Mystery Ink No. 12

[Laura N]

Where does the time go? It seems we are ready for Mystery Ink No. 12. In honor of the number, let's think of MI-12 as an informal jury, composed of the good men and women of FPG, who are willing to adjudicate the characteristics of an unknown ink and to post their impressions in this thread.

The idea is just to have fun by trying an ink without any preconceptions, or even a clue as to what it might be. The identity of the ink will be kept secret until every recipient has received it and had a chance to try it. So I ask everyone, volunteers and readers alike, to refrain from writing guesses about the ink’s identity in the thread. Feel free to PM or email me with any guesses, however.

Whoever you are, wherever you live, you can throw your hat in the ring for MI-12. There is no jury summons, just volunteers. People who've done MI before are welcome again, as are people who are new to the exercise. Everyone is welcome in Mystery Ink.

So, if you’d like to volunteer, please post here and let everyone know why you’d like to get MI-12. If I get more volunteers than there are slots, I will randomly select recipients. Actually I think I have two different inks, so don't be shy about volunteering. I could always send out two batches. The next two months look horribly busy for everyone anyway. "Holiday, oh a holiday, and the best one of the year."

[BCDDiggler]

Volunteer!

[Chrissy]

I would like to volunteer again if there aren't enough new volunteers.

Thank you for doing this. :)

[Crazyorange]

I'm in. I love a good mystery.

[Laura N]

Good to see some volunteers already.

Detroit contingent, you can volunteer for this one. I have an ink for you.

[Scooby921]

Vounteering the GKN crew (myself, naimitsu, Sammyo). Not sure if you need to put in all three names for the randomizer to give us a better chance at selection.

[Laura N]

Vounteering the GKN crew (myself, naimitsu, Sammyo). Not sure if you need to put in all three names for the randomizer to give us a better chance at selection.

I do put every name in. And it's never picked both of them. Random dot org sees all, apparently. :)

Is Scooby the dog or the dorky guy with the facial hair? I only know Speed Racer.

[Sailor Kenshin]

*hesitates*

Okay, ya got me, but will bow out in favor of new blood, muahahaaaaaaa.

[Sammyo]

Detroit contingent, you can volunteer for this one. I have an ink for you.

Count me in as it will be my last in the US!!!!! :cry:
http://designobserver.com/media/images/38970-12_angry_men.png

[Scooby921]

Vounteering the GKN crew (myself, naimitsu, Sammyo). Not sure if you need to put in all three names for the randomizer to give us a better chance at selection.

I do put every name in. And it's never picked both of them. Random dot org sees all, apparently. :)

Is Scooby the dog or the dorky guy with the facial hair? I only know Speed Racer.
Scooby is the dog, but my screen name has nothing to do with Scooby-Doo. But I do have facial hair and the story behind the screen name is probably a bit dorky. So I suppose I have all the bases covered.

[Laura N]

^ Ha, no I didn't mean you were dorky -- I just meant, I can't keep the Scooby characters straight and always mix up the dog with the guy who looks sort of unkempt and a little dorkey, as opposed to the other guy. There's the dog, the guy who looks like he goes to USC and the guy who looks like he doesn't. So the dog is Scooby. But that's not the source of your screen name anyway.

I don't know cartoons, obviously. :)

Okay we need a few more volunteers. I think this will be our last MI so don't be shy -- if you are thinking of joining in at some point, this is that point. :)

[Jon Szanto]

If you want repeat customers, I'll put my name out there, but feel free to void this offer if some new people want a chance.

[Laura N]

All are welcome! Thanks for throwing your Padres hat into the ring. I will send you my vinyl record selections shortly.

[Jon Szanto]

All are welcome! Thanks for throwing your Padres hat into the ring. I will send you my vinyl record selections shortly.

http://www.poslovnipuls.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/horor_v.jpg

I'd be far more likely to be rooting for one of the local Little/Pony League teams that routinely makes into their "World Series". I love going to Petco (Park), but only because it is a lovely and comfortable place to view a ball game and sample some very nice foods and craft beers. I revere Tony Gwynn, and there's a teeny roster of players over the years that played well above their pay grade, but I wouldn't be caught dead in... whatever the team colors are this particular decade. As a franchise? What an embarrassment.

[rdcalhoon]

I would like to volunteer. I have been holding off until I got through a few things. Now I have a bit more time. I have enjoyed reading the threads.

[Hawk]

If you need someone from IL, count sweetnightingale and hawk in.

[naimitsu]

I'm just going to assume my name is in the hat thanks to Scooby921 :D
21978

[Lady Onogaro]

I haven't tried this yet; I'd like to give it a try.

[necrotic]

I will volunteer! I always enjoy reading the mystery ink threads but have never entered before. .

[Laura N]

Okay, sorry for the delay. I've just been swamped.

