In Ink Review

Ink Review: Bungbox Happiness

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments
Ink Review: Bungbox Happiness

Guest Review by Julia van der Wyk

Intro and general comments

Bungbox Happiness ($39 per 50ml bottle) ink was made to replicate the color of happiness, in the guise of a cheerful, yet unassuming green. Do we think they succeeded? Well, the bunny fox on the label is so happy it can’t even handle how happy it is. Let’s find out why!

Fountain pens

Bungbox Happiness Pens in testing

For this ink’s review, I filled some inadvertently matching pens:
Parker Vacumatic with fine nib, Pelikan M400 with extra fine nib, though for the purposes of this review it works as a medium, and another personal favorite, the Franklin Christoph pocket 20 with the fine cursive italic nib.
The Pelikan is my “stream of consciousness” journal pen, so got lots of use. My current journal is a Confidant, and the ink performed well enough so I was only aware of it’s smooth flow and pretty color. Green, the color of my thoughts. The Parker Vac and FC italic saw more action in my daily schedule Hobonichi pages. Of course, it was a delight tracking my day to day mundane actions with these tools. I never had to coax the feeds with this ink, even with the Parker cap that is not air tight. For standard fountain pen use, this ink is a go!

Paper tests for Fps

Clairefontaine

Bungbox Happiness on Clairfontaine

Shading galore in the two round nibs. The color was more even using the italic, which is also tuned to be crisp, so no surprise there. I do not detect sheen with this ink. No bleed, show through or feathering, just juicy bright color!

Col-o-ring

Bungbox Happiness on Col-o-ring

I don’t see as much shading here, just darker to lighter as the nibs get smaller. Nice variety of tones with the brush, and is that sheen I see on the swatch edge?

Tomoe River

Bungbox Happiness Tomoe River

All three nibs show shading here, with nary a mark to be seen on the other side of the paper. Well done, ink and paper combination.

Baron Fig Confidant

Bungbox Happiness Baron Fig Confidant

Consistent again across all nibs, deep color and shading all the way round. No feathering, bleed or show through.

Inky Fingers Currently Inked

Bungbox Happiness on Inky Fingers paper

Bungbox Happiness Parker

Bungbox Happiness Franklin Christoph

Color of the ink appears lighter here, but still can see shading from the round nibs. No feathering, bleed or show through.

Daiso “Word” Card

Bungbox Happiness Daiso word cards

No big surprise, ink appears flatter on this more textured and uncoated paper, but performs well.

Cheap copy paper

Bungbox Happiness on copy paper

Here’s the fun part: feathering, show through and some bleed on this multi-purpose, economical paper. You can tell it’s meant for an entirely different kind of ink. Oh well.

Art tests

Bungbox Happiness Art lettering

Ink wash and dip nib calligraphy on SOHO sketch paper. Since this ink is a bright medium hue, I expected a clear limit on the variety of values it would produce. But here I was happily surprised! Working directly with brush and ink, I could layer and build deepness. Thinning with water I could go as light and ephemeral as I pleased. I added more layers onto the dry ink and the tones changed from there as well. In summary: this ink is pretty amazing as an art supply. Of course, the amount of depth and darkness is dependent upon the delivery system at hand: the brush, champ though it is, cannot compete with a fully saturated dip calligraphy nib. Here we see the full range of tones and shading, especially with the Speedball C-3 nib. The Zebra G flex nib did not want to hold onto the ink, which was expected as fountain pen inks are not made for this style of ink. If one were to embark on a lettering project with this nib, I recommend mixing with a thickening agent (ed. note: a drop or two of liquid gum arabic added to a separate container, not directly into the bottle) to lengthen the stroke capacity. Priming the nib will not be enough to overcome the thinness of the ink.

Conclusion and wrap-up

I know why the bunny fox is happy. I love the color, and yes, greens are my favorite, but still, this is a great one. The ink performs well in all scenarios from fountain pens to art experimentation. It flows well in longer writing sessions, and is ready to go for short jots. Bungbox Happiness is outstanding.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review may have been provided free of charge by sponsors for the purpose of review. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

Julia van der WykJulia is an artist, classical musician, knitter, and lover of the outdoors. She resides in Santa Cruz, California, where she can draw Pelicans with Pelikans, and brag about the weather. Follow her adventures on Instagram @juliavdw or Twitter @juliavdw.

In Pen Review

Pen Review: Three Dry Gel Pens Compared

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

After fountain pens, my favorite pen type for writing is gel. I love the wide range of vibrant ink colors they are available in, and they require no maintenance.

