Ink Review #1977: Van Dieman's Firetail Finch

Van Dieman’s Firetail Finch is from the Wilderness Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original version of the ink, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Firetail Finch is a bright fire-engine 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 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:

• EF Pilot Vanishing Point

• F, M, B Pilot Ishime

• Vintage Mabie Todd Swan (flex nib)

• Rhodia Goalbook

• Taroko Enigma notebooks (68gsm TR)

• Leuchtturm A5

• Pen & Gear Paper from Walmart

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: High

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering but some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Firetail is brighter than Diamine Flowers Tulip. 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 Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I don’t like this ink. The color is a bit too bright for me and there’s way too much feathering and bleeding.

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