Mystery Ink Sample

[Laura N]

FPG friends,

Klpeabody and I thought it would be fun to send a mystery ink sample to a few ink fans willing to evaluate it and write about their impressions in this thread. It’s mostly for fun, and to try something a little “outside of the box,” but it’s also an experiment. Looking at our own ink purchases, we wonder if we don’t approach a new ink with preconceptions based on marketing, brand, scarcity, internet hype, comments by reviewers, photos or scans, etc. And would we have different reactions to an ink we know nothing about? Would we like it more or less? Things like that.

It’s not intended as any sort of test, or to see who can guess the ink. We just want to see what people think about an ink with no preconceptions at all. Again, just for fun.

Here’s what we will do: We’ll send, at our expense, a standard size sample (about 2 ml) of the ink to a few folks who think it would be fun. It won’t be a notoriously high maintenance or controversial ink. Of course, any ink is used with some risk, and so we would counsel normal discretion, as with any new ink.

The first mystery ink is one that neither of us has tried, and that seems to receive mixed reactions. We chose it because we thought it might lead to an interesting discussion.

We already have a few FPG members who have kindly volunteered. If you’d like to participate, please post here. Tell us where you live (just the state or country) and why you’d like to get the mystery ink sample, so we can pick a few more participants. We are aiming for perhaps five or six participants this first time. But we have no idea if anyone will want to do it, or how many, so we’ll see how it goes. If people enjoy the idea and the experience, we’ll do it again.

Our only “rule” is that if you participate, we’d like you to put the ink into use relatively quickly and agree to contribute your reactions and impressions to this thread. You don’t need to write a formal or lengthy review at all — just a conversation.

[migo984]

I'd like to participate. I have a lot* of inks, & keep buying more, but don't always evaluate them or consider how they are different to others I already have. This would make me think about the properties of the ink I'm sampling. And it'd be fun.

I'm in the UK.

migo984

*c. 170 bottles.

[Cob]

I cannot hope to compete with Migo (who could?) but I'd be happy to take part - if you don't mind sending to England.

Best wishes and thanks for a great idea.

Cob

[Neo]

That sounds like fun.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Sounds interesting. I can has?

[VertOlive]

I'd like to take part! I love messing about with inks and would be happy to be part of the conversation. I'm in Michigan.

For what it's worth, I have yet to see Kenshin unable to identify the inks in my letters...:rolleyes:

[Chrissy]

I would love to have a go at this, but I'm also in England. So if you don't need any more Brits I will understand.

It would be great to try out and evaluate any ink without preconceptions about it's branding or popularity

[Laura N]

Fantastic, and thank you all for the responses so far. We are very excited. Ink fans are the best. Because we already had a few early volunteers, I think we are inclined right now to try to limit this first mystery ink sample to the first three posters. So, Cob, please PM me your address. I believe I already have addresses for migo984 and Neo.

But we don't want to leave anyone out, and we'd love to hear everyone's opinions. What we're thinking is, if we can find a few more people who want to participate, we'll send out a second mystery ink. So let's see if we can scare up some more mystery ink fans among FPG members. :) Again, it is great when posters indicate generally where they live, if it's not in their profile, and why they are interested. The first helps us plan shipping, and the second is fun to read.

If we can't find enough for a second ink, we'll just do a bigger first run than planned, so we can include Sailor Kenshin, Vert Olive and Chrissy.

The second ink we're thinking of is a good one, too. It might be a more popular ink, in truth. :)

[tandaina]

I'd be willing to blind test. I'm in the Seattle area, Washington, USA.

[Laura N]

Wonderful!

[Crazyorange]

I would love a try at a mystery. My life is so boring....mystery ink could be the perk in the month ;)

[Laura N]

Perfect, then I think we have two full slates of volunteers. If tandaina, Sailor Kenshin and Vert Olive could PM me their addresses, I would be grateful. Watch this space for more information on the second ink.

[klpeabody]

I just wanted to quickly say that I am very encouraged by all of the interest in this idea! I really appreciate everyone's participation. I think this is going to be quite a bit of fun, and I look forward to all of the comments and observations. :)

[Chrissy]

Please can you advise whether I was included or not in the end as you didn't ask for my address? It's probably because you already have it. :)

[sgtstretch]

I'd be interested in this also, if there is a future round at some point.

[klpeabody]

Please can you advise whether I was included or not in the end as you didn't ask for my address? It's probably because you already have it. :)

Hi Chrissy, sorry if it wasn't clear; I believe that everyone who expressed interest prior to Laura's last post from yesterday will be receiving a vial of mystery ink. Due to the number of individuals interested, there will actually be two different groups with two different mystery inks sent. It's my understanding that Laura already has your address. [emoji1]

[Chrissy]

Please can you advise whether I was included or not in the end as you didn't ask for my address? It's probably because you already have it. :)

Hi Chrissy, sorry if it wasn't clear; I believe that everyone who expressed interest prior to Laura's last post from yesterday will be receiving a vial of mystery ink. Due to the number of individuals interested, there will actually be two different groups with two different mystery inks sent. It's my understanding that Laura already has your address. [emoji1]

That's great. :bounce: I just wanted to make sure since I wasn't mentioned in Laura's last mesage, but I was in her previous one

[klpeabody]

I'd be interested in this also, if there is a future round at some point.

Thanks so much for your interest in our little project. I think we plan to do more of these, provided that there is ongoing interest, of course.

[Laura N]

Thank you. I have everyone's addresses who volunteered in the first 11 posts. Sorry for any confusion; family emergency here. Assuming all goes well, I should be able to ship this week. We are looking forward to it!

[Laura N]

Alright, I just mailed the UK inks off today. Those are going to migo984, Cob and Chrissy. Because international mail takes longer, I am glad I could give those packages a slight head start. :)

[Laura N]

Just to update everyone, I mailed all the other packages today -- eight to the US and one to Europe.

[klpeabody]

Just to update everyone, I mailed all the other packages today -- eight to the US and one to Europe.

Thanks so much for all of your work, Laura.

[klpeabody]

Now that the samples have mailed, Laura and I wanted to remind you that some folks will be receiving their sample later than others. So, in order to preserve the surprise for those who may not receive their sample as quickly, even if you think you know which ink this is, please don’t mention possible names until everyone has had a chance to try it. That allows every participant to experience the sample with an open mind and with no preconceptions. We are not trying to stifle anyone's fun, or creativity. But, one thing we are seeking after is the pursuit of open mindedness -looking at the mystery sample as if with a "fresh pair of eyes"- and what happens when we exercise that.
:hippie:

I think we disclosed early on that neither Laura nor I have used this ink before, and we chose ink that was not at the top of our "want list". Thus, it's an "outside the comfort zone" experience for us as well, as we set aside our biases and preferences in exchange for objectivity.

Ultimately, not all of you will rush to buy a bottle of your mystery ink. We know this, and we are not looking for a love fest; just some candid discussion about how you sampled it, what your thoughts were before sampling, and after. As always, photos are a most welcome contribution. (This wouldn't be a bona fide ink discussion without pics, would it? :)) And, of course, we really want to know what your final conclusions are about the ink you received.

We are really looking forward to hearing what each of you have to say. Most importantly, we hope that you have fun with this.

[Laura N]

And just to keep track, here is a list of participants.

Mystery Ink No. 1:

migo984
Cob
Neo
jde
reprieve
Tracy Lee

Mystery Ink No. 2:

Plume145
Sailor Kenshin
VertOlive
Chrissy
tandaina
Crazyorange

[Jon Szanto]

Well, I certainly picked a great time to be out of the loop! :(

[tandaina]

Yay! Can't wait for it to get here.

[Chrissy]

Thanks Laura, I'm really looking forward to doing this.

[Cob]

Yes, thank you Laura, such an excellent scheme.

And of course it is especially welcome to have something to look forward to in January other than bills.

Cob

[Crazyorange]

You know your a geek when getting a sample of ink makes your day. :)
Thank you Laura...the excitement builds.

[jde]

... in order to preserve the surprise for those who may not receive their sample as quickly, even if you think you know which ink this is, please don’t mention possible names until everyone has had a chance to try it.


Just to update everyone, I mailed all the other packages today -- eight to the US and one to Europe.

My sample arrived today!

Obtusely asking: are we to post our photos and impressions SANS name-guessing in this thread, at any future time?

Thanks, my dears,
Julie

[Laura N]

Just to update everyone, I mailed all the other packages today -- eight to the US and one to Europe.

My sample arrived today!

Obtusely asking: are we to post our photos and impressions SANS name-guessing in this thread, at any future time?

Thanks, my dears,
Julie

Great!

In answer to your question, yes. Please don't hold back on posting your impressions and thoughts, other than any that purport to name or identify it specifically. It's great to say its color, its characteristics and your opinions positive or negative. Post like a Chicagoan votes: early and often. However, since various participants will receive the samples at different times, we just think it would be kinder for people not propound any guesses about the ink's brand or name until everyone's had a chance to experience the ink without knowing its identity.

So, something like this is fantastic: "I am not a blue ink person anyway, but I gave it a go, and after I have used it in three different pens I have to say that my opinion has changed from slight indifference to outright dislike. On the plus side, it is polite and inoffensive. On the minus side, it is dull. And it is blue. Who likes blue ink? I have tried to work with it, but I find that in every pen it ...."

While this is less than ideal: "Oh my gosh I have a bottle of this already, and it is Noodler's H8r.*"

*Not a real ink.

[tandaina]

Just to update everyone, I mailed all the other packages today -- eight to the US and one to Europe.

My sample arrived today!

Obtusely asking: are we to post our photos and impressions SANS name-guessing in this thread, at any future time?

Thanks, my dears,
Julie

Great!

In answer to your question, yes. Please don't hold back on posting your impressions and thoughts, other than any that purport to name or identify it specifically. It's great to say its color, its characteristics and your opinions positive or negative. Post like a Chicagoan votes: early and often. However, since various participants will receive the samples at different times, we just think it would be kinder for people not propound any guesses about the ink's brand or name until everyone's had a chance to experience the ink without knowing its identity.

So, something like this is fantastic: "I am not a blue ink person anyway, but I gave it a go, and after I have used it in three different pens I have to say that my opinion has changed from slight indifference to outright dislike. On the plus side, it is polite and inoffensive. On the minus side, it is dull. And it is blue. Who likes blue ink? I have tried to work with it, but I find that in every pen it ...."

While this is less than ideal: "Oh my gosh I have a bottle of this already, and it is Noodler's H8r.*"

*Not a real ink.

No, but it should be. ;)

[VertOlive]

I'm already having fun, even before I've gotten the ink. But then, I'm easy.

[Chrissy]

I'm already having fun, even before I've gotten the ink. But then, I'm easy.

Yes me too. I have been trying to mix up a good copy of Montblanc Racing Green. I was mixing ink made from green and black powder samples from the US. Today, I ended up cleaning spots of black ink off the carpet....

[Laura N]

I'm already having fun, even before I've gotten the ink. But then, I'm easy.

And you should have gotten it, since you are so close. Hmmph.

Well, next time it goes by Uber helicopter.

[Silverbreeze]

One of my pen pals is just 30 mins away. Any packages circle for a day through NJ (not needed) to get to her FYI

[Crazyorange]

One of my pen pals is just 30 mins away. Any packages circle for a day through NJ (not needed) to get to her FYI

So close but so far away........

[Neo]

One of my pen pals is just 30 mins away. Any packages circle for a day through NJ (not needed) to get to her FYI

So close but so far away........

So the shortest line between two points is circular as per the USPS?

[Crazyorange]

Yup....I live about 30 miles away from silverbreeze. And the letters go to NJ, which is way over 50 miles away. Baffled[emoji53]

[Silverbreeze]

One of my pen pals is just 30 mins away. Any packages circle for a day through NJ (not needed) to get to her FYI

So close but so far away........

Pokes

[Laura N]

I think in our case it was probably the snow.

Sigh.

[VertOlive]

Ink #2 arrived this evening!

[Laura N]

^^ Yes!

No need for the Uber helicopter after all.

[Crazyorange]

Well the excitement has entered my boring life....a little bottle of ink was in the mail box:)
I ripped that sucker apart - faster than lightening. The ink is green. Has a pretty hue in the sunlight. 15585

Besides vert olive from j herbin, green is not my favorite color. Yet, I'm pleasantly surprised, the hue is pleasing.

Of course being impatient I inked up a pen.... I didn't get a change to use it until right now. Please excuse my phone pics and poor lighting. 15586

The green globe is the mystery ink. I believe I like this ink. I need to wait until I see it in the sun for final decisions, but it's a nice green...not too dark or too bright. I have not one clue what it is. I don't own it so not one idea what it is. Beside saying its green, the ink stays a mystery.

Thank you Laura....this fun. :)

[klpeabody]

I love your doodles!!!!! Thanks for posting! And, I'm really that glad you are enjoying it.

Can I be a bugger and ask what paper you use for your doodles? =)
I only ask because I'm a doodler too. Thanks, Crazyorange.

