Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

  1. #1
    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    On a hill in Puerto Rico
    Posts
    1,697
    Thanks
    2,214
    Thanked 1,814 Times in 795 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    I've just read about this web site written by Dr. Leighton Davies-Smith, who apparently was the developer of the Parker Penman line of inks: https://www.scribetc.com/home

    Dr. Davies-Smith sells a line of inks called "Scribe" that is advertised as "reminiscent of the Parker Penman Fountain Pen Inks from the 1990's..." Has anyone had the chance to try out these inks?

    Scribeink.png

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to carlos.q For This Useful Post:

    A Smug Dill (November 13th, 2020), Chrissy (November 13th, 2020), Detman101 (April 25th, 2021)

  3. #2
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,908
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Carlos, Wile E. needs to know this to help sate his thirst for Sapphire.

  4. #3
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11,404
    Thanks
    6,876
    Thanked 10,362 Times in 3,977 Posts
    Rep Power
    24

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    I wasn't aware Wile E. had a thirst for Penman Sapphire. I have some cartridges available.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

  5. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    California Central Coast
    Posts
    651
    Thanks
    2,370
    Thanked 1,123 Times in 427 Posts
    Rep Power
    9

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    I had thought yesterday would have been my final post here at fpg, but much like the Lannisters from Game of Thrones, " I always pay my debts..."

    When carlos.q posted back on November 13th, I contacted Dr. Davies-Smith and inquired about his new line of inks. He was literally on his way out the door to a trip to New York but promised me he would send me some samples. A week later a package arrived containing 15ml bottles of each color ink, along with a note that the inks were prepared and stored in bulk but he was waiting for bottles and labels from China (which had been held up due to Covid.)

    I had asked him if I could share some of my new found riches with some pen-friends to evaluate and he was kind enough to agree, wondering how the inks would be perceived by the pen community. They have since been sent out and I have passed some of their comments on to Dr. Leighton-Smith, "as promised." I also emailed him some questions about the new inks and here is his reply:


    "What a wonderful evaluation in the pdf files!

    You know as a scientist you can be too involved in the ins and outs of the physical/chemical attributes of a project without providing due consideration to how end-users perceive your product. I've seen this time and time again over my career. So it's always great to see real feedback from those both in the know and the need, and an assessment of your product as it pertains to them.

    So I'm grateful for the feedback.

    With fountain pen inks in particular, you never really know what's going to happen. Unlike rollerballs, ballpens, and gel pens where you have control over the dispensing part of the system, you're at the mercy of the particular fountain pen being used by the enthusiast and the paper (often unusual) that he or she chooses to use! Fine or broad, Parker, Waterman, Pelikan, Lamy, Sailor, etc - who knows?! As when I worked on the Penman inks, even different Parker models responded differently to the inks developed, some better than others, and these inks became known internally (wrongly in my view) as the 'Duofold Inks'.

    So the potential to satisfy everyone's needs is significantly reduced when it comes to working with fountain pen inks, requiring more 'tweaks' to at least attempt to interest the majority. This challenge in my view is offset by the individual character of the written word that can be derived from the unique combination of fountain pen, fountain pen ink, and fountain pen user.

    So to your questions:

    1) Will all the Scribe inks be available for sale only through your website or will you be using distributors such as Anderson Pens, Vanness, Pen Chalet, Dromgooles, Goulet Pens, or Pen Boutique?
    Answer: Right now only through my website. I don't know the extent of interest so I want to start small. This is a part-time initiative for now, but we'll see how things progress. And please feel free to post your thoughts to whatever forum site you feel would have members who would express an interest, and include Douglas' (or anyone else's) feedback.