As a lefty, however, many gel inks remain wet just long enough that they smear under typical writing conditions. I’ve occasionally tried “fast drying” or “dry” gel pens with varying degrees of satisfaction, but it had been a long time since I explored this characteristic, so I went out to JetPens to look around. As you know, JetPens stocks a staggering number of gel pens, including 200 containing “quick drying” inks. To narrow my choices, I checked the “retractable” option (my preferred pen body style) and still came up with 164 choices. (Whew – shopping at JetPens can be exhausting!) The three quick-drying, retractable gel pens I chose to compare are:

(In retrospect, I realized I should have compared three pens of the same tip size, since broader tips put out more ink and presumably take longer to dry. Thankfully, the Desk didn’t hire me for my scientific methods.)

1 - 3 Dry Gel Pen contenders

Initially my thought was to make lines on a sheet and rub my finger through them at regular intervals to see how long I’d have to wait for them to dry completely. Then I realized that the only meaningful test is a real-world one. So I pulled out my daily-use Leuchtturm 1917 journal and a collection of short stories on my bookshelf. Using each pen, I copied several sentences at my normal writing speed and without trying to be neat. In other words, exactly the way I typically write in my journal. I then examined the page and circled all the spots where I saw that the ink had smeared. (It was somewhat hair-raising to see all those red marks. . . it recalled papers I got back from elementary school teachers.) Finally, I photographed the side of my hand, which often tells a more complete story than the page. (I washed my hand thoroughly after each test so that I always began a new test with a clean hand. I do make some effort at credibility.)

Here are the results.

The Sarasa Dry

The Sarasa Dry is the fast-drying gel pen I’ve had the longest, and I’ve never been crazy about it. Although it isn’t apparent in my test sample, the ink tends to blob. Among Zebras, I prefer the Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Pen, whose ink doesn’t seem to take any longer to dry but flows more smoothly without blobbing. My hand shows an average amount of telltale ink – about the same as what most gel pens leave behind.

2 - Sarasa tip

3 - Sarasa Dry sample

4 - Sarasa hand

 

The Ohto Rays

Although the Ohto Rays supposedly has the same point size (0.5mm) as the Sarasa Dry, it looks much finer on the page and simply feels finer in a non-flattering way – a bit scratchy. It also rattles unpleasantly. Despite the finer line, it still left behind numerous smeary spots where my hand dragged across it. Looking at my hand, however, I had to conclude that the Ohto Rays ink was dry enough not to transfer to my skin. So although I enjoyed using this pen the least of the three contenders, I must acknowledge that my hand looks cleaner than usual.

5 - Ohto Rays tip

Ohto Rays sample

7 - Ohto Rays hand

The Pentel EnerGel

I had high hopes for the Pentel EnerGel because the pen body itself is the most attractive of the three. In fact, I already owned several before putting it through this test because I enjoy using it so much. The ink flows smoothly and evenly and never blobs. As you can see from the writing test, though, it did smear often, and I was chagrined to see the wide trail of ink it left behind on my hand.

Pentel Energel tip

Pentel Energel sample

Pentel hand

Final Impressions

Disappointingly, none of the three pens did much better than the others on page tests, but the Ohto Rays clearly left the least amount of ink on my hand. Its retro Parker-esque body might appeal to some, but I found it too slender for my comfort. JetPens indicates that the Ohto Rays Flash ink refill is compatible with several other pens, so I could find another pen body that would make me happier. Another solution might be to stick with finer tips of any kind of gel ink, “dry” or not, since the broader 0.7mm EnerGel left more ink on my hand. Easier still would be to use whatever pen I like and not worry about smudges and inky hand (in other words, be my usual self).

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

Review by Laura Cameron

I know I’m not the resident green expert here at The Desk, but when Jesi offered this bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin (15mL for $9.90) to me, I couldn’t resist it.

Chiku-rin is a gorgeous green. I think of it as almost a lemongrass color, but Chiku-rin translates to bamboo forest.  Either way it is the perfect spring green.

The ink does shade a bit, and it is very legible even in lighter shades. I don’t see any sheen, but on darker applications I do see a much bluer green which was a little surprising.

When I pulled out my green swatches to match, I found that Robert Oster Sublime was a pretty good match for the light tones.  I didn’t have a great match for the darker tones, bit without a pretty wide nib I don’t think the darker greens will show up that much.  I also looked at J. Herbin Olive Vert, which is a smidge yellower in tone.

Overall, I think our green addict would approve!

In Link Love

Link Love: In Search of Pencil Lovers

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

The only things missing from this week’s links are more pencil reviews – where are all the pencil lovers? We want to hear from you!  This week’s highlights include how the Ink Smudge got it’s name and David Pennington’s shop tales. Oh retail!