[Crazyorange]

I love your doodles!!!!! Thanks for posting! And, I'm really that glad you are enjoying it.

Can I be a bugger and ask what paper you use for your doodles? =)
I only ask because I'm a doodler too. Thanks, Crazyorange.

Thank you and Laura for the fun:) I hope we can continue doing this. I'm using leuchturm1917. Not my favorite. Ink leeches through the paper. But it's big for my zentangles. 1558715588

[Laura N]

Wow, awesome!

Mystery Ink No. 2 is in the house.

[Neo]

I got my ink #1. Aiming for a review tomorrow.

[klpeabody]

Great! Thanks, and looking forward to your feedback!

[VertOlive]

Five letters out tonight with #2 Mysterious Ink. At the moment, it's in a Monteverdi Prima 1.1 [the address] and a Platinum 3776 Sai with it's narrow M nib [the text]. Written on cream colored Tomoe River paper, a first iPhone shot at the dinner table:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/sparrowe/Mobile%20Uploads/FullSizeRender.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/sparrowe/media/Mobile%20Uploads/FullSizeRender.jpg.html)

[Sailor Kenshin]

Got ink! Scans coming.

This was a great idea! Thanks.


Annnd here's the first:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/16280787781_9af8af0d6a_z.jpg

[Chrissy]

I'm still rushing to see my mail every day. However, I love green ink so I'm pleased I'm in the ink 2 group.

[Neo]

I'm still rushing to see my mail every day. However, I love green ink so I'm pleased I'm in the ink 2 group.

#1 is also green.

[Neo]

Laura and Klpeabody, this was a great idea.
The next bottles are on me if you want to do this again.

[Cob]

Neo,

I do like that green; any chance of a normal size picture - er and the right way up?!

Cob

[jde]

Update Jan 22: Definitely classify this as a high maintenance ink in my world. That's not a "bad" thing; just a quality to be aware of. (If there was a scale of "high maintenance" from 1 to 5, this is maybe a 2 or 3.) Wrote to the end of the ink in my pens. Flushed the ink out using water, and also an ammonia dilution. Then, when it appeared that the nibs were clean, I left my VP/Decimo nib and the Edison Glenmont to leach out overnight. (This learned from MB repair person: with the converter in place, fill with water and set nib section overnight in glass of water.) Next morning, there was lots of green still in the water. And so flushed again w/the ammonia dilution and water routine.

*hiding my eyes so I don't see what else has been posted yet* *OMG, saw other photos! Fabulous!!!*

This'll be image heavy, folks! Mystery Ink #1

First, kudos to Karen & Laura for giving us something constructive and fun to talk about!

Opening the package: hmmmmm, it’s a green! Ut oh, am going to be hard to please! My preference is toward a dark, dark blackish green, and I’ve tried the gamut across the brands. My favorite, Montblanc Racing Green, was discontinued long ago. Most recently, I’ve settled on Sailor Miruai.

Writing with the ink: It’s very silky smooth in all three nibs used. "Silky smooth" is my favorite quality in an ink!

The wettest sample comes from an 18K nib, but all three nibs were well lubricated by this ink. Very nice to write with.

No bleedthrough, but I’m using fine nibs on quality papers. The only real feathering was on a 110# index card.

The dry time wasn’t bad at all.

I did a coffee cup ring test on it. The results were not great, but I've seen much worse.

Also did a paper towel chromatograph. That was illuminating! Always fun to see how an ink separates, ay?

The ink has a neutral smell. I notice these things because smelly Pilot Blue-Black is my daily ink.

The green is complex with shading opportunities for those among us with pretty handwriting.

The ink was delightfully dark in a couple of pens. The color is highly dependent, of course, on what kind of nib is being used with it. I imagine if I’d inked my Platinum Fine nib, the color would just be a neutral green, more light than dark. I say that because of the stock JoWo EF nib I used was less complex than in the two fine-ish stub nibs I used.

Also, uh, I stuck a finger in the empty bottle because I wanted to see how easily the ink washed off my fingers. Water and soap was not enough. Ink Nix was required. About 1% remained on my thumb near the fingernail. Not too bad. (When I flush the pens, I’ll use an ammonia dilution, but then I always do so these days.)

Do I want a whole bottle of this ink? Not really. But then, I’m not looking to replace my Sailor Miruai, and so am not compelled to “have it.” But I’m not opposed to this ink, either. Green is a tough color to pass muster, IMHO. This mystery ink was decent enough for someone who likes dark greens. And it’s smooth! Some inks aren't, ya know.

I tested this ink very unscientifically in three pens that I normally use, 2 converter pens, and an ED: a Pilot Decimo with an 18K .6mm Binder stub and CON-50 converter, an Edison Mina with a steel .9mm Masuyama stub and eyedropper filled, and an Edison Glenmont with a steel stock EF nib. Ink flowed well in all of them, including the ED'd Mina which maybe had 1ml dumped into it.

The papers used were all day to day papers that I use, except for the Rhodia Webbie which serves as an occasional ink journal. The papers:

HP Premium laser 32#- (my primary paper used for DIY notepads/notebooks/stationary
Staples sugar cane 20# copy paper - used for my Chronodex 2015 pages in a Midori TN.
Midori blank refill in the TN.
Rhodia #18 - currently in use for daily writing
Rhodia Webbie - ink journal
110# acid free index card


My suspicions narrow this mystery ink’s brand to three, and I bet I’m wrong! Hope it's a brand I've never tried before. Can’t wait to find out.

Thank you, Laura and Karen! I'm happy to contribute ink/whatnot to any future endeavor.

Looking forward to seeing other photos, and hope someone's using some broad nibs!

https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/inkvial.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/chrom.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/rhodia18.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/hp.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/rhodiawebbie.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/card.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/rhodiarings.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/webbiering2.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/staplesrings.jpg
https://peaceablewriter.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/inkyfingers.jpg

[Cob]

JDE: I cannot imagine being able to compete with your excellent report - I would call it outstanding.

My compliments.

I do like that green - where it's dark - like you I regret the disappearance of Montblanc's Racing Green.

Cob

[sgtstretch]

Ooh, I like ink #1! I does look familiar to a few samples I've tried.

[Laura N]

Ooh, I like ink #1! I does look familiar to a few samples I've tried.

Shhhh. :)

[klpeabody]

Julie, thank you for your awesome review! So thorough! Kudos!

Love the Downton Abbey quote. :cool:

[Laura N]

Julie, thank you for your awesome review! So thorough! Kudos!

Love the Downton Abbey quote. :cool:

Is that another tv show? :)

[klpeabody]

Julie, thank you for your awesome review! So thorough! Kudos!

Love the Downton Abbey quote. :cool:

Is that another tv show? :)

LOL. Yes.
So, I know my tv. just sayin'.
;-)

[reprieve]

Mystery ink #1 arrived today!

I swabbed it and thought "oh, it's a lovely vibrant green!" It's dark, but it's not olive-y. I usually prefer murky olive-y greens (like jde, my favorite green ink was MB Racing Green until its deplorable discontinuance). That said, I'm determined to keep an open mind. The swab went into my ink journal, but you should all be proud to know that I did not flip to the green ink pages to try to match it. I don't want to guess what it is. I just want to see what I think about the ink when I put it in some pens--which is oddly liberating, more so than I expected. And it's fun! :)

I will get to writing tomorrow. I shall report back.

[tandaina]

Bah, mine still hasn't shown up. :(

[Laura N]

Mystery ink #1 arrived today!

I swabbed it and thought "oh, it's a lovely vibrant green!" It's dark, but it's not olive-y. I usually prefer murky olive-y greens (like jde, my favorite green ink was MB Racing Green until its deplorable discontinuance). That said, I'm determined to keep an open mind. The swab went into my ink journal, but you should all be proud to know that I did not flip to the green ink pages to try to match it. I don't want to guess what it is. I just want to see what I think about the ink when I put it in some pens--which is oddly liberating, more so than I expected. And it's fun! :)

I will get to writing tomorrow. I shall report back.

I am so glad you are finding it fun and liberating. That's what we were hoping -- that not knowing what it is (and not choosing it for oneself) might make the process different. And as you say, fun!

[Laura N]

Bah, mine still hasn't shown up. :(

I am bummed by this, however. And also that the UK ones haven't arrived either. I think I'm going to call the Post Office tomorrow, because those are now late. Of course with first class mail, there's no real tracking, but still.

[Chrissy]

I wondered is it all of the UK ones or just me? (and tandaina) :(

[migo984]

Mine's not arrived yet either but a small package I sent to the US has just taken over 2 weeks, first class.

[Cob]

I wondered is it all of the UK ones or just me? (and tandaina) :(

No ink here yet - though a Stormy Grey and a Salamander srrived today with about 98 pens...

Cob

[Laura N]

This is fascinating: Cob's has been "processed through sort facility" in the UK, but Chrissy's and migo's are not listed yet. All three were sent at the exact same time, from the same post office, to the same country, and have the same contents for customs to ponder.

ETA: obviously I am easily fascinated. :)

[Sailor Kenshin]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

[Neo]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....

[Neo]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....


Never mind, different ink, please disregard. :o

[Wrathen]

This sounds like LOADS of fun if you ever need any more people to do bind testing for inks let me know. I live in Northwest Florida in Gulf Breeze. I'm in marketing and have used blind samples for work before and they can be EXTREMELY informative. Brand imagery and name recognition go a long way in purchasing decision. Sometimes marketing dollars spent will determine a produces success or profitability not the actually quality relative to other products in the market space.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....


Really, different ink? Because I've noticed it dries slightly darker. But this wouldn't be called bright green at any stage.

[Neo]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....


Really, different ink? Because I've noticed it dries slightly darker. But this wouldn't be called bright green at any stage.

Yes,I checked the list, I have ink 1 you have ink 2.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....


Really, different ink? Because I've noticed it dries slightly darker. But this wouldn't be called bright green at any stage.

Yes,I checked the list, I have ink 1 you have ink 2.


Thanks.

This is SUCH fun!

[Neo]

Y'know, I didn't see shading to the naked eye, but some is magically appearing in my scan.

I'l post another with further conclusions when I've written a few more pages.

Do you notice that it seems to have an effect of going down bluish but drying bright green? unless it's a trick of the light in here....

The effect mentioned above was near a source of natural light, under artificial light I do not notice that effect. However there seems to be a little difference in the shade of green depending on if a fine or medium nib is used. The notebook is from Apica.

[VertOlive]

Further thoughts on #2: It goes on wet and smooth, even in my stingy 3776 Sai. It looks like generic "Pine Green" or "Park Bench Green" while wet, but dries to something more intetesting like an olive of some sort. Next, I need to try it on truly white paper instead of cream.

Wish I knew how to scan better.

Our work here is not yet done! Onward!

Oh, and huge kudos for all the fun!

[migo984]

I NEED my sample! I WANT some inky fun! This is so frustrating. Hurry up HM Customs......... :crazy_pilot:


Edited at 11.00am: Postie just delivered my ink sample (#1 ink). I'll have a play this afternoon :)

[Chrissy]

This is fascinating: Cob's has been "processed through sort facility" in the UK, but Chrissy's and migo's are not listed yet. All three were sent at the exact same time, from the same post office, to the same country, and have the same contents for customs to ponder.

ETA: obviously I am easily fascinated. :)
Well that's a PITA. :cry: It's par for the course for me though since my InkDrop samples took over a month to get here from Goulet's. I even live in exactly the same County as Cob, so there is no doubt at all that my sample would go to the same airport hub here.

Well, they say patience is a virtue.:blink:

[Cob]

Good morning.

One minute ago my sample came through the door - well not literally: through the letter-box actually.

I have a letter to write today, so my correspondent will be a guinea pig.

More later

Rgds

Cob

[klpeabody]

I NEED my sample! I WANT some inky fun! This is so frustrating. Hurry up HM Customs......... :crazy_pilot:


Edited at 11.00am: Postie just delivered my ink sample (#1 ink). I'll have a play this afternoon :)

Yay!!!! :)

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have two suspects, but I ain't sayin' as yet. All I know is, I REALLY like this ink! Thanks to Laura & Klp!

[Neo]

:spy: I have one.

[Neo]

In a stub there is noticeable shading

[migo984]

MYSTERY INK #1

This is fun! :spy:

[Cob]

Just starting (I have sample no 1) and I am almost certain that I know what it is - and if it isn't what I think it is, it's damned close!

Cob

[Cob]

I am feeling a little guilty about being so prompt in entering my name for this fascinating exercise - becasue I really do not have either the epertise nor the experience to make the contribution that the roject deserves; mea culpa!

Anyway here's a scan of some writing using two different pens, carefully cleaned out in advance of the test. I did others on various pads, but what I cannot understand is the variations - yes whilst using the same pen! I have side by side writing of this ink (No1) against my "suspect" and they appear identical. I tried a second time and there is a difference!

15666

So far as it goes the ink is nice to use - flows well and I found some shading. However despite owning a bottle of something similar (or maybe even the same!) I doubt I would actually use this ink as it is too light for my taste which now extends to more subtle shades 0 hence my pursuit of Montblanc Racing Green and my use of MB's Lavender Purple.

