Fountain pen inks reviews and comparisons

Citrus Black is one of the inks from the Platinum Classic ink series. A beautiful color-shifting iron gall ink that really stands out. When first applied to the paper it is a retina-destroying yellow, but then the oxidation of the iron used quickly makes the ink change into a darker color that resembles more olive green than citrus fruit in my opinion. But the name  maybe comes from the initial yellow which is not unlike a lemon. I had to get used to this color, but it works really well. Definitely an eye catcher in the office and unusual but perfect for personal correspondence.  The video below shows how it shifts colors on paper.  The ink itself is a bit dry when writing, but very well behaved. A (wide) wet nib is recommended for both the color and ease of writing. Shading is beautiful and heavy, there is no feathering,  negligible show-through and drying times are reasonable. As a true iron gall ink, this ink can take a bit of water.  It's hard to compare thi...

Last month I had my first encounter with KWZ Ink. My impressions of the iron gall inks was mixed: the iron gall green #3 I really liked, the iron gall red #3 a lot less. The IG turquoise is the third iron gall KWZ Ink I tried. Fresh on the paper and in the bottle it might look like a turquoise, within seconds it's far more dark and in my opinion this is more a teal than a turquoise. A modest, nice color for both professional or personal purposes.  The ink is well behaved, a bit more prone to feathering than other KWZ inks than expected. Shading is low to moderate, show-through minimal. The ink is not too wet, writes smoothly and drying times only a bit above average. Water resistance is OK, be quick and there won't be too much damage. The color is not unlike Iroshizuku's Tsuki-yo. Both are more blue than Emeraude de Chivor (Herbin) and Syo-ro (Iroshizuku). All is all this is a decent ink in a nice modest color, for a good price. There is only one problem,...

The iron gall Blue #2 ink is the third ink I bought from KWZ inks, handmade inks from  Poland. KWZ is a brand with a lot of modern iron gall inks in their collection. I am a huge fan of their IG Green #3  and a lot less of their IG Red #3 . So I was definitely curious of this blue. Being a dark blue (especially when dry), you can't really go wrong. Perfect for office use, suitable for personal correspondence and notes. It is a solid, serious color. Personal writings should match that.  The ink is well behaved, feathering and show-through are negligible, the ink writes smooth enough and drying times are acceptable with just over 30 seconds. Shading is moderate at most, but beautiful with a broad or stub nib. The water resistance is quite good, the ink can take water for a long time and still remain legible. A lot more susceptible to water than the traditional iron galls, but good enough. I have used this ink in a TWSBI with a stub nib, a Lamy with a medium nib, and ...

My recent buy of the KWZ inks  got me interested again in Iron Gall inks. Years ago I had a bottle of P.W. Akkerman's iron gall ink (in Dutch: IJzer-galnoten) but never replaced it. The bottle itself is amazing. Practical because of the reservoir (sealed off with a marble) on top and a gem on every bookshelf. The ink itself is a very sturdy and practical blue-black ink (but definitely grayish too when dry. It is perfect for the office, but there is no reason not to use it for personal notes or letters as well. The color may not be very vibrant or cheerful, but it's a good, solid, beautiful ink. The ink is a bit dry, but behaves extremely well. Writing is smooth. No feathering, decent shading, minimal show-through. Drying time on Crown Mill Vellum paper is less than 15 seconds, fast! This iron gall ink definitely has registrar qualities, it is not afraid of water. You don't even see on the grid where I dropped water. And a separate two hour soak-in-a-cup test di...

Yesterday I wrote a review on KWZ's beautiful IG Green #3 . Today's review is of a red from the same brand, iron gall red #3.  The ink is very well behaved, no feathering or show-through, well lubricated and drying faster than average (little less than 25 secs). Shading is moderate. The water resistance is quite good, the ink can take some water and still remain legible. I have used this ink in a TWSBI with a broad nib, a TWSBI with stub nib and with an oblique 1mm tape nib. With all these pens the ink behaved perfectly on Original Crown Mill Vellum paper. On copy paper KWZ IG feathers a little bit and there is significant show-through, but the ink is suitable for use on cheaper papers as well. IG Red #3 is suited for long (work) notes or letters and doesn't strain the eyes. That makes it suitable for a lot of different uses. Like every IG ink this one darkens (a lot) when dry. The effect is in this color is so big you can literally see it change when writ...

Earlier this week I came across the handmade iron gall inks by Polish brand KWZ. Beautiful colors, not the typical iron gall colors purple-black or brown-black. Reading a bit further I learned their inks don't contain the strong mineral acids like sulfuric acid, but use a more friendly formula. I ordered two colors IG Red #3 and IG Green #3; this is obviously a review of the green color.  Green #3 is a beautiful dark green. The use of green in the office is a debate I referenced to in the Lierre Sauvage review , I will keep it out of this review. In my opinion this color is very well suited for work notes, personal notes, and any other personal correspondence.  The ink is very well behaved, no feathering or show-through, well lubricated and drying faster than average. The green is dark and bright. Shading in this ink is extremely beautiful. The water resistance is not bad, the ink can take a few drops. I have used this ink in a TWSBI with a broad nib, a TWSBI...