Ink Review #1396: PenBBS 129 Xu Zhimo

PenBBS 129 Xu Zhimo is from PenBBS season 11. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Xu Zhimo is a very pale, unsaturated pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks very pale, almost a cream-grey.

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

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Xu Zhimo is much paler than these other inks. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Rose Gold with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow. The ink is so pale it’s hard to even see it.

Overall, this ink is too pale for me to use as an everyday ink. I would use it for art, but not in any of the smaller fountain pen nibs.

Disclaimer: 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 #1395: Diamine Bloody Brexit

Diamine Bloody Brexit is a store exclusive for Seitz Kreuznach. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review! You can sometimes find this ink for sale on Amazon (aff. link).

The color:

Bloody Brexit is a dark royal blue with a ton of red sheen.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty of 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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

There are a lot of inks similar to Bloody Brexit: Diamine A Leap of Faith, Organics Studio Emerson, etc. Click here to see the Diamine inks together and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Blue with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet but sticky flow. This ink does smear after completely drying.

Overall, while it is generally well behaved during writing, it can be smeared days after completely drying which has become a pet peeve of mine. Anything that smears days later is a no-go for me.

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

Ink Review #1394: Diamine Bloody Absinth

Diamine Bloody Absinth was a store exclusive for Seitz Kreuznach. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review!

The color:

Bloody Absinth is a medium green that almost leans teal on some papers.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty of dark pink/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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Bloody Absinth is a little more yellow than Organics Studio Walden but a little more blue than Diamine November Rain. Click here to see the Diamine inks together and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 46 Green Diamondcast with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow with some skips (these are most noticeable on the last line of the page-half the first “i” is missing as is most of the last “t”) and the ink smeared, even after drying for 24 hours.

Overall, I love the color of this ink but I had too many issues when using it in longer writing-the flow was too dry which caused skipping and made the ink look much lighter than it usually is. It also smeared after drying for 24 hours which makes it a no-go for me.

Disclaimer: 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 #1393: Krishna After Dark

Today we are going to look at another reader request: Krishna After Dark. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review!

The color:

After Dark is a dark cobalt blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

After Dark is close to Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue. Click here to see the Krishna inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, this ink is much better behaved than some of the Krishna Super Rich series inks I’ve tried in the past. It’s a nice color, well behaved and has some nice shading, but there are a lot of other inks out there in a similar color-there’s nothing about this ink that stands out from the crowd for me.

Disclaimer: 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 #1392: Leonardo Blue

Recently a reader sent me a bottle of Leonardo Blue to try out (the bottle says blue but some of the retailers have it listed as Mediterraneo Blue). This is a new-to-me brand so I was excited to give it a go! Thanks to the reader that sent this in for review! You can find this ink for sale at a few retailers including Appelboom and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Blue is a classic medium blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks a little bit darker and has some pink 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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Blue is closest to Diamine Asa Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Montegrappa Elmo with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It’s a nice blue with plenty of shading and sheen. If you are in need of a medium blue ink this one is worth a try!

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

Octopus Fluids Inks Set 5

Let’s take a look at the last set of Octopus Fluids inks: Orchidee, Purpur, Flieder, Aubergine, Konigsblau. Thanks to Octopus Fluids for sending these inks over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Orchidee, Purpur, Flieder, Aubergine, Königsblau.

Ink drops:

Purpur, Flieder and Aubergine all have a little bit of sheen.

Dry Time:

All five inks dried in 10-50 seconds.

Water Resistance:

All have medium water resistance.

Writing samples:

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

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low-medium shading, Purpur and Flieder have tiny sheen and Aubergine has low sheen and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Orchidee is closest to Graf von Faber-castell Electric Pink.

Purpur is closest to Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo.

Flieder is closest to Diamine Violet.

Aubergine is closest to Diamine Imperial Purple.

Konigsblau is closest to Cross Blue.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Aubergine which had a wet flow.

Overall, out of the five Aubergine is my favorite, but all five colors look great. Unfortunately, like a lot of the other Octopus Fluids inks I’ve tried they all have more feathering and bleeding than I prefer.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Octopus Fluids for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Octopus Fluids Inks Set 4

Let’s take a look at the next set of Octopus Fluids inks: Moosgrun, Tiefgrun, Lindgrun, Fruhlingsgrun and Karibik. Thanks to Octopus Fluids for sending these inks over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Moosgrun, Tiefgrun, Lindgrun, Fruhlingsgrun and Karibik.

Ink drops:

Moosgrun and Tiefgrun both have a little bit of red sheen.

Dry Time:

All five inks dried in 5-10 seconds.

Water Resistance:

All have medium water resistance.

Writing samples:

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

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low-medium shading, no sheen except Moosgrun and Tiefgrun and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Moosgrun is closest to Diamine Sherwood Green.

Tiefgrun is closest to Ink Institute Songshan-xindian Line.

Lindgrun is closest to Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin.

Fruhlingsgrun is a little bit lighter than Diamine Apple Glory.

Karibik is closest to Robert Oster Aqua.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. The first three inks had an average flow, the last two had a dry flow.

Overall, out of the five Karibik is my favorite color but I do wish the flow was a bit wetter. All five have a bit too much feathering and bleeding for me.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Octopus Fluids for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1381: Robert Oster Australis Hydra

Robert Oster Australis Hydra is the last ink from the recent limited edition Australis collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Australis Hydra is a medium turquoise blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of pink 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: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Australis Hydra seems like a lighter version of Robert Oster Fire and Ice. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M805 Vibrant Blue with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a lovely blue ink. It’s a great option if you’ve been looking for a lighter version of Robert Oster Fire and Ice.

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

Adventures in Ink Mixing

I put a poll up on my Instagram stories a few weeks ago, asking what content you wanted to see in 2021 and I had a few requests for ink mixing. I decided to try a faux Lamy Dark Lilac first. Lamy Dark Lilac (pictured above) seems to be one of those unicorn inks-it was released in 2016 and many of the ink-obsessed have been looking for a dupe ever since.

I looked all over the internet for recipes for a Dark Lilac dupe and this one came up the most: Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo paired with Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai.

I mixed up three different testers:

• #1: 3 parts Yama-budo + 1 part Shin-kai

• #2 2 parts Yama-budo + 1 part Shin-kai

• #3 3 parts Yama-budo + 1 part Shin-kai + 1/2 part Robert Oster Fire & Ice

I tried out all three mixures but none lived up to Lamy Dark Lilac for me. I didn’t have any issues with the inks interacting together though, no funny consistencies or smells.

I still haven’t found the perfect recipe for mixing up a dupe, but there are a few inks out there that are similar already. Which one would you pick?

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page and it is not sponsored in any way.