Ink Review #1553: Van Dieman's Federation Peak

Van Dieman’s Federation Peak is from the Wilderness collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Federation Peak is a medium neutral grey.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little 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.

Dry time: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Federation Peak is closest to Kobe 46 Nagisa Museum Gray. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Cement with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink looks nice, especially in a TWSBI broad nib. It did have a little bit of feathering on Leuchtturm paper and had a rather long dry time, but other than that it performed well.

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

Ink Review #1552: Kobe 31 Coast Stone Grey

We’ve been looking at grey inks for the last few days, so let’s continue with Kobe 31 Coast Stone Grey from Kobe’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Coast Stone Grey is a deep neutral grey.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker and has a little bit of black 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Coast Sone Grey is closest to Tono & Lims Mind Your Gap. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 in Charcoal & Creme with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, this is a lovely neutral grey ink. It has a nice wet flow with some pretty shading.

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

July Greys

We’ve hit the middle of July! Since it’s been abnormally hot here in Washington, berry season has come short and early. I spent yesterday making our jam for the year-blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. I love Monteverde Cherry Danish for a deep cherry red.

The local farmer’s market finally has some flowers showing up, I love seeing the rainbow of colors. Papier Plume Garden District Azalea is one of my favorite pinks.

I love grey inks! In the last few days we’ve reviewed a few and for the rest of July we’ll take a look at a few more. Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same is a grey I reach for again and again.

We homeschool our kids, so I spend the summer deciding on the next year’s curriculum and it makes me want all the graphite grey inks. I use Diamine Grey and Robert Oster Graphite often.

I hope everyone is having a great July! What’s your favorite ink today? Let me know in the comments below!

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

Ink Review #1551: Kaweco Smokey Grey

Kaweco Smokey Grey is from Kaweco’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Smokey Grey is a medium grey with some shading.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has more depth to it.

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 quite a bit of feathering but not much bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Smokey Grey is a little lighter than Aurora Grey. Click here to see the Kaweco inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Lighthouse with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a lovely grey ink. it’s pretty well behaved and a nice neutral grey as well.

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

Ink Review #1550: Kobe 10 Mikage Gray

Kobe 10 Mikage Gray is from Kobe’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Mikage Gray is a medium grey-purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks much 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Mikage Gray is more purple than any of these other greys. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Cement Grey with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It is a very purple leaning grey, so it would be a great ink for Halloween.

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

Van Dieman's Underwater Collection Part 3

Van Dieman’s recently released a new Underwater Collection. We’ve covered the first eight inks from the collection so today let’s take a look at the next four. Two samples came from a kind reader and I purchased the other two samples from Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Bioluminescence, Twilight Zone, Blue Ringed Octopus and Ghost Ship.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 80-100 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, high-monster sheen and no shimmer. Bioluminescence, Twilight Zone and Blue Ringed Octopus have monster sheen and Ghost Ship has high sheen.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Bioluminescence is closest to Vinta Andrada.

Twilight Zone is similar to Colorverse SM1.

Ghost Ship is close to Diamine Purple Rain.

Blue Ringed Octopus is close to Blackstone Barrier Reef Blue.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Odyssey notebook. Bio. and Blue Ringed have dry flows, and the other two have an average flow. All four feel sticky, for lack of a better word, but that’s rather common with super sheeny inks. All of them can be smeared, even after fully drying.

Overall, out of the four inks I think Twilight Zone and Ghost Ship are my favorite, but I’m not in love with any of them. For my personal use I stick to inks with high sheen or less because I hate it when my inks smear after drying. They don’t have a great consistent flow-there’s some skipping and railroading and they take a really long time to dry at 80-100 seconds. They look really pretty in writing, but they’re not the inks for me.

Disclaimer: Two samples were provided by a reader and I purchased two inks myself. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Van Dieman's Underwater Collection Part 2

Van Dieman’s recently released a new Underwater Collection. Last week we started out with four inks from the collection so today let’s take a look at the next four. I purchased my samples from Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Neptune’s Necklace, Sea Turtle, Sea Dragon, and Parrot Fish.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-80 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading and high shading (Sea Dragon), only Sea Turtle has high sheen and Parrot Fish has purple shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Neptune’s Necklace is closest to 3 Oysters Mustard.

