks a lot lately, but unfortunately they aren’t currently accepting new orders. I was so excited when Shigure Inks offered to send me their two store exclusive Troublemaker inks-Grape Vine and Blueberry. Let’s take a look at Grape Vine today.
Read MoreInk Review #855: Blackstone Lemur Lime
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I enjoy supporting lots of fountain pen retailers, one of which is Lemur Ink. They offer free shipping over $20 and have a variety of products-I usually order my TWSBI pens from them. When I went to the San Francisco Pen Show this year, I got to meet John, the owner of Lemur Ink, and pick up a bottle of their exclusive Blackstone ink, Lemur Lime.
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Ink Review #853: Monteverde Blue Black
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We are continuing on with blue black inks this week, today’s is Monteverde Blue Black. I purchased my ink from Pen Chalet.
Read MoreInk Review #852: Papier Plume Bayou Nightfall
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There are some inks that have been sitting in my drawer forever, waiting for attention. Paper Plume Bayou Nightfall is one of these inks, it belongs to the Papier Plume New Orleans collection. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens.
Read MoreInk Review #851: Kobe Fragrance of Sumi
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Today’s ink is Kobe Fragrance of Sumi. It’s an interesting ink-it’s scented with the traditional sumi India ink stick. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens.
Read MoreInk Review #850: Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai
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Most of the time I just review whatever inks are next on my list, but sometimes I like to do a theme for the week. This week’s theme is blue-black inks. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai, aka “Deep Sea” is an ink I use often, and I was surprised when I realized I’ve never actually reviewed it. A pen friend was very kind and gave me my bottle, but you can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet.
The color:
Shin-kai is a medium blue-black.
Swabs:
In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more blue with some red sheen.
Writing samples:
Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.
Dry time: 15 seconds
Water resistance: Medium-some of the ink washed away but you might still be able to read what was written.
Feathering: Low-there was a little bit of feathering in the flex nib on Leuchtturm paper.
Show through: Medium
Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib.
Other properties: medium shading, low sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen is only visible in large nibs on Tomoe River paper.
On Staples 24 lb copy paper the ink feathered in all nib sizes and had a little bit of bleeding.
Comparison Swabs:
Shin-kai is similar to Lamy Blue-Black, but I do prefer Shin-kai. Click here to see the Pilot inks together, and click here to see the blue-black inks together.
Longer Writing:
I used a Lamy AL-star Pacific Blue with a fine nib on Tomoe River paper. The ink had a lovely wet flow.
Overall, I love this ink, and use it often. I love the color, shading, wet flow, and quick dry time. Since I only have the small 15 ml bottle, I’ll buy a full-size bottle when it’s gone.
Disclaimer: This ink was given to me by a pen friend. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.
Ink Review #849: Robert Oster Astorquiza Olive
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Robert Oster Astorquiza Olive is a Bauer Inks exclusive. They had a table at the SF Pen Show, and when I saw some art that had been done with this ink I knew I had to give it a try.
The color:
Astorquiza Olive is dark, and somewhere between brown and green. I think it leans just a bit more toward green, but it can go either way depending on the lighting.
Swabs:
In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink more green and matte than on the Col-o-ring paper.
Writing samples:
Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.
Dry time: 10 seconds
Water resistance: Low
Feathering: Low-there was a little bit of feathering in the flex nib on Leuchtturm paper.
Show through: Medium
Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib.
Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.
On Staples 24 lb copy paper the ink feathered in all nib sizes and had a little bit of bleeding.
Comparison Swabs:
Astorquiza Olive has a lot more brown in it than other olive inks. to Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.
Longer Writing:
I used a Kaweco Al-sport Rose Gold with a broad nib on Tomoe River paper. The ink had a dry flow. You can see in the last paragraph where I primed the feed a bit since it was so dry.
Overall, I don’t love this ink as much as I thought I would. The color is interesting and it dries quickly, but the flow is a bit dry for me.
Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.
Ink Review #848: Monteverde DC Supershow Teal
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The YAFA table at the 2019 SF Pen Show got most of my money. They are the US distributor for Monteverde and they had a great show price on their inks this year. One ink I picked is Monteverde 2019 DC Supershow Teal. It debuted at the 2019 DC Pen Show in August, and is now part of the standard line. You can find this ink for sale at Goulet Pens.
The color:
DC Supershow Teal is a beautiful medium teal with shading.
Swabs:
In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink appears a bit less green with the tiniest hint of pink sheen around the edges. It’s almost nonexistent sheen.
Writing samples:
Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.
Dry time: 15 seconds
Water resistance: Low
Feathering: Low-there was a little bit of feathering in the flex nib on Leuchtturm paper.
Show through: Medium
Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib.
Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.
On Staples 24 lb copy paper the ink feathered in all nib sizes and had a little bit of bleeding.
Comparison Swabs:
DC Supershow Teal is closest to Robert Oster Marine, but Supershow Teal has a much wetter flow than Marine does and Marine has more sheen. Click here to see the Monteverde Inks together, and click here to see the teal inks together.
Longer Writing:
I used a Pelikan M600 Turquoise with a broad nib on Tomoe River paper. The ink had an wet flow.
Overall, this ink was an insta-buy for me when I saw it. I love the flow of Monteverde Inks, they perform well and I love teal, so it’s a win for me! At a show price of $5 per bottle, I couldn’t pass it up and I don’t regret it!
Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.