Supplies Used:
- Lamy Al-Star with medium steel nib (also EF and B nib)
- Rhodia No. 16 dotpad, 80g white paper
- Tomoé River white paper
- Moleskine notebook
Smear Test (Dry Time):
- Medium- This was a pretty average ink with a dry time of about 20+ seconds. Not the quickest but shouldn't cause too many problems when writing quickly, unless you are lefty. In which case, maybe try a different ink.
Drip Test (Water Resistance):
- Medium- Like a number of the most unique Noodler's inks, this ink has a layer that moves and then another layer that is permanent. While this isn't the most waterproof ink I've ever used, I wouldn't be worried about losing an entire manuscript if a glass of water spilled on it.
Saturation:
- Low- The light brown hue of this ink allows for a lot of additional color changes when more ink is added. This allows for the intense amount of shading you can see in it, and makes it fantastic in art.
Ease of Cleaning:
- Easy- The light shade of this ink makes it a breeze to clean out of your pen. With the permanent aspect, however, I wouldn't leave it in your pen indefinitely.
Shading:
- High- This ink has truly glorious shading! It goes from dark brown to a golden honey.
Flow:
- Wet- This is a fast and free flowing ink. This means it'll work well in flex pens, which will give you the greatest chance for maximum shading.
Packaging and Aesthetics:
- 3oz bottle with 2ml ink samples available
- Utilitarian bottle with a large mouth for easy filling
- Pretty standard Noodler's label, nothing special
Inks Similar in Color:
This is truly a unique and interesting ink! With fantastic shading and a some water resistance, it's a great option for correspondence, journaling, note-taking, you name it! Obviously it's an insanely gorgeous ink to use in art, as Jenni proved. I'm definitely adding this one to my list of favorites and will be recommending it from now on.
Do you have a favorite brown ink? Let me now in the comments below!
Write on,
Madigan