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Graf Von Faber-Castell Ink Line - Impressions?


Intensity

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Over priced.....nice bottle.

I was given a gift card for my B&M or I'd not even thought of buying the 'super expensive' GvFC inks. E25 for 75ml.

 

I looked hard at the ink reviews, and only Moss Green came in question.

I had dipped it....and it was ok....nothing that made me find an empty pen for it.

 

Last week, I put it in a semi-flex KM nib & OF.....and found semi-flex M for the 'new' Dark Green 4001. It was more a question of how did German '50's Kugal nibs write and I have a couple KM's.

Decided it was a good time to try out the Moss Green....and a few seconds later decided to try out the 4001 dark green also.

 

On Rhodia 90g (new) I found Moss Green to be a dark or black green with some lighter shading strokes of green. Slight difference in what letters shaded, when my Geha 790 KM was held high like a ball point or low so the stubbed part fo the nib was flat on the paper.

 

Looking at it a second time, looks better...............light tone change on common 80g copy paper.... more and better shading on Rhodia 90g.

 

Back before I was into M as much as I now am, I bought a 790 marked M on the pen...pre-nib marking. The found out while looking for a M it was really an EF.....sigh. Moss Green is duller, , with just a hair of green shading in semi-flex EF....(No, I do not do Olympic splits with my semi-flex nibs. Semi-flex adds flair to the writing, it is not for fancy lettering.))

I'd say Moss Green looks better in semi-flex M....a wetter nib.

 

What I got to do is find a regular flex in M and F to see how it writes with a less wet nib. Semi-flex is a wetter nib.

Right now I like the 'new' dark green 4001, more. I have some 17- or so greenish inks, and the GvFC does not make me jump up and down. Have to find the proper nib for it.

 

I can live with the new 4001....I was one of the minority that liked the old Brilliant Green, in it was the ink that started me into greens, buying 14 bottles within a year, and as a green-green ink wasn't too bad....came in a close third to R&K Verdura and the now too expensive MB Irish Green at E19...R&K still under E9....8.50 I think.

MB does have to catch up with the Jones...$$$....GvFC and CdA, so have jacked their price way over inflation.

Luckily we live in the Golden Age of Inks....and the 'new' Polish inks seem well liked and affordable.

 

Luckily I have still a bottle of Brilliant Green...and when that is out, R&K Verdura is a tad better as a shading green-green ink than the old Pelikan Brilliant Green ink.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I saw a really nice writing sample of GVFC Colbalt Blue.

What are the characteristics and how would it be coming from a XXF, XF, F, or PO Nibs?

Also how easy is it to clean out of a MB149...will it stain the windows?

I tried Violet Blue and was not impressed. Will Colbalt Blue have "some" water resistance as well?

Regards,

David

Edited by Jesus1
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  • 6 months later...

My first three Graf von Faber-Castell inks arrived today and I'm so in love. I had deliberated about buying them for a long time, looked at sample writing, asked questions, just was not sure (especially after very underwhelming first impression from Deep Sea Green I got in cartridges for a trip). Well I'm really glad I've finally gotten a few of those inks, and I see more on the horizon.

 

Moss Green - absolutely gorgeous dark green, saturated but still with some gentle shading, fairly neutral green, maybe a tad on the blue side. Makes me think of tall ferns and shady jungle forests. I don't own any other greens that are not olive-tinted (Sailor Tokiwa Matsu and more olive from there); this is the first true green I actually wanted and feels like a final stop before I even began looking. It's currently in a Pelikan M101N with a medium nib that was ground to almost formal italic by Richard Binder at a recent pen show. Perfect match.

 

Hazelnut Brown - wow! I've probably read all the reviews of that ink to date, but I was not prepared for what I saw in person. I expected a rather matte, saturated reddish brown with lower shading. I loaded it in a very broad, juicy cursive italic pen (customized Pelikan M800 IB nib that is now a crisp cursive italic). What I see is much more complex than reviews illustrated. It actually has some great shading and slight hue variation between lighter and darker parts, and there is beautiful dark edge outlining effect that's also slightly sheening. I can see outlining on both Fabriano Bioprima Italian paper and on all the Japanese papers I've tried it on. It is a red-tinted warm brown, but not too red. Just right to me, as I prefer red-leaning browns. My top brown now, together with J. Herbin Lie de The.

