Ink Review: Platinum Mix-Free Sunny Yellow

May 30, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Platinum Mix-Free Sunny Yellow - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Pilot Metropolitan (M)
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: low to medium
Flow: medium
Dry Time: 8 seconds

I'd heard a lot about the Platinum line of inks, but hadn't had the opportunity to try one yet. Luckily, Goulet Pens always comes through with new and interesting inks to try in their Ink Drops. Platinum Mix-Free Sunny Yellow is an ink that is specifically designed to be mixed with any of its sister inks in the Mix-Free line. I'd heard that there was some confusion around the name "Mix-Free" because some folks took that to mean that it *shouldn't* be mixed, when in fact it's just a somewhat poor translation of the term "mix freely."

The other inks in the mix free line include pretty much every color of the rainbow, along with black, to give you free reign to create any color that you wish. Platinum has a nice little chart that shows what a 1:1 mixture of any of the inks will look like. I wouldn't mind trying this out one day just to see what kind of results I can get. To date, I've only mixed one ink - the Pen Addict "Scabix" mix of Rohrer & Klingner Salix and Scabiosa. That result was awesome, so I can only imagine what kind of fun a full rainbow of colors could be.

Sunny Yellow is a pretty basic yellow (likely because it's meant to be mixed), but I was surprised by the shading that the ink gives. I expected the Mix-Free line to be pretty muted and dull, like a lot of the pen manufacturer inks are - but surprisingly it was anything but that. I'm not even a huge fan of yellow, but if I were I could see myself using this as a stand-alone ink.

Along with a good bit of shading, the ink flows really well from a medium nib. It's not hugely saturated, but from what I've experienced, most yellows and oranges aren't. It has a very decent dry time at 8 seconds as well.

As you can see from the swabs, Sunny Yellow almost exactly matches De Atramentis Mahatma Ghandi in swab form. On paper, Mahatma Ghandi is slightly different in that it doesn't shade nearly as well, and is a little more neon and "glowy" on the page.

I think Sunny Yellow has prompted me to give the Platinum Mix free inks a try. Goulet sells a sample kit of those inks, so I might give them a try. If you're interested in a bottle of Sunny Yellow, you can pick up a 60mL bottle for $20. Definitely not cheap by any means, but you do get a decent volume. I would probably try the samples first to get an idea of what colors you want to mix, and then spring for the bottles.

Ink Review: Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses

May 28, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 20 seconds

The name 'Black Swan in English Roses' is one of the coolest ink names I've seen. One thing that Nathan Tardiff of Noodler's doesn't lack is creativity, and that shows in this second May Ink Drop sample from Goulet.

Black Swan in English Roses is a deep cherry red that quite aptly resembles the pedal of a red English Rose. What I love about this ink is that it doesn't sway maroon or pink, but is a true deep red. Being a Noodlers, is it very saturated and wet flowing, making it rich and eye-catching on the page.

There is quite a bit of shading with my 1.1 stub, which adds to this ink's character. Dry time was a bit on the high side, though not terrible at 20 seconds. With a regular F nib, it is right around 11 seconds. Aside from the ink's awesome deep red color, it is also partially bulletproof, completely forgery resistant, and also partially waterproof.

Compared to some of my other red ink swabs, Black Swan in English Roses most closely resembles Noodler's Antietam, with Diamine Oxblood in close second. It a bit dustier in swab form, but shows up more brightly on paper.

I really enjoyed Black Swan in English Roses. I think I would prefer this color over its sister ink, Black Swan in Australian Roses - an ink which has been surrounded by a bit of controversy when it's color formula was changed. The bulletproof and forge-resistant properties are another big draw. If you're interested in a bottle for yourself, you can pick it up for $12.50 from Goulet or similar retailers.

Ink Review: De Atramentis Hyacinth (Scented)

May 26, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

De Atramentis Hyacinth (scented) - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 30 seconds w/1.1 stub; about 15 for a F

Once again, De Atramentis has wowed me with another one of their inks. This time, it is 'Hyacinth,' which is from their line of scented fountain pen inks. It was included in the May 2015 Goulet Ink Drop, which was themed "Wake Up and Smell the Roses." An apt theme for this pollen-filled time of year.

