De Atramentis Ink – A Brief Look

De Atramentis has an enormous range of colors so there’s a rainbow from which to choose. If color determines your fondness for an ink, this manufacturer has got your number. If other properties count as much, then caveat emptor. Certainly some will meet your standards. However, others may only work in a limited number of pens or on a limited selection of papers. This is one brand of ink that may take some trial and error to find a satisfying combination.

Lest you think I am unhappy with the whole line, perish the thought. While it won’t replace my favorite brands, I did find good things about Aubergine, Sepiabraun, and Cement Grey. No coverage issue though Sepiabraun and Cement Grey are incredibly wet. There was a small amount of feathering with the latter on Apica though not on Staples bagasse or Rhodia. I no longer have a sample of Aubergine but the color was a favorite in the past. No issues with performance either.

De Atramentis Ink Samples

Sepiabraun is similar to Noodler’s Walnut but less saturated while Cement Grey looks like wet cement or maybe a piece of charcoal depending on line thickness. Olive Green is close in color to J. Herbin Vert Olive with some blue added. Aubergine bears a resemblance to Parker Penman Ruby. It isn’t a substitute but it is similar.

Now for Olive Green. It is a pretty color but did not make the grade for performance. Two pens and three brands of paper plus various scraps on my desk were tested. Poor coverage with both a Lamy Vista 1.1 italic and a Sailor 1911 fine nib revealed an issue with skipping/poor coverage on Rhodia and Apica. The lack of cleanly filled in lines was less evident on Staples bagasse and more closely resembled skipping than poor coverage. On bagasse the dried ink showed some shading but not with any consistency. The pale color would be well suited to wide nibs but the performance with my pens was not satisfactory. Perhaps in a wet broad nib issues would be non-existent but there is nothing suitable in my collection to give Olive Green a proper test.

I am loathe to include YMMV in a review but it’s true. Please post in the comments if you have used De Atramentis ink. I hope you can add good experiences to balance my so-so one.

Orange You Glad It’s Fall

Whether you giggled or groaned at the title, in this part of the world fall has arrived. With all its rich and yummy colors from persimmon to sunset to saffron, it’s that orange time of year. In recognition of the ruling color, here are a few fountain pen inks from my collection.

Don’t take these scans as true representations of the colors but rather as relative comparisons. Orange proved to be a real challenge to get right.

Orange Ink Swatches

And a few writing samples…

Iroshizuku yu-yake

J. Herbin Orange Indien

Iroshizuku fuyu-gaki

Private Reserve Orange Crush

The Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal Showdown

Many journal devotees would agree the Moleskine A6 journal has cachet to spare. So can a newcomer called the Rhodia Webnotebook (a/k/a The Webbie) best it? With certainty in one key category it does but is it enough to make you switch?

Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal

When it comes to form, Moleskine is exactly what a journal ought to be. The cover is thin but sturdy, the perfect little black book. The ribbon marker is durable enough and the pocket tucked inside the back cover is convenient for all manner of uses. The elastic band closure fits just right and helps keep goodies tucked tidily between the pages. The cream colored pages with pale gray lines are easy on the eyes and discreet. The Moleskine is a classy-looking journal in every respect.

The Rhodia Webnotebook is similar and certainly gives more than a nod to the venerable Moleskine. Unfortunately, it misses in some small ways but puts the Moleskine to shame in the most important one. More later about that.

Addressing form differences first, the Rhodia cover is thicker, sturdy, rigid, and smooth. The elastic band is tight and left permanent indentations on the front and back covers of the sample I received from Exaclair. There is a pocket attached to the back cover just like the Mole.  The inside cover is black with no place to write a name or offer a reward should the journal meet with misfortune. This omission could easily be remedied with a bookplate sticker. The Rhodia does not initially lie perfectly flat like the Moleskine but with use the spine will relax enough to make that less an issue.

The paper is a whole ‘nother subject and in this the Rhodia excels. The images tell the story. The Moleskine paper feathers in places with fountain pen ink but does well with pencil, gel pens, roller balls, and Sharpie Pens (not markers). There is show-through and bleed-through from every fountain pen I used. As one would expect, the finest nibs worked best. Although I didn’t have them on hand to test today, Noodler’s Black or Legal Lapis in a dry Parker ‘51′ extra-fine are the best fountain pen and ink duos I’ve ever found for a Moleskine. The Pilot Prera fine nib tested best of the lot this time.