EDIT: The paper used in the scan is Croxley Script hammered 100g/sqm

Thanks so much Laura for organising this; if I can do any more to help please ask.

Best wishes

Paul

[tandaina]

Seriously it made it through customs before it made it to Seattle? They must have put it on a truck, that got a flat!

[Laura N]

Seriously it made it through customs before it made it to Seattle? They must have put it on a truck, that got a flat!

That was caught in a snowstorm. That caused an accident. That shut down Interstate 90 for two days.

This is like the extra mystery ink.

P.S. - don't rule out user error though; I was doing a lot of addresses, all in haste. :)

[Neo]

Seriously it made it through customs before it made it to Seattle? They must have put it on a truck, that got a flat!

That was caught in a snowstorm. That caused an accident. That shut down Interstate 90 for two days.

This is like the extra mystery ink.

P.S. - don't rule out user error though; I was doing a lot of addresses, all in haste. :)


I have given up trying to understand how packages get routed. The scenic route seems to be standard these days.

[reprieve]

Mystery Ink #1

Thus far, I've only loaded the mystery ink into one pen: a TWSBI Mini with a medium nib. It shows up as a vibrant "true" green; it's not olive-y or murky or yellow. It has some blue undertones, which are especially apparent when you watch the ink slosh around in the TWSBI's clear barrel.

This particular nib tends to run a little bit dry, but the mystery ink has a generous flow and is noticeably lubricious. I am seeing a lot of shading (which is not showing up so much in my inadequate photo). These are two very positive things for me: I love shading inks and I love free-flowing inks.

There's no feathering or bleed-through on fountain pen-friendly papers. I've written on Rhodia, Staples Bagasse, and Baron Fig. I didn't see any sheen on those papers. I have not tried Tomoe River yet, but will tonight when I fill in my Hobonichi diary. It did surprisingly well on Baron Fig, which is pretty absorbent; because it's such a wet ink, and because Baron Fig isn't exactly great with fountain pens, I expected it to feather on the Baron Fig paper but there was only some minor spreading. It took about 15 seconds to dry on Rhodia. That's not quick-drying in my book, but it is average for slick papers. It took slightly less time to dry on the more absorbent Staples Bagasse and Baron Fig. There's no water-resistance whatsoever.

Overall, I like the color moderately well. I don't love it, but it's a respectable green. I really like the ink's properties so far. I'll reserve final judgement about that until I flush my pen; quick-cleaning is another property I value.

While I like Mystery Ink #1, I'm not sure that I'd buy a bottle. Probably not, especially since it does remind me of a few inks that I already have. As far as what it might be, I have two guesses. But I'll keep quiet about that for now. :)

I do want to try this ink in a few other pens with some different nib sizes and also see how easily it flushes. Right now I'd give it a solid B. If it cleans up easily, I would likely be moved to bump its grade up to a B+/A-.



https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7567/15675403483_f41ba072f6_z.jpg

[reprieve]

And I just noticed that I misspelled "exaggerate" in the writing sample. Oops. :redface:

[Tracy Lee]

I don't really do formal reviews of anything so I am never quite sure what all to say. I like this process though because I am not trying to figure out brand. It is about performance in the pen, shading, and sheen for the most part. Also cleaning at the end so I will need to edit this later. But those are all qualities I personally seek in an ink so that is my perspective. I might not touch on something else you find important so forgive me on that. This is mystery ink #1. I have skipped earlier posts in the thread so my thoughts on the ink are truly my own.

I chose Tomoe River paper and my turquoise Visconti Opera with a medium nib ground to narrow stub by our own Dan (so awesome). It is a Palladium nib with great, wet flow. The pen was clean and dry, as was the converter, before the fill. I used a syringe slowly to fill the converter and avoid extra air bubbles that can impact flow. It cleaned easily from the syringe and I didn't see any film or residue though it didn't stay in the syringe for long.

As for the color, I'm shamelessly biased to greens and green/blues so I do appreciate the color of this one. It does seem to dry with slightly less character than when wet, but many inks do that so I didn't discount it on that point. I find the color to be a pretty traditional green after 30 minutes on Tomoe River, so lovely but not really unique enough to set it apart from other green inks. I experienced no sheen. Not a deal breaker for me, but it is nice when that does happen to take a plain ink and make it special. By traditional I mean like a Kelly green crayon in the box of 64. An Irish type of green. Not grey, not too bluish, and not yellowed to make it overly bright. You could easily use this ink every day and have it not offend the eyes or anyone else around you. I have some greens that do both.

I did, however, have nice shading after I wrote for a bit. It dried with less prominence than when wet, but is still evident.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/16/f282baa93be8e9270f83faf19ad3b0c4.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/16/cf2fdaf80be6013a5d347f6735facf72.jpg

Yes, I know, upside down but this way you look for the shading and not the words.

Dry time is not an issue for me, not something I am particularly concerned with on TR given how I write. I did a few smears for those that might be interested. Don't infer from the words "Dries fast" that it does, that is just what I chose to write. I'm an amateur after all.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/16/5bd5bd29cb091b47ae926e45c0e40f45.jpg

Not terrible, at least for me. Very manageable.

I thought the ink had good flow and didn't seem to want to be heavy and then light. I understand the pen has much to do with that but some inks just have a stickier feel to me and don't flow as well, or just run out of the pen without permission.

Would I go buy a bottle? Am I dying to know its provenance? The answer to both is no. I have over 10 different greens in my bottle collection and this one doesn't bring anything new to the table for me. I have sheeny greens, shady greens, and this is just . . . Well, plain. I have one of those, too. BUT, if you have thought about getting a green ink and were afraid of getting one that is too crazy, this is a nice, solid green to try out. It is safe.

Is that okay? Because this was fun. Thank you for the privilege!

TLCB

[Cob]

Further to my miserable contribution, might I be a bit of a passenger and echo what Tracy Lee has written? I agree the ink is quick-drying - even with the first of my two pens (the Osmia) which as my sample shows, is wetter than the Swan eye-dropper - except for the moment's incontinence from the Swan early in the writing.

I agree that for those looking to start with greens it would be a safe choice - perhaps even 'C' uses it? - though as I remarked earlier I wouldn't buy a bottle as it is too bright for my current taste - and as I also wrote, I half suspect I have one already!

Rgds

Cob

[Laura N]

This is great. Everyone on the Mystery Ink No. 1 list has received and given their impressions, so I'm going to chime in now.

I know what the ink is, so that wasn't a mystery for me or klp (most excellent abbreviation I shall henceforth steal). But neither of us had actually used it before. It arrived for me on January 5, and I immediately put it into my Pelikan Green o' Green with EF nib. I used it through the 15th, when I cleaned the pen.

Clean-up was good, not amazing. It cleaned out of the body of the pen easily enough flushing with plain water, but the nib benefited from a quick trip through an ultrasonic cleaner. Nothing dried or gunky, but it's a saturated ink, and I'm fussy. Okay, insanely fussy; normal people may be fine with just a water flush. I did not use the pen every day, but I never had an issue with flow or start-up, so I classify it as perfectly well-behaved. The only thing I might worry about would be staining, so I would put this in any pen other than an ivory celluloid, basically. On a 5-point scale from Waterman Serenity Blue to Diamine Grape, this would be a 2.5 for me.

I think that klp has mentioned that we chose this precisely because there were very mixed accounts of it. And green is such a hard color -- some like bright, some like muddy, some like olive-y, etc. I think it's fair to say that neither of us would have bought this ink based on the reviews, photos and written discussion we've seen. So thank you to our dear Mystery Ink No. 1 samplers for being such good sports. And for such great posts.

I don't even like standard greens very much. I keep trying, especially around the Christmas season and during winter. But if it's not a muddy, brownish, weird or very dark green, I just can't really take most green ink. For the very scientific reason that the color grates on my nerves.

So what happened when I used this ink?

I loved it. I was shocked. I loved the shading. I loved the color. I was worried that it might be too vivid -- as reprieve said, it's vibrant -- but even in the wet Pelikan, it wasn't too much for me. What really makes this ink work for me is its slight blue tint. Because I have a hard time with greens, but I love any blue unreservedly. It is a green ink -- not a blue, and not even a blue-green. But it is a green that's bluer, for me, than the green in the box of crayons. Its tint can be seen in those wonderful chromatographs from jde and migo. But note that Neo and Tracy Lee both described it as Irish Green -- and it is. It's a standard medium green. For Cob, even too light. So, I personally responded to the blue tint, but most people probably wouldn't even notice it. I think a couple of people mentioned it as being a fair choice for normal use -- it is not likely to offend or call attention to itself.

About the shading -- I should clarify that it shades well on Rhodia and Clairefontaine. I tried it on soft, absorbent Crane's cotton paper, and there was no shading, but that's always the case for me with Crane's.

I loved its behavior, too. It did flow nicely, as everyone said. It felt like a well-tested ink. It was perfectly consistent for me. I think that is shown by everyone's scans or photos looking so similar. And isn't that so cool for people who may be interested in this ink in the future is: those are great scans and photos, everyone! It really looks like that. And I love the variety of pens and papers used.

I have a comparison of swabs of this ink and my previous standard green ink, which together with migo's may be helpful to people, once we reveal it.

In any case, for me, this ink would definitely take the place of that previous standard green, and will, whenever I finish the first one. So, yes, I would buy a bottle. It would not be the only green ink I owned, if I could only own one. But it would be my regular green ink, for times when one feels like a regular green ink. It has turned out to be an unexpected discovery for me. And I have you all to thank, because I would have scoffed at this one if we weren't looking for a mystery ink.

I think klp (see, I love that!) may want to weigh in with her impressions later.

[Laura N]

Further to my miserable contribution, might I be a bit of a passenger and echo what Tracy Lee has written? I agree the ink is quick-drying - even with the first of my two pens (the Osmia) which as my sample shows, is wetter than the Swan eye-dropper - except for the moment's incontinence from the Swan early in the writing.

I agree that for those looking to start with greens it would be a safe choice - perhaps even 'C' uses it? - though as I remarked earlier I wouldn't buy a bottle as it is too bright for my current taste - and as I also wrote, I half suspect I have one already!

Rgds

Cob

Oooh, who is "C"?

[Cob]

Further to my miserable contribution, might I be a bit of a passenger and echo what Tracy Lee has written? I agree the ink is quick-drying - even with the first of my two pens (the Osmia) which as my sample shows, is wetter than the Swan eye-dropper - except for the moment's incontinence from the Swan early in the writing.

I agree that for those looking to start with greens it would be a safe choice - perhaps even 'C' uses it? - though as I remarked earlier I wouldn't buy a bottle as it is too bright for my current taste - and as I also wrote, I half suspect I have one already!

Rgds

Cob

Oooh, who is "C"?


C is the name given to the chief of MI6 - Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, roughly the equivalent of your CIA. The initial comes from the name of the first head of the Service, Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming - a real swashbuckler and worth reading up (used to drive everywhere flat-out in his Rolls-Royce). Famously he always used green ink, a tradition which is kept to this day. Of course M in the Bond fbooks and films is based on this.

Cob

[Cob]

Here is a scan of some tests I did earlier, the contents should be self exxplanatory - I still think I have a good candidate!

15668

Cob

[Tracy Lee]

Here is a scan of some tests I did earlier, the contents should be self exxplanatory - I still think I have a good candidate!

15668

Cob
Pretty close I would say, though the mystery ink seems just half a shade or so lighter. Maybe. Perhaps. Or not. Maybe not. Oh hell, I have no idea.

[Cob]

Here is a scan of some tests I did earlier, the contents should be self exxplanatory - I still think I have a good candidate!

15668

Cob
Pretty close I would say, though the mystery ink seems just half a shade or so lighter. Maybe. Perhaps. Or not. Maybe not. Oh hell, I have no idea.

:rofl:

Tracy I couldn't agree more - you have expressed it beautifully; honestly I don't know how long I spent looking at this - holding it up to the light, to the window etc.

I really can't afford to keep scratching my head: as Charles Pooter remarked: "I am going to change my hard hair brushes ... for some softer ones as my barber says I shouldn't brush my hair too much now."

Rgds

Cob

[klpeabody]

Due to work constraints and family obligations, I have not been able to post my thoughts on this ink until this morning. I just want to thank everyone for the lovely photos, because I always really enjoy that. When I sat down and played with this ink I also took a lot of photos, and perhaps I will share some later, but I'll hold off for now as everyone's photos of Ink #1 are very representative of my own results.

I also had this ink for a little while, and promised myself that I wouldn't play with it until everyone's samples had shipped out. When it came time to ink some pens, I made a point to approach my use of it with an open mind. I confess that I am not a big fan of the mid-range green. I do collect greens, don't get me wrong, but I have developed a very nice comfort zone with the deep dark greens of all varieties, whether green-black, murky brownish green, olive-y greens, etc, etc. I find that the mid-range green is difficult to "get right", and rarely find one that hits all the notes that I need. In fact, I avoid the mid-range green category, because I am that fussy about what I like this particular color range.