 

Deep Sea Green. I decided to give it another chance, as it just stayed on my mind, periodically calling my name. Not as impressed with this one compared to the first two inks, but I might need to try it in a different pen. Part of the problem is that it was upstaged by Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine that's my current love in the translucent tealy-blue-gray category. Deep Sea Green is more gray and muted than Aquamarine. It has a look of vintage blue black. J. Herbin Vert de Gris is very similar to Deep Sea Green--on some papers they look nearly identical Vert de Gris has a more matte finish and a bit more of a murky tint. Another ink that looks quite similar to Deep Sea Green is surprisingly Iroshizuku Syo-Ro. Syo-Ro has some more saturation and hints of red-magenta sheen but dries to fairly similar look if a wet writer is used with Deep Sea Green.

 

I almost got Stone Gray and Cobalt Blue.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Stone Grey is in my ink hall of fame both for performance and beauty. It's just a great ink, and does not show itself fully in photographs, which I guess is true with many standout inks. The various other colors are just fine, too, but on par with the other premier brands. And, as someone noted above, it's as if the accounting department at GvFC was on vacation when they priced their cartridges. I keep expecting them to triple the price, but until then, it's a great way to try all their colors without a second mortgage. I do love those bottles, though.

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Hazelnut brown is my only brown and I love the richness of the color without it looking too red or yellow. My only other GvFC ink is Viper Green and am surprised not to see it mentioned here. Its perfect in my Nakaya heki tamenuri.

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I have: Hazelnut Brown, Moss Green, Deep Sea Green, Cobalt Blue, and Burned Orange.

I find them all dry and prone to causing pens that generally behave well with other inks to skip the initial strokes of letters when I write. This is maddening. Deep Sea Green is the worst offender, while Burned Orange is better than the rest in my experience.

I love doing ink washes with Deep Sea Green, but find it unpleasant to write with and pale in all but my wettest pens. I am currently using it in a Noodlers Tripletail, which has a flow just barely more controlled than knocking over an ink bottle, to write some letters. In a such a wet pen the color and shading are quite fetching, but the hard starting makes me grind my teeth.

As to them being Dokumentenecht, the full Text on their web site [1] promises more than it delivers, but it does at least seem resistant to (dry) smearing and generally leaves a visible line (and a colorful mess) when made wet. Cobalt Blue is the most fun of the bunch as the waterproof fraction of the ink is bright pink, while the fraction that washes away is cyan. I have not tested resistance to fading from light.

 

[1] Als dokumentenecht wird eine Tinte bezeichnet, wenn sie wischbeständig, reproduzierbar, lichtecht und wasserfest ist, nicht ausradiert werden kann und resistent gegen viele Chemikalien und Lösungsmittel ist.

~~> Dokumentenecht means it resists smearing, can be copied, does not fade by light, is waterproof, cant be erased, and resists many chemicals and solvents.

Edited by mannschott
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I'm with you on the whole ISO compliance marketing thing, but it is what it is :(

 

Interestingly, while I agree that Deep Sea Green is super dry and on the pale side, I've not had any flow interruption or hard start issues with that ink, either in cartridges or in normal fills. Currently I have it in a vintage Sheaffer Balance (lever-filled sac), which provides good flow.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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I like how they expanded their lineup. 75ml for $30 compared to MontBlanc 50ml for $24.

There is about 6 colors I am interested in and any slight water resistance is an added bonus.

How would you compare the flow to MontBlanc and are they easy to clean out of piston fillers.

Cost per ml is less that MontBlanc. I'm sick of Royal Blue and Midnight Blue.. MB write fairly well on cheap copy paper.

How does GVFC compare on cheap copy paper.

Regards,

David

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  • 8 months later...

GvFc inks that I got possess this quality that every pricey ink must have. No feathering. Even in a B Nib size in a gusher of a pen, they do not feather. I have Moss Green & Deep Sea Green.

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Sadly some of them do feather on some fountain pen-friendly paper, like Turquoise. I'm up to 10 colors now.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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  • 6 months later...