Moleskine Journal - Front

Moleskine Journal - Reverse

Now for the challenger. The darker cream/gray lined Rhodia paper is thicker, smoother, and absolutely loved nearly everything I threw at it. Finally, double-sided writing is feasible in a small, black journal. No feathering, no bleed-through except with a Sharpie Marker and only the very faintest show-through with anything else.

Prefer fountain pens? This is a match made in heaven at least with the new 90g version. Depending on the ink and pen, drying time can be longer than with the Moleskine but I think it is worth the few-second wait. A piece of blotter paper should eliminate any smearing if that is a concern.

Rhodia Webnotebook - Front

Rhodia Webnotebook - Reverse

For anything but fountain pens, both the Moleskine and the Rhodia work well. The Sharpie Pen was particularly nice. It didn’t even leave an indentation. For compatibility with fountain pen ink though, the Rhodia Webnotebook easily came out tops. Every pen on my desk worked well including the stub and the free-flowing cursive italic, just the sort of versatility that is perfect for an inkophile.

Update: One of the comments below states that the line spacing is larger in the Webnotebook. A side by side comparison of the 9 x 14 cm sized journals used in my test showed no difference between the two.

Note: Another Rhodia Webnotebook review at Rhodia Drive.

A Broad Meets J. Herbin Bleu Nuit

Finally got my hands on a broad nib for that promised test with J. Herbin Bleu Nuit. What a difference a wet ‘B’ nib can make! Not sure yet if it’s true love or a sweet fling but it’s going to be fun figuring it out.

J. Herbin Bleu Nuit

More about this subject at Fountain Pen Network.

Iroshizuku’s New Autumn Inks

If you haven’t seen the latest Pilot Iroshizuku colors, it’s likely at least one of them will suit your ink wardrobe for the coming change of season. Fellow pen and ink addict Phthalo was kind enough to send samples recently and it has been a pleasure to slowly work through them.

Yama-guri is a deep neutral brown conservative enough for business and dark enough to be a replacement for black. Tsukushi is a medium brown with a hint of red and a little shading even from a fine nib. It looks promising for flex writing or even a spin with a chunky broad nib. Think dark chocolate versus milk chocolate to grasp the difference between the two browns.

Fuyu-gaki is an eye-popping red-orange/vermilion. It reminds me of Halloween jelly beans and could be a tasty substitute for red if you are an inkophile who likes to change things up a bit.

The new autumn colors are already on the market and can be purchased from Jet Pens amongst other outlets. So grab one or two and be properly dressed for the new season which I have on good authority will arrive in due course. Promise!

Iroshizuku Autumn Inks on Rhodia Paper

Time for a Purple Fix

Do you have days when color rules your choices? Even if it’s black ink in a black pen, a harmonious duo can be just the thing to set the right tone for your day. Not that a vibrant contrast doesn’t have its place. Think vivid orange in a black pen or true green in a yellow pen. These combinations are lively and make writing fun. However, there are days when I just want my tools to be an extension of thought rather than a statement of fashion. This week I needed purple.

Why purple? It combines the stability of blue with the vigor of red and is associated with creativity and magic, all good stuff for a writer. Since I only own two purple pens, one of which could pass for silver and has never been inked, the choice was easy.

Levenger True Writer in Periwinkle

Levenger discontinued the periwinkle version of its True Writer some time ago so I was fortunate to acquire one from a private seller. Because it has so many shades of purple in its marbled barrel, including at its darkest what passes for a blue-black, this TW works with a variety of inks. The smooth medium nib may not add anything to my penmanship but it is very easy on my hand so I can write longer at a session.

Pen in hand I browsed though my swatches for an ink with just the right color and characteristics. The two most likely candidates were J. Herbin Violette Pensée and Diamine Violet. For a change of pace, I opted for the Diamine though the colors are nearly identical.

Diamine Violet

So for days I’ve been enjoying my purple fix especially on Rhodia grid paper and in an Apica 6A10 journal. How about you? What inky duo made you happy this past week?

Arabian Rose, A Tasty Leftover

Yesterday a big box of goodies arrived, leftovers from reviews by BiffyBeans. Pretty cool, eh?

No question about which ink to try first since Private Reserve Arabian Rose has been on my list for at least a year. So ink in hand I took a quick look through the pen box. I am not a big fan of demo pens, the clear ones that let you see the cartridge or converter. Often they look messy with ink in wrong places. But for purple I will make an exception and chose a Lamy Vista with a 1.1 italic nib.

The longer I use this ink the better I like it. Depending on the light, it can appear dark reddish purple, magenta or even burgundy. On this page of purples at Wikipedia, Arabian Rose most closely matches tyrian or imperial purple. It is also in the colors of this Angel Rose Viola.