Sea Dragon is similar to Diamine Jade Green.

Parrot Fish is close to Diamine Blue Peppermint’s base color, but it’s the only teal ink I know of with purple shimmer.

Sea Turtle is close to Montblanc White Forest.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Odyssey notebook. Three of the inks have wet flows, and Parrot Fish has an average flow.

Overall, out of the four inks I think Parrot Fish is the most unique with it’s purple shimmer, but it clogs so easily! I love Sea Dragon’s high shading but it’s too light for me in the smaller nib sizes. Sea Dragon takes a long time to dry at 80 seconds. I think Neptune’s Necklace is my favorite overall simply because it’s the best behaved.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Van Dieman's Underwater Collection Part 1

Van Dieman’s recently released a new Underwater Collection. After looking at some of their promo photos on Instagram I really wanted to give them a try. I purchased my samples from Vanness Pens. Let’s take a look at the first 4 inks from the collection!

Swabs:

Left to right: Abyss, Fire Coral, Moon Jellyfish, and Sea Shell.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium (Fire Coral & Moon Jellyfish)

Other properties: medium shading (Fire Coral & Moon Jellyfish), low shading (Sea Shell),no sheen and silver shimmer (Moon Jellyfish & Sea Shell).

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

Comparison Swabs:

Abyss is similar to Sailor Black.

Fire Coral is close to Diplomat Burgundy.

Moon Jellyfish is closest to De Atramentis Pink Rose Gold.

Sea Shell is much lighter than any of these other orange shimmer inks.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Odyssey notebook. Abyss and Fire Coral have wet flows, Moon Jellyfish has an average flow and Sea Shell has a dry flow.

Overall, out of the four inks Fire Coral is my favorite based on the color. I don’t love any of these, there is a lot of feathering and bleeding, and they have long dry times. They are okay but not must-haves.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Monteverde Jungle Collection Part 2

Yesterday we looked at the first 5 inks from the recent Monteverde Jungle Collection so today we are going to look at the other five. I purchased my set from Vanness Pens, but you can also buy the bottles individually.

Swabs:

Left to right: Giraffe, Crocodile, Zebra, Elephant and Chameleon.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low-Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: medium shading, Chameleon has a tiny bit of black 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:

Elephant is more vibrant than 3 Oysters Purple Gray.

Chameleon is similar to Penlux Mo Plum.

Crocodile has a little more blue in it than Colorverse Crab Nebula.

Zebra is similar to Colorverse Extra Dimension.

Giraffe has a little more red than Monteverde Citrine.

Longer Writing:

I used Kaweco’s on a Taroko Odyssey notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Crocodile, which was a bit wetter than the others.

Overall, out of the five inks I think Elephant is my favorite-I love the deep purple color and it’s pretty well behaved too. I’m glad I bought the full set, I think I’ll use these inks often, especially in the fall and winter seasons.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Monteverde Jungle Collection Part 1

Monteverde recently released the new Jungle Collection and I jumped on it as soon as it was available. I purchased my set from Vanness Pens, but you can also buy the bottles individually. Let’s take a look at the first 5 inks from the set!

Swabs:

Left to right: Toucan, Gorilla, Lion, Hippo, and Turtle.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low-Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: medium shading, Gorilla has a tiny bit of black 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:

Gorilla is a little bit darker than Monteverde Passion, but in long writing they are very similar.

Toucan is close to Monteverde Raven Noir.

Lion is closest to KWZ El Dorado.

Hippo is similar to Diplomat Deep Blue/Octopus Fluids Ultramarinblau.

Turtle is a little bit lighter than Sailor Jentle Yuki-akari and Pilot Iroshizuku Ebisu.

Longer Writing:

I used Kaweco’s on a Taroko Odyssey notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Turtle which is a little dry.

Overall, out of the five inks Lion is my favorite-I love the color as well as the pretty shading. Turtle is my least favorite-it’s a little dry and too light to be easily read. So far I’m glad I bought the full set, but stay tuned to see part 2 tomorrow!

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.