Birmingham Pen Co. Heron

Okay, I know that there are blue herons out there. They never really look blue to me, though. They always look sort of grey. This ink is a dark teal, and it doesn't really look like a heron to me, either. That aside, I do like this ink pretty well. It's not perfect, and it's not going to be my favorite, but it fits a niche that I occasionally need filled.

Like the rest of the (formerly?) Crisp Formula inks that Birmingham Pen Co has been (was?) making, Heron is fairly dry. It's just on the line for me, really. Any drier and it would have gone in the ink cabinet and never been used again. It does behave really well on bad papers, though, and I'm still using it in this Narwhal Nautilus all these months later. It's a go-to when I need to write on some suspect paper. It doesn't bleed or feather even with this broad nib. 

Here's a link to the store page for this ink. 

Close-Ups

My full-page review picture didn't work out, so I'm just not going to show it to you. It was too dark, and I didn't like the way it looked. These close-ups are better across the board. Heron gives you a little shading on the right papers, but not much and you shouldn't expect to see it often.

My bottle isn't the 60ml one, but that seems to be the only way they're selling inks these days over at BPC.

Not exactly water-resistant, but the grey layer sticks around on the paper while the teal layer disappears. Thtat's pretty good if you care most about recovering your work and not about it being a green/blue.

Chromatography

There's that grey. Interesting how it is all an un-broken sheet of color on the strip, huh?

20lb, 30% Recycled Copy Paper Test

This is trash-tier paper, and Heron performs well on it even in a broad nib. It's a little dry, but it's dependable and doesn't seem to dry up in the nib.

Domtar Bold 28 Paper (from Blank Slate Paper)

I didn't like the way it felt on this paper all that much. It's dry enough to feel a little draggy instead of gliding like a fountain pen ought to. Dry inks aren't really my jam, and this is toeing the line for me.

Tomoe River Paper

It looks really nice on Tomoe River, but that's not a surprise.

Wheat Straw Paper

Good here, too. The wheat straw paper isn't coated, but it is very smooth and this ink liked it.

Color Comparisons (on col-o-dex and col-o-ring cards)

Are these all the same? Maybe not, but they're really similar. Apparently I like this color enough to buy it several times. :-P

Video Review

** I bought this ink from Birmingham Pen Co. I try not to let that sort of thing color my reviews. What you see is what I got. Thanks for the support, Patrons!*

Robert Oster Pen Chalet Exclusive: Scorpion!

This was an ink that I just knew I HAD to have when I saw it. I like scorpions, I like weird yellow-browns, and I like Robert Oster & Penchalet. So, it was an insta-buy. Sort of. My friend Kimberly got it for both of us and brought it to me at a show. We're both fans of the Scorps. 

The color on the page isn't as dark as the image on the lid, but it is a beautiful ink, anyway. A rich yellow-brown, it's readable, it behaves well on bad paper, and it makes me happy to see it on the page. If you're tired of blue and black and are looking for a non-standard ink, this is a great one. Spice up that page!

Full Page Review

Just look at that color. It's mustardy sometimes, and other times it's a brown, and sometimes it's like a dark sand. And all of that from a regular medium JoWo nib. Magical.

Close-Ups

The only think lacking from this ink is water resistance, and one doesn't usually expect that from a yellow/brown anyway. It would be nice, but I'm not mad at it.

Chromatography

So many colors! I'd never have guessed what color this all comes together to become. That light green band? The pink base layer? Wild.

20lb, 30% Recycled Copy Paper Test

That's real good for this bottom tier paper.

Domtar Bold 28 Paper (from Blank Slate Paper)

Wheat Straw Paper

I love it on this paper. More wheat straw papers need to be available. It's so hard to find these days. Sugarcane is close, though.

Tomoe River Paper

Color Comparisons (on col-o-dex and col-o-ring cards)

 Video Review

 

 

** I bought this ink from Pen Chalet. I try not to let that sort of thing color my reviews. What you see is what I got. Thanks for the support, Patrons!*

Laban's Aphrodite

 

This is the first Laban ink I used, and it didn't disappoint. I probably wouldn't have bought this ink based on the label color. It looks like it's going to be a soft, inside-of-a-seashell sort of pink. Fortunately, my friend Sarah showed the real color to me and said I needed to grab it ASAP. So I did. And it's a really interesting brown-pink. Check it out below.

My only complaint is about the bottle. It looks nice, but the opening is pretty small, and that can make it difficult to fill a pen. I could do it, but only just. Make that opening wider, Laban. Don't change the ink, though. It's unique.

Full Page Review

The color is great, the flow is nice, and the marketing descriptions are solid gold. The only weakness is that water resistance. Or, you know, not-resistance. Aphrodite needs to stay away from the water.

Close-Ups

Chromatography

20lb, 30% Recycled Copy Paper Test

It's pretty good on the trash-tier copy paper. There's some minor bleed, but it takes an exceptional ink to avoid that on this paper, and it's in a broad nib.

Tomoe River Paper

This is a really interesting color and it looks good on the TR paper.

Wheat Straw Paper

This is my favorite look for this ink, though. The wheat straw paper in this Inky Fingers journal isn't coated and it really makes this ink look soft and shady.

Domtar Bold 28 Paper (from Blank Slate Paper)

DOMTAR works well with this ink, too. It's really been good on all of these papers, and I've refilled this Franklin-Christoph model 50 with this ink several times. I just kept on using it.

Color Comparisons (on col-o-dex and col-o-ring cards)

I knew I wouldn't have much that was like this color, and these three inks were as close as I could find in my collection. 

 Video Review

 

 

** I bought this ink from Dromgoole's. I try not to let that sort of thing color my reviews. What you see is what I got. Thanks for the support, Patrons!*