I enjoyed reading this discussion.  I've been looking into the GvFC inks as being somewhat water-resistant, and this thread seems to bear that out.  However, I'd like to get a specific comment on two inks that don't seem to get much discussion: Burned Orange and Electric Pink.  On GvFC's website they don't list them as "indelible", which causes me some concern, but I don't know if that is an oversight on their part or not.  There does seem to be the feeling that Burned Orange is not super water-resistant, but I'd like to know what I can expect from these two inks in terms of them getting wet.  Exactly how much of a readable line is left afterwards?  Thanks.

 

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5 hours ago, SlowRain said:

I enjoyed reading this discussion.  I've been looking into the GvFC inks as being somewhat water-resistant, and this thread seems to bear that out.  However, I'd like to get a specific comment on two inks that don't seem to get much discussion: Burned Orange and Electric Pink.  On GvFC's website they don't list them as "indelible", which causes me some concern, but I don't know if that is an oversight on their part or not.  There does seem to be the feeling that Burned Orange is not super water-resistant, but I'd like to know what I can expect from these two inks in terms of them getting wet.  Exactly how much of a readable line is left afterwards?  Thanks.

 

I recommend the stiloestile retailer website for viewing writing samples. They have great samples for every ink they carry, which is a lot. Here is a link to their GvFC inks.

 

It indicates that the orange and pink inks are not waterproof, though the pink is a little better and leaves a faint but probably readable line, and at least the ink doesn’t spread much. The orange doesn’t seem to leave much trace when it is wetted. But judge for yourself.

 

https://www.stiloestile.it/en/101-bottled-inks/s-3/brand-graf_von_faber_castell

 

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7 hours ago, MoriartyR said:

I recommend the stiloestile retailer website for viewing writing samples. They have great samples for every ink they carry, which is a lot. Here is a link to their GvFC inks.

 

It indicates that the orange and pink inks are not waterproof, though the pink is a little better and leaves a faint but probably readable line, and at least the ink doesn’t spread much. The orange doesn’t seem to leave much trace when it is wetted. But judge for yourself.

 

https://www.stiloestile.it/en/101-bottled-inks/s-3/brand-graf_von_faber_castell

 

Thanks for the reply.  I don't mind going to a vendor's website to get a list of potential water-resistant inks, but I'm leery of trusting them completely.  They are, after all, in the business of convincing people to buy the product.

 

That Stilo & Stile website seems to have done their test differently from Jet Pens, because I would reach an almost different conclusion based on their water test:

 

https://www.jetpens.com/Graf-von-Faber-Castell-Ink-Bottles/ct/5055

 

 

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48 minutes ago, SlowRain said:

I don't mind going to a vendor's website to get a list of potential water-resistant inks, but I'm leery of trusting them completely.

 

You shouldn't trust anyone else completely anyway, especially if you're intending on extrapolating and projecting their test results or writing outcomes onto your own use cases, circumstances, selection of pen and paper, etc.  without acquiring at least samples of candidate inks and proving it for yourself. Of course, in some cases acquiring ink samples for testing may involve non-trivial personal costs and bother, but electing to forgo that part is logically separate from actually trusting third-party information.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I'm okay with third-party reviews, like those on ink blogs and discussion forums, because they're more likely to be independent and less biased.  I've found that a general consensus can be gleaned after reading a half-dozen different comments or so.  My problem with GvFC inks is that they're pretty expensive, so not many people have tried them, and the two colors I'm interested in are two of the colors least talked about.

 

You're right about samples being cost-prohibitive.  I'd have to pay international shipping, which would be noticeably more than the cost of the ink itself. Also, for environmental reasons, I'm not a big fan of all of the small packages being flown around the world.

 

I'm just hoping a few people on here have used them and either tested them or maybe had a spill and could share their experience.  As it stands, all I have been able to find is a comment to the effect that they should offer some water resistance.  I'm just looking for a bit of clarification on that.  I don't need bulletproof, I just need something left behind.

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On 2/27/2021 at 12:08 PM, SlowRain said:

I'd have to pay international shipping, ...‹snip›... I'm not a big fan of all of the small packages being flown around the world.

 

Have you tried contacting any of these retailers?

https://www.faber-castell.com.tw/content/門市地圖

 

On 2/27/2021 at 12:08 PM, SlowRain said:

I'm just hoping a few people on here have used them and either tested them or maybe had a spill and could share their experience.  As it stands, all I have been able to find is a comment to the effect that they should offer some water resistance.