It's so nice to see so many participants. I should have everyone's address except for rhcalhoon, necrotic and Lady Onogaro. So to you three, welcome, and please PM me with your mailing address and email address (just in case because I fail at PMs).

I'm going to send the Detroiters one package, because friends.

[Sammyo]

Okay, sorry for the delay. I've just been swamped.

It's so nice to see so many participants. I should have everyone's address except for rhcalhoon, necrotic and Lady Onogaro. So to you three, welcome, and please PM me with your mailing address and email address (just in case because I fail at PMs).

I'm going to send the Detroiters one package, because friends.

So much love :cry::hug::hail:

[Scooby921]

:clap2:

[Chrissy]

Have I missed the full list of lucky participants?

[Laura N]

Have I missed the full list of lucky participants?

I'm just sending to everyone who asked above.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Woohooo! Happy Fountain Pen Day!

[dannzeman]

I got my sample tonight and am ready for the games to begin! There will be games, right?

[Chrissy]

Have I missed the full list of lucky participants?

I'm just sending to everyone who asked above.

Wow, that's great! Thank you and Happy fountain pen day :cheer2::cheer2:

[mhguda]

Hi, I've joined the Mystery inks before and this time I'm late and have been kind of busy, but can I still join? (ink will take a while to reach me though, if that's a problem, I'll bow out and try next time...)

[Laura N]

Hi, I've joined the Mystery inks before and this time I'm late and have been kind of busy, but can I still join? (ink will take a while to reach me though, if that's a problem, I'll bow out and try next time...)

Oh I'm sorry I already sent them out.

[mhguda]

That's OK next time I will almost certainly try to be on time...

[Scooby921]

Ink has arrived. Planning has begun to gather our review army, consume food, drink beer, and get a little silly with the analysis.

[FredRydr]

Oops, I missed it.

Fred

[Crazyorange]

Woohoo!!! MI 12 arrived today. Inking up tomorrow. [emoji1]

[Jon Szanto]

Das ink haß arrivengemacht. I will employ the fluid on the morrow!

[necrotic]

Wahoo! Mine arrived today. Looks very dark and mysterious in the sample vial... I couldn't wait and just had to do a little tiny test with a dip pen. Will do more field testing this weekend

[Lady Onogaro]

I got mine, too. I'll test it this weekend. What kinds of things should I comment on (being a first timer)?

[Laura N]

I got mine, too. I'll test it this weekend. What kinds of things should I comment on (being a first timer)?

That's a good question. The bottom line as far as I'm concerned is: comment about whatever and however you want. Some people write it up in the ink, some post a drawing, some people just write about it. Photos are nice if that works. The cool thing at the end is we have so many opinions and perspectives that it's almost a panorama.

I think of MI as a chance to use an ink knowing nothing about it. Usually when we buy an ink we research it carefully, but always we know the brand and the ink's name. We have certain assumptions, good and bad, and even prejudices, tied in with the brand name, the cost and sort of the buzz surrounding the ink. There's a lot out there that influences us, consciously or subconsciously. So, MI is different there.

So that's the back story. But you can comment on what you think of the ink, how it behaves, whether you like it or don't, whether it grows on you, or begins to grate on you, or really anything.

And if anyone wants to guess what it is, just send me an email or PM. That way we can preserve the mystery for everyone else. At the end I'll post about the guesses I've received. You don't need to be an MI participant to guess, not at all.

[BCDDiggler]

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Just got my sample last night and several minutes of inky goodness ensued. Including the battle to decide which to ink! First time with my Osmoroid (easy-change / new model) fine italic nib. Very crisp, if I have my liingo correct. And a Waterman Hundred Year with a FPR flex nib on it. Two VERY different writing experiences and some different papers. See photos! I'll figure out how to put them on in a few (I always forget that part).

Ink is a bit dry, light shading possible, resists feathering, and can dry fairly quickly. No water tests this time. I suspect, based on the sink test, not great water resistance.

In the vial it was maybe a blueish black/deep or violet/indigo. Those are words I don't use often...

In both pens it was a good ink with favorable results, though the italic nib and dryer line really brought the colour (yes, I did mean to spell it this way) out. Do I love (both) colours? yes

This solid hue and well mannered traits were appreciated and I could see myself adding this to my EDC list - professionally it is dark enough, but personally it is colourful enough to displace my Burma Road brown. Well, for now!

Gotta get them all! :D

2207222073220742207522076

[Hawk]

Laura, got the sample but we've bee so busy that we have held off messing with the ink until we get a little quiet time. Hopefully soon.

[rdcalhoon]

I found my sample in the mailbox this morning. I was pleased to see that it is in a color range I favor, based on a tiny dip of my glass pen. I got out six letters and a few scribbles.
Now I have to get back to work if I have any hope of knocking off early this afternoon.
Meanwhile I'll be thinking of which pens to load.