That being said, I made a very strong effort to approach the sampling of Mystery Ink #1 with an open mind. I believe that I was able to do that. I wasn't sure that was possible, but I made the effort, and I found myself really enjoying the process. When I try an ink for a the first time, I have some standard pens that I always use: a wet writing LAMY Safari M, an italic - in this case it was a LAMY joy 1.1, and an Edison Huron F which is always wet writing. After I had performed all kinds of writing samples with these three, I went ahead and inked up a fourth: a Sailor 1911M H-F, which has great flow for such a fine nib. And, as others have noted: this ink is nice and vibrant, as well as dark, in wet writing pens. Hallelujah! The Edison Huron F, and the Sailor1911 H-F were my favorite pen picks with this ink.

I sampled a bunch of papers, beginning with my Stilman & Birn Epsilon ink journal. I also sampled Leuchtturm1917 which is my daily journal, Rhodia, standard copy paper, Staples Bagasse and Tomoe River. I also noticed the lovely sheen and shading that Migo captured with my Edison Huron on Tomoe River paper. That was THE standout. The other standout duo was the Sailor 1911M on Bagasse (no sheen though). On Leuchtturm1917, the LAMY Safari M was the most lovely. Some feathering with the wetter writers on Leuctturm1917, though. For me, this ink did not shine when paired with an italic nib, which is always a bummer. My copy paper results were kind of blah, but I continued to use the Sailor1911M throughout the week, and it was fantastic when performing some editing markups on standard copy paper.

I haven't attempted to clean my pens, so I'm not sure whether this ink is tough to clean. I am guessing by the saturation, that some JB Pen Flush will be necessary. I did do a waterproof/water resistance test, however. On the same piece of paper, I included a writing sample with this ink, as well as a comparison using the one mid-range green that I have in my stash. I did a soak test for approx. 5 minutes. The comparison ink fared extremely well, all my writing was still legible after the soak test; the mystery ink, however, was just barely legible. At least the words could still be discerned; though, you did have to look close to read it.

In the end, I really enjoyed this process. I enjoyed using this ink, despite the fact that I wouldn't typically choose it for myself. I am on the fence as far as to whether I might buy a bottle. But, if I were to chose to add another mid-range green to my collection, this particular ink would definitely be a strong contender.

Laura, if you would like to do the honors, by all means...

[Sailor Kenshin]

Looking forward to the pics!

[migo984]

I sampled a bunch of papers, beginning with my Stilman & Birn Epsilon ink journal. I also sampled Leuchtturm1917 which is my daily journal, Rhodia, standard copy paper, Staples Bagasse and Tomoe River. I also noticed the lovely sheen and shading that Cob captured with my Edison Huron on Tomoe River paper. That was THE standout. The other standout duo was the Sailor 1911M on Bagasse (no sheen though). On Leuchtturm1917, the LAMY Safari M was the most lovely. Some feathering with the wetter writers on Leuctturm1917, though. For me, this ink did not shine when paired with an italic nib, which is always a bummer. My copy paper results were kind of blah, but I continued to use the Sailor1911M throughout the week, and it was fantastic when performing some editing markups on standard copy paper.



I agree, the sheen was by far more noticeable on a Tomoe than any of the other 6 papers I tried Mystery Ink #1 on. I think my first photo (the title of my hand-written review) shows the red sheen up well.

[klpeabody]

I sampled a bunch of papers, beginning with my Stilman & Birn Epsilon ink journal. I also sampled Leuchtturm1917 which is my daily journal, Rhodia, standard copy paper, Staples Bagasse and Tomoe River. I also noticed the lovely sheen and shading that Cob captured with my Edison Huron on Tomoe River paper. That was THE standout. The other standout duo was the Sailor 1911M on Bagasse (no sheen though). On Leuchtturm1917, the LAMY Safari M was the most lovely. Some feathering with the wetter writers on Leuctturm1917, though. For me, this ink did not shine when paired with an italic nib, which is always a bummer. My copy paper results were kind of blah, but I continued to use the Sailor1911M throughout the week, and it was fantastic when performing some editing markups on standard copy paper.



I agree, the sheen was by far more noticeable on a Tomoe than any of the other 6 papers I tried Mystery Ink #1 on. I think my first photo (the title of my hand-written review) shows the red sheen up well.

My apologies migo! I was intending to refer to your photo. Sorry to get the names mixed up. I will edit my post, accordingly.

[Laura N]

Wonderful. So, the first Mystery Ink, Mystery Ink No. 1, is Diamine 150th Anniversary Tropical Green.

Da dum!

Migo, it's definitely easily available in the UK.

Cob, I suspect you have it already. :)

Jde did in fact have Diamine among her three possible brands, and assumed it would be a 150th Anniversary ink. Pretty amazing.

I think a lot of people have mentioned the lubricated feeling of this ink. I found Blue Velvet the same, though I've used that less so far. I wonder if the 150th Anniversary inks were designed this way, to be a little higher end in feel -- beyond the bottle and price.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and made this so fun. And to everyone who thought they knew the ink but kept the secret. And we still have Mystery Ink No. 2 to go! Now that you know this ink for sure, any thoughts?

[migo984]

I sampled a bunch of papers, beginning with my Stilman & Birn Epsilon ink journal. I also sampled Leuchtturm1917 which is my daily journal, Rhodia, standard copy paper, Staples Bagasse and Tomoe River. I also noticed the lovely sheen and shading that Cob captured with my Edison Huron on Tomoe River paper. That was THE standout. The other standout duo was the Sailor 1911M on Bagasse (no sheen though). On Leuchtturm1917, the LAMY Safari M was the most lovely. Some feathering with the wetter writers on Leuctturm1917, though. For me, this ink did not shine when paired with an italic nib, which is always a bummer. My copy paper results were kind of blah, but I continued to use the Sailor1911M throughout the week, and it was fantastic when performing some editing markups on standard copy paper.



I agree, the sheen was by far more noticeable on a Tomoe than any of the other 6 papers I tried Mystery Ink #1 on. I think my first photo (the title of my hand-written review) shows the red sheen up well.

My apologies migo! I was intending to refer to your photo. Sorry to get the names mixed up. I will edit my post, accordingly.

Don't worry, I didn't even notice your mix up. Easily done, with all these reviews flying around.
This was such a great idea! :) I hope more are "blind samples" are organised. I'm happy to donate a bottle of ink (as long as it's before March as I'm off then to pastures new for 6 months :cool:

[migo984]

Wonderful. So, the first Mystery Ink, Mystery Ink No. 1, is Diamine 150th Anniversary Tropical Green.

Da dum!

Migo, it's definitely easily available in the UK.

Cob, I suspect you have it already. :)

Jde did in fact have Diamine among her three possible brands, and assumed it would be a 150th Anniversary ink. Pretty amazing.

I think a lot of people have mentioned the lubricated feeling of this ink. I found Blue Velvet the same, though I've used that less so far. I wonder if the 150th Anniversary inks were designed this way, to be a little higher end in feel -- beyond the bottle and price.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and made this so fun. And to everyone who thought they knew the ink but kept the secret. And we still have Mystery Ink No. 2 to go! Now that you know this ink for sure, any thoughts?

I did guess Diamine because 2 of my comparison inks were also Diamine (Comparison inks #1 and #3). These shades of Diamine always have similar blue tonal values. I ruled out Sailor, or a Sailor variant, as the sheen is distinctly different.

The four comparisons inks in my pic are:

#1 Diamine Woodland Green
#2 Montblanc Irish Green
#3 Diamine Sherwood Green (the closest) This also shades in the same way as the sample,and has similar saturation levels.
#4 Private Reserve Cadillac Green

Diamine Ultra Green also has a similar green shade but is more vivid.

I must admit that I'm slightly surprised it's an ink from the 150th anniversary range as I have 4 of them and I only consider 1 (Regency Blue) to be an ink worthy of celebrating the anniversary. I nearly like Blue Velvet (but find it a bit "weak"), I really dislike Safari (muddy), and I'm not keen on Terracotta (wishy washy). Actually, wouldn't you know it but Tropical Green is the only one I hadn't tried LOL. :)

[Laura N]

The four comparisons inks in my pic are:

#1 Diamine Woodland Green
#2 Montblanc Irish Green
#3 Diamine Sherwood Green (the closest) This also shades in the same way as the sample,and has similar saturation levels.
#4 Private Reserve Cadillac Green

Diamine Ultra Green also has a similar green shade but is more vivid.

I must admit that I'm slightly surprised it's an ink from the 150th anniversary range as I have 4 of them and I only consider 1 (Regency Blue) to be an ink worthy of celebrating the anniversary. I nearly like Blue Velvet (but find it a bit "weak"), I really dislike Safari (muddy), and I'm not keen on Terracotta (wishy washy). Actually, wouldn't you know it but Tropical Green is the only one I hadn't tried LOL. :)

Perfect! In fact, my current standard green is Montblanc Irish Green, which is very similar in value, but lacks the blue tint (which I prefer) of the Tropical Green.

And Sherwood Green is another I love, but in my pens it feels much darker to me than Tropical Green, so I have always used it as one of my dark greens. :)

I so agree: I wouldn't have tried the Tropical Green myself. It sort of seems like an afterthought in that collection, doesn't it? And the early word about it was "meh." And yet so far, it's the one I like best of the five 150th Anniversary inks I've tried.

Also, I've tried over the years to find a standard green I liked completely. Someone gave me the Irish Green, which I do like. But it seems a little green-green still, for me. So I had recently flirted, once again, with samples including Lierre Sauvage, Shin-ryoku and Aventurine. And funnily enough it's the one I didn't consider, the overlooked Tropical Green, that really worked for me.

So how does one pick an ink even to try? We go by brand, as someone said, and hype (at least I do), and we scrutinize scans and photos on the internet (at least I do). But none of that really can substitute for trying it yourself. And unfortunately no one can sample everything. If you're just starting out, and you want the "perfect" color, I think it's sort of an impossible quest. Time and money being limited, information being spotty. If you can't try in person at a store, maybe the best thing to do is exchange samples with people and prepare to be surprised.

[Jon Szanto]

This is all very fun, from afar. I, too, had quite a while ago settled on Diamine Sherwood Green, after sampling about 10-15 greens (I think). At this stage in my writing, I'm not certain I'd get a bottle of Tropical, as - at least from Migo's pic - it just doesn't look different enough. Nib sizes and flow rate have *such* a large effect on all of this.

Maybe Ms. Laura would supply an image of writing samples with the same nib/pen of both Sherwood and Tropical to lock down whether or not I need to buy YET ANOTHER INK!!!!

[Laura N]

Here you go. Quick snapshots of a few words. I filled the same pen with Sherwood Green and wrote under something already written with Tropical Green. There's also a line with Pelikan Ruby just because it's there.

I can work up something longer, with more time.

However, I would never encourage anyone to buy more ink. That would be awful. :)

1568015681

[Jon Szanto]

I can work up something longer, with more time.

No need, that was exactly perfect. I'm safe for now!

[Cob]

Wonderful. So, the first Mystery Ink, Mystery Ink No. 1, is Diamine 150th Anniversary Tropical Green.

Da dum!

Migo, it's definitely easily available in the UK.

Cob, I suspect you have it already. :)

Jde did in fact have Diamine among her three possible brands, and assumed it would be a 150th Anniversary ink. Pretty amazing.

I think a lot of people have mentioned the lubricated feeling of this ink. I found Blue Velvet the same, though I've used that less so far. I wonder if the 150th Anniversary inks were designed this way, to be a little higher end in feel -- beyond the bottle and price.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and made this so fun. And to everyone who thought they knew the ink but kept the secret. And we still have Mystery Ink No. 2 to go! Now that you know this ink for sure, any thoughts?


Well fascinating; no I do not have it, but when your ink arrived, it so happened I was endeavouring to mix up my attempt at Montblanc Racing Green - which I suspect is a holy grail for a number amongst us.

There in front of me I had...

Diamine Salamander
Pilot Black
And...





Diamine Sherwood Green, which is what appears in my second scan; I really thought that I had it there!

All the best Laura and many thanks for a lovely project.

Best wishes

Cob

[Cob]

This is all very fun, from afar. I, too, had quite a while ago settled on Diamine Sherwood Green, after sampling about 10-15 greens (I think). At this stage in my writing, I'm not certain I'd get a bottle of Tropical, as - at least from Migo's pic - it just doesn't look different enough. Nib sizes and flow rate have *such* a large effect on all of this.

Maybe Ms. Laura would supply an image of writing samples with the same nib/pen of both Sherwood and Tropical to lock down whether or not I need to buy YET ANOTHER INK!!!!


Jon,

have a look at my earlier post - there you will see Laura's Ink compared with Sherwood using the same pen on the same piece of paper!

Cob

[Cob]

Here you go. Quick snapshots of a few words. I filled the same pen with Sherwood Green and wrote under something already written with Tropical Green. There's also a line with Pelikan Ruby just because it's there.

I can work up something longer, with more time.