Have a look at my initial notes scanned below. As the writing test progressed, Arabian Rose lightened just a tad to its true color and revealed some nice if inconsistent shading. Drying time is typical for a rather saturated ink but not awful. Expect three to five seconds with a very fine, dry nib but significantly longer with a wide, wet nib like the Lamy italic.

Purple may not be appropriate for a staid business environment but it is lovely for personal use. Speaking of which it’s time to write a thank you for a sweet Japanese notebook I received recently. Hope Arabian Rose suits the recipient since I’ve got plenty left in the converter and a pen just itching to go to work.

Private Reserve Arabian Rose

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche

Aqua and turquoise inks can fight with paper color and make the ink like seem a separate, free-floating element. In the past five years, I’ve probably used fewer than five fills of aqua. For an inkophile that is downright pathetic. Then came the opportunity to request another ink from Karen at Exaclair, so I opted for Bleu Pervenche after reading what Biffybeans had to say about it.

Finally an aqua blue with a little clarity and softness! Bleu Pervenche in English means Blue Periwinkle and whether named for the snail or the flower, it is a lovely color that balances blue and green without a hint of red.

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche on Rhodia Paper

Its closest competitors are Lamy Turquoise, Diamine Aqua Blue, Rohrer & Klingner Blue Mare, Diamine Turquoise, and Waterman South Sea Blue. Color-wise Lamy Turquoise is a near match though it would take a good eye to see the variations between any of these inks. The biggest difference is in translucency and saturation and this is what sets Bleu Pervenche apart from the pack.

J. Herbin excels at creating soft, watercolor-like inks that evoke the sun-bleached tones of summer. Bleu Pervenche is a perfect example of that skill. With an eyedropper tool and a few calculations, it turns out that Herbin’s version of aqua is about ten percent less saturated and that is what produces the translucency. The result is that the color of the paper shows through ever so slightly modifying the ink to blend better with the overall tone of its background. So white paper produces a clear aqua color while cream paper makes Bleu Pervenche look more saturated, darker, and closer to turquoise. Two ink colors in one bottle is definitely good value.

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche on Original Crown Mill Cream Laid Paper

In addition its drying time is average and  shading quite good even with a very fine nib like my Sailor 1911 H-F. Bleu Pervenche would be wonderful for a happy letter, thank you note, or a lively journal entry. The only question that remains is which way to use it first…

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche

Diamine Sepia Meets a Lamy Vista

Diamine Sepia is a unique color that comes and goes in my favor. However, the shading and outlining characteristics are some of the best in inkdom with the right pen and paper. Wide nibs show it off best so when my new Lamy Vista 1.1mm italic nib was looking for a little company, Sepia sidled off the shelf hoping for a little fun. Being in an accommodating mood, I gave the pen and ink a little quality time together first with Staples Eco-Friendly (bagasse) and then Rhodia paper. The images are unretouched so you can see how the color differs from paper to paper. Which one do you prefer?

Diamine Sepia on Bagasse Paper

Diamine Sepia on Rhodia Paper

On My Desk – 2008/09/27

Variety makes life interesting so now that summer is over, my desk is back to it’s old tricks, collecting pens and cluttering this tiny piece of real estate. There are a number of additional pens inked but they are in a drawer ready to produce a spot of color where needed. Really, isn’t nine at one time enough?

• Lamy Al-Star EF with Diamine Teal
• Lamy Al-Star EF with Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-ro
• Lamy Al-Star EF with Sailor Red-Brown
• Levenger True Writer with Diamine Golden Brown
• Pilot Socrates F with Diamine Kelly Green
• Pilot Namiki Falcon SF with Herbin Larmes de Cassis
• Platinum Pocket Pen F with Platinum Black cartridge
• Sailor 1911 F with Herbin Vert Empire
• Sailor Sapporo F with Noodler’s Legal Lapis

My paper supply rarely changes consisting of HP Inkjet 24#, HP Laser Jet #32, Rhodia lined pads, Exacompta Black Block and an Apica 6A10 Notebook as a daily journal. My “To Do” list goes in a Notebound 7 in x 5 in spiral notebook. The size allows for plenty of notes but still easily fits in my handbag. These notebooks are available in markets, pharmacies and office supply chains but the paper is too inconsistent to recommend. Good stuff is good but the bad is useless for fountain pens demonstrating excessive feathering and bleed through. It’s great for pencils or roller balls if you are willing to compromise.