Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey (cartridge)

[Yazeh]

Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey (cartridge)



Photo courtesy of Faber-Castell website

This was a tough ink review. My initial experience with the cartridge was very unpleasant. I couldn’t make the ink flow in my Kaweco, or Osmiroid (which doesn’t like dry inks) but it worked well in a Jinhao 450. I had to use two cartridges as one burst.

So, I checked several reviews, and was surprised that they were talking about a saturated grey, wet and well lubricated ink. So, I took a 3rd cartridge and syringed the ink out in a Lamy Safari, to test for an extra week or so. The experience was very different and pleasant. I used it mostly for sketching, as the written review had been already done. However, when I didn’t use the pen for a week, I had to prime the feed again.

However, this ink is no Sailor Doyou (wet and well lubricated), nor it is as wet and saturated as Noodler’s Lexington Gray.

I really loved this ink for doing washes, and for drawing. There’s a purple component in the chroma, that shines through in washes.
It has a gorgeous Chroma:
Chroma-GVFC Stone Grey.jpeg

It’s a lovely pencil grey, that behaves well on copy paper.

I would recommend you getting a sample, before investing in a bottle, and using a wet pen.

Writing Samples:
I didn’t use a Japanese Ef, so I tried to emulate it by reverse writing. It worked fine with three of the papers, probably because I had left the pen alone for a week or so. But stumbled with Rhodia. I tried to salvage it with the Osmiroid which has a needlepoint semi-flex nib.
The shading is accentuated to the extreme by the scanner.
Rhodia-GvFC.jpg
Not a colour for Midori, yucky yuck
Midori-GvFC.jpeg

Tr68gr-GvFC.jpeg

Hammermill-GvFC.jpg
Photo:
You can see a pencil comparison, which I added after I scanned the review.
GVFC Stone Grey.jpg

Comparison:
Comparison-GvFC-Stone Grey.jpg
Water test:
Left side 10 seconds under running water. Not bad, eh
Watertest -Stone Grey.jpeg
Art Work:
You can appreciate the range and the beauty of the colour here, in contrast with J Herbin Vert de gris:



· Pens used: Kaweco (EF/F/M/B), Jinhao x450 fude nib, Osmiroid Copperplate nib, Lamy Safari
· What I liked: Lovely color, very well-behaved on copy paper.
· What I did not like: I had trouble with the cartridge.
· What some might not like: Ink is on the dry side, and it’s pricey.
· Shading: Yes, but the scan is more extreme than reality
· Ghosting: No.
· Bleed through: A bit with a #6 fude nib.
· Flow Rate: Cartridge, awful. Syringed ink, good.
· Lubrication: On the dry side.
· Nib Dry-out: Yes between changing nibs.
· Start-up: Ok. After a week I had to prime the Safari
· Saturation: Pastel
· Shading Potential: Yes.
· Sheen: No.
· Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.
· Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.
· Staining (pen): No.
· Clogging: Did not notice.
· Cleaning: On the easy side. Though I had to soak the pen overnight.
· Water resistance: Very good.
· Availability: Cartridges, 75 ml bottles.


Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

[penwash]

That's a good-looking grey ink. And I love the Faber Castell ink bottle.
But cartridges are convenient and practical -- when it isn't being fussy.

[Yazeh]

That's a good-looking grey ink. And I love the Faber Castell ink bottle.
But cartridges are convenient and practical -- when it isn't being fussy.

In your hands and with your style of drawing this ink will sing
Cartridges are practical and much cheaper, at least for a try out It's a bit frustrating when the ink sticks to the end of the cartridges and doesn't budge, and my kaweco is a bit temperamental

[LizEF]

The yellowish bit at the bottom of the chroma surprised me. Chroma does indeed suggest an ink that will be more interesting in washes than writing. I wonder if it's the ink itself that just doesn't work in (those) cartridges, or if there's something wrong about GvFC cartridges... Strange.

Clever water-test kitty. Great job with the drawing, bringing the ink out of its shell. Thanks, Yazeh, for enduring bad cartridges and finally finding the ink's niche.

[Brilliant Bill]

A few interesting comparisons, perhaps even surprising. I didn't recall the Stone Grey being watertight. I stopped using it in favor of Lexington Gray long ago for that reason. I'll have to soak test it again.

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[Brilliant Bill]

Oh, mine comes from the bottle. How could you not have such a gorgeous bottle!!!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Yazeh, I always love your excellent, detailed reviews, not to mention your sketches. But please don't tell me that Mousie has put Kitteh in a PIZZA OVEN! 🙀

I'm a gray ink lover as well, but this one has me scratching my head, as I don't normally care for dry inks, unless they're used for taming gusher pens. *But at any rate thanks once again for your Ink-Splorations! 💝

[Brilliant Bill]

I've set up my soak test. I let them sit for a day or two before dunking. I'll let you know. I'd forgotten how dry this ink is!! Even on a dip pen it's hard to use.

[Yazeh]

The yellowish bit at the bottom of the chroma surprised me. Chroma does indeed suggest an ink that will be more interesting in washes than writing. I wonder if it's the ink itself that just doesn't work in (those) cartridges, or if there's something wrong about GvFC cartridges... Strange.

Clever water-test kitty. Great job with the drawing, bringing the ink out of its shell. Thanks, Yazeh, for enduring bad cartridges and finally finding the ink's niche.

The yellow tint is often in all blacks/ greys, isn't it?
I truly don't know. My Kawecos are a bit temperamental and sometimes reject the convertor/cartridges. Hence my effort to give the ink a chance despite the cartridge
Glad you liked the sketches/ drawings. It's sometimes fun to do something spontaneous to show the range of the ink

[Yazeh]

A few interesting comparisons, perhaps even surprising. I didn't recall the Stone Grey being watertight. I stopped using it in favor of Lexington Gray long ago for that reason. I'll have to soak test it again.

Thanks for posting that. Interesting how Lexington Gray looks yellow-ish, but when writing in comparison, it's quite darker. Of the three, Fuyu looks "real" grey and the rest more like charcoal

[Yazeh]

Oh, mine comes from the bottle. How could you not have such a gorgeous bottle!!!

The bottles are lovely, but I prefer what's inside than the outside

[Yazeh]

Yazeh, I always love your excellent, detailed reviews, not to mention your sketches. But please don't tell me that Mousie has put Kitteh in a PIZZA OVEN! 🙀

I'm a gray ink lover as well, but this one has me scratching my head, as I don't normally care for dry inks, unless they're used for taming gusher pens. *But at any rate thanks once again for your Ink-Splorations! 💝

Thank you for your kind comments 🙏🙏🙏
No it ain't no pizza oven. Other wise I would draw "Sailor"making her magic "zas"
To be honest I'm still befuddled by this ink. But as I already have one bottle of grey ink, I'm not going to invest in another one

[Yazeh]

I've set up my soak test. I let them sit for a day or two before dunking. I'll let you know. I'd forgotten how dry this ink is!! Even on a dip pen it's hard to use.

Looking forward to your results. It's funny how so many reviewer consider this ink, wet and well lubricated.

[Brilliant Bill]

[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][Results are in, but perhaps inconclusive. As with all scientific reports, "further research is warranted." First image is the current sample fully immersed in water. I soak it for 10 minutes or so to make sure the paper is fully saturated with water. The sample had been allowed to dry about 36 hours. Second image is after the sample has dried and the same ink was used to append the test date. Conclusion is that some of the ink moved and it fuzzed up a bit, but it's clearly legible. The final image is a sample done perhaps six years ago when I was testing multiple inks on the same paper. I've stopped doing that as the bleed from some inks may affect others. Anyway, the Stone Grey did not fare well; either that or it has faded (this was not exposed to any sort of direct light).FONT]
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