However, I would never encourage anyone to buy more ink. That would be awful. :)

1568015681

Well Laura, I am puzzled - you saw my comparison (Your Tropical and my Sherwood) and there isn't a fraction of the differnce that you obtained.

Amazing isn't it?

Cob

[Laura N]

Here you go. Quick snapshots of a few words. I filled the same pen with Sherwood Green and wrote under something already written with Tropical Green. There's also a line with Pelikan Ruby just because it's there.

I can work up something longer, with more time.

However, I would never encourage anyone to buy more ink. That would be awful. :)

1568015681

Well Laura, I am puzzled - you saw my comparison (Your Tropical and my Sherwood) and there isn't a fraction of the differnce that you obtained.

Amazing isn't it?

Cob

That is fascinating. They did look so similar in that photo. I suppose it could be anything, even batch variation perhaps. Also, in my experience, sometimes something -- old ink or even water -- in our pens or the feed can influence the way an ink looks. I notice this especially when I'm using a light color ink -- like an orange -- after a darker ink.

This pen I know is very clean. It was used previously for Tropical Green, then I flushed it with water and in addition used an ultrasonic cleaner on the nib and feed unit, because I was trying to see how easy the ink was to clean out after 10 days, and whether plain water would be enough. The pen was then left to dry for a day. I put it away yesterday and haven't used it until I just filled it with Sherwood Green for this test. So I feel pretty safe in saying there aren't remnants of a previous ink in the pen. And if there were, that prior ink was Tropical Green.

It looks to me, when looking in natural light at the two lines that I wrote with the two different inks, that Sherwood Green has more black -- or if not black, at least something similar that makes it darker in value. I have always thought of Sherwood Green as a dark green -- not as dark as Green Black or Deep Dark Green, but in that group, although with a pleasing blue tint. And I think of that when I write with it today in the same pen. In contrast, I see Tropical Green as a middle, or standard, green. It does look like the difference is not huge, however. I wonder if one diluted Sherwood with water whether it might get close to Tropical Green.

ETA: Oh, let me emphasize so that doesn't sound snotty, that, Cob, I'm not saying your pen isn't clean or had water in it or anything. I was just throwing that out as something that had happened to me. I think batch variation could explain it. Or even a difference in our cameras' white balance. Or it could be that the inks look different in different lights. It's sunny here today and there's a lot of light due to the snow cover, so my photos were taken in natural light. It might look different if I had halogen lights on after dark, for instance. Or if like Jon I lived in Southern California (sob).

[Cob]

Here you go. Quick snapshots of a few words. I filled the same pen with Sherwood Green and wrote under something already written with Tropical Green. There's also a line with Pelikan Ruby just because it's there.

I can work up something longer, with more time.

However, I would never encourage anyone to buy more ink. That would be awful. :)

1568015681

Well Laura, I am puzzled - you saw my comparison (Your Tropical and my Sherwood) and there isn't a fraction of the differnce that you obtained.

Amazing isn't it?

Cob

That is fascinating. They did look so similar in that photo. I suppose it could be anything, even batch variation perhaps. Also, in my experience, sometimes something -- old ink or even water -- in our pens or the feed can influence the way an ink looks. I notice this especially when I'm using a light color ink -- like an orange -- after a darker ink.

This pen I know is very clean. It was used previously for Tropical Green, then I flushed it with water and in addition used an ultrasonic cleaner on the nib and feed unit, because I was trying to see how easy the ink was to clean out after 10 days, and whether plain water would be enough. The pen was then left to dry for a day. I put it away yesterday and haven't used it until I just filled it with Sherwood Green for this test. So I feel pretty safe in saying there aren't remnants of a previous ink in the pen. And if there were, that prior ink was Tropical Green.

It looks to me, when looking in natural light at the two lines that I wrote with the two different inks, that Sherwood Green has more black -- or if not black, at least something similar that makes it darker in value. I have always thought of Sherwood Green as a dark green -- not as dark as Green Black or Deep Dark Green, but in that group, although with a pleasing blue tint. And I think of that when I write with it today in the same pen. In contrast, I see Tropical Green as a middle, or standard, green. It does look like the difference is not huge, however. I wonder if one diluted Sherwood with water whether it might get close to Tropical Green.

ETA: Oh, let me emphasize so that doesn't sound snotty, that, Cob, I'm not saying your pen isn't clean or had water in it or anything. I was just throwing that out as something that had happened to me. I think batch variation could explain it. Or even a difference in our cameras' white balance. Or it could be that the inks look different in different lights. It's sunny here today and there's a lot of light due to the snow cover, so my photos were taken in natural light. It might look different if I had halogen lights on after dark, for instance. Or if like Jon I lived in Southern California (sob).

Laura, the thought never once crossed my mind.

The plot thickens - as far as these inks are concerned!

I do realise that I was nowhere near as professional or thorough as the other reviewers, but I should like to say that before attempting the tests, the two pens were flushed out with water, then with 10% ammonia and then several times with water, finishing off with a damned good shake!

Also I should add that since I cannot get any kind of realism with a stupid digital camera (I hate them convenient though they are), both my illustrations were scans. That day was a clear and bright winter's day and I was by a north-facing window (all the photographers and painters are supposed to like northern light!), so that was the light I checked against, then under the table lamp for good measure and I am damned if I could see a significant difference - if any!

Very much looking forward to see ing how the No2 mob get on - I'll bet they won't be as clever as the No 1shttp://www.4smileys.com/smileys/smoking-smileys/smoking_03.gif (http://www.4smileys.com)
Cob

[jde]

Aren't we all amateurs together, under the same ink? *ahem*

Gotta confess the ONLY reason I picked Diamine as one of my three (the other brands being Montblanc or Caran d'Arche) was because of the new anniversary inks that I hadn't tried. That was more of a WAG than anything!

I've never experienced Diamine as silky smooth before. That is not a complaint about Diamine because their inks are great, in general. "Silky" is a term that I personally don't apply universally to inks. I'm totally delighted that's its Diamine.

Like others, after MBRG was discontinued I had high hopes for a replacement among Diamine inks.

Perhaps unlike others, I no longer chase that grail of inks. I accept that it's gone. To me, no ink is ever matches another (baring the same formula, of course). Close enough is never good enough.

The "Tropical Green" is, uh, green—its least interesting feature. At least for me. I will stick to me Sailors for color for now.

[Chrissy]

I still haven't received my sample of #2 ink :cry:

[Laura N]

Laura, the thought never once crossed my mind.

The plot thickens - as far as these inks are concerned!

I do realise that I was nowhere near as professional or thorough as the other reviewers, but I should like to say that before attempting the tests, the two pens were flushed out with water, then with 10% ammonia and then several times with water, finishing off with a damned good shake!

Also I should add that since I cannot get any kind of realism with a stupid digital camera (I hate them convenient though they are), both my illustrations were scans. That day was a clear and bright winter's day and I was by a north-facing window (all the photographers and painters are supposed to like northern light!), so that was the light I checked against, then under the table lamp for good measure and I am damned if I could see a significant difference - if any!

Very much looking forward to see ing how the No2 mob get on - I'll bet they won't be as clever as the No 1shttp://www.4smileys.com/smileys/smoking-smileys/smoking_03.gif (http://www.4smileys.com)
Cob

My photo was taken by a northern window, too, but natural light only. We should figure out comparative latitudes, just to keep the lovely and much-appreciated Mystery Ink No. 2 people on their toes. :)

I'm a film camera user, myself, but I do have a digital now for kids' birthdays, dog photos, and any ink comparisons requested by Jon. I would still rather be all film, though. I wonder if the scanner had something to do with it -- I find when I try to scan ink reviews or writing samples, mine aren't so great.

But, putting all that aside, when you use Sherwood Green to write normally, do you think it's a medium green or a darker green?

I'm wondering if there's a batch variation. I'm pretty sure this Sherwood Green bottle was purchased in the last three months.

[Laura N]

Aren't we all amateurs together, under the same ink? *ahem*

Gotta confess the ONLY reason I picked Diamine as one of my three (the other brands being Montblanc or Caran d'Arche) was because of the new anniversary inks that I hadn't tried. That was more of a WAG than anything!

I've never experienced Diamine as silky smooth before. That is not a complaint about Diamine because their inks are great, in general. "Silky" is a term that I personally don't apply universally to inks. I'm totally delighted that's its Diamine.

Like others, after MBRG was discontinued I had high hopes for a replacement among Diamine inks.

Perhaps unlike others, I no longer chase that grail of inks. I accept that it's gone. To me, no ink is ever matches another (baring the same formula, of course). Close enough is never good enough.

The "Tropical Green" is, uh, green—its least interesting feature. At least for me. I will stick to me Sailors for color for now.

I am going to load up a few more pens with my other 150th Anniversary inks. The Blue Velvet is definitely silky smooth. Another I tried really seems more dry, but I should put it in another pen because it was meh in the first two. I'm intrigued by whether the silky smooth quality might be a feature of this subset, because it seems all of us have noticed it in the green.

I have never used either MBRG or Hitchcock. So uncool.

[Laura N]

Chrissy, good news: yours has surfaced. I just checked and it's now listed as "processed through sort facility UK."

Monday is a holiday in the US, but if Tandaina doesn't get hers I'll send another. What a shame.

[Chrissy]

As Cob and Migo got theirs either Thursday or Friday, I expected mine this morning. I couldn't believe it when I actually received no mail at all today. I'm willing to place a bet that it will arrive on Monday.

[Chrissy]

Like others, after MBRG was discontinued I had high hopes for a replacement among Diamine inks.

Perhaps unlike others, I no longer chase that grail of inks. I accept that it's gone. To me, no ink is ever matches another (baring the same formula, of course). Close enough is never good enough.


I assume you have seen Diamine Racing Green that was made only for Missing-pen? It was made for him as a really close copy of MbRG and he sells it on ebay.

[Cob]

Laura, the thought never once crossed my mind.

The plot thickens - as far as these inks are concerned!

I do realise that I was nowhere near as professional or thorough as the other reviewers, but I should like to say that before attempting the tests, the two pens were flushed out with water, then with 10% ammonia and then several times with water, finishing off with a damned good shake!

Also I should add that since I cannot get any kind of realism with a stupid digital camera (I hate them convenient though they are), both my illustrations were scans. That day was a clear and bright winter's day and I was by a north-facing window (all the photographers and painters are supposed to like northern light!), so that was the light I checked against, then under the table lamp for good measure and I am damned if I could see a significant difference - if any!

Very much looking forward to see ing how the No2 mob get on - I'll bet they won't be as clever as the No 1shttp://www.4smileys.com/smileys/smoking-smileys/smoking_03.gif (http://www.4smileys.com)
Cob

My photo was taken by a northern window, too, but natural light only. We should figure out comparative latitudes, just to keep the lovely and much-appreciated Mystery Ink No. 2 people on their toes. :)

I'm a film camera user, myself, but I do have a digital now for kids' birthdays, dog photos, and any ink comparisons requested by Jon. I would still rather be all film, though. I wonder if the scanner had something to do with it -- I find when I try to scan ink reviews or writing samples, mine aren't so great.

But, putting all that aside, when you use Sherwood Green to write normally, do you think it's a medium green or a darker green?

I'm wondering if there's a batch variation. I'm pretty sure this Sherwood Green bottle was purchased in the last three months.

Well of course I submitted the scan because I thought that the inks were identical - in daylight! And I think that although the image is a little soft I feel that the colour presentation - on my cheapish Acer laptop at least - is pretty honest. I was pleased when i bought the Sherwood green about five or six months ago but I hardly ever use it - and it is stored in a dark cupboard. I must say I was surprised when I wrote with it - had you asked me beforehand I would have thought it rather darker, but it wasn't at least with my 100-year-old Swan!

Rgds
Cob

[Laura N]

Well of course I submitted the scan because I thought that the inks were identical - in daylight! And I think that although the image is a little soft I feel that the colour presentation - on my cheapish Acer laptop at least - is pretty honest. I was pleased when i bought the Sherwood green about five or six months ago but I hardly ever use it - and it is stored in a dark cupboard. I must say I was surprised when I wrote with it - had you asked me beforehand I would have thought it rather darker, but it wasn't at least with my 100-year-old Swan!

Rgds
Cob


Boy, then I've got nothing. I'll just go back to, I have no idea whatsoever. :)

Usually my default position. :)

[Jon Szanto]

Boy, then I've got nothing. I'll just go back to, I have no idea whatsoever. :)

Usually my default position. :)

The universe is variable. There are, and always will be, things that we cannot adequately account for or explain. Change occurs. Butterfly wings alter everything.

We who seek the most perfect of inks will keep looking... somewhere.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAu3a7CMA84

[Cob]

Well of course I submitted the scan because I thought that the inks were identical - in daylight! And I think that although the image is a little soft I feel that the colour presentation - on my cheapish Acer laptop at least - is pretty honest. I was pleased when i bought the Sherwood green about five or six months ago but I hardly ever use it - and it is stored in a dark cupboard. I must say I was surprised when I wrote with it - had you asked me beforehand I would have thought it rather darker, but it wasn't at least with my 100-year-old Swan!

