Ink Review #1276: Ink Institute Circular Line

We have a few more Ink Institue inks to get through, so today let’s take a look at Ink Institute Circular Line from the Taipei Metro series. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending this ink over for review!

The color:

Circular Line is a bright sunny yellow.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading but no 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: 50 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 20 lb copy paper there was feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Circular Line is similar to Private Reserve Buttercup and Sailor Ink Studio 770. Click here to see the Ink Institute inks together, and click here to see the yellow inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Yellow with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, this is a lovely basic yellow ink-no shading or sheen in writing, but a bright sunny color. This ink would be great for summer.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks 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.

Ink Review #1275: Ink Institute Zhonghe-xinlu Line

I’m a sucker for a good golden yellow ink in the fall, so let’s take a look at Ink Institute Zhonghe-xinlu Line from the Taipei Metro series. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending this ink over for review!

The color:

Zhonghe-xinlu is a complex golden yellow-brown.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more flat, less vibrant, and frankly less interesting. It’s rare for me not to love an ink more based on how it behaves in large swabs on TRP, but it just doesn’t improve this ink.

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, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 20 lb copy paper there was feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Zhonghe-xinlu is a bit more brown than Kobe Taisanji Yellow but less brown than Franklin-Christoph Honeycomb. Click here to see the Ink Institute inks together, and click here to see the yellow inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, the color is amazing-perfect for fall and it does have some beautiful shading, but I do wish it was just a little bit wetter.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks 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.

Private Reserve Fall Ink Set

I’ve had very limited experience with Private Reserve inks. The first PR ink I tried was a sample of Cosmic Cobalt, and I liked it fine. Then I tried Buttercup, a pale yellow that can be hard to see, but I love the color and used it often-until the bottle went moldy. I became very hesitant to try their inks, just based on my experience. Recently Private Reserve was purchased by a new owner in January 2018. She has done a lot of work in updating the brand and creating some new products including 7 new sample packs. I was still hesitant to try them until I spoke to a vendor at the San Francisco Pen Show who knew the new owner. He answered all my questions, so I went ahead and purchased one of the new sample sets. The Fall Sample Pack includes 4-15ml bottles, all with an autumn color theme: Chocolat, Copper Burst, Fiesta Red and Shoreline Gold. I wish I could remember the name of the vendor I spoke to, but unfortunately I don’t. You can find the sample pack online at Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Chocolat, Copper Burst, Fiesta Red and Shoreline Gold.

Writing samples:

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

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None in writing-just a little in the swab on Leuchtturm and Rhodia.

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Chocolat is a bit darker than Diamine Bach.

Copper Burst is less saturated than Monteverde Pumpkin Cake.

Fiesta Red is less saturated than Birmingham Carnelian Silk.

Shoreline Gold is a little more yellow than Robert Oster Terracotta.

The full set inked up.

I used a Lochby Lined Blank A5 notebook (Tomoe River 68gsm). All of the inks had an average flow.

Overall, all four of these inks are well-behaved and even have a little bit of shading. I love the 15ml sample size, and that they come in a set. They are great basic inks, and I will absolutely try more of their inks in the future.

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

Monteverde Sweet Life Inks, Part 2

Earlier this week I reviewed the first half of Monteverde’s new Sweet Life collection. You can find the Sweet Life set for sale at most US retailers including Goulet Pens. I decided to break the collection down into two sets for this review, today we are going to cover the second half: Key Lime Pie, Iced Cookie, Blue Velvet Cake, Blueberry Muffin, and Birthday Cake.

Swabs:

Left to right: Key Lime Pie, Iced Cookie, Blue Velvet Cake, Blueberry Muffin and Birthday Cake.

Writing samples:

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

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-there was some feathering in the flex nib on Leuchtturm and Rhodia.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding on Leuchtturm in the flex nib.

Other properties: low to medium shading, no to medium sheen, and no shimmer. Out of the set only Blue Velvet Cake shows any sheen.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a lot of bleeding, so I would not recommend these inks for cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

Key Lime Pie is warmer than Robert Oster Light Green, but cooler than Diamine Jade Green. Iced Cookie is similar to Lamy Amazonite. Blue Velvet Cake is similar to J Herbin Bleu Des Profondeurs. Blueberry Muffin is a little bit darker than Platinum Lavender Black. Birthday Cake is warmer than Monteverde Charoite but cooler than Monteverde Amethyst. Click here to see the Monteverde Inks together.

I used a Lochby Lined Refill A5 notebook (Tomoe River 68gsm). All of the inks had a wetter than average flow.

Overall, I love all five of these inks. They go well together, are generally well behaved, and have a nice wet flow. I love these colors together, and have been using them daily for the last week. Definitely worth a try!

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

Monteverde Sweet Life Inks, Part 1

Monteverde is one of my favorite ink brands. Every time they release a new collection I get excited and can’t wait to try them out. When I attended the San Francisco Pen Show in August, YAFA (Monteverde’s US distributor) had the new Sweet Life collection for a really great show price and I immediately picked one up. You can find the Sweet Life set for sale at most US retailers including Goulet Pens. I decided to break the collection down into two sets for this review, today we are going to cover Chocolate Pudding, Pumpkin Cake, Cherry Danish, Strawberry Shortcake and Mango Mousse.

Swabs:

Left to right: Chocolate Pudding, Pumpkin Cake, Cherry Danish, Strawberry Shortcake and Mango Mousse.

Writing samples:

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

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding on Leuchtturm in the flex nib.

Other properties: low to medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer. Out of the set, Pumpkin Cake and Cherry Danish have the most shading.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a lot of bleeding, so I would not recommend these inks for cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

Chocolate Pudding is a bit darker than Kobe Nada Brown. Pumpkin Cake is a bit warmer than Stipula Sepia. Cherry Danish is similar to J Herbin Rouge Grenat. Strawberry Shortcake reminds me of Sailor Jentle Irori. Mango Mousse is just a bit lighter than Robert Oster Peach. Click here to see the Monteverde Inks together.

I used a Lochby Lined Refill A5 notebook (Tomoe River 68gsm). All of the inks had a wetter than average flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed all of these inks. Monteverde Inks all have a lovely wet flow and are generally very well behaved. I think Pumpkin Cake is my favorite from these 5 right now-mostly just because it’s a great color for fall and has some pretty shading. I’m so glad I purchased the whole collection because I’ve been using them often.

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

2019 Fall Trees Ink Palette

I’m still obsessed with fall colors this week. I’m enjoying browns, reds and oranges. This week we have been managing the kids’ karate lessons, rain storms and kid colds.

I fell in love with this picture last week and decided to use it as the base for this week’s ink palette. The trees near my home are all orange, yellow and red right now, despite all the rain we’ve been getting.

I decided to doodle little trees this week, I stink at doodles but that doesn’t stop me from doing them.

This week’s Col-o-dex swabs. Every time I swab Robert Oster Grey Seas I fall in love with it a little more.

I used: a Franklin-Christoph 45L in Italian ice-M, Pelikan M205 Star Ruby-F, Pilot Vanishing Point Crossed Lines-M, Pelikan M605 White Transparent-M, and an Edison Collier Persimmon Swirl-M.

What did you have inked up this week? Let me know in the comments below!