Ink Review #1144: KWZ Iron Gall Gold

KWZ Iron Gall Gold isn’t really gold to me, it’s more of a very unsaturated brown. This is an iron gall ink so it gets a bit darker as it dries, but be careful how long you leave it in steel nib pens-it can degrade them over time. Thanks to the reader that sent this sample in for review! You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Iron Gall Gold is a dark unsaturated, cool-tone brown.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink dries to a dark shiny finish, but doesn’t actually sheen. After a week of drying the ink drops still look wet.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 50 seconds

Water resistance: Medium-some of the ink washed away, but you might still be able to read it.

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 in all nib sizes but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

When compared to other KWZ inks I would consider “gold”, IG Gold is just dark brown. IG Gold is much cooler in tone than any of the other brown inks I have. Click here to see the KWZ inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M200 Gold Marbled with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, I’m not a big fan of this one. The flow is much drier than I prefer, and I’m not in love with the color.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by a reader 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 in any way.