I had been putting off getting the Dominant Industry Ink Muddler/Glass Dip Pen ($15) because I had heard that glass stir rods for cocktail making could potentially do the same thing. But those are sold in quantities of 10 or 12 and really I just need one. So, I ended up not getting anything that could be construed as a muddler for an excessive amount of time. Then, I was wandering around Dromgoole’s shop a couple weeks ago and saw the little kraft box with the muddler inside. This was definitely a purchase of opportunity.
The Muddler is only about 3.5″ long — the box it comes in is about the same size as a Kaweco Sport box if that helps to visualize the size.
On one end of the glass rod is a fine tipped dip nib and the other is a little flattened disc like a teeny tiny spoon made from glass.
So, despite its size, it can serve many purposes from ink testing, playing with those shimmer inks you don’t want to put into your favorite fountain pen and even just for quick drawing and ink play.
The Ink Muddler ships with a soft plastic tip designed to protect the nib in shipping. I recommend holding onto this piece to continue to protect your tip wherever and however you choose to use it.
I found the Ink Muddler to make quick work of ink testing and sampling with very little clean-up between colors. I quick dip into a glass of water to remove ink from the dip nib and a wipe with a paper towel is all the clean-up that is needed. This makes it a perfect tool for on-the-go ink swatching and the tool’s small size makes it quite portable.
The small size may make it a little uncomfortable for folks with larger hands however. You may prefer to use it for the muddling end only and then switch to a full size glass dip pen for writing or drawing.
I was able to replicate the same look and technique I use for swatching on Col-o-ring cards using the Ink Muddler with less water use and less waste which is a real plus. I often wait to do ink sampling until I have absolutely dozens of bottles to try and catalog. So, the Ink Muddler is definitely going to streamline my process and hopefully keep me from putting it off until the task becomes an all day project.
I definitely recommend this tool with two thumbs up. While being a bit small might make writing more of a challenger, the diminutive size makes it extremely packable which 100% makes up for it. The fine tip on the dip nib end also closely mimics most of the fountain pens I use in terms of line width which is also a bonus. Have you tried an Ink Muddler yet? If not, what are you waiting for?
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