Pens:

Inks:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art Supplies & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

In Ink Review, Paper Review, Planners & Organizers

Notebook & Ink Review: Baron Fig Dream Journal & Akkerman #10 Ijzer-galnoten Blauw-Zwart (Iron Gall)

Author Jessica ColesPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Jessica Coles

Just before leaving for the San Francisco pen show, I received an item to review:  Baron Fig’s newest notebook called the Wander Dream Journal.  As this is the first time Baron Fig has tried their hand at adding content to a journal, I was intrigued to see what was inside.

The first look at the journal was wonderful. The outer box is well-made and solid, printed in jewel tones with whimsical dream scenes.  The notebook is covered in heavy-duty dark blue cloth with nighttime icons printed in silver and a thick blue cloth ribbon is included along with an elastic band to hold the book closed.  The cover of this notebook is not quite fully rigid but in use gives the support needed to write without a solid surface underneath.

The feel of this notebook is striking. It’s smaller than an A5 (about 3/4 inch smaller all around) and the cloth covering the notebook is slightly corse while the silver icons are pressed into the surface, not just printed.  When opened, the cream paper has a noticeable pleasant texture and an enjoyable new-book smell (only detectable when very close to the notebook.  I love the smell of books, old or new!).

Now, I have heard talk about poor paper quality in the past with Baron Fig notebooks, and, in fact, experienced it for myself when the company put out their first round of journals.  However, I had also heard that this had changed. I’m happy to report that it has dramatically improved since my first experience.

The paper is more absorbent than most fountain pen friendly notebooks, so sheen is not going to show in this journal, however, this also means that ink dries very quickly.  In a notebook that will most likely be used when the writer is half awake, this seems like a great feature.  Ink dried almost instantly, even when using wet inks.  However, very wet or broad nibs did tend to bleed through the paper slightly. To sum up the paper feel, it is the exact opposite of Clairefontaine paper; the Baron Fig paper is quite toothy (or textured).

As for the content: each page layout is divided into three main sections: Recall, Visualize, Interpret. The Recall and Interpret sections are lined while the Visualize section has been left blank, encouraging a quick sketch of a part of your dream.

The sides of this layout contain other ways to capture more dream data.  Emotion (positive, negative?), Sleep Quality, Time (was the dream set in the past, present, future?), Color (did you dream in full color or black and white?), Viewpoint (first person?), and Type (Lucid, Fantasy, Nightmare?).

These prompts are wonderful for catching nuances of your dream that may otherwise be lost in the retelling.  An explanation of these is also included in the back of the notebook alongside iconic Baron Fig illustrations.

I started my first tests of the paper using an ink that I purchased at the SF pen show: Akkerman #10.  This is much easier to say than the full name of Akkerman Ijzer-galnoten Blauw-Zwart (the literal translation is Iron Gallnuts Blue-Black) ($28 per 60ml bottle).  I was surprised to find that Akkerman made an iron gall ink.  I also love the name.  Iron Gallnuts.  This was enough to send Ana and me into a fit of giggles after a very long day of working at the show.

In a comparison, the closest inks were Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire and ColorVerse Proxima B.

I love the ink.  I have a special place in my heart for a dark blue-black, especially those that shade well.  This iron gall ink was only in my pen for two days and I used a gold nib (non-reactive).  I had no problems cleaning it out completely and the ink was very well-behaved.  With my Franklin-Christoph medium cursive italic nib, the shading was beautiful.  It was also a great pairing with the cream paper of the Wander journal. There was no bleed-through, only light show-through, and no detectable feathering.

I also tested several other writing instruments in the Wander journal.  Waterman Pink (cartridge) in a wet, medium nib which did bleed through, along with a Pilot brush pen but the TWSBI broad and 1.1 nibs did not.  Surprisingly, a Pentel Sparkle Pop gel pen did bleed through.  An extra fine Sharpie also bled through the paper, although not enough to leave ink on the next page. All the inks appeared much darker than they do on Tomoe or Clairefontaine paper.

My favorite writing instruments on this paper were the cursive italic nib with Akkerman #10 and a pencil.  Both wrote as though they were made to pair with the journal.  The toothy-ness of the paper is great for catching the pencil lead slightly but not rough enough to keep a nib (even a cursive italic with sharper edges than most other nibs) from gliding over the page.

I have also enjoyed the journal content for recording dreams.  I wasn’t brave enough to show those I have written down, but I will say that the prompts have made the recording easier on my sleepy brain!  I have also noticed that I can remember the dreams a bit more clearly as if I’m training my mind to take note of specific pieces of the dream for the morning time report!

