Ink Review: Rohrer & Klingner Sepia

[ToasterPastry]

Rohrer & Klingner

Sepia

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia3.jpg

 

By request, here is my review of Rohrer & Klingner Sepia ink. Have I ever said this was my favorite ink? Yes, dozens of times. I love this ink. I have accumulated many different brands and colors of ink. But I keep coming back to this one.

 

Why? Because the color is so darn cool.

 

I like black, make no mistake. But it’s too dark. When you write on a page occupied by some puny ball-point black, and you lay down that big black hole of color, well then, it just sucks out the light from the white. It says, look at me, I’m here to bring attention to myself. Brown ink often has too much red, and much too light. This version of sepia is a muted grey-brown. Not too dark, but not too bright. It plays well with the rest of the ball-point pens. It's a very professional color, yet distinctive.

 

Sepia was one of my first fountain pen inks. I bought it on whim. It was cheap, on sale, and the other colors had run out of stock. I had never heard of this company, nestled in the city of Leipzig in eastern Germany. Apparently they are noted primarily for their calligraphy inks. They've been around for over 100 years. This bottle is, as all of their bottles, brown tinted glass, with a plastic, now aluminum, cap. The bottle contains 50 cc of ink (1.6 ounces).

 

I have used R & K Sepia is multiple pens, both vintage and new. It flows well. It resists feathering. It doesn’t bleed through the paper. It dries fairly quickly, about 5-10 seconds. The ink is not waterproof.

 

Conclusion: Buy this ink!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlingner_Sepia.jpg

The first stanza of a William Blake poem reproduced using an early 1900s Aiken Lambert Capital Educator fountain pen with semi-flexible nib. It was photographed in bright sunlight. The loops were added to show shading of the ink. A cotton swab was used to provide a swatch of color.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia4.jpg

Yes, it writes on newsprint, and it doesn't feather!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia2.jpg

Yes, it writes on glossy paper!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Brown_inks.jpg

Comparing the color to other browns

[bluemagister]

No water resistance is a deal breaker for me, but I DO love the color!

[Breck]

Good looking brown, good looking handling characteristics, and great handwriting. Thanks for the review. I'll add it to my (enormous) list of browns to try.

[LostInThought]

Thanks for the review. I love brown inks, I will have to try this one.

[SamCapote]

Very lovely. Where do you get your Rohrer & Klinger inks?

[ToasterPastry]

In the United States, I originally purchased R & K inks from The Inked Nib. However, it is my understanding that she is slowly closing down her internet business. The other two places are Pendemonium and Pear Tree Pens. Obviously these are all internet business operations.

[SamCapote]

In the United States, I originally purchased R & K inks from The Inked Nib. However, it is my understanding that she is slowly closing down her internet business. The other two places are Pendemonium and Pear Tree Pens. Obviously these are all internet business operations.

 

Hmmm....had not heard of that one, and just now the website won't load at all http://www.inkednib.com

 

Let's move on to Pendemonium which I have used.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, I remember now that is the site that is out of almost every ink you try to get.

 

Checking Pear Tree next.

Edited April 26, 2010 by SamCapote

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, excellent writing and a nice colour brown.

[Rhapsody]

Pretty nice ink, but the thing I like best about your review is your penmanship. I wish I could write like that.

[Ada]

What a thorough and helpful review! Thank you for posting it.

[Ondina]

Great review, I'm in a brown ink mood lately, and really appreciate reading what others think of browns I use. Darn, if it wasn't so grey...... Life's imperfect, I know.

[Viseguy]

J. Herbin's Cacao du Brésil is in the same vein, and a bit more interesting to my eye. Wonderful, complex color.

[saintsimon]

J. Herbin's Cacao du Brésil is in the same vein, and a bit more interesting to my eye. Wonderful, complex color.

This is a darker ink, so R&K Sepia is an addition, not a competition to Cacao.

Edited May 2, 2010 by saintsimon

[Ondina]

Thanks for the wise tips, Viseguy and SaintSimon. I agree with both, Cacao du Brésil is a more complex and darker color, quite water resistant.

[KCat]

oh, ooh, ah. Hm. I must get sample of this with sample of CdA GC. hmmm. I may actually start to like browns again.

[karynv]

Thank you for the great review and pictures! This ink just came out in the Goulet Ink Drop because Goulet Pens is now carrying R&K inks.

[Sagar_C]

I bought this ink. But it just doesn't look like the pictures here. Looks greyish black to me. Little disappointed. Hope I am not colour blind.

 

By the way, given the above, Do you think I will like Herbin Cacao du Bresil? I think I may like tea or coffee ink of Herbin.

[Fabienne]

I bought this ink. But it just doesn't look like the pictures here. Looks greyish black to me. Little disappointed. Hope I am not colour blind.

 

By the way, given the above, Do you think I will like Herbin Cacao du Bresil? I think I may like tea or coffee ink of Herbin.

You might want to try Lie de The for a greenish brown and Cacao du Bresil looked warmer and slightly redder to me. Depends on whether you want lively or really so ugly it's beautiful brown.

[JimB]

I bought this ink. But it just doesn't look like the pictures here. Looks greyish black to me. Little disappointed. Hope I am not colour blind.

 

By the way, given the above, Do you think I will like Herbin Cacao du Bresil? I think I may like tea or coffee ink of Herbin.

Since PR Sepia would not flow from any of my pens, I picked up Noodler's Golden Brown. It serves pretty much the same color range as the PR Sepia, but it flows well, and is nearly bulletproof. It works best in broader nibs. In Fine nibs it's almost too light brown, nearly a gold-yellow. You might want to consider it as a replacement.

[..lol..]

No water resistance is a deal breaker for me, but I DO love the color!

 

It is water resistant! but not waterproof.