    2) Is the Scribe ink produced and bottled here in the US, or are you using a separate established ink company to do it (ie. Diamine or Sailor, etc).
    Answer: Bottled in the US, but I have a number of ink manufacturers in my network and these are currently from the EU

    3) Would overseas purchasers be able to get the bottles shipped to them?
    Answer: Yes, at their shipping expense and with applicable taxes applied

    4) Is this ink safe for vintage pens that use latex sacs or diaphragms (flushing not withstanding.) Do you have pH levels for the various colors?
    Answer: I would generally never leave any fountain pen ink in such a reservoir for any extended period, but the inks are essentially of neutral pH (Onyx: 7.5; Indigo 7.0; Malachite 7.1; Garnet 7.3; Jamocha 7.4)

    Lastly, final labels have arrived today, so packages are being assembled and weighed for shipping. And I wanted to confirm the introductory price of $22 per 50ml bottle plus applicable taxes & shipping."



    So if any of the ink samplers would like to post their evaluation of the Scribe inks in the Ink Review forum, you may do so now.

    Thanks again, fpg, and may you and your families stay safe in these uncertain times.

    All the Best.
    ---James
    Last edited by junglejim; January 6th, 2021 at 08:09 PM. Reason: spelling, which is my weak point!
    Bucket list - walk the Camino de Santiago again

  6. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to junglejim For This Useful Post:

    carlos.q (January 6th, 2021), Chrissy (April 25th, 2021), Detman101 (April 25th, 2021), KrazyIvan (January 8th, 2021), Ole Juul (January 9th, 2021), Sailor Kenshin (January 7th, 2021), thi (August 26th, 2021), welch (March 10th, 2021), Yazeh (January 6th, 2021)

  7. #5
    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    On a hill in Puerto Rico
    Posts
    1,697
    Thanks
    2,214
    Thanked 1,814 Times in 795 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Thank you so very much for your investigation and this post.

    However I'm a bit puzzled about your comment about your "final post" here at FPG. I sincerely hope that all is well with you.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to carlos.q For This Useful Post:

    Sailor Kenshin (January 7th, 2021)

  9. #6
    Member tooth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Seattle WA
    Posts
    97
    Thanks
    84
    Thanked 89 Times in 36 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    I had the good fortune to experiment with three of the Scribe inks thanks to junglejim - Indigo, Onyx and Malachite. They are all very high quality.

    Each of these three inks have excellent flow. I had some hard start issues with the Monteverde Cursive Italic nib but since it wasn’t noticed with any other pen I suspect that is more my lack of finesse using a CI nib.

    They lean to the wet side. This was shown particularly in the Onyx and Malachite long drying times on Tomoe River paper. Nearly a minute with those two colors, which could present some problems using them in normal situations. At least here in the Pacific Northwest with our high humidity.

    Good water-resistant properties with the Onyx and Malachite. For my drop and smear test” I draw the grid and let it sit overnight, then eyedrop water onto the paper letting it sit for 2 minutes prior to removal. I would almost call the black and green waterproof.

    Well saturated color on all papers. To my eye the colors are conservative (or perhaps mainstream), but I think they could have wide adoption as they would all adapt well to an office.

    Outstanding shading (less so with Onyx), even with fine nibs. This feels like a strong positive to these inks and make them fun to write with a nice thick nib.
    Well behaved on good paper, but significant feathering and bleed-thru on cheap paper. I didn’t feel it to be any more negative than most fountain pen inks in that condition.

    Pen cleaning turned out to be slightly more challenging than I find with some inks but was not a serious problem. I flush nib/section assemblies with a bulb syringe, then place in ultrasonic cleaner for a cycle, then finish with a clean water bulb syringe flush. For each of the colors I experimented with it seemed to take more syringe flush time to run clear water. In one case I was surprised to find color in the final flush after it had been in the ultrasonic. 

    Seems to have hard layers. I don’t feel like I have a good language to describe this one, but I’ll try. Most ink changes the more of it you put down on the paper. But all three of these Scribe inks exhibited a massive change based on the “liquidness” of the application. If some isn’t enough, a little more might be way too much. Again let me try to explain because that probably didn’t make any sense.