Rgds
Cob


Boy, then I've got nothing. I'll just go back to, I have no idea whatsoever. :)

Usually my default position. :)

That's two of us then!
C

[reprieve]

Aha! Believe it or not, Diamine Tropical Green was actually on my short list of guesses. Although my first guess would have been Kaweco Palm Green. My second guess was the Diamine.

I thought about Caran d'Ache Vibrant Green, but the mystery ink was too lubricious to be from that (in my experience) drier brand and so I crossed that one out. I also considered Private Reserve Spearmint, but I figured the PR brand probably would not be picked for this experiment as it is sometimes considered to be a higher maintenance boutique ink.

I did know that it was a green I had not yet tried before. It reminded me of a few similar shades already in my collection--Herbin Lierre Sauvage, Iroshizuku Shin-ryoku (which is on the bluer side), and Montblanc Irish Green--but Diamine Tropical Green stands out as being distinct from those in its tone and shading.

Thanks for including me in this experiment and kudos to Laura and Klp for coming up with the brilliant idea. It was great fun! Huzzah! I have a few bottles of ink I could donate to help keep it going.

[jde]

Like others, after MBRG was discontinued I had high hopes for a replacement among Diamine inks.

Perhaps unlike others, I no longer chase that grail of inks. I accept that it's gone. To me, no ink is ever matches another (baring the same formula, of course). Close enough is never good enough.


I assume you have seen Diamine Racing Green that was made only for Missing-pen? It was made for him as a really close copy of MbRG and he sells it on ebay.

You are kind to try to alleviate the MBRG desire. Yes, I remember when that specialty ink hit the market.
Like I wrote with misspellings, "no ink ever matches another." You can come close in color, surely.
As we've noted in this thread with the Diamine Tropical Green, color alone is not what an ink brings to the page:
lubrication, water-fastness, shading, sheen—all may or may not be present in a "close enough."
It's fine with me the way things are w/MBRG.
And I mean absolutely no disrespect to those who seek the grail in whatever form! Chacun son goût!

[Laura N]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

[Cob]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

[Neo]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

Nothing? Overpriced and undervalued except for the prestige connected to the name (kudos to their marketing department)

Please no throwing tomatoes for comment above.

[Neo]

Wonderful. So, the first Mystery Ink, Mystery Ink No. 1, is Diamine 150th Anniversary Tropical Green.

Da dum!

Migo, it's definitely easily available in the UK.

Cob, I suspect you have it already. :)

Jde did in fact have Diamine among her three possible brands, and assumed it would be a 150th Anniversary ink. Pretty amazing.

I think a lot of people have mentioned the lubricated feeling of this ink. I found Blue Velvet the same, though I've used that less so far. I wonder if the 150th Anniversary inks were designed this way, to be a little higher end in feel -- beyond the bottle and price.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and made this so fun. And to everyone who thought they knew the ink but kept the secret. And we still have Mystery Ink No. 2 to go! Now that you know this ink for sure, any thoughts?

I did guess Diamine because 2 of my comparison inks were also Diamine (Comparison inks #1 and #3). These shades of Diamine always have similar blue tonal values. I ruled out Sailor, or a Sailor variant, as the sheen is distinctly different.

The four comparisons inks in my pic are:

#1 Diamine Woodland Green
#2 Montblanc Irish Green
#3 Diamine Sherwood Green (the closest) This also shades in the same way as the sample,and has similar saturation levels.
#4 Private Reserve Cadillac Green

Diamine Ultra Green also has a similar green shade but is more vivid.

I must admit that I'm slightly surprised it's an ink from the 150th anniversary range as I have 4 of them and I only consider 1 (Regency Blue) to be an ink worthy of celebrating the anniversary. I nearly like Blue Velvet (but find it a bit "weak"), I really dislike Safari (muddy), and I'm not keen on Terracotta (wishy washy). Actually, wouldn't you know it but Tropical Green is the only one I hadn't tried LOL. :)


I thought it was #3 in the sample vial.....

[Laura N]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

Alright, but apart from the long-lasting pens, the beautiful inks and the exceptional service, what have Montblanc ever done for us, huh?

[Crazyorange]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

Alright, but apart from the long-lasting pens, the beautiful inks and the exceptional service, what have Montblanc ever done for us, huh?

Generating huge debates about being over priced? ;)

[klpeabody]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

Alright, but apart from the long-lasting pens, the beautiful inks and the exceptional service, what have Montblanc ever done for us, huh?

Generating huge debates about being over priced? ;)


LOL. Too funny. I don't own an MB, but I probably could have acquired one by now if I wasn't addicted to Edison pens. I would, someday, like to acquire a vintage Montblanc. I just like the look of them.

I do wish they hadn't discontinued MBRG. Although, they are having a good run of it with their "substantially similar" line, i.e.: Swift, Defoe. Smart marketing, I guess.

[Laura N]

I may be a heretic, but I suspect that MBRG didn't sell very well. And perhaps some dyes had become unavailable or verboten under new European standards, so they would have had to reformulate it anyway. And they thought it wasn't worth it, due to low sales?

Swift was a beautiful ink.

[Cob]

Is it wrong that I immediately think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "I'm not dead!"

More a case of "What have Montblanc done for us eh?"

Cob

Alright, but apart from the long-lasting pens, the beautiful inks and the exceptional service, what have Montblanc ever done for us, huh?

Discontinued Racing Green that's what!:mad2:

Cob

[Chrissy]

People always tend to want what they can't get though.

Me? I would just love for my Mystery sample to fall through my letterbox tomorrow. I'm trying to not read all posts guessing which Diamine ink it is, and I'm still looking forward to trialling it.

[Laura N]

People always tend to want what they can't get though.

Me? I would just love for my Mystery sample to fall through my letterbox tomorrow. I'm trying to not read all posts guessing which Diamine ink it is, and I'm still looking forward to trialling it.

Good news: You have Mystery Ink No. 2, so nothing has been revealed yet. :)

I think it's an excellent idea to turn our thoughts back to Ink No. 2. Crazyorange started the Ink No. 2 posts at #44, on Page 3, with some amazing drawings. Then VertOlive and Sailor Kenshin treated us with some more impressions of the ink.

Three others, including you, are still waiting for No. 2. Bummer. I'm going to fill a pen with it myself, and perhaps klp will, too, so we can chime in until everyone else's inks arrive. And maybe Crazyorange, VertOlive and Sailor Kenshin will have further thoughts.

[Sailor Kenshin]

People always tend to want what they can't get though.

Me? I would just love for my Mystery sample to fall through my letterbox tomorrow. I'm trying to not read all posts guessing which Diamine ink it is, and I'm still looking forward to trialling it.

Good news: You have Mystery Ink No. 2, so nothing has been revealed yet. :)

I think it's an excellent idea to turn our thoughts back to Ink No. 2. Crazyorange started the Ink No. 2 posts at #44, on Page 3, with some amazing drawings. Then VertOlive and Sailor Kenshin treated us with some more impressions of the ink.

Three others, including you, are still waiting for No. 2. Bummer. I'm going to fill a pen with it myself, and perhaps klp will, too, so we can chime in until everyone else's inks arrive. And maybe Crazyorange, VertOlive and Sailor Kenshin will have further thoughts.


I will indeed. There's also a 'chromatography' spot that needs to dry a little more.

By chance, I believe I picked the perfect pen for Mystery Ink #2:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/16286881606_0677ef2f6b_z.jpg

The image is scanned so you can't see much shading, but I believe there is some. For a wet ink, it still dries fast enough for this southpaw overwriter.

This has been such fun, and I can't thank you two enough for the opportunity.

PS: Chroma's dry!

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/16125350718_d406e1af31_z.jpg

[Cob]

People always tend to want what they can't get though.

Me? I would just love for my Mystery sample to fall through my letterbox tomorrow. I'm trying to not read all posts guessing which Diamine ink it is, and I'm still looking forward to trialling it.

True: I'm a grumpy old man - and worse, I don't care!

Cob

[klpeabody]

Sailor, your photos/scans are incredible. Whatever ink #2 is, I think I need it. =)

I should disclose that even though I am one of the "organizers", this one is still on it's way to me. I haven't had the chance to sample it myself. It looks incredible in your pen though.

[Laura N]

I've got it inked up and am looking forward to posting some photos tomorrow.

I find this a very smooth, lubricated ink. As Sailor Kenshin does, I get some shading but maybe not a huge amount. I consider it to be only a medium saturated ink, so I wouldn't mind more shading, personally, but the good thing is if you don't like shading inks this one should pass muster.

It has always cleaned up quite easily from the pens I've used.

I consider it a silvery evergreen, if that makes sense. Not really olive, because it's grayer rather than yellower. But definitely not a standard green. Maybe it's hard to describe in words. I'll hope I can take some decent photographs tomorrow in natural light.

[klpeabody]

I've got it inked up and am looking forward to posting some photos tomorrow.

I find this a very smooth, lubricated ink. As Sailor Kenshin does, I get some shading but maybe not a huge amount. I consider it to be only a medium saturated ink, so I wouldn't mind more shading, personally, but the good thing is if you don't like shading inks this one should pass muster.

It has always cleaned up quite easily from the pens I've used.

I consider it a silvery evergreen, if that makes sense. Not really olive, because it's grayer rather than yellower. But definitely not a standard green. Maybe it's hard to describe in words. I'll hope I can take some decent photographs tomorrow in natural light.


You had me at silvery evergreen. :D

[Laura N]

I've got it inked up and am looking forward to posting some photos tomorrow.

I find this a very smooth, lubricated ink. As Sailor Kenshin does, I get some shading but maybe not a huge amount. I consider it to be only a medium saturated ink, so I wouldn't mind more shading, personally, but the good thing is if you don't like shading inks this one should pass muster.

It has always cleaned up quite easily from the pens I've used.

I consider it a silvery evergreen, if that makes sense. Not really olive, because it's grayer rather than yellower. But definitely not a standard green. Maybe it's hard to describe in words. I'll hope I can take some decent photographs tomorrow in natural light.


You had me at silvery evergreen. :D

Well, not silver like silver flakes. :)

[klpeabody]

I've got it inked up and am looking forward to posting some photos tomorrow.

I find this a very smooth, lubricated ink. As Sailor Kenshin does, I get some shading but maybe not a huge amount. I consider it to be only a medium saturated ink, so I wouldn't mind more shading, personally, but the good thing is if you don't like shading inks this one should pass muster.

It has always cleaned up quite easily from the pens I've used.

I consider it a silvery evergreen, if that makes sense. Not really olive, because it's grayer rather than yellower. But definitely not a standard green. Maybe it's hard to describe in words. I'll hope I can take some decent photographs tomorrow in natural light.


You had me at silvery evergreen. :D

Well, not silver like silver flakes. :)


It's all good.
Still interested. :D

[Laura N]

Maybe like spruce needles.

I'll be interested in hearing what other people think about that, though. Everyone's perception is just different, which is why it's so neat to get different opinions on these.

[Cob]

I like the look of this one very much, the darker coniferous greens are pleasing to my eye.

Cob

[Laura N]

Alright, these didn't turn out wonderfully, but here are some photos of swabs of Mystery Ink No. 2.

First, here are swabs of Mystery Ink No. 2 and some other inks. The first is Mystery Ink No. 2. The second is the ink I thought might be closest; but Mystery Ink No. 2 is lighter and more silver. The second is an olive green ink. Third is a dark green ink. Fourth is a gray-green ink that I own. Mystery Ink No. 2 is distinct from them all, but this might give an idea of the range of greens, and where Mystery Ink No. 2 fits.

[IMG]http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h219/mochasolo/Misc%20Pens%20and%20Inks/DSC_0848_zpsebcd0093.jpg (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/mochasolo/media/Misc%20Pens%20and%20Inks/DSC_0848_zpsebcd0093.jpg.html)

ETA: Now that MI2 has been revealed, perhaps I can label these samples.

1. Mystery Ink No. 2
2. Sailor Jentle Epinard
3. Diamine 150th Anniversary Safari
4. Diamine Deep Dark Green
5. MB Jonathan Swift

[Laura N]

And here is Mystery Ink No. 2 on the left, with Mystery Ink No. 1 (Diamine Tropical Green) on the right, for comparison.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h219/mochasolo/Misc%20Pens%20and%20Inks/DSC_0847_zpsa69ce7fe.jpg (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/mochasolo/media/Misc%20Pens%20and%20Inks/DSC_0847_zpsa69ce7fe.jpg.html)

[Cob]

I know it's nothing to do with me, but I have two similar inks here - and I think one of them is it!

Rgds

Cob

[VertOlive]

Now the #2 is growing on me. It drives me bats when it's still wet on the paper but when I see it dried, I begin to like it. To my eye, I experience it as an "olive drab", and don't catch the silvery part.

Definitely prefer it to #1 (which gives me hives). :rolleyes:

[Jon Szanto]

Maybe like spruce needles.