[Laura N]

Wow, so cool that the ink has landed in so many places. There's no rush at all, by the way. Enjoy it, and if you don't have time to enjoy it now, wait till you do. :)

BCDDiggler, I love it in that italic nib! And in the other, too. I tend to like an ink that looks different in different pens.

[Scooby921]

I ate pizza and drank beer whilst naimitsu and Sammyo played with mystery ink. One of them will likely post the review sheet and comparisons to other inks. My contribution is macro shots this morning. TWSBI Diamond 580AL w/ 1.5mm italic on a Rhodia pad.


http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2660_zpsxnymqj6c.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2658_zpswqhekz6o.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z297/bwithorn/Pens/IMG_2657_zpsc7cuc89q.jpg

[Sailor Kenshin]

I don't usually test inks in pens with dry, fine (even though labeled 'M' --- dial 'M' for MYSTERY???) nibs. And ...


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/758/22398100324_74c4bcfa61_c.jpg


What...Me? Purple? This must be an alternate universe.

The difference between MI-12 and That Certain Other Ink is far more apparent in real light, as opposed to a scan. And I can't stop writing with it.

[sweetnightingale]

I'd like to thank Laura for all her hard work in getting us these wonderful ink samples to try out. I always enjoy participating when I can.

So, here we go with my review. I tested this ink using a Parker Vacuumatic and Clairfontaine spiral notebook.

This ink is a deep purple that, in my opinion, can be used in a professional situation. It's a rich purple that is very noticable without looking blackish like some really dark inks can tend to do. When I wrote with it, there was no feathering. It's a pretty wet ink and takes about 20 seconds to dry on higher quality non-absorbant paper, so please do be careful. I used it in my journal the other day and accidentally smudged it with my finger when turning the page, thinking it was dry. I can imagine it takes even longer to dry on something like Tomoe River paper, so again, do be mindful of that.

I took some pictures with my IPad. I'm not the best photographer so I do hope this helps a little.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Test%20Page_zps9qfdnzw5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Test Page_zps9qfdnzw5.jpg
This is a look at the entire page I used for testing.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Writing 2_zpsmsjutemq.jpg
This is a closer look at a writing sample I did.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Writing 1_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg
This is a smear test I did. I put down a bit of ink, then immediately ran my finger over it to test the wetness. It's pretty wet but not the wettest ink I've ever used.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Water Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg
This is a water test I did. I put down some lines, then dropped a few drops of water on them to see if it would smear. As you can see, it smeared qutie a bit but some of the lines are still definable. I did not do a more extensive water test to see if it would wash away completely. It COULD be a semi-permanent ink but I am not sure. During the test, I wiped at it to see how much I could get to fade or wash away.

In Summary:

1) A very pretty, professional ink that can be used for many purposes.
2) It's a deep, rich color that does not look blackish like some very dark inks can.
3) No feathering in my journal nor on the Clairfontaine paper. Also, no bleedthrough, but I think theh kind of pen used plays a big factor in that.
4) It's a pretty wet ink that takes a while to dry. Keep that in mind when using higher quality papers.
5) COULD be semi-permanent but I am not sure since I did not do a hardcore water test. With a few drops, it does smear but some of the lines are still pretty definable.

So, I hope that helps a little. Have a great day, everyone. :)

[sweetnightingale]

I'd like to thank Laura for all her hard work in getting us these wonderful ink samples to try out. I always enjoy participating when I can.

So, here we go with my review. I tested this ink using a Parker Vacuumatic and Clairfontaine spiral notebook.

This ink is a deep purple that, in my opinion, can be used in a professional situation. It's a rich purple that is very noticable without looking blackish like some really dark inks can tend to do. When I wrote with it, there was no feathering. It's a pretty wet ink and takes about 20 seconds to dry on higher quality non-absorbant paper, so please do be careful. I used it in my journal the other day and accidentally smudged it with my finger when turning the page, thinking it was dry. I can imagine it takes even longer to dry on something like Tomoe River paper, so again, do be mindful of that.

I took some pictures with my IPad. I'm not the best photographer so I do hope this helps a little.
http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Writing 2_zpsmsjutemq.jpg
This is a look at the entire page I used for testing.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Writing 2_zpsmsjutemq.jpg
This is a closer look at a writing sample I did.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Writing 1_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg
This is a smear test I did. I put down a bit of ink, then immediately ran my finger over it to test the wetness. It's pretty wet but not the wettest ink I've ever used.

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Water Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg
This is a water test I did. I put down some lines, then dropped a few drops of water on them to see if it would smear. As you can see, it smeared qutie a bit but some of the lines are still definable. I did not do a more extensive water test to see if it would wash away completely. It COULD be a semi-permanent ink but I am not sure. During the test, I wiped at it to see how much I could get to fade or wash away.