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Baron Fig for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Ink Overview: Taccia Inks

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Ink Overview: Taccia Inks

Taccia introduced its own line of inks at the San Francisco Pen Show. The full line includes 13 colors in 40ml glass bottles. The bottles looked like slightly taller versions of the Sailor  (more like the Storia bottles but not frosted) The colors are a good range of colors (black, blue, red, orange, green) plus colors unique to Japanese aesthetics like the Tsuchi (golden wheat), Uguisa (olive-green) and Momo (day-glo pink). The MSRP for these inks is currently at $15 per bottle (according to Pen World magazine) but I’m not sure exactly where retailers will end up pricing them. Anything under $20 per bottle seems fair to me but we will see where vendors land.

I had the opportunity to test four of the 13 colors. I only received samples so I don’t have pretty bottles or packaging to show off. I received Momo (pink),  Ebi (red-purple), Aogura (blue-black) and Uguisa (olive-green). All four colors were vivid, vibrant and saturated. They had nice flow for my samples and showed a decent range of shading.

Taccia Momo Pink Comparison

(From top to bottom: Taccia Momo, Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu, Krishna Bauhima, Colorverse x Opus88 Girls Just Wanna)

Momo is absolutely eye searing. Just when I thought that Colorverse Girls Just Wanna was the brightest pink I had seen yet, Taccia looks to have raised the bar again. Momo has a distinctive gold sheen without any evidence of actual gold particles like Lamy used with its Vibrant Pink this year so its unlikely to clog your pen or crust.

Taccia Uguisa Olive Green comparison

From top to bottom: Colorverse 41 Albert, Taccia Uguisa, Diamine Light Green, Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku Rin, Colorverse x Opus88 39 Supernatural, Diamine Calligraphy Passion Ink)

Taccia Uguisa is definitely a deeper olive green than the inks I compared it to here but I am still working my way through swatching all my inks on Col-o-dex cards. I suspect its closer to some of the greens from Sailor like Waka-Uguisa which I am in the process of swatching. At least these swatches give you an idea of the depth of the color. There doesn’t appear to be any sheen with Uguisa but it looks like there is definitely some shading possibilities.

Taccia Aogura Blue Black comparison

(From top to bottom: Diamine 150 Years 1864 Blue Black, Taccia Aogura, J. Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs, Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun)

I was able to find several blue blacks in my swatches similar to Taccia Aogura but not exactly the same. I’d say Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun is probably closest in hue and shading properties on first inspection. Diamine 150 Years Blue Black is much more indigo and the new J. Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs is more bright blue, just to give you an idea where Aogura stands in the spectrum of blue-blacks. (Does anyone else see a face in my swab?)

Taccia Ebi Red-Purple Comparison(From top to bottom: Callifolio Grenat, Taccia Ebi, Robert Oster Hippo Purple, Birmingham Pen Co. Ebenezer Penny Carmine, Monteverde Mercury Noir)

There is a huge range of burgundy/ruby reds so I thought I’d show where Taccis Ebi fell in the range. It’s the second swatch from the top and looks more rusty next to a lot of these other swatches which is surprising because in person its actually quite a wine reddish purple. And there’s even some sheen there. Clearly, YMMV. But Grenat is definitely more pinky and other colors were more red or brown so this will definitely give you a range.

Overall, the Taccia inks look great and I look forward to buying a whole bottle of several colors. I’ll definitely let you know when they are available with retailers. Thanks to Vanness Pen Shop for sharing their samples.

TOOLS

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided free of charge by for the purpose of review by Taccia and Vanness Pen Shop.

Other items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

In news

Shop Update: Booze Alert and More

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments
Shop Update: Booze Alert and More

It took a bit of time to get it all uploaded and updated but I wanted to share our new products that we shared at the San Francisco Pen Show. First, we launched three new notecards ($3 each) from vintage advertising cuts that were on loan to us from John Hinkle. John collects vintage ink bottles so the cuts are mostly ink bottles (and a cat!) but we framed the cuts with borders.

I also added some NOS Hunt Mapping Pens in the store. We haven’t had a lot of vintage merchandise in the shop recently but I scored a good stash of these and I’d like to share these with you all. These mapping pens are still sold today but made of less interesting plastics so these are worth getting for the lovely marbled material as each one is unique. Each box has at least a dozen nibs. Be sure to anneal the nibs before using them so they hold ink but don’t melt the plastic holder. (I recommend holding the nib with a pair of pliers to anneal it.)

One of our other new products is our laser-etched flasks ($20 each). Be prepared for your next pen event with your favorite spirits. There are two versions: the G&T and the Whiskey versions (with or without text, in silver or black). Thanks to our good friends at Vanness who did the laser-etching for us, I did the illustrations for these and are able to offer these unique flasks to the pen community.

We have also restocked stationery, stamps, typewriter tins and more! Come by and check out what we’ve got!