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/washington/images/s/space-needle.jpg

Oh, wait...

Nevermind.

[Crazyorange]

Maybe like spruce needles.

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/washington/images/s/space-needle.jpg

Oh, wait...

Nevermind.

Are you this funny is real life? I enjoy your humor.

[Chrissy]

16123


Here is my long awaited review of ink sample #2. I haven't done that many reviews on this form I downloaded, so I'm not sure if I got it right.
Anyway, I really like the ink.

[Cob]

Chrissy: what an amazing review!

Do you do this for a living I wonder?:)
Cob

[Crazyorange]

I decided to draw a zentangle with mystery ink 2. Laura is right....spruce green is the right description. I used a very fine nib (steel) for the doodle. I found the ink to be dry. The color is still pleasing to me. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/20/adb3f3fc1bb76a83ce6c771a217b99b7.jpg

[Crazyorange]

15799158001580115802


Here is my long awaited review of ink sample #2. I haven't done that many reviews on this form I downloaded, so I'm not sure if I got it right.
Anyway, I really like the ink.

Do you this for each ink? It's a great idea for tracking.

[Chrissy]

Chrissy: what an amazing review!

Do you do this for a living I wonder?:)
Cob
Thank you but LOL no. Actually this was my first ever 'proper' review, as opposed to a bit of writing with a new ink. I downloaded that form from 'the other place' and printed it last night.

[VertOlive]

Er, has the identity of Mystery Ink #2 come to light yet?

[Laura N]

Er, has the identity of Mystery Ink #2 come to light yet?

It's still a mystery. Due to some bad luck and unforseen circumstances -- lost mail, delayed mail and illnesses -- three people still haven't gotten a chance to try their Mystery Ink No. 2. But soon!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Oh, the suspense! ;)

[jde]

Updated me own earlier post (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10034-Mystery-Ink-Sample?p=110368&viewfull=1#post110368) to include cleaning results of Diamine Tropical Green from my pens.

Not a surprise to learn the ink took a lot of flushing. Don't own an ultra sonic, but imagine that would be nice application for those of you who do.

Cheers. I see mystery ink firebrands are carrying on! Brava, once more, Laura and KLP.


P.S. This really was fun, and it ain't over yet!

[Laura N]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

[Cob]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

Er, they didn't...

Cob

[Laura N]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

Er, they didn't...

Cob

Animal House. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84411374&x-yt-ts=1421828030&v=q7vtWB4owdE

[Cob]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

Er, they didn't...

Cob

Animal House. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84411374&x-yt-ts=1421828030&v=q7vtWB4owdE

So now everybody knows that I never go to the pictures!

Cob

[Chrissy]

Are we still not even allowed to guess what mystery ink sample #2 might be?

[Neo]

Are we still not even allowed to guess what mystery ink sample #2 might be?

We can guess, but I think we're supposed to keep the guesses to ourselves for now.

[Laura N]

So now everybody knows that I never go to the pictures!

Cob

Really, missing this one just demonstrates you are an intelligent and serious person. :)

[Chrissy]

Are we still not even allowed to guess what mystery ink sample #2 might be?

We can guess, but I think we're supposed to keep the guesses to ourselves for now.

I can do that

[Cob]

So now everybody knows that I never go to the pictures!

Cob

Really, missing this one just demonstrates you are an intelligent and serious person. :)

Ah but (wails) I miss 'em all!

And never forget that appearances can be misleading (Returns to Xtrem all-teen-girl topless mud-wrestling on channel 764)

Cob

[Laura N]

Thanks for withholding your guesses, everyone, so the remaining people can try it while it's still a mystery. It shouldn't be too much longer. One person should receive it today. Another has it, but has been ill. A third may have it, depending on the vagaries of customs.

If you want, you can PM me. I can't confirm or deny, but I'll bear witness for you later. :)

As an aside, everyone should know that none of the three inks we've chosen so far were chosen because they are hard to guess. We were mainly focused on interesting inks that might generate a variety of reactions. But I think the guessing has proven fun for people, so that's great.

That said, there were some inks we rejected just because we figured they were too well-known, so people wouldn't be able to enjoy them as a mystery ink. There's one in particular that we really wanted to include -- it was going to be No. 2, and we thought about it again for No. 3 -- but it seemed distinctive enough and "known" enough that too many would identify it immediately. Thereby undercutting our desire to let people test each ink without the label and reputation. And that's a bummer, because we would love to hear people's reactions if they didn't know what it was. I'm not naming that one either; because one never knows. :)

[tandaina]

I really hope I'm the one getting it tomorrow!!!!

[jde]

<snip>I think the guessing has proven fun for people, so that's great.


I've really appreciated everyone's restraint, and playing by the "rules" you and karen set out! That's been part of the fun.

[Laura N]

Yours is "out for delivery." :)

[Crazyorange]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

Er, they didn't...

Cob

Animal House. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84411374&x-yt-ts=1421828030&v=q7vtWB4owdE

Is there a clip for mystery ink? Maybe the float going crazy at the end of the movie?

[Neo]

Isn't Mystery Inc. the name of Scooby Doo's company? ;)

[Laura N]

What? Over? Did you say "over"?

Nothing is over until we decide it is!

Was it "over" when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no.

Er, they didn't...

Cob

Animal House. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84411374&x-yt-ts=1421828030&v=q7vtWB4owdE

Is there a clip for mystery ink? Maybe the float going crazy at the end of the movie?

This is exactly the kind of ink-related conversation I crave.

Fantastic idea. The possibilities are endless:

Toga, toga!

Double secret probation.

What is the worst fraternity on this campus?

Who dumped a whole truckload of fizzies into the swim meet?

[Laura N]

Isn't Mystery Inc. the name of Scooby Doo's company? ;)

Beats me. The closest we get to animation at my house is Frozen. Constantly. Let it go.

[klpeabody]

Isn't Mystery Inc. the name of Scooby Doo's company? ;)

Beats me. The closest we get to animation at my house is Frozen. Constantly. Let it go.

LOL, Laura.
ROFL.
:haha:

[klpeabody]

Isn't Mystery Inc. the name of Scooby Doo's company? ;)

Good one, Neo. You're close. The Scooby Doo van says, "Mystery Machine". I like where you were going though. Being a Scooby Doo fan, myself. ;-)

[Crazyorange]

Isn't Mystery Inc. the name of Scooby Doo's company? ;)

Good one, Neo. You're close. The Scooby Doo van says, "Mystery Machine". I like where you were going though. Being a Scooby Doo fan, myself. ;-)

Maybe the mystery ink is scoby doo's friend..."scruffy" spruce green?

[tandaina]

Finally ink #2 arrived here!

Put it in my Omas Italiana '90 that's got a very, very soft nib of unknown width. I'm calling it an M.

So far the ink is well behaved (but I'm using really good paper so everything ). Dark green, with a nice bit subtle shading especially when giving a bit of flex. I'd call this a dark pine green, I don't see any olive tones on white Rhodia paper. This is a VERY wet nib, and the ink isn't slowing it down. Drying times are very long on the paper I'm using, but this pen tends to put down a TON of ink so that may not be the ink.

15879

[Laura N]

^^ Great photo. That does look like a very wet nib. I like seeing the ink look so dark.

[tandaina]

^^ Great photo. That does look like a very wet nib. I like seeing the ink look so dark.

In this pen at least I'd say this is a dark enough green I'd happily use it at work. From a distance it could pass for black, and even up close is very professional looking.

[Laura N]

^^ Great photo. That does look like a very wet nib. I like seeing the ink look so dark.

In this pen at least I'd say this is a dark enough green I'd happily use it at work. From a distance it could pass for black, and even up close is very professional looking.

I love that. I've got some super-wet vintage Pelikans and I'm going to give those a go.

[Cob]

^^ Great photo. That does look like a very wet nib. I like seeing the ink look so dark.

In this pen at least I'd say this is a dark enough green I'd happily use it at work. From a distance it could pass for black, and even up close is very professional looking.

Ha ha ! Sounds like that ink that I would like to buy, that no longer exists...

Cob

[Crazyorange]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!

[Neo]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!


http://www.freshfieldsfarm.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/turkey_leg.png

[Crazyorange]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!


http://www.freshfieldsfarm.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/turkey_leg.png

Omg ha ha ha....love it.....thanks for the laugh.

[Laura N]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!

The answer is always within ourselves.

Also, I'm a vegetarian. :)

More seriously, I'm not sure Plume has gotten it yet. Plume lives in a land far away.

[Neo]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!

The answer is always within ourselves.

Also, I'm a vegetarian. :)

More seriously, I'm not sure Plume has gotten it yet. Plume lives in a land far away.

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Jones-Soda-Cos-Vegan-Tofurky-Gravy-Soda-6201600

:bounce:

[Laura N]

Soooooo......do we get the answer yet????? Drum roll......come on ........give us some meat on the bone!!!!

The answer is always within ourselves.

Also, I'm a vegetarian. :)

More seriously, I'm not sure Plume has gotten it yet. Plume lives in a land far away.

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Jones-Soda-Cos-Vegan-Tofurky-Gravy-Soda-6201600

:bounce:

I honestly can't think of anything more revolting. How do you know these products? :)

[Laura N]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

[Neo]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

[Crazyorange]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

I would try it. What the heck....there's a pic of a dog on the bottle....that makes safe right ???

[Laura N]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

I would try it. What the heck....there's a pic of a dog on the bottle....that makes safe right ???

And there's no sugar, so healthy, too.

[Neo]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

I would try it. What the heck....there's a pic of a dog on the bottle....that makes safe right ???

should be be safe (in FDA we trust?), but an acquired taste.

[Crazyorange]

At some point I'm going to find an ink with turkey on the label and do a mystery ink round.

[Cob]

At some point I'm going to find an ink with turkey on the label and do a mystery ink round.

A Swan is better:

15885

C

[Crazyorange]

At some point I'm going to find an ink with turkey on the label and do a mystery ink round.

A Swan is better:

15885

C

Ha ha lmao. Don't tell me there's swan beer?

[Laura N]

At some point I'm going to find an ink with turkey on the label and do a mystery ink round.

See, if you tell people that in advance, it won't be such a mystery.

[Crazyorange]

Ok...neo and me will never work for a secret agency.

[Neo]

There's always just plain cola

[Sailor Kenshin]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

Was brussels sprouts soda included?

[Neo]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

Was brussels sprouts soda included?

It was in 2005

[Sailor Kenshin]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

Was brussels sprouts soda included?

It was in 2005

Superb.

[Crazyorange]

It's a mystery meal of ink. What about the chocolate one. We need desert.

[Cob]

Well there's "Merlot" and "Grape" for a start - apparently no "Scotch"

C.

[Neo]

These would have to do :)

[Neo]

Well there's "Merlot" and "Grape" for a start - apparently no "Scotch"

C.

Here you go, Cob

[Crazyorange]

These would have to do :)

Now we have a meal!

[Laura N]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

Was brussels sprouts soda included?

It was in 2005

I'm shocked that it sold so poorly they never brought it back. Or maybe there were lawsuits?

[Crazyorange]

What was this ink? Can the mystery be solved?

[Neo]

People, if Neo ever does a Mystery Soda sample, do not enter it.

Come on, where's your adventurous side?

Target had the holiday 12 pack available one year.

Was brussels sprouts soda included?

It was in 2005

I'm shocked that it sold so poorly they never brought it back. Or maybe there were lawsuits?


I don't know, but there isn't anyone trying to sell this on eBay for $160 a bottle......

[Laura N]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.

[Chrissy]

Thank you for letting us know. It does indeed look like the photo in the ebay listing. I'm tempted......

[Sailor Kenshin]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

[klpeabody]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

[Crazyorange]

Wow....I didn't expect sailor Kobe ink. Pretty cool. My first Kobe ink. Thanks Laura

[Silverbreeze]

Wow....I didn't expect sailor Kobe ink. Pretty cool. My first Kobe ink. Thanks Laura
I am sure I wrote you in that ink at some point Sam :-)
Kobe inks are very nice

Another brand that is rather nice and limited in source is Touscan

[tandaina]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

[klpeabody]

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

Kobe is a brand that I'm just recently becoming familiar with, but what I have sampled I have enjoyed very much.

What did you order? =)

[tandaina]

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

Kobe is a brand that I'm just recently becoming familiar with, but what I have sampled I have enjoyed very much.

What did you order? =)

Ishida Bungu Hakodate Twilight
Sailor Tokiwa-matsu
Kingdom Note (Sailor) Japanese Pheasant

I wanted Bung Box 4B as well, but that is currently out of stock.

[Neo]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....


Same here, I thought it was a Private Reserve and an Organics Studios.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

1. J Herbin Vert Empire. I had three bottles, all ended up as Jello, but I loved the color.
2. Diamine Umber. I have a sample, wasn't sure about this, as it seemed flatter than the Mystery Ink. Which I will probably end up buying.

Oh, and I got MI 3 today, buried under two feet of snow. Thanks!

