Birmingham Co Ink?

[Rosendust]

Hey everyone, hope you and yours are safe and healthy.

 

Has anyone used Birmingham ink and if so, what was your experience with it and what colors would your recommend?

 

Thanks!

 

[corniche]

Hello Rosendust,

 

I always got great results with them, but those inks were made by Diamine (IIRC); from what I understand, he's making them himself now - if that's the case - those I haven't tried yet.

 

Wish I could be of more help.

 

 

- Sean

 

ETA: I think it was DeAtramentis of Germany that made their inks before he started making them "in house."

[Carrau]

There are some excellent reviews of many of their inks in the FPN Ink Index. Quite a few of their inks show some water resistance, which is not a characteristic found frequently in other ink lines. I have used a few of their inks and been pleased so far. The inks I have tried include Winky’s Hamburgers Root Beer, Steel Building Smoked Iron, Fred Rogers Cardigan Red, and Allegheny Observatory Celestial Blue. Apart from Celestial Blue being less saturated than on the website's ink swatch, I've not been disappointed. They are a bit tricky to obtain, as they often have only a small number of inks and bottles available at any one time, and one really has to be ready to order as soon as they are available (you need to get on the mailing list-they don’t bombard you with emails, which I appreciate). For a while they were polling customers (only when you went to the website-they didn’t email you) for ink requests, then they would make a batch of the most requested inks. Their pens and nibs are quite nice and good writers, and their prices seem quite reasonable. I believe they have a good reputation for service as well. Lots to like here, from a small business.

[ENewton]

I have used quite a few Birmingham inks and appreciate both their aesthetic and their behavior. They are wet inks, with enough saturation to produce clear lines even in dry pens, but not so much saturation as to preclude shading.

 

My favorites are the purples, especially Waterfront Dusk, Lilac Wind, and Phipps Conservatory Verbena.

 

I also really liked Alternator Crimson.

 

I didn't realize that any Birmingham inks were made by Diamine. I do know that the ones I have tried were made in house.

[corniche]

Post deleted by author.

[corniche]

I didn't realize that any Birmingham inks were made by Diamine.

Hi ENewton,

 

Upon reflection, I think it was DeA, not Diamine.

 

- Sean

[inkstainedruth]

That's an easy mistake, because formerly (when they were still xfountainpens.com, the Chesterfield inks were supposed to be relabeled/renamed Diamine inks; the Arkitekt lines I suspect were relabeled De Atramentis inks, because they didn't change the bottles or the color names.

As for the Birmingham Inks, I've tried a number of them but I'm not sure which ones are currently available. I think the formula for Shadyside Walnut Street Brown has changed from my bottle (which I got when they still had the B&M store) -- my bottle is a sepia brown, and very nice. I've also liked Schenley Park Thicket Green, Cathedral of Learning Panther Blue (bottle), Smithfield Street Bridge Truss Blue (sadly, samples only), and Persian Copper (sample). I did NOT particularly like USS Requin Navy (bottle) and thought the color of Gunpowder Tea (sample) really horrible. Madame C.J. Walker Elegant Fuchsia (sample) was meh (I'm not overly found of most burgundy reds). I have several I haven't tried yet; I suspect that they may have changed the formula of Waterfront Dusk, though, because the swabs I've seen posted on here and on the Birmingham website seem much more a red violet than what I remember when I bought my bottle of it (it looked to be more of a dark indigo/blue violet color; and I bought my bottle to see how it compared to Noodler's Kung Te Cheng -- which, let's face it, is a gorgeous color and pretty much everything proof, but is also a problem child ink).

One of the thing I always liked about all the Birmingham inks (regardless of if I like the colors or not) are the names, which all relate to something related to Pittsburgh.

The ones I've tried have generally been well behaved, and fairly wet (other than the colors, I wouldn't think twice about putting some of them into a Parker 61 with a capillary fill).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParramattaPaul]

Looking at their website, the illustrated ink bottle clearly says 'MADE IN USA' on the label. I take it to mean that they are making their own ink now.

[Intensity]

Yes, they have shifted to making their own ink. That's why it's in smaller batches now and with limited colors. They had someone else making the ink for them before, and it was available in increasingly more colors and mostly all in stock. Then they changed to in-house and their stock disappeared. Now only small amounts come out at a time. And I'm not sure if the colors are the same exactly. For example I've been curious if Boiler Steam Blue Black is the same now as it was when I had it a couple years ago not made directly by them. Not that I trust their color swabs on their website, but the current BSBB looks much more saturated than what I had before.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Intensity

[ParramattaPaul]

Yes, they have shifted to making their own ink. That's why it's in smaller batches now and with limited colors. They had someone else making the ink for them before, and it was available in increasingly more colors and mostly all in stock. Then they changed to in-house and their stock disappeared. Now only small amounts come out at a time. And I'm not sure if the colors are the same exactly. For example I've been curious if Boiler Steam Blue Black is the same now as it was when I had it a couple years ago not made directly by them. Not that I trust their color swabs on their website, but the current BSBB looks much more saturated than what I had before.

