Ink Review #1848: IWI Grain Rain

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IWI Grain Rain is from IWI’s standard collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Grain Rain is a light coral pink.

*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 nice shading.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 5 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Low

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is a little bit of feathering and bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Grain Rain is a little bit lighter than Birmingham Sweetheart. Click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Coral with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this ink dries quickly but has too much feathering for me.

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

Vinta Limited Edition Inks

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Today let’s take a look at 3 exclusive Vinta inks: Monday Sickness, Dream a Dream and Sodalite. Monday Sickness and Dream a Dream can be found at Blue Black and Sodalite is sold at Vanness Pens. Thanks to the reader that sent samples in for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Monday Sickness, Dream a Dream and Sodalite

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-50 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Low-medium shading and Sodalite has blue shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Dream a Dream is similar to Sailor Shimoyo.

Monday Sickness is close to Diamine Ash.

Sodalite is lighter than the other blue shimmer inks I have.

The first two inks had an average flow and Sodalite had a dry flow.

Overall, Dream a Dream is my favorite out of the three. I love the color and how it writes.

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

Ink Review #1844: Scribo Arancio di Sicilia

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Today’s ink is Scribo Arancio di Sicilia. This ink is available in square 90ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Arancio di Sicilia 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 flatter, less vibrant.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is a little bit of feathering and bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Arancio di Sicilia is a little bit darker than Nemosine Solar Storm. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Mango with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, this is a lovely ink. It’s well-behaved and a nice color-perfect for the summer.

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

Ink Review #1842: Esterbrook Tangerine & Shimmer

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Esterbrook recently released their own line of inks. Some of the inks have a shimmer and a non-shimmer version. Let’s take a look at Esterbrook Tangerine and Tangerine Shimmer. You can find these inks for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Tangerine is a bright medium orange.

Shimmer:

Tangerine Shimmer is the same bright medium orange but with gold shimmer.

*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 just 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.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Tangerine is closest to Robert Oster Peach. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Tangerine Shimmer is closest to Diamine Citrus Ice.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, there’s a little more bleeding and feathering than I prefer, but it’s not too bad. There’s nothing about either one that wows me, and there are some better orange inks out there.

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

Ink Review #1841: Oblation Portland Rain

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Let’s take a look at a store exclusive ink today-Oblation Portland Rain. Thanks to Oblation Papers and Press for sending this ink over for review!

The color:

Portland Rain is a medium grey ink.

*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 darkens to almost black.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is a little bit of feathering in the large nib sizes but other than that it performs well.

Comparison Swabs:

Portland Rain is a little bit darker than Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same. Click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M605 Black Tortoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. It’s a lovely color and performed well-even on copy paper.

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

Diamine Inkvent 2021, Part 2

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December seemed to come and go quickly for me, so I’m just now getting around to working on the 2021 Diamine Inkvent calender (these inks are now known as the Red Edition). We’ve already covered days 1-5 so let’s take a look at days 6-10. These inks are available in full bottles now.

Swabs:

Left to right: Winter Spice, Candle Light, Raspberry Rose, Storm, Peach Punch.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-70 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Winter Spice has low green sheen and blue shimmer. Candle Light, Raspberry Rose and Peach Punch have medium shading. Storm has low shading and silver shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Winter Spice is darker than the other brown shimmer inks I have.

Candle Light is similar to Robert Oster Honey Bee.

Raspberry Rose is brighter than Wearingeul Taxidermied Genius.

Storm is similar to Cross Blue Black but it has shimmer.

Peach Punch is a little darker than Diamine Peach Haze.

All five inks had an average flow.

Overall, Candle Light and Peach Punch are my favorite out of the five.

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

Ink Review #1835: Van Dieman's Freycinet Aquamarine

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Van Dieman’s Freycinet Aquamarine is from the Colours of Tasmania collection. As of this month it has been discontinued so if you are looking to pick up this ink do it soon before it’s sold out. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Freycinet Aquamarine is a bright turquoise blue.

*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 doesn’t have much shading.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Aquamarine is similar to a lot of other colors including Kobe #26. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Pacific Blue with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s a little more bleeding and feathering than I like to see. I’d reach for Kobe #26 before this one.

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

Ink Review #1834: Van Dieman's Azure Kingfisher

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Van Dieman’s Azure Kingfisher was recently reformulated, but I finished this review before it was released so this is the original version. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Azure Kingfisher is a bright turquoise blue with gold shimmer.

*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 lots of gold shimmer.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Azure is close to De Atramentis Cyan Blue Gold. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Edison Collier Blue Steel with a broad nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s too much shimmer in this ink-it caused a few clogs. It also has a bit more bleeding and feathering than I prefer.

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

Ink Review #1833: Kobe 25 Tarumi Apricot

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I’ve been craving some bright inks lately so let’s take a look at Kobe 25 Tarumi Apricot. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Apricot is a bright medium 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 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.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Apricot is similar to Diamine Orange. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Edison Collier Persimmon Swirl with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. I love the bright summery color and the wet flow.

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

Ink Review #1832: KWZ Missouri Norton

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The St Louis Pen Show is coming up soon, so it’s time to take a look at this year’s exclusive KWZ ink: Meet Me in St Louis 2022 “Missouri Norton.” This ink can only be purchased at the St Louis Pen Show on June 23-26, 2022.

The color:

Missouri Norton is a deep wine red.

*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 turns black 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.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering in the larger nib sizes but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Missouri Norton is a little darker than Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Supernova Red with a broad nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a lovely ink. It’s well behaved and a nice color. Pick up a bottle at the pen show this weekend!

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