    For my collection I’ve done around two hundred ink swatches on Col-o-ring cards so I have a pretty good feel for ink on the q-tip. I drew the Indigo swatch then went on to do my other tests. After seeing the beautiful saturation on various papers I revisited the Indigo Col-o-ring card and realized how pale it came out. I decided to do another and this time overloaded the cotton tip, quite a bit more than I normally do for a swatch, and this time it came out at the expected depth of color.


    Another example is the three-pass color line I do to watch how an ink darkens. One sample I was putting the second draw on and you could not tell I had done anything at all. So for the next one I put more ink on the q-tip than normal and it made a massive step to full dark. This ink can make huge changes very quickly.


    I'll attach the full review I did in .pdf form if anyone is interested:
    scribe indigo.pdf
    scribe malachite .pdf
    scribe onyx.pdf

    Hope this helps you have some insight into the new inks. Overall I was impressed and am going to add some to my collection.

  10. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to tooth For This Useful Post:

    Ahriman4891 (January 12th, 2021), carlos.q (January 7th, 2021), Yazeh (January 7th, 2021)

  11. #7
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,908
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    I was one of the testers of Davies-Smith's five new Scribe inks shared by junglejim, and I wrote five letters to junglejim using each ink to share my impressions (as well as typical pen friend correspondence). The two inks I preferred are Indigo and Malachite, which appear similar to my Diamine Sargasso Sea and Montblanc Irish Green. Onyx was more like dark grey rather than Aurora black. Jamocha was out-done by my bottles of Kaweco Caramel and Montblanc Toffee. Garnet was a color I just wasn't attracted to.

    I will add a bottle of Indigo to my ink box because I use a lot of that saturated blue hue and will be rotated with Sargasso Sea and Akkerman No. 5. I don't use much green and I still have plenty, so it'll be a while before I buy more. As for the other three Scribe inks, I'll pass.

    My take on Scribe is that it intends to build on the Penman ink legend, but that reputation stems from the limited range of other inks available in Penman's time. Since then, the selection and variety of similar products to the old Penman inks is almost overwhelming, and to be successful today, Scribe inks must stand out against the competition on either attributes, marketing or maybe even price. When more in-depth evaluation is shared by the likes of Chrissy who have broad knowledge of other inks to compare Scribe, we'll know more.

  12. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    carlos.q (January 7th, 2021), Detman101 (April 25th, 2021), welch (March 10th, 2021)

  13. #8
    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    On a hill in Puerto Rico
    Posts
    1,697
    Thanks
    2,214
    Thanked 1,814 Times in 795 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    When more in-depth evaluation is shared by the likes of Chrissy who have broad knowledge of other inks to compare Scribe, we'll know more.
    This is one of those moments when we need a "hint, hint" emoji...

  14. #9
    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    8,351
    Thanks
    9,827
    Thanked 6,082 Times in 2,212 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Tooth why don't you post your fabulous reviews, in the review section, now that they are available?

  15. #10
    Member tooth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Seattle WA
    Posts
    97
    Thanks
    84
    Thanked 89 Times in 36 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    not so sure about "fabulous" reviews Yazeh, but I'm happy to share if it helps someone. I'll post them in that section.

  16. #11
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11,404
    Thanks
    6,876
    Thanked 10,362 Times in 3,977 Posts
    Rep Power
    24

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Quote Originally Posted by carlos.q View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    When more in-depth evaluation is shared by the likes of Chrissy who have broad knowledge of other inks to compare Scribe, we'll know more.
    This is one of those moments when we need a "hint, hint" emoji...
    Hint taken. I've posted my review of Scribe Indigo
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to Chrissy For This Useful Post:

    carlos.q (January 7th, 2021)

  18. #12
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11,404
    Thanks
    6,876
    Thanked 10,362 Times in 3,977 Posts
    Rep Power
    24

    Default Re: Has anyone used Scribe Premium fountain pen inks?

    Visitors to the Lone Star Pen Club Zoom meetings had the great pleasure of listening to Dr Leighton Davies-Smith yesterday. It was a most fascinating and excellent discussion and I'm sure we all learned a lot about inks.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •