There is already a review and scan of Gray Flannel but it looks so different in a wet writer that I thought it was worth another look.
I received a bottle of Gray Flannel in a trade - the previous owner said it made all of his pens scratchy. It does seem very dilute and dry-writing so I loaded it in a wet Sheaffer TouchDown with Feathertouch nib. Because this was an excessively wet pen, I had no problems with the ink flowing.

Today I decided to load this ink in a broad(almost italic) Sheaffer Lifetime Ringtop that is a wet writer but not excessively so. The result - beautiful shading. I admit the pen feels scratchier with this ink than with other inks such as Waterman Black. I also felt like I had to press harder to get the ink on the paper. I have to conclude that although the color and shading are beautiful, I would not use this ink if I had a lot of writing to do.

This was my first bottle of ink, and I have had it in a number of pens. Of the lot, my Wality handles it best. That's what it is in now. I'll finish out my bottle but likely won't buy another because I'm pretty sure I'll go with Sailor Jentle Grey for those needs in the future. It's an odd ink with a violet color in the bottle that goes on grey, but it really does need a pen that can handle it.

Looks really like some old inks I've seen on papers from the 17th century. Interesting. Thanks for the review.

very nice handwritng, artaddict. what paper did you use? does it feel scratchy on all papers?

Thanks for that, I was thinking I need a grey or black with good shading potential. The last Swan I received is kind of wet - it may be a good match.

PR Gray Flannel is my current favorite ink - it really fits my flexy pens!




Thanks, lovemy51! I used a Mead Composition notebook. But now Gray Flannel doesn't seem scratchy anymore - it is now my favorite ink. I'll need a new bottle soon. I also tried Noodler's Lexington Gray(way too wet) & still prefer PR Gray Flannel.

Cool ink. Nice shading on it.

Very nice handwriting and ink. I'm also a fan of Composition books.

glad to know it works for you. i've been thinking about getting this ink for a while now... i might get it on my next trip to FLAX in san francisco, if they have it!!!!

Thanks for reminding me about this ink -- I've had a bottle for a long time -- didn't like it in the first few pens I put it in. But, based on this review and the comments in this thread, I put it in a vintage Waterman #20 with flex nib -- and it works like a charm. I've been wanting to practice my flex and flourishes for a while, but didn't want to waste a "good" ink -- now I can use this Gray Flannel and both it and the pen seem happy with each other. Thanks! HP

Looks like a very fine grey, although I am worried about its "special needs" ...

Does anyone have an opinion on how it compares to Diamine grey? It looks darker to me than the Diamine.

I guess there's no way of telling whether my pens will like it short of buying it ....

Nice review Pep!

This ink is much darker than I thought it would be. The shading is nice; I will try it!

Thanks for the comments, Philip1209, wvbeetlebug, flaviano, Frankiex, and HennyPenny! Glad you found this useful. The ink looks darker or lighter depending on the pen...

Thanks for your review ... I just had to order it (resistance is futile, I seem to have read here more than once!)

I'll report on my experience when it comes ... in another review I think one can see that Gray Flannel is darker than Diamine Grey. On the other hand, comparing it to actual blacks, it looks so light. All a matter of context I guess.

I love the shading in your writing, very pretty!

Thank you! If you end up not liking the ink you could always trade/sell it to me! It does look more black in some pens... the paper also makes a difference.

Well I finally had a chance to try the Gray Flannel and I was not at all happy with it. It did seem watery to me -- so watery that I wondered if some actual water had remained in the sac when I cleaned it -- and lighter than I expected.

But I was writing with a fine flexible nib in a not very wet writer. Before giving up on the ink I want to try it in something broader and wetter and see if I can get results that look as beautiful as yours!

My offer to buy/trade still stands...

I second everyone's comments about your beautiful handwriting!

PR inks have begun to interest me, ever since I got a free sample of American Blue. This looks like a color I'd want to try.

done! already ordered PR gray flannel from isellpens, along with a couple of wing sung pens!!!

I will have one bottle of this ink for free with my next pen purchase