 

@lgsoltek and @visvamitra both reviewed GvFC Electric Pink ink on FPN, and showed that ink marks remained visible and even retained their original shape when washed over with a wet brush or even when the sheet was soaked. Kelli McCown also showed on her Mountain of Ink blog that straight lines made with the ink on Rhodia paper remain clearly visible after dripping water droplets on the page and then drying them, even though she categorised the ink's water resistance as low in the write-up. That is more than merely “a comment”.

 

On 2/27/2021 at 12:08 PM, SlowRain said:

I just need something left behind.

 

In every aforementioned ink review, I've seen more than enough water resistance to qualify for “something left behind”. Obviously, the paper you use, the wetness of your pen (and/or ink tracks), how long the ink has been left to dry and ‘cure’ on the page, the mode of rewetting, and how (and how quickly) the excess moisture is removed will all play a part in the legibility outcome, but nobody else is going to reproduce your operational conditions exactly. I'd say the ink marks won't just disappear or being so faint to be invisible, although feathering resulting from rewetting, or staining of the surrounding area by colour lifted off the page and spread more broadly by way of the droplets or puddle, may make the written content ugly and/or difficult to read. To know how well your writing will remain in the face of a spill on a page of the notebook you actually use for meaningful content, short of testing it on the actual item, everything else is just extrapolation, even if you use an ‘identical’ notebook from the same production batch bought at the same price that you keep aside for testing purposes, so as not to risk your ‘real’ written content.

 

Edit:

I see @visvamitra has reviewed GvFC Burned Orange, and included a photo of (a fragment of) a page of writing after half of it was soaked. @JulieParadise and @pgcauk have used the ink, although I didn't see  water-over-writing results in the photos they posted.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I'm familiar with those stores linked to on Faber-Castell's website.  None of them would do ink samples.  Those are very large, generic stationery stores.  They sell fountain pens and inks (yes, they sell Graf von Faber-Castell products, too), but they're not the kind of places that specialize in them.  All they know is whatever the vendor tells them.  They've never done a water test in their lives.  I'm actually pretty sure none of the employees who work at those types of places even use fountain pens, so it's not the kind of place go to buy pens or ink.  There are actually a number of smaller, more specialized owner-operator shops here which are better places for buying fountain pens.  It's perhaps counter-intuitive to some, but it's the better way to buy things here.

 

I was able to contact a couple of users on Twitter and Instagram, and they were kind enough to help me out with my water-resistance questions.  I'll probably go ahead and buy the ink for my wife.

 

Please understand something (and I'm saying this and meaning this kindly): I wasn't being difficult, demanding, or obtuse.  I'm sorry if I came across that way.  There is a LOT of conflicting information on the internet about these two (very expensive!) inks.  Some say there is water resistance, some say there isn't.  Some pictures look like there is water resistance, some pictures look like there isn't.  I was at my wit's end.  I was sitting at about 50-50 when I posted my initial request above.  I needed someone who had done a water test and could explain to me how it was done and what it actually looked like to clear up all the uncertainty.  To be perfectly honest, if there's one thing I learned in all of this, it's actually to go out and get more corroborating evidence with this sort of question.  I'm very glad I did.  And I'm very grateful for the help I received.

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39 minutes ago, SlowRain said:

I'm familiar with those stores linked to on Faber-Castell's website.  None of them would do ink samples.

 

Don't any of them sell the Electric Pink ink cartridges? Please don't tell me you have some philosophical objection to buying <5ml of ink to sample/test if they're packaged by the manufacturer as a six-pack of cartridges, as opposed to a screw-capped sample vial prepared by a seller away from GvFC and without the manufacturer's blessing.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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For reasons I still don't understand, cartridges aren't as popular here as they are in Western countries.  Students are more likely to use them, but parents aren't going to buy something priced like this for kids' schoolwork.  I did find one vendor selling them online, but I'm more in favor of a glass bottle for environmental reasons.  I'm not about to buy cartridges when a simple request on the internet can do the trick.

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While bottled GvFC ink is really pricey, even for 75 ml, their cartridges are dirt cheap in comparison, at $4/6-pack.

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

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