I would guess that there is some differences. That is to be expected with a change to in-house production.

 

None the less, that they are producing their own inks is a good thing and worthy of support.

[Pensei]

If anyone from Birmingham is reading this, it sure would be nice if the cool sample bottles you offered for the previous inks could be duplicated for the new, in-house inks.

[Intensity]

You should write to them directly with your suggestion. They check and respond pretty quickly.

[corniche]

That's an easy mistake, because formerly (when they were still xfountainpens.com, the Chesterfield inks were supposed to be relabeled/renamed Diamine inks; the Arkitekt lines I suspect were relabeled De Atramentis inks, because they didn't change the bottles or the color names.

Yup. That 'splains it - thanks, Ruth. 👍

 

 

- Sean

[Honeybadgers]

It's run by the brother of the guy who used to run Nemosine (they closed nemosine and are now running birmingham together)

 

Company is in Pittsburgh, and they mix/make all their inks in house.

 

Customer service is superb (a bottle leaked and ruined the label, so they sent me a new bottle immediately even though the old one was still basically full). I will say that if you like an ink color they make, buy it ASAP, because one of their things is to constantly make new things. This can be frustrating, because they made my favorite green ink of all time, and don't anymore.

 

Their colors tend to have a more "smoky" feel, with warmer tones and a less bright, in-your-face feel. I have quite a few and none have had any sheen, but they mostly all have nice shading, good manners, and a nice warm, mute tone that makes them very professional.

 

Here's a writing sample with one of their blue inks called "french tricolore"

 

 

The only thing I wish is that they brought back the space themed names from Nemosine. They're mostly all east coast themes that mean nothing to me in the PNW. Also I wish they'd remake the nemosine "aeolis palus red" because that is without question the best, most perfect pure red ink ever made.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[PithyProlix]

FYI - a bunch of new colors have recently been added on their website, all of which are currently on sale. (No connection to them - just thought it might be of interest in this thread.)

[TravelCommons]

I picked up 3 30ml bottles of Birmingham Ink a couple of years ago from Massdrop -- Frick Bldg Stained Glass (a Poussière de Lune-like purple), Sport Donnelly Grass Stain (green), and Ft. Duquesne Battle French Tricolor (the blue in Honeybadgers' video). The labels all say "Individually Hand Bottled Pittsburgh, Penna" on the front and "made in UK" on the side, which maybe supports the Diamine hypotheses (at least for the colors in that Massdrop sale).

 

A couple of weeks back, I inked up my green Kaweco Sport with the Sport Donnelly to write in my travel journal during a trip to Philadelphia. Akin to Honeybadgers' impressions, it's a softer, less saturated green that performed very well in my Corcho notebook (yet another Massdrop purchase) -- medium wetness, good lubrication, no hard starts, no feathering. If I wasn't on a bit of an ink diet, I'd hit their website and probably pick up way too much of their new stuff.

[corniche]

FYI - a bunch of new colors have recently been added on their website, all of which are currently on sale. (No connection to them - just thought it might be of interest in this thread.)

Hi Pithy,

 

Yup. I ordered 3, (Electron, Boiler Steam & Waterfront Dusk).

 

I have high hopes...

 

 

 

- Sean

[Misfit]

I agree with Honeybadgers. I tried the Nemosine inks via samples too late. By the time I knew I liked several, they were discontinued and gone.

[Honeybadgers]

I picked up 3 30ml bottles of Birmingham Ink a couple of years ago from Massdrop -- Frick Bldg Stained Glass (a Poussière de Lune-like purple), Sport Donnelly Grass Stain (green), and Ft. Duquesne Battle French Tricolor (the blue in Honeybadgers' video). The labels all say "Individually Hand Bottled Pittsburgh, Penna" on the front and "made in UK" on the side, which maybe supports the Diamine hypotheses (at least for the colors in that Massdrop sale).

 

A couple of weeks back, I inked up my green Kaweco Sport with the Sport Donnelly to write in my travel journal during a trip to Philadelphia. Akin to Honeybadgers' impressions, it's a softer, less saturated green that performed very well in my Corcho notebook (yet another Massdrop purchase) -- medium wetness, good lubrication, no hard starts, no feathering. If I wasn't on a bit of an ink diet, I'd hit their website and probably pick up way too much of their new stuff.

 

Funny, that same drop was how I discovered them too. shame that MD killed their writing group.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[oregano]

I picked up Alternator Crimson, which I've been wanting to try for ages, but it always sold out before I could get a bottle! I just tried it today and I am blown away by the color. Very subtle, great, lubricated ink. Can't wait to try more of their colors! The packaging had a lot of nice touches too. You can tell they went the extra mile.