In Summary:

1) A very pretty, professional ink that can be used for many purposes.
2) It's a deep, rich color that does not look blackish like some very dark inks can.
3) No feathering in my journal nor on the Clairfontaine paper. Also, no bleedthrough, but I think theh kind of pen used plays a big factor in that.
4) It's a pretty wet ink that takes a while to dry. Keep that in mind when using higher quality papers.
5) COULD be semi-permanent but I am not sure since I did not do a hardcore water test. With a few drops, it does smear but some of the lines are still pretty definable.

So, I hope that helps a little. Have a great day, everyone. :)

[sweetnightingale]

Everyone...my pictures aren't showing up. Not sure what I'm doing wrong but will try to repost this review with the pictures. I don't have time right now but will work on this a bit later when I can.

[Jon Szanto]

Everyone...my pictures aren't showing up. Not sure what I'm doing wrong...

Hi. I took a look at your message in Post #44 and copied one of the links that had appeared in the text. It seems to work fine, as shown below. Just be sure that when you go to Photobucket, you just copy the link to the photo itself, come back here, click on the small "Image" icon and when the dialog box pops up for the image link, paste it there. That should fix any issues (he said, optimistically...)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Test%20Page_zps9qfdnzw5.jpg

[sweetnightingale]

Thank you, Jon. I will try that and see if that works. Seems this forum works a little differently than others i've been on where we've had to actually paste in the little code to get the images to show up. Fingers crossed that the third time will be the charm. :)

[sweetnightingale]

I'd like to thank Laura for all her hard work in getting us these wonderful ink samples to try out. I always enjoy participating when I can.

So, here we go with my review. I tested this ink using a Parker Vacuumatic and Clairfontaine spiral notebook.

This ink is a deep purple that, in my opinion, can be used in a professional situation. It's a rich purple that is very noticable without looking blackish like some really dark inks can tend to do. When I wrote with it, there was no feathering. It's a pretty wet ink and takes about 20 seconds to dry on higher quality non-absorbant paper, so please do be careful. I used it in my journal the other day and accidentally smudged it with my finger when turning the page, thinking it was dry. I can imagine it takes even longer to dry on something like Tomoe River paper, so again, do be mindful of that.

I took some pictures with my IPad. I'm not the best photographer so I do hope this helps a little.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Test%20Page_zps9qfdnzw5.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Test%20Page_zps9qfdnzw5.jpg.html)
This is a look at the entire page I used for testing.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%202_zpsmsjutemq.jpg.html)
This is a closer look at a writing sample I did.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Writing%201_zpsdpjd73fu.jpg.html)
This is a smear test I did. I put down a bit of ink, then immediately ran my finger over it to test the wetness. It's pretty wet but not the wettest ink I've ever used.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f204/sweetnightngale/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/sweetnightngale/media/Water%20Test_zpsdjjnpydg.jpg.html)
This is a water test I did. I put down some lines, then dropped a few drops of water on them to see if it would smear. As you can see, it smeared qutie a bit but some of the lines are still definable. I did not do a more extensive water test to see if it would wash away completely. It COULD be a semi-permanent ink but I am not sure. During the test, I wiped at it to see how much I could get to fade or wash away.

Please pardon the handwriting, as I don't have the greatest penmanship.

In Summary:

1) A very pretty, professional ink that can be used for many purposes.
2) It's a deep, rich color that does not look blackish like some very dark inks can.
3) No feathering in my journal nor on the Clairfontaine paper. Also, no bleedthrough, but I think theh kind of pen used plays a big factor in that.
4) It's a pretty wet ink that takes a while to dry. Keep that in mind when using higher quality papers.
5) COULD be semi-permanent but I am not sure since I did not do a hardcore water test. With a few drops, it does smear but some of the lines are still pretty definable.

So, I hope that helps a little. Have a great day, everyone.

[Sammyo]

OK, so here we go...

We put it in six pens:
TWSBI 580 Al with a 1.5mm stub nib
Pelikan 400NN with a fine semiflex nib
Esterbrook J with a 9128 nib (fine semiflex)
Parker 45 with a 14K broad nib
Platinum Plasir with a fine nib
Eagle ever filler with a medium flex nib

We all liked this ink, even those of us that weren't particularly "purple people". The flow and lubrication was excellent, non of the flexible nibs had any issues with ink starvation or "dry ink syndrome". From a Japanese fine to a 1.5mm stub to a flex nib, it worked just as well. There was no sign of spread or feathering (outside what is expected on cheap paper, but even that was no problem). It was dark enough to use for business in a broader nib if you don't mind a bit of colour and I will be using it for business for the next few weeks ;)

The colour is different from different nibs. From the finer nibs (and the 1.5mm stub) it was a lovely shade of "business" purple. From the semi flex nibs it was a nice darker purple with some brown undertones (especially after it had dried fully). From the flex nib it was a very dark purple with some nice brown undertones and golden brown sheen.

