Hazel Onyx ink review

[Ann Finley]

Note: Earlier this year two of our members did a multi-review of several of Robertson’s Penman Classical Transparent inks. Some members were afraid to try the inks, thinking they may not be suitable for fountain pens. Robertson’s makes several lines of inks, as does Diamine (and others), which are not suitable for FPs. The Classical Transparent series inks for FPs are made with natural dyes (like J. Herbin inks) and are very “clear” in the bottle. I don’t think Robertson’s did themselves a favor by trying to cover themselves with regard to Mont Blanc’s warranty warning by stating that the inks are suitable for all FPs except Mont Blanc! I’m sure this has scared some potential customers, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about with this ink.

 

The handwritten review intended for this spot looked so broken up after inserting the image from the hosting site and getting the automatic reduction, that I decided not to insert it. You will at least get to see a color sample below.

 

Hazel Onyx

 

A thin ink, this flows fast from a wet nib. Lubrication is adequate and the ink dries quickly. Even when used with a large, wet nib this ink hasn't bled through Clairefontaine or Rhodia papers, and feathering hasn't been a problem. Shades nicely, depending on the nib. No smearing, smudging or flaking off when dry, which is what I would expect from an ink with low saturation. It doesn't seem to be sensitive to hand oils. The ink is pH neutral.

 

This ink can look very different coming from different pens. The image directly below was done on Clairefontaine.http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6255/hazelonyx20mmiy5.jpg

The sample (enlarged) was done with a Pelikan 2.0 mm factory oblique.

 

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/5462/hazelonyxwithpenslf8.jpg

This sample was done on Rhodia. The ink also worked nicely with the HP Premium Inkjet paper I tried it on.

 

The color is about what I expected. It resembles J. Herbin's Ambre de Birmanie but is slightly more reddish. (In person, the ink looks browner than it's showing below on my monitor. I did the color correction on another computer, but you can get an idea of the similarity, especially when looking at the broad dip pen stroke on the right side.)

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7420/hazelonyxambre2bc6.jpg

It comes in a small (30ml) nondescript bottle and as far as I know this is the only way the ink is packaged and sold. I bought four colors of the ink at J & T's Art & Calligraphy eShop. You can see the prices on the site, which I'd say are moderate. Shipping can seem steep, depending on where you live, but I know of no other place to buy the ink. J & T's carries 12 of the 24 Classical Transparent colors.

 

The water test shown below is the result of a 15 minute soak preceded by being held under running water for about 30 seconds. With such a transparent ink, I was surprised that even a trace was left.

 

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7498/hazelonyxwatertesttn9.jpg

 

Would I buy Robertson's ink again? I will likely buy the Peridot Green again, as it looks identical to my own green mix which I love. (I chose to review the Hazel Onyx first, since it isn't shown in the earlier review.) I'm unlikely to reorder anything but the green due to the cost of shipping, but I like and will use all of the colors that I bought.

 

Thanks for wading through this!

 

Edited (again) to add some more samples.

Edited September 30, 2007 by Ann Finley

[kazoolaw]

Thank you for your posting and review.

 

Here's a link to a series of color swatches for the Penman ink

http://www.jacquiblackman.co.uk/penman.htm

 

gary

[Ann Finley]

I have updated the review with some additional samples.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Ann