Appologies for the bad photo quality and for the wrong spelling on the writing sample! I do not have the energy to redo it or to use a more professional photo set-up. But the colour of the ink on this image is spot on, so hopefully it is still informative.

De Atramentis "Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria"
Special Edition Ink
purchased in Büro Miller on Mariahilferstraße in Vienna

Colour:
This ink is described on the bottle as "saharagrau", or Sahara gray. In actuality (and the saleswoman at the shop agreed with this while we were trying it out), it is more like a light Khaki green. This is a very subdued soft colour, not an aggressive military green, and not an olive either: It is a true khaki. The best comparison to commonly available ink I can make, is that it resembles a much lighter version of MB Racing Green or Noodler's El Lawrence. You could also probably get this colour by mixing Herbin Vert Olive with a neutral gray ink. The colour is pale, but not too pale. It is darker and more legible than Herbin Vert Olive.

Shading:
Yes, lots. Looks good in a flexible nib pen, such as the Morrison GF overlay I used for this review.

Saturation:
Low. The ink is on the watery, pale side. However, it becomes more concentrated in vintage pens, flex nib pens, and italic pens. It does not look too great in XF nibbed pens.

Flow:
No problems with flow in the several pens I've tried, very well behaved. The ink is on the dry side, similar to Herbin. This is my first De Atramentis, so I cannot compare it to other colours of the same brand.

Rinseability, Staining, Other Issues:
Rinses very easily from lever fillers in comparison to other inks. Once again, seems to behave especially well in vintage pens, where other inks cause more trouble. No issues with staining or anything else.

Availability:
Limited edition. Available from the Jansen website. If you are a fan of Austria, or the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this ink is a must-have. There is also a "Sisi" ink (Kaiserin Elisabeth) that is sold as a special edition, and the colour of that is royal red.

Conclusion:
Whether you like this ink, depends on how you feel about the colour Khaki, and whether you like inks with low saturation and lots of shading. I love the colour, and I am using a lot of italic and flex nibs lately, so I find this ink perfect. And I am always happy to find an ink in an interesting colour that is safe to use in vintage pens and rinses out of lever-fillers easily. For me, the Special Edition factor is a special bonus, as it will be a keepsake from Austria after I leave here. Very cool ink.



This review was written 1 month after purchase.

I love the color, that it isn't saturated, great shading.
Although the color is bit different, I get a similar look with MB racing green with my MB Fitz, F nib,
an unusual, pastel green. In a bolder nib with greater flow the MB racing looks much different.

Hi Jeen,

Hmm -- no, it is a bit different from how MBRG looks in the Fitzgerald.
I guess there is more gray in the Franz Josef.

Where can you get De Atremis in the us?

I am not sure which B&M shops in the US carry it (but I think Deirdre may know?). But you can buy it online directly from the manufacturer here
http://www.de-atramentis.com/oxid.php/sid/...ph-I-of-Austria
and have it delivered to the US. This may be your best option either way, because even if you do find an American retailer, chances are they do not carry all the specialty colours.

not only do i think this color looks fantastic, but your handwriting is incredibly unique and enjoyable! please flaunt it a bit more around here!

i've kinda thought about de atramentis as the noodler's of Europe. we americans have the same problems getting DA as the europeans have getting N's, and there are so many attractive colors...

Thank you : ) This "handwriting" is actually very recent; I am trying to develop a faux-manuscript writing style and so experimenting quite a bit with flex nibs, italic nibs and different fonts.



I know for sure that De Atramentis is available in some US shops, because people here mention buying it -- so do ask around.

Any scans or color charts of the newer colors?

I have bought from Laywines. Yes, they don't have all the colors. But, have you seen the cost to ship to US?

I don't know laywines- but would Art Brown or similar have it?

I don't think Art Brown has it. I checked an old email from Rolf at www.missing-pen.de and at that time cost was 8,5 euro (but less vat to us) and about 10 euro to ship. That was some time ago. I think that the price is the same and think that the ship is about the same. Rolf did say that not cheaper to ship two than one.

After conversions, Laywines was about $21.

The "Saharagrau" ink itself is not limited, is one of the standard De Atramentis inks. It seems that all DE SE packages contain regular inks.

If you need some, I also recommend Rolf Thiel from missing-pen.de, as he ships everywhere. He seems to be the only German Noodler's dealer, and listens to customer demand for foreign ink. Maybe he's someone who likes the challenges of foreign trade.

Here's a link to the De Atramentis / Dr. Jansen standard ink palette:

http://community.fountainpen.de/index.php?...&Itemid=107

Interesting, I was not aware of this. In the shop where I bought this ink, they only sell special editions, like the Austrian royals, Gruener Veltiner, the Beer ink, and a few others. I have never seen the regular line of De Atramentis inks and it never occurred to me that some of the special editions are just repackaged standard colours.

Thanks for the info,
QM2