I like vintage ink
I like the idea that ink that was made in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s HAD TO WORK
It had to be relatively trouble free and it had to perform as expected. This was after all, a time when fountain pens were simply PENS. They were expected to write and write well.
On that note, I recently bought a bottle of Waterman's Aztec Brown.
The bottle is almost NOS. Using it, I found that I really like it. This is a problem as the stuff is getting expensive.
So, I decided to get a bottle of the current Absolute Brown and compare them to one another.
Here are the results:
aterman's Aztec Brown
2oz bottle, vintage (1940s-50s)
Bought on eBay Jun 2020
for $10 This brown leans
only a little red-ish
Ink has that vintage
Waterman's smell (Phenol?)
Flows great, no surprise
there. No bleed or feathering
except on the worst
quality paper Good
shading + lots of vari-
ation depending on the
pen used.
(Dry Times)
Would
buy again?
Yes
Shading: Good/Medium
Saturation: Good/Medium
Feathering: Some/Low-ish
Spread: Low-Nil
Bleed: Low-Nil
Cleaning: Very Easy
Waterman Absolute Brown
50ml bottle The Papery
Jun 2020. This is Waterman's
current brown formu-
lation. It used to be
called Havana Brown
As a Waterman ink it
flows well and behaves
well. Like Aztec Brown
there is a lot of difference
from pen to pen. It is
slightly redder + darker than
Aztec Brown. That may be
due to Aztec's age.
(Dry Times)
Would
Buy
Again?
Yes!
Shading: Good/Medium
Saturation: Good/Medium
Feathering: Nil
Spread: Nil
Bleed: Nil
Cleaning: Easy
Notes: Good but
Slightly redder replacement
for Aztec Brown
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