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Mystery Ink #22
Finally time for another mystery ink.
As with any mystery ink it is open to FPG veterans, n00bs, newbies, and lurkers. You volunteer, I pick names, I send free ink, you write with it and post your thoughts and observations. Guessing is welcome, but not required. There is nothing to "win" aside from personal satisfaction that you recognized it. No guess is confirmed until the mystery ink is finally revealed. The point of the mystery ink threads is an unbiased review. Fear not about the quality of your handwriting or sketching abilities. We don't care. We are all appreciative of those with the gift of artistic ability, but how well you draw or write doesn't impact your ability to test an ink and provide your opinion on it.
I only have plans through round #23. If you've been sitting on the sidelines time to hop off the fence and join in before your opportunity disappears!
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Yay another round. :) I think I have this one already so I'm in :)
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
I'd like to play, unless there are too many applicants. Thanks, Scooby!
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
I think I might have this one, so I can play. :applause: Thank you Scooby. :)
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
I'm in as long as I am not taking an opportunity away from newcomers.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
I'll join, with the same stipulation as azkid, don't choose me if it displaces a newcomer.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
I'm out of town for the week. I'll leave this open for any other volunteers until Thursday. If we get any n00bs it should leave me time to procure an address and ship everything on Saturday.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Unfortunately my schedule will likely be too busy for me to participate this time around (one more month and life gets closer to normal) but I look forward to seeing the reviews.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Hi Scooby,
I would also like to play again if you find an open slot for me, so please accept my formal application :)
Thanks again for hosting the game for us. :fans::fans::fans:
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Ok, everyone is in. I'll get them in the mail as soon as I can.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Ok, so inks didn't get mailed out this weekend. After working 14 hour days for the week I decided to be a vegetable on the weekend. I'm attempting to put ink into vials right now, but it's 8:00pm and within the last 3 hours I have polished off a delicious bottle of shiraz...by myself. I can't guarantee that everyone gets exactly 3mL of ink :bounce:
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Aaaaaaaaaannnddd that's the last of this bottle of ink. Enjoy!
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Packages did get mailed out this week. I think most in the USA should see them by Monday or Tuesday (hopefully sooner). Ptero, your package went out two days earlier than the rest, but I recall it taking a few extra days to clear customs the last time I sent ink. I hope it gets to you by next Friday. I can send you a USPS tracking link if you'd like to keep an eye on it.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Scooby, mine showed up quickly. I was too tired when I got home to ink it up. I will do it this weekend. Some of the ink did leak out though, which was strange. It was taped up rather well, as usual. I can't tell where it is coming from. I think it was crushed a little bit. I still have enough to ink up a pen though.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Thanks, Scooby, for letting me try 22. It was late when I got the sample, the loaded pen didn't want to write, so I let it sit overnight in hopes that it would be an easier start the next day.
http://extras.ourpatioparty.com/file...k_022-640p.jpg
The paper-towel chroma went down flat, but when dry, it developed a fascinating, chalky, gun-blue center.
http://extras.ourpatioparty.com/file...a_022-640p.jpg
Will test it on other papers and render further verdicts.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Sailor, I think it is a dark gray. At first it looked dark green to almost black on one paper. The second paper looked dark gray, kind of like Fog Grey. (DeAtramentis) I have written with it on two papers so far. I have not had hard starts, and it isn't too wet for my pen.
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Well this is an interesting ink. I thought it was black before I wrote with it. But it is dark grey.
The first thing I observed is how it didn't cling to the sides of the vial. Like, at all. I think this means it has very high surface tension.
Holding it up to light, it has a brownish tinge versus a bluish one.
I loaded it into my Pilot Elite, wrote in a Clairefontaine 1951 Papier Velouté notebook and discovered the ink is a shading, warm, smoky, dark grey that pools up on the page and takes forever to dry (I gave up at 90 seconds). It seemed to flow well but the pen had some hard starting, partly the fault of the nib.
In my Jinhao 8802 it worked well. Generous flow but well controlled in pen and on the page. The shading is easy to notice, but without being distractingly dramatic.
The multiple pass test didn't show much difference between 2 and 3 but a contrast between 1 and 2 only.
I also tried the ink on some cheap notepad paper with unexpected results. The ink immediately soaked into the page with a little feathering, drying quickly to a light gray, much lighter than on the fancy paper.
I also tried on Rhodia and gave up waiting for it to dry and used blotter paper.
On my Esterbrook #048 nib the ink formed distinct, round droplets like rain on a freshly waxed car. As opposed to clinging to the metal. Strangest thing I've seen, ink-wise.
Some ink got on my finger. Washing it off was pretty easy, requiring brief, light scrubbing.
I'll post up waterfastness results and other tests or thoughts later.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...99a8768293.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...00fbdbbe76.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...90b73198b5.jpg
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Re: Mystery Ink #22
Waterproof test shows the ink is somewhat resistant to droplets and also resists complete washing off; a remnant remains on the paper.
Some inks I've tested, once exposed to droplets, release their dye into a big blob making the writing illegible unless the dye is completely washed off. MI 22 doesn't seem as prone to this issue.
I compared it to MB Permanent Black (totally waterproof) and another ink that I swore was Quink. I don't have my fill notebook with me. I will edit with corrections if need be.
Before:https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...288d04e885.jpg
After:https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...670f583453.jpg
**Edited to add**
I haven't used the ink too much yet. Initially, I like the shading and the dark grey. I've never used a dark grey ink before, unless you count Quink Black. :D The way it pools up is kind of cool too.
The impractically long dry time is my biggest complaint. Inks that take more than 20 seconds to dry make a mess of my work notebooks. A full minute is already beyond the pale. And this ink may go two minutes for all I know.
I expect a pen that flowed less would allow a faster dry time. I bet I would lose the shading, though.
I would need to test for hard starting with other pens, next. I have a feeling this ink's high surface tension means it is much less tolerant of baby's bottom when writing on smooth paper. That's just a theory, though.
With the other dark grey inks out there to choose from, I am guessing this one wouldn't be the best fit for most of my pens.
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: Mystery Ink #22
Attachment 43546
Overall I like the ink for performance, except the slow dry times. The color just didn't do it for me. I had zero issues with it besides this so far. I got ink on my hands, and it was easy to wash off. The paper I used in the photo was Maruman Mnemosyne. It was a little darker on average quality copy paper, and performed well on HP 32# paper. A good workhorse ink, but not a buy for me.