Anderson Pens' Appleton Red

A red ink to end the school year! Hooray for the winter break!

I used up most of the sample that Brian and Lisa sent out to me. I was trying to figure out if I liked the ink, and I think I do. The color is a solid, bright red, and it behaves well on average papers. Those two qualities make it a good grading ink. And it's named after the charming Appleton, WI where the Anderson Pens shop is located.

The reason it took me so long to decide whether I liked it was that it's temperamental about nibs. I originally put it in a Kaweco Sport with a medium nib. That didn't go well. It was fine at first, but it tended to dry up in the nib and it just didn't want to flow most of the time. That nib is a very moderate one (and I love the color), so I thought maybe this ink just needed a wetter flow. Next up was my Diplomat Optimist. The fine nib on that pen is more like a medium, and it's got a generous flow to it. Appleton Red was better in this nib, but it was still a little hesitant. So, thinks I, let's get this ink into a really wet nib. The broad nib for my Kaweco Sport is the wettest nib that I have. It's almost unusable, it's so wet.

Appleton Red works really well in that nib. It makes that nib useable for the first time since I've had it. So, if you've got a wet nib, this ink will work really well for you. The wetter the better. I bet it would look great in a Triple-Broad or something. In an average or dry nib, this ink won't work very well at all.



Close-Ups!

You'll see below that I have writing samples with both pens here. I think the color is more true in the Kaweco. 

The above is written with the Diplomat, and you can see that it's got a couple of little skips. Just a little too dry to be totally consistent. Of course, I write quickly, so that'll have a had in it too.

Above: Diplomat Fine.
Below: Kaweco Broad

Is that a little sheen? Appears so...

 Compare!

I have several reds on the desk, and they're all a little different. 

Dat Sheen, Tho...

You're not going to see this sheen unless you have a really wet nib, but it's there if you get enough ink on the page. Dip pens, maybe?

 Chromatography!

 Nothin' in this but some red. Maybe just a touch of orange at the top left? 

Copy Paper Test

Video Review and Water Drop Test

The Final Words:

If you've a wet nib that needs taming, then check it out at Anderson Pens. Bottles are $12.50 for 60ml (2oz), and 3ml samples for $1.25.

If you like what you see here, then please head on over to Patreon to see how you can help support Inkdependence.

Thanks very much to Brian and Lisa for sending this ink out for me to try!

**While this ink was a press sample, the review is all mine.**