It had a little shading on nicer paper with nearly all of the pens, and on the Tomoe River paper it had much more shading and some sheen from the wetter nibs. The ink definitely showed some water resistance, but was not waterproof... at least in the tests I did. I ran it under a tap for 20 seconds and it left a perfectly legible faded lines and shapes.

It is a great ink that behaves so well. I will try cleaning a pen soon, but all of the clean up and cleaning of dip nibs was no problem... and it was off my fingers after one night.

My wife loves purple ink and has said that if it is available she would happily put it in her pens.

I will let others who were there add their own comments... even though I think only two of them is are FPGeeks members.

This is a link to a Flickr album with the full size images: https://www.flickr.com/gp/131449189@N05/NU5r6p

Below are some small images to wet your appetite (sorry for so many, I couldn't stop!), there are more in the attached Flickr album above...

[Sammyo]

Also there is a secret hidden in the chromatography picture... we think we might know what ink it is...

[Sammyo]

One thing I forgot to add... To second, third and fourth others comments... this ink takes a long time to dry +20secs. On the Tomoe River I left it for a few minutes or more from the wet flex nib and it still stuck to the previous page.

[Laura N]

How nice to see so many excellent posts.

I'm going to have to ink this up ASAP. I'm behind! :)

[Lady Onogaro]

Here is my review. My pictures are not the greatest (I have not mastered this sort of thing yet).

What I noticed is that it is quite grey in my broad nibbed Parker 45, and rather brownish-purple in my Sheaffer demonstrator (F nib) and Lamy Vista (EF nib). My pictures will not do it justice. I tried to compare it to KWZ Gummiberry, though the light is quite bad in my kitchen, where I am working.

I don't know if I would use it much if I were restricted to F and EF nibs, which I am not. But I like it in the broad nib Parker 45. I could see sticking wit it for a while.

I thought it was quite like Shigure until I tried it in the F nib and EF nib pens. The difference in shading was striking to me, and my samples look nothing like the ones I've seen here. I'll try it on other papers.


http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/ag231/rogersdenise701/2015-11-15%2019.41.42_zpsrtffhnrh.jpg (http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/rogersdenise701/media/2015-11-15%2019.41.42_zpsrtffhnrh.jpg.html)

[Sammyo]

... But I like it in the broad nib Parker 45...

I couldn't agree more, of all the pens inked that is my favourite to use with this ink.

[Lady Onogaro]

I tried it on a cream Tomoe River sheet, and it came out pretty grey. I am going to go back and look today to see if it became more purple as it dried or more black.

I wrote a letter with it using the fine point nib, and I can't say it will be a favorite of mine. I will probably try it on a few more papers, but then I will likely flush it. I think if I had bought a bottle of whatever it was, I would be looking to sell it to somebody. It just would not be a favorite with me, though I have to say it is an interesting ink.

Laura picked a good one!

[necrotic]

For me, it looks very dark when wet then lightens just a bit as it dries. It does take a while to dry but has not feathered or bled at all. There seems to be a hint of sheen when you look at the dried ink at an angle.22112

[Sammyo]

I tried it on a cream Tomoe River sheet, and it came out pretty grey...

I have to agree with Lady Onogaro, on cream paper it looses some of it's appeal. The way I described it was "you know when you wash your brushes out and the water tuns that funny grey/purple colour...".

22168
22169
22170

[Hawk]

Sweetnightingale and I shared a sample, so her review is more detailed. I am happy with basic inks i.e. Waterman, Sheaffer, Parker and Pelikan. At first glance, in the vial, I said this is a professional purple. I like purple's having at least one pen inked in a purple. I like the ones I have but feel, in a professional setting, a more reserved color would be better. This ink does it. Putting the ink to some ordinary 20# bond, the subtle purple came out but was not in your face, therefore a professional color. The ink behaved well using this paper and had slightly less tendency to show through on the backside. As others have said, it is hard starting at times. I tried using it in a pen that I changed the nib and had horrible results, the nib needed tuning. Flushing the pen out was time consuming, it kept flushing out color due to it's saturation. I finally disassembled the vac. and got it clean. My test pen became my old war horse, a Parker IM. I like the ink and would continue to use it in a pen that was easy to clean like a cc/pen. Being hard starting and difficult to clean, puts this ink into a second tier ink for me. Maybe mixing a black with a purple of the same brand would duplicate the color of the test ink and resolve my drawbacks. However, I probably would not get a 'roundtoit'.

[Crazyorange]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/19/e060303eca2bffff96bde007f970c0af.jpg

Meh purple. Sort of boring. Sort of washed out.

I used a FC model 66 with a fine nib to draw with. The ink was a bit dry on the thick multimedia paper. Not much sheen. Quite flat looking.

I did use it at work for client notes and it's very professional - no screaming look at this ink.

[necrotic]

After more use, I really think this is a great ink. The long drying time is the only part about it that is troublesome. I don't own a blotter (yet) but I think I'd need to use one with this ink if it was in daily use. I really like the color and the subtle shading with crisp edges. This ink would get used for fancier projects like invitations, cards, etc but not so much for everyday doodling or note taking. Much of my daily writing has to dry fast enough to file within 10 seconds or so. I'd spend too much time waiting for things to dry if this was my daily ink. But I'm eager to see the identity revealed. I may even purchase a small bottle or vial of this ink for special occasions.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm puzzled.

Being the worst-case scenario (southpaw overwriter), I would have said this ink is NOT slow to dry. Have used it on Rhodia, Staples Bagasse, and Cheap ™ Generic © Notepads ® with no smearing.

[Laura N]

I finally got a chance to ink up MI-12 today. I have it in a TWSBI Eco with 1.1 mm stub. At first I found it dry -- but that's a dry-writing pen I needed to adjust anyway, so that was the prompt I needed to finally adjust the tines of the Eco.

In this pen, after using it for a few hours today, on and off, I would rank the behavior for me so far as completely normal. It starts up immediately. It flows slightly on the dry side, I think, but not so dry that I perk up and think "a dry ink for my Pelikans." (Because alas, I am always looking for dry inks.) It takes an average time to dry for me on Rhodia, Clairefontaine and Staples Sustainable Earth.

22218

MI-12 feathers a bit for me, especially on terrible copy paper, but the feathering isn't so bad on Staples Sustainable Earth, and this is a 1.1 mm stub. Not much showthrough. So I think its performance on poor paper is average, too. I couldn't use it on horrible paper with a broad nib, but I can on Sustainable Earth. That's the case for a lot of inks.

22217

I agree with everyone who says it would make a nice work ink. That was my first thought: it's so sober and serious that I totally could get away with using it for work. And I have a job bringing me into contact with the generally uptight, so I usually use black or blue inks for work. Or blue black ink, when I'm willing to test the boundaries and risk being labeled "rebel." So if I could use it for work, anyone could use it for work.

Well, not preschool teachers -- because for them it would be too serious.

22219

I like it on both cream and white papers, but I actually like it best on Staples Sustainable Earth, which is a white that's not bright.

I wouldn't use it for editing, because it doesn't stand out enough for that. It's a little gray, perhaps. But I think the color would look great next to brighter, more spring-like colors, especially light greens and pale pinks. It would be the bass in that band.

I have gotten three guesses so far. I myself have three or four different inks that are extremely similar to it. So I think that this color actually is fairly popular. The cool purple-gray ink niche is surprisingly full. Here are swabs of MI-12 on the left with three purple gray inks, on cream paper above and white paper below.

22215

ETA photos

[Sammyo]

So a follow up is due. I have now cleaned this ink or of two pens, and one was a lever filler. I wouldn't say it was the easiest ink to clean out (even though it is grey-ish, it is still a purple after all!) but I wouldn't say I had any problems at all.

It washed straight out with water alone, no additional assistance was needed. I have reinked the pens and had no issues with any colour contamination or residue. I typically clean my pens thoroughly, but I did this clean in a bit of a rush to get some more inks in to test, still I had no issues.

[Jon Szanto]

Gah. A far less easy couple of weeks than I anticipated. Waaa, waaa, waaa. Snap out of it, Jon, post the damn ink thoughts.

Ok, so, anyway, here are some samples and thoughts on MI12. I don't have a clue, and it's not for not having more than a few blackish purples over the years. I don't think it will bump my fave out of the lineup (Sailor Jentle "Shigure") but if someone gave me this ink I'd let it write letters in bed with me.

The writing samples were done with two differing Speedball nibs (first 2 lines of each example, plus the title) and then I inked up a pen that came in a lot, a hugelyginormous Jinhao 159. What a pig, and it's a wet writer, too, with at least a Western M, so I flipped it over and wrote a finer line with the top o' the nib. Included a couple of swab swipes, too. Drying seemed maybe a tad long on the Tomoe and Rhodia, but mostly because of that riverflow of a Jinhao. It was a little odd (at least in this trial) that it was both a well-flowing ink but had a sort-of "dry" feel to it. With a nice tight nib and some non-absorbent paper, laying down a dark line with this fluid might well be stark and stern enough for official work. I always wonder about purple-oriented inks, how they look to non-pen geeks. Who knows?

Always fun to tour the back alleys with a stranger for a night - here's my sampling of Mystery Ink No. 12...


http://i.imgur.com/L7UMieP.jpg

[Laura N]

Following up on Sammyo's report, I cleaned MI-12 out of the TWSBI Eco yesterday. So it had only been in the pen for 48 hours or so. Bearing in mind its brief sojourn, I thought MI-12 cleaned up very easily from the TWSBI. It took less than 10 cycles with water before the pen was perfectly clean, which is good for a purple ink in my experience. But it hadn't been in there long, either.

[Sammyo]

... here's my sampling of Mystery Ink No. 12...

Thanks John, you did a great job of apturing the inks variety of shades... at least on my screens anyway :D

[Chrissy]

I think this is a dry ink. A dusty purple or damson shade springs to mind. I like this type of shade and have a couple of inks that are a similar colour.

When I opened my sample tube, a drop of ink spilled down the tube and landed between my thumbnail and the end of my thumb. This is often a difficult place to clean out, but I found it washed off with ordinary bar soap. When I'm washing ink off my hands, I find that bar soap usually performs much better then liquid soap.

I wanted to get something up because I know I have delayed everyone, but I will write on some other papers in addition to this Oxford paper.

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[Laura N]

I feel like I dropped out for a while, due to extended Thanksgiving festivities, which were F-U-N for sure, but sadly it's back to work and back in gear today. So I just want to make sure: did everyone get a chance to try MI-12? Is anyone still out there who hasn't? Before I spill the beans.

Your pal, Laura

[Crazyorange]

[emoji851]waiting......

[Chrissy]

I'm happy to have the beans spilled. :)

[Jon Szanto]

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dbbeb0e4b0da00562cb516/54dbbf24e4b0d304c26dbae2/54fa3863e4b0e615760a8429/1425685129889/?format=1000w

[rdcalhoon]

I had made some trials with dipped nibs and my glass pen but haven't reported anything here. I had meant to ink a couple of pens, but I haven't run anything dry recently.

It is not an ink I already have, and I have a few of similar color.

I'll probably run it through my Kakuno (fine) with my pocket notebook. And maybe my Reform 1745 when I empty that pen.

I haven't used it enough to say if I want a bottle, but it is still in the running.

That said, I am ready for the bean spilling.

[Lady Onogaro]

Everyone's samples are lots more purple than mine. I am flabbergasted and trying to figure out why.

[Crazyorange]

Everyone's samples are lots more purple than mine. I am flabbergasted and trying to figure out why.

Could it be your monitor?

[Scooby921]

More likely how wet or dry a nib is and how much pressure is used while writing. I'm not a heavy writer, but our group did notice that I get a bit more shading out of an ink / pen because I use a little more pressure than others which flexes the nib a bit more and puts more ink on the page.

[Laura N]

Everyone's samples are lots more purple than mine. I am flabbergasted and trying to figure out why.

One other thought -- if the pen had traces of a previous ink, or even water, that can change or lighten the color. Or if the pen is a very dry writer, an ink can look lighter in color, even washed-out. I think MI-12 may be a dry ink; I liked it better in my pen when the nib wrote a little wetter.

Which Gummiberry were you comparing it to? Was it the iron gall Gummiberry?

[Laura N]

I had made some trials with dipped nibs and my glass pen but haven't reported anything here. I had meant to ink a couple of pens, but I haven't run anything dry recently.

It is not an ink I already have, and I have a few of similar color.

I'll probably run it through my Kakuno (fine) with my pocket notebook. And maybe my Reform 1745 when I empty that pen.

I haven't used it enough to say if I want a bottle, but it is still in the running.

That said, I am ready for the bean spilling.

PM sent.

[Scooby921]

Have all participants had a chance to play with the mystery ink? Can the mystery ink be identified / confirmed?

[Laura N]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet, I believe.

[naimitsu]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet, I believe.

Hopefully you don't mean me! I decided to be lazy and let Sammyo & Scooby921 report out for me :D

[Laura N]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet, I believe.

Hopefully you don't mean me! I decided to be lazy and let Sammyo & Scooby921 report out for me :D

:) Not you -- I just lump you three together, like Musketeers. :)

[Jon Szanto]

WHEN ARE WE
GOING TO FIND
OUT ABOUT
MYSTERY
INK #12?

[Laura N]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet.

[Jon Szanto]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet.

They must be dealt with.

[Laura N]

Let's read Yeats:

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

[FredRydr]

Let's read Yeats:
...
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Nevermore.

Fred

[Jon Szanto]

Let's read Waits:

The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)

The piano has been drinking, my necktie is asleep
And the combo went back to New York, the jukebox has to take a leak
And the carpet needs a haircut, and the spotlight looks like a prison break
And the telephone's out of cigarettes, and the balcony is on the make
And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking...

And the menus are all freezing, and the light man's blind in one eye
And he can't see out of the other
And the piano-tuner's got a hearing aid, and he showed up with his mother
And the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking
As the bouncer is a Sumo wrestler cream-puff casper milktoast
And the owner is a mental midget with the I.Q. of a fence post
'Cause the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking...

