INK REVIEW: BIRMINGHAM PEN COMPANY'S NEW FORMULA VICTORIAN PLUM (CRISP FORMULA)

[DrPenfection]

INK REVIEW: BIRMINGHAM PEN COMPANY'S NEW FORMULA VICTORIAN PLUM (CRISP FORMULA)

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Background:

Birmingham Pen Company (BPC) started as the brainchild of two brothers – Nick and Josh. Initially, Nick and Josh worked with third party ink producers in England and Germany to produce their inks. BPC started making their own inks over a year ago. While some changes have been made, their new formulations include “Crisp” inks designed for everyday use on all papers, “Swift” inks that are a bit wetter, starts up quickly and works well on premium papers, “Rich” inks which have high sheen and saturation, “Everlasting” inks that have high water resistance, “Twinkle” inks with shimmer and “Wishy-Washy” inks that are designed for performance but a washable from fabrics and surfaces.

The glass bottles with tight-fitting plastic lids bottles are very nice and functional. My largest pen fits nicely into the bottle for a full fill. BPC offers three sizes: 30ml, 60ml and 120ml for all inks except the Twinkle inks which are only available in 60ml. The 120ml bottles have an eye-dropper lid instead of the regular lid.

Review in Brief:

Saturation: Low to moderate saturation
Sheen: None
Shading: Medium shading from fine to wider nibs
Haloing: Medium depending upon paper
Lubrication: Medium lubrication
Wetness: Moderate wetness
Water Resistance: Not resistant
Feathering: minimal feathering on lower quality papers
Bleedthrough: minimal only on lower quality papers and with high ink application
Showthrough: minimal on all papers tested
Price: reasonable for 30mls, very good for 60ml and exceptional for 120ml which is the best value.

While some inks retained the same name (or an abbreviated version), they may be slightly different. Ana at the Well Appointed Desk discussed this very well in her January 2021 blog (https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/20...-company-inks/)


Pens: Waterman Carene fine nib and Leonardo Momento Zero with 1.1 stub
Papers shown: Rhodia Dot pad, Tomoe River 52gsm sheet paper, Cosmo Air Light notebook, Cambridge and Kokuyo notebook papers

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Rhodia Dot Pad

The ink has low to moderate saturation with no sheen. The ink flows very nicely in both pens, and has just the right amount of wetness for the pens used. The ink does dry reasonably quickly on all papers tested.

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Cambridge Notebook Paper - Action Planner Notebook

Feathering and bleeding are not seen on Rhodia, Tomoe River, Cosmo Air Light. There is some minimal feathering on the Cambridge and Kokuyo papers. No bleedthrough or showthrough was seen on any of the papers.

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Tomoe River 52 gsm sheet paper


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Cosmo Air Light Notebook (photo)

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Kokuyo Campus Notebook Paper

Color Comparisons:

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This is a very nice ink. It shines in every way - in the pens that I have used and on the papers I have used. This is, by far, my favorite of the Birmingham Pen Company inks that I have used. I love the color. On ivory colored papers, it has a antique effect that is reminiscent of Grandmothers and days gone by. Yet, on white papers, the ink has the distinct and subtle tones of roses, gladiolus, and peony. This ink is perfectly wet with just the right amount of lubrication, equal to the "Swift" inks I have tried (remember this is a "Crisp" ink). I love the color, but even more so I love the behavior of this ink in every pen I have used it in. While it may not have sheen, it has very nice shading from the finer nibs and especially the wider nibs. I highly recommend this ink.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink directly from Birmingham Pen Company. Any photos, opinions and thoughts regarding the ink are my own and are not sponsored by Birmingham Pen Company and do not necessarily reflect their opinions.

[Yazeh]

Lovely review..".I love the sentence of Grandmothers and days gone by". thanks!

[DrPenfection]

Lovely review..".I love the sentence of Grandmothers and days gone by". thanks!

Thank you for your kind words. I know that this ink isn't for everyone, but I love it. It does remind me of a window with lovely lavender, floral curtains, with a small table and two chairs in front of the window, with a white tablecloth and a teapot and two teacups and saucers set on it, and a tray full of scones. Would you like to join me? I am a grandmother, you know.

[Yazeh]

Lovely review..".I love the sentence of Grandmothers and days gone by". thanks!

Thank you for your kind words. I know that this ink isn't for everyone, but I love it. It does remind me of a window with lovely lavender, floral curtains, with a small table and two chairs in front of the window, with a white tablecloth and a teapot and two teacups and saucers set on it, and a tray full of scones. Would you like to join me? I am a grandmother, you know.

Indeed. The colour reminds me of muted version of J. Herbin Violette Pensée. That ink was used by French students in the 50s. Most of them are now grandmothers/grandfathers....

[DrPenfection]

Lovely review..".I love the sentence of Grandmothers and days gone by". thanks!

Thank you for your kind words. I know that this ink isn't for everyone, but I love it. It does remind me of a window with lovely lavender, floral curtains, with a small table and two chairs in front of the window, with a white tablecloth and a teapot and two teacups and saucers set on it, and a tray full of scones. Would you like to join me? I am a grandmother, you know.

Indeed. The colour reminds me of muted version of J. Herbin Violette Pensée. That ink was used by French students in the 50s. Most of them are now grandmothers/grandfathers....

I am impressed that they used a violet colored ink. The most exciting ink we got to use in school was black. Perhaps that is the reason I am not a huge fan of black ink.

[mizgeorge]

And another lovely review of a very appealing ink.

Thank you for increasing the temptation!

[DrPenfection]

And another lovely review of a very appealing ink.

Thank you for increasing the temptation!

You are so welcome! I take personal delight in increasing your temptation!

[Cyril]

Very nice review and it is a lovely ink.
I have just one ink from Birmingham Co. and it is a great ink.