Hyacinth is an amazingly bright and brilliant royal blue, that smells as if you've been walking through a flower shop filled with fresh flowers of the same name. The color is such a brilliant blue, that I believe it would be a very suitable replacement for the ever-controversial Noodler's Baystate Blue. The scent is very noticeable when writing and makes for a really pleasant experience. Unfortunately, once the ink has been on the paper for a short while, the scent slowly fades; so it's meant mainly for the enjoyment of the writer and not the recipient of the letter.

The ink behaves quite well, as I've seen with most all of the De Atramentis inks I've used thus far. This royal blue really pops off the page at you and even gives a bit of a red halo with heavier writing pens. It doesn't have a ton of shading, but there is some. Saturation is nice and high, which I really like, and the ink flows wet. Dry time with my Lamy 1.1 stub was fairly high at 30 seconds, though not terrible for a stub. For a regular F nib, it's about 15 seconds.

In comparison to other blue inks I have used (which are few currently), the closest in color is Lamy blue. Keep in mind though, that this ink is worlds over more saturated and bright than Lamy blue, but the shade is fairly close.

This ink has inspired me to try more of the De Atramentis scented inks - if you have any suggestions please hit me up via Twitter, the comments below or the contact form. I honestly just don't use a lot of blue inks, but if I were to use a blue that wasn't a blue-black, it would be something like Hyacinth. The ink just pops out at you which is nice to see, and De Atramentis' standard line of inks are very easily maintained. If you're interested in a bottle for yourself you can pick it up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.95.

Thanks for reading!
Lori

Pen Review: Kaweco Student

May 23, 2015 by Lori Beck in Pen Review

Kaweco Student - Black (F)
Length capped: 129mm/5"
Length posted: 161mm/6.3"
Length unposted: 120mm/4.7"
Weight with cartridge: 24.9g
Pros: Nice weight, very cool design, sturdiness, smooth nib
Cons: Blemish on the finish, section is a little thin and slick

When I ran the giveaway on the blog a week or so ago, I was surprised to notice that a lot of people had listed their favorite pen as the Kaweco Student. I was most familiar with the Sport line of Kaweco pens, and hadn't really heard of the Student before then. I headed over to Pen Chalet to check it out and was immediately drawn to the cool vintage look. It was nice to see a full-sized pen in the Kaweco lineup as well. There were several colors to choose from, but I ultimately chose the black.

I received the pen a couple of days later and I was happy to see the pen shipped with a large size Kaweco tin - I really love the vintage look and feel of those tins. Pro tip: they make a great storage box for extra ink cartridges, ink samples or even extra pens! The pen came with a Kaweco blue standard international short cartridge, or can take the Kaweco standard international converter.

Love that Kaweco logo

I ordered my pen with the Fine nib and it was very smooth. I have noticed that it does have some occasional starting issues, which I think will easily be remedied with a few passes on some micro mesh. I've had other Kaweco nibs that have been perfect out of the box, so I think this specific one may have been a one-off. The pen has some weight to it, but isn't too heavy which I like. The section is a slick aluminum and is tapered and then flares back out. I find it to be a little thin for long writing sessions, especially if you tend to grip your pen tightly like I do. For short writing sessions, it actually feels really nice. I know a lot of folks have issues with metal grip sections because they can tend to be slick, so that is worth noting if that's a concern for you; for me, it didn't seem to be a problem.

One flaw that I did notice with the pen was that there was a pretty clear blemish on the cap just above the center band. I attempted to scrape it off with my nail because I thought it might have just been something sticky, but it stayed put. This may not bother most folks, but for a new pen I'd want it to be flawless.

I was very impressed with the Kaweco Student. I expected it to be very lightweight, but it really feels like a nice expensive pen. For $60 at Pen Chalet, I would definitely recommend it; especially if the smaller Kaweco pens don't suit you. Readers of The Desk can use promo code DESKOFLORI for an additional 10% off any purchase!

(Pen Chalet has provided this product at no charge to The Desk for the purpose of review. Thank you so much to Ron and Pen Chalet for sponsoring this review! My opinions are honest and without bias - visit the About Me page for more details).