[Neo]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

1. J Herbin Vert Empire. I had three bottles, all ended up as Jello, but I loved the color.
2. Diamine Umber. I have a sample, wasn't sure about this, as it seemed flatter than the Mystery Ink. Which I will probably end up buying.



Oh, and I got MI 3 today, buried under two feet of snow. Thanks!


sorry to hear about the snow, but at least there's a new ink to play with.

what do you mean your ink turned to jello???

[Silverbreeze]

J.Herbin has a habit of going to goop

[Neo]

J.Herbin has a habit of going to goop

Just wonderful :boom:Thanks for the warning.

[Laura N]

Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

1. J Herbin Vert Empire. I had three bottles, all ended up as Jello, but I loved the color.
2. Diamine Umber. I have a sample, wasn't sure about this, as it seemed flatter than the Mystery Ink. Which I will probably end up buying.

Oh, and I got MI 3 today, buried under two feet of snow. Thanks!

Vert Empire is one of my all time favorite inks, and absolutely my favorite green ink.

Unfortunately, one of mine got thick and sludgy last month. It's my third J. Herbin to develop SITB issues in the last four months. With the first, I contacted Exaclair and got a replacement, but with the most recent two I didn't bother. They were older and less than half full, so it didn't seem fair to ask for brand new bottles. But I am still very disappointed. Exaclair said J. Herbin now has a "mold-proof formula." Sadly I have a lot of bottles predating that.

I'll see how the new bottles do, I guess.

[Neo]

I'm sorry to hear about you bottles but now am a bit concerned. Do you remember how old the Herbin bottles were before they solidified? I had Mass-dropped 5 bottles a few months ago and am now very curious bout this. I guess those are going to get used first now......
Thanks for any info.

[klpeabody]

Alright, back to ink business.

Plume has graciously agreed to allow the mystery to be revealed. Plume offered to (somehow) refrain from checking this thread until receipt of MI2.

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.


Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

1. J Herbin Vert Empire. I had three bottles, all ended up as Jello, but I loved the color.
2. Diamine Umber. I have a sample, wasn't sure about this, as it seemed flatter than the Mystery Ink. Which I will probably end up buying.

Oh, and I got MI 3 today, buried under two feet of snow. Thanks!

Sorry about your J.Herbin. I hear about the jello phenomenon more than I would like. I'm guessing that your bottles were the old formulation of Vert Empire, which makes that a particularly sad loss. :(

I like your guesses, and they are good ones. I can see why you might guess those particular inks, too.

I really liked the MI2 ink sample. I have way too many greens at present, so I won't be rushing to buy a bottle soon, but I like this one quite a bit so it's on deck for the future.

[klpeabody]

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

Kobe is a brand that I'm just recently becoming familiar with, but what I have sampled I have enjoyed very much.

What did you order? =)

Ishida Bungu Hakodate Twilight
Sailor Tokiwa-matsu
Kingdom Note (Sailor) Japanese Pheasant

I wanted Bung Box 4B as well, but that is currently out of stock.


Great colors! Do you think you might share some swabs & writing samples with us when you get a chance? I'm really interested in the special Sailor inks. Lucky, that you have some coming to you. =)

[tandaina]

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

Kobe is a brand that I'm just recently becoming familiar with, but what I have sampled I have enjoyed very much.

What did you order? =)

Ishida Bungu Hakodate Twilight
Sailor Tokiwa-matsu
Kingdom Note (Sailor) Japanese Pheasant

I wanted Bung Box 4B as well, but that is currently out of stock.


Great colors! Do you think you might share some swabs & writing samples with us when you get a chance? I'm really interested in the special Sailor inks. Lucky, that you have some coming to you. =)
I'll definitely do reviews as I use them!

[migo984]

Fun, that makes this my first Kobe ink! :) I'm quite taken with it, but since I just put in a $$$ order for inks with sheen from Mr. cool-Japan I'll have to hold off on a bottle of this one. ;)

Kobe is a brand that I'm just recently becoming familiar with, but what I have sampled I have enjoyed very much.

What did you order? =)

Ishida Bungu Hakodate Twilight
Sailor Tokiwa-matsu
Kingdom Note (Sailor) Japanese Pheasant

I wanted Bung Box 4B as well, but that is currently out of stock.


Great colors! Do you think you might share some swabs & writing samples with us when you get a chance? I'm really interested in the special Sailor inks. Lucky, that you have some coming to you. =)

I have over 60 bottles of the Sailor "specials", not including the standard Jentle or Four Seasons inks. It is by far the best brand on the market IMO, for colour purity, saturation levels, shading, sheen and good-behaviour.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks! That was a great ink, and I loved it. And I can now reveal that BOTH my guesses were wrong. Uwaaaa....

Sailor, what were your guesses? I'm just curious.... =)

1. J Herbin Vert Empire. I had three bottles, all ended up as Jello, but I loved the color.
2. Diamine Umber. I have a sample, wasn't sure about this, as it seemed flatter than the Mystery Ink. Which I will probably end up buying.

Oh, and I got MI 3 today, buried under two feet of snow. Thanks!

Vert Empire is one of my all time favorite inks, and absolutely my favorite green ink.

Unfortunately, one of mine got thick and sludgy last month. It's my third J. Herbin to develop SITB issues in the last four months. With the first, I contacted Exaclair and got a replacement, but with the most recent two I didn't bother. They were older and less than half full, so it didn't seem fair to ask for brand new bottles. But I am still very disappointed. Exaclair said J. Herbin now has a "mold-proof formula." Sadly I have a lot of bottles predating that.

I'll see how the new bottles do, I guess.

It went the same way with my bottles. I have to give kudos to the way they were so willing to replace them all, but scowl at any and all new ink 'regulations' that caused this mishap in the first place.

However, at the LIPS, I patly-filled a Hero 616 with VE, and wrote it out, no problems.

I have a few very nice green inks already soooo...will I get the Kobe, or take another chance on VE?

[jde]

MI2 is Sailor Kobe No. 15 Maiko Green. Just for information, that's one of the special Kobe series of inks made by Sailor for an organization in Kobe, Japan. I bought mine on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-15-Maiko-Green-NAGASAWA-Kobe-Ink-for-Fountain-Pen-Bottle-50ml-Made-in-Japan-/171636031798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f64e0136) from the wonderful cool-Japan. It is still available. And it really looks like the tiny photo in that listing, doesn't it? Though tandaina showed how a wet pen can darken it nicely.

The inks are sold through a department store in Kobe named Nagasawa. That's why we see "Nagasawa Kobe" in cooljapan's ebay listings. Not only does Sailor make inks for different stores in Japan, they also produce editions of their pens that can only be found in some Japanese stores (Nagasawa included).

The Nagasawa Kobe inks are among the more affordable, IMHO, of these Sailor exclusives. Some of the others that turn up are fun to see (Bung Box, Athena, Kingdom Note, etc etc) but usually are out of my pocket range.

No secret here that Sailor is my favorite ink company. It would be so much fun to go to a Sailor ink clinic and get an ink mixed just for you, wouldn't it?

P.S. nice Mystery ink #2! Look forward to the reveal of #3.

[Silverbreeze]

I thought Kobe was an exclusive brand for Nagasawa.

Much like some Noodler's inks or Edison Pens with Goulet and Anderson

[Laura N]

It would be so much fun to go to a Sailor ink clinic and get an ink mixed just for you, wouldn't it?

Yes, I really would love that. I've also read about store events with their nib designers. Sad not to live in Japan.

[Laura N]

I don't know about the source of Kobe inks firsthand. If you go to the eBay listing, they state that the inks were created at the behest of a non-profit organization to symbolize and promote Kobe. I have heard, as Julie says, that they are sold through the Nagasawa department stores in Kobe. So it's a little confusing to me whether Nagasawa is the non-profit that started this, or just the vendor, and it may be an issue of translation. In any case, cool-japan is my source, and an excellent eBay seller.

[Silverbreeze]

Yup cool-Japan is great

[jde]

I don't know about the source of Kobe inks firsthand. If you go to the eBay listing, they state that the inks were created at the behest of a non-profit organization to symbolize and promote Kobe. I have heard, as Julie says, that they are sold through the Nagasawa department stores in Kobe. So it's a little confusing to me whether Nagasawa is the non-profit that started this, or just the vendor, and it may be an issue of translation. In any case, cool-japan is my source, and an excellent eBay seller.

Cool-japan is great, indeed! Have ordered from Atsu (cool-japan) many times.

Being an information junky...here's more info about Nagasawa and the ink. If AltecGreen were around, he'd probably have the perfect answer. :)

Okay: Nagasawa is not a non-profit. It's a retail store. As Silverbreeze has indicated, these Kobe inks are exclusive to Nagasawa. The inks are grouped, in english, as the "Kobe Ink Story," and are meant to celebrate the city of Kobe. There's quite a bit of past conversation on FPN about the Nagasawa store. There's not an english version of the Nagasawa website, (http://www.kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/store/den.html) but you can do the google translate for some rough info in english.

So here's where the non-profit comes in:

To draw a quote from one of cool-japan listings:

Nonprofit Corporation - The Corporation for Promotion of Industry of the City of Kobe, which organized the “Kobe Selection 2008” acknowledged products of Nagasawa Stationery Center Co.'s shop, the “Original Profit Fountain Pen” and the “Kobe Ink Story”.

So the non-profit is an organization that promotes business in Kobe, and they are or have been involved in some way with the inks. Could be as simple as approving or recommending sites around town to be given an ink, or could be more complicated.

In my town, promotion happens through civic groups, the local government, la-la. In Louisville, as we enter our Kentucky Derby season very soon (yes, it's a season here, not just a day), the Kentucky Derby Festival organization which is classified as non-profit will be sponsoring various items and events that make up official Derby stuff, some of which will be sold in stores around town. Some stuff will be exclusive to a venue or vendor.

But I would not call the Nagasawa store "just the vendor," as that implies a passivity that may not be true. The only way to know, though, is to have a Japanese source to tell us more completely. The promotional non-profit may or may not get a piece of the action.

Atsu is emphasizing these inks are made to promote the city of Kobe. Cool-japan was around before the tsunami, but my recollection is after the tsunami, he did a big emphasis on the inks and other vendor's products from that area of Japan to raise awareness, and help commerce in a practical way. The Kobe Nagasawa inks themselves have been around long before that time. Before they started showing up on eBay, the inks were available to us via the Ratuken global market. Thankfully cool-japan came to be, making the buying process from Japan easier!

Note: the "Original Profit" pen is a Sailor pen with a special logo on the nib. (You can find these pens via cool-japan, for seeking out the Nagasawa Pen Style store (in Japanese, though). So... we should not be confused that this pen is THE original Sailor Profit and that it came out of Nagasawa or Kobe. But it is the Sailor Profit design as Sailor designed it, and makes it for the Nagasawa store. An example of translation confusion, perhaps.

If you look at the Kobe label on your ink bottles, you'll see the words "Pen Style." That's the store name. Nagasawa Pen Style.
Here's a copy of an insert from one of my bottles. The skyline is the city of Kobe.

15960

[Jon Szanto]

I'll drop Ricky (AltecGreen) a line about this thread.

[Laura N]

Just a note to say that I went back and edited Post #152 to label the ink swabs I compared to Mystery Ink No. 2.

[reprieve]

Just a note to say that I went back and edited Post #152 to label the ink swabs I compared to Mystery Ink No. 2.

Thanks, Laura. I was wondering which inks you used in your comparison.
You and Cob are inknabling me to try Diamine Safari. :)

[AltecGreen]

I'll drop Ricky (AltecGreen) a line about this thread.

I have been summoned.


For the most part, the information given above is accurate enough.


The ink is made by Sailor for Nagasawa Pen Style in Kobe. The series was started in 2008 in collaboration with some foundation promoting Kobe. The colors for the most part are inspired by some place or thing associated with Kobe. If you go to Nagasawa's site, there is a blurb that explains the origin of each ink.

As for whether the non-profit gets a cut is unclear. Nagasawa used to have the promotional literature about the collaboration up but I could not find it. I never got the impression the non-profit got a piece of the action. The person to ask is VirtuThe3rd over on FPN since he goes to Nagasawa Pen Style frequently. In fact, the whole celebrate Kobe thing has not been in the promotion of the inks for quite some time.

As for pens, there was a special edition Sailor pen made that was part of the whole promotion. Nagasawa has a very good relationship with Sailor and usually has some kind of special edition pen just for them. Bear in mind that this kind of relationship is not unusual. In fact many stores in Japan have special editions made just for their stores. Sailor is especially prolific in making special orders for stores of both pens and inks. Pilot and Platinum do this also. Different stores have different preferences for which company to work with.

If you have a relationship with the Sailor ink works, you can have them make up a special color for you. Hence the gazillion special Sailor made inks in Japan (e.g. Kingdom Note, Bung Box, Maruzen, Pen Gallery, etc.). The minimum order is one case (48) bottles. Sunny Koh in Singapore is having Sailor make a special ink that is intended to replicate MB Racing Green. The Pen Posse received samples of the three prototypes a few weeks ago and we have been testing it against the real MB Racing Green.