And you can't find your waitress with a Geiger counter
And she hates you and your friends and you just can't get served without her
And the box-office is drooling, and the bar stools are on fire
And the newspapers were fooling, and the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking, the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking, not me, not me, not me, not me, not me...

[rdcalhoon]

Here I am, taking my sweet time. I always feel the need to try a new ink in daily use over a number of days before I render a verdict. Maybe when I have experience with a lot more inks I will be more prepared to make a more rapid judgement. The idea that I need to try lots more inks to improve my evaluation skills seems good to me, anyway.
I won't list out here all the unplanned time sinks that have occurred recently, but if you listen closely you might hear me muttering about cellphone replacement (If it is a known manufacturing issue, why did I have to spend hours on the phone trying different resets and reinstalls before hearing that?), wind storm damage, or goats breaking into the lavender labyrinth.
I tried this ink dipped with a range of pens ranging from fine to 1.9 on Rhodia paper. I enjoy this color range. I have a half-dozen ink samples that are similar color, but none match.
I have been using MI12 in my Pilot Kakuno fine and my Reform 1745 pens in Apica, Scout Book, and Fabriano notebooks. I have had no trouble at all with dry times or smearing. The Kakuno is a rather fine width, but is a tad wet. The Reform is a bit wider, but writes on the dry side.
The ink is saturated enough that the fine line is still quite dark. It is noticeably purple next to black ink, but not so purple to distract from the text.
I would use this ink in a fine nib for my pocket notebook or in a stub for writing a letter or in a journal.
I like this ink, being predisposed by the color. I do have a couple bottles of kinda similar ink, so I doubt I would purchase a bottle until I ran one of those down.

I do appreciate all of your patience while I scribbled away.
If I am the last holdout, then let us hear the identity of MI12.

[Chrissy]

Someone is still out there who hasn't finished yet.

it's not me is it? :(

[Laura N]

I will arise and go now, and go to MI-12....

MI-12 is Diamine Damson.

22429

The damson is a small sort of plum that grows on a thorny hedge or tree, often in the wild or as a volunteer, in both Britain and America. By happy coincidence, I just finished David Mitchell's Slade House, in which damsons grew in the garden of The Scary House that no one should enter. Do we never learn our fairy tale lessons?

However, I digress, because MI-12 is also Akkerman Voorhout Violet.

22431

The guesses that were submitted to me were one Private Reserve, one Diamine not-Damson, and one Diamine Damson, which actually wasn't a guess, because they owned it already. :) No one mentioned Voorhout Violet. :(

The inks I had that were super close are as follows:

22430

Interestingly enough, although Damson/Voorhout Violet does not appear very red-purple to me, it is clearly redder in tint than the other inks I have that look oh-so-very-close in real life.

Reprieve kindly provided the Damson for MI.

As always, thank you to everyone.

[rdcalhoon]

I had decided MI12 was very similar to but not quite Diamine Damson, which I thought was a bit darker and maybe a touch redder. This based on dip pen scribble and smear.

[necrotic]

Laura, thanks again so much for organizing these Mystery Ink episodes. It was fun to try this ink and to read everyone's experiences. I actually used this ink a lot more this week when writing Christmas cards. I think it's wetness (which had bothered me a bit before) is dependent on the ink and nib size. Writing in card stock with a fine nib, I had none of the drying time issues as before. Shows again the difference pen and paper make when evaluating ink. I definitely learned something. Thanks!

[millerwb]

40 ounces left! That was one big bottle! ;-)

I would find a good home in Texas for the forlorn ink remains, if even a small bottle, 1/2 full. You can PM me if still available and I can send some postage money.

[Jon Szanto]

Big thanks - as always - to Laura for propping up the creaky cart of Mystery Inks, and thanks to Reprieve for donating the ink. Something I would certainly never go after on my own, but always interesting. BTW, the sample page I made with 3 papers and four nibs has come in handy in other venues: I've gotten a lot of mileage out of it in the last week or so with new fp users, and showing them how one ink can look so different by virtue of non-ink things.

Yay Mystery Inks!

[Laura N]

40 ounces left! That was one big bottle! ;-)

I would find a good home in Texas for the forlorn ink remains, if even a small bottle, 1/2 full. You can PM me if still available and I can send some postage money.

Oh I'm sorry, but someone already claimed it. But thank you for offering! I'm sure it would have loved Texas.

[Crazyorange]

I had a feeling it was a diamine ink. Though I'm not a big fan of the ink, I like the fact it was close to other inks but not a match. Made for fun guessing. Thanks Reprieve for supplying the ink. [emoji4]. Thanks Laura for putting everything together. [emoji4]

[Sailor Kenshin]

I LOVED this ink. And I do not like dark purple inks. So this makes the second food-themed dark purple Mystery Ink that I enjoyed.

I have failed to guess correctly in all the trials, but this time I knew MI-12 was NOT Vivaldi, 'cause I have a sample. ;)

Thank you, Laura!