Ink Review #873: Rohrer and Klingner SketchINK Carmen

Rohrer and Klingner SketchINK Carmen is designed for sketching and drawing, but also works well for standard writing. This ink has a large color range-from pale yellow-orange to bright red. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Carmen is a medium yellow-orange. At the palest it’s almost a yellow and at the darkest it reaches a bright red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shows off some of the darker red tones.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 5 seconds

Water resistance: High

Feathering: Low-there was some feathering on Rhodia

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding on Rhodia.

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in every nib size, and some bleeding in the flex and broad nibs.

Comparison Swabs:

Carmen is similar to Papier Plume Sazerac, maybe just a little bit more vibrant. Click here to see the Rohrer and Klingner inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a medium Pelikan M600 Vibrant Orange on a Lochby A5 Lined Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I really like this ink. It dries super fast, is very water resistant, has a wide range of shading colors and is pretty affordable too. There are some downsides to this ink though-it looks chalky and washed out on Rhodia, and feathers and bleeds a bit on Rhodia as well. This doesn’t bother me since I don’t usually use Rhodia personally, and it performs well on the other papers. Since the ink is pigmented instead of dye-based it is important to shake the ink before filling, and have good pen hygiene. I would absolutely use this ink again.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and 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 #872: Diamine Sunset

Shortly after I discovered fountain pens I found Cult Pens. There should have been ominous music in the background because when I realized how great their prices are on Diamine ink I quickly fell down a Diamine rabbit hole. Each 30ml ink bottle is currently about $2.52 (the exchange rate changes almost daily). So Diamine Sunset has been sitting in my drawer for a few years now, waiting for an empty pen. Since it’s orange ink week it’s time to give it a try. No, this post is not sponsored by Cult Pens, I just love to buy Diamine inks from them.

The color:

Sunset is a vibrant red-orange. It’s almost a vermillion orange.

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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in every nib size, and some bleeding in the flex and broad nibs.

Comparison Swabs:

Sunset is similar to Papier Plume House of the Rising Sun, but has just a little bit more red in it. It’s a little bit less saturated than Monteverde Motivation, but darker than Robert Oster Orange Zest. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a double broad Kaweco Sport Orange on a Lochby A5 Lined Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. It’s well behaved and super affordable-a win for me.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and 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 #871: Lamy Copper Orange

We are still swimming in orange inks this week. One orange ink I’ve had in my drawer forever but never played with is Lamy Copper Orange. Copper Orange was a limited edition ink in 2015. I discovered fountain pens in late 2015, so I didn’t buy a bottle when it was available. Fortunately a friend from my local pen club has a bottle and offered me a sample. My main goal in reviewing past limited edition inks is to show currently available inks that are similar, so if you missed out you can find an alternative.

The color:

Copper Orange is a medium slightly unsaturated orange. I had a heck of a time trying to color match these images.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink almost turns brown where pooled.

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-there was just a tiny bit of feathering in the flex nib.

Show through: Medium

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

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in every nib size, and some bleeding in the flex and broad nibs.

Comparison Swabs:

Copper Orange is just a little bit less saturated than Robert Oster Orange Rumble, and a shade or two lighter than Krishna Jungle Volcano. It’s a shade darker than Lamy Bronze and has a little bit more red in it. Click here to see the Lamy inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a medium Lamy Al-star Bronze on a Lochby A5 Lined Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, Robert Oster Orange Rumble is a good alternative. If you would like something one or two shades darker with some sheen (but similar color) give Krishna Jungle Volcano a try.

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by a pen friend. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.