Fountain Pen Day Giveaway - Winner!

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I am once again humbled for the turnout for this giveaway - almost 300 entries!  Thank you all so much for your readership, and I hope you had an awesome Fountain Pen Day!

The winner is.......

UPDATE:  Mary did not claim her prize, so I've drawn a new winner - Brian S!  Brian, keep an eye on your email - I'll be reaching out to you to notify you that you've won!

Congratulations Mary!  Mary spent Fountain Pen Day inking up her new Lamy 2000 (love that pen).  Keep an eye on your email for a message from me - get your address to me by next Friday!  Thanks so much to everyone else for participating - I'll do another giveaway soon!

Ink Review: Faber-Castell Garnet Red

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Graf von Faber-Castell Garnet Red
Pen: Lamy Safari (M)
Paper: Rhodia 80gsm Dotpad
Shading: high
Saturation: low-moderate
Flow: good flow
Dry Time: 15 seconds

Faber-Castell is a company that has been around since 1761, and is one of the oldest manufacturers of writing utensils and supplies in the world.  If you've been around your local hobby store recently, you've probably noticed their name on non-fountain pen tools such as colored pencils, erasers, india inks, etc.  Fountain pens and inks are just a small portion of their business, but if this ink is any indication, they're definitely doing something right.

Faber-Castell Garnet is the second ink in their line that I've used.  So far they've yet to disappoint me.  A nice mid-burgundy color, Garnet is an amazing shading ink.  Even with the folded nib, the ink displays an amazing variation in saturation and color, which really appealed to me.  On typical fountain-pen-friendly papers, it failed to feather or bleedthrough at all, and the dry time was respectable for a medium nib at 15 seconds.

One of the best things about this color, is how unique the shade is.  Though I haven't used a ton of burgundy inks, I really couldn't find anything close to this color.  De Atramentis William Shakespeare and Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses were closest in my collection. 

Chromatography was typical of most pinks & reds, with mostly a magenta color.  There is a yellow spot where the swab started, with a tiny bit of purplish color at the bottom.

Although I don't typically gravitate towards inks of this color, I really enjoyed using this one.  The shading really makes it pop on the page, especially when used with the folded nib.  I really think I'll have to try out some more Faber-Castell inks in the future.  If you're planning on giving them a try, you may want to pick up a sample first, as the bottles sell for $30 for 75mL.  For the size, it's not too bad at all, but it is a big investment and a lot of ink if you decide you aren't a fan of the color.  Let me know in the comments what your favorite Faber-Castell ink is!

Thanks for reading!
- Lori

Ink Review: Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey

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Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey
Pen: Kaweco Skyline
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

I stumbled upon the #1 ink in the Perfect Grey Ink countdown without really looking for a better grey than I already had.  I was already perfectly satisfied with Diamine Grey when I decided I wanted to pick up a Kaweco Skyline pen.  I knew that I wouldn't have a suitable converter for that pen, so I decided to grab some ink cartridges for it.  I went to Goulet's site and did a search for standard international cartridges.  I noticed Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey, and decided it would go well with my grey Skyline Sport.

When I got my Skyline, I popped in a cartridge and began writing and couldn't believe how much I loved Stone Grey.  It is slightly warmer in tone than Diamine grey and something about it just stood out to me.  I loved the shading, the tone and how well it behaved.  I didn't have the feathering issues I'd had with Lexington Grey, yet the color was extremely close.  Dry time is right in the middle of all the inks I tested at 6 seconds with an EF nib.

If there is a downside to this ink, it is the price.  At Goulet, a 75mL bottle is $30.  Though, as much as I love this ink, I am willing to pay it.  Especially since you get such a big bottle.  The bottle design is awesome as well, so as soon as I run out of my cartridges, I'll be picking one up.

I hope you enjoyed the countdown!  Let me know in the comments or on Twitter what your favorite ink is, grey or otherwise!