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L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio - Aurora L’Artisan Pastellier is a small company in southern France that specialises in natural pigments, and offers customers authentic and reliable products in beautiful colours based on mineral or vegetable pigments. In a collaboration with Loic Rainouard from Styloplume.net, the chemist Didier Boinnard from L’Artisan Pastellier created the line of Callifolio fountain pen inks. These pastel-coloured inks are traditionally crafted, and can be freely mixed and matched. Overall these inks are only moderately saturated, and have low water-resistance. The inks were specifically designed to work well with all types of paper, and all types of fountain pens. Being pastel-tinted, these inks have a watercolor-like appearance, and are not only fine inks for journaling, but are also really excellent inks for doodling & drawing. I only recently discovered them, and they are already the inks I gravitate towards for personal journaling. This review puts the spotlight on Aurora, one of several ochre-coloured inks in the series. Aurora leans heavily towards the red, with a colour that reminds me of the broken pottery at an ancient dig site (hence the stela of king Menchepera in the title doodle). I like the colour, which has an ancient feel to it, as though it’s a red ink that has darkened with the ages. Really nice. Aurora works well with all nib sizes, providing excellent contrast with the paper – even an EF nib provides remarkably good contrast. The ink looks good on both white and more yellowish paper. Callifolio Aurora shows off some strong shading, which already becomes visible in M-nibs and is really pronounced when using broader nibs. I would have liked a bit more subdued shading – but that’s just my personal preference. I did find the lubrication lacking with the finer nibs, but this feeling disappeared when using broader or wetter nibs. E.g. with an M-nib in my Lamy Safari, lubrication was clearly subpar. With a Pelikan M800 with M-nib on the other hand, the writing was really pleasant. Just something to be aware of: when using finer nibs, this ink prefers a wetter pen. Because this ink has a red-leaning colour, it is really well suited for use as a “correction ink” – I’ve used it e.g. to revise typed documents at work. Beats the “red ballpoint” anytime ! To show you the impact of saturation on the ink’s look & feel on paper, I made some scribbles where I fully saturated portions of the paper with ink. This gives you a good idea of what the ink is capable of in terms of colour range. On heavily saturated parts, Aurora shifts from a reddish ink towards more of a brown colour. On the smudge test – rubbing text with a moist Q-tip cotton swab – Aurora behaved really well, with only limited smearing of the text. Water resistance is a mixed story though. The chroma seems to indicate that a brownish image should remain on the paper. In reality readability is not nearly as good as the chroma suggests. If you can read the hieroglyphs on the stela, you probably have the patience to decipher eroded texts… and this patience is what you will need trying to make sense of what’s left on the paper once it has come into contact with water. Reconstruction is possible, but only with a lot of effort. Not a good ink if waterproofness is high on your list. I’ve tested the ink on a wide variety of paper – from crappy Moleskine to high-end Tomoe River. For the Callifolio reviews, I’m using a format that shows you the ink’s appearance and behaviour on the different paper types. On every small band of paper I show you:An ink swab, made with a cotton Q-tip1-2-3 pass swab, to show increasing saturationAn ink scribble made with an M-nib Safari fountain penThe name of the paper used, written with a B-nibA small text sample, written with the M-nibDrying times of the ink on the paper (with the M-nib)Aurora behaved perfectly on all the paper types, with no apparent feathering even on the lower quality papers in my test set. Drying times are in the 10-15 second range, except on some of the more absorbent papers. The ink looks fabulous on Paperblanks, which I use for daily journaling. In fact, it works really well with all of the paper types in my test set. At the end of this review, I also show the back-side of the different paper types, in the same order. The ink behaved very good with almost all paper types. Even Moleskine paper behaved surprisingly well – there was only minimal bleed-through. All in all a really well-behaving ink. Inkxperiment – a study in squaresI’ve recently started to experiment with ink drawings, keeping things simple and more-or-less abstract. I find it to be a fun extension of the hobby, and have found single-ink drawings a nice challenge. It also gives you an idea of what the ink is capable of in a more artistic setting. In this drawing I used 300 gsm rough watercolour paper. I started with painting a rectangle with pure water, and applied Aurora on top of it with a brush. This creates the outline of the drawing. I filled the center with a dry felt-tip brush, dipped in Aurora – this gives the lighter rose-red colour. After drying, I added the squares with a fine brush, really saturating the lines. The end result gives you a good idea of the colour span that Aurora is capable of. Conclusion Callifolio Aurora from L’Artisan Pastellier is a really nice brown-red ink, that is equally at home with both writing and drawing. The ink has good contrast with the paper, and works well with all paper types. But do yourself a favour and use this ink with a wet pen – the ink will reward you with its soul, and your writing experience will be that much better. Technical test results on Rhodia N° 16 notepad paper, written with Lamy Safari, M-nib Back-side of writing samples on different paper types

Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery generously sent me Robert Oster Red Clay. It is an ink in the inkArt.ink line ( http://www.inkartink.com/ ) They are available in 50 and 100 ml and have added UV protection. Red Clay is a a nice "muted" red. Clay can have a lot of different colors, but this looks for me like the red bricks used for building in the Netherlands. The ink shows shading and what I particularly like is the dark outline of the letters (see writing and dip pen). There is some black sheen. Behavior of the ink is good, like most Robert Oster inks, and especially the use with dip pen and for calligraphy is excellent, as expected for an Art ink The chromo shows three colors, 2 of them very distinct. Closest thing to the chromo is Shaeffer Skrip Red, but this red is far more brighter. I like the color and behavior of the ink, not only for art but also for writing.

Hi All! Here comes a new "ruthless review". My ruthless reviews have a few peculiar features: Concise;Very strict. If a pen costs hundred of euros, no faults are allowed. A good pen gets a 60/100, a great pen an 80/100, an almost perfect one a 90/100. Only a divine pen can have above 90. Don't care about the box,Add a few peculiar criteria:Nib appearance;Usability in shirt pockets;Out-of-the-boxness, meaning to what extent a nib was perfect right after leaving the seller. Jinhao 886 with M nib - red colour Fantastic pictures of this pen in this very same colour are available from Vaibav Mehandiratta's blog. His photos are far better than I'll ever manage to get, so... enjoy his effort! I bought this pen because it's one of the few Chinese ones with an original design (that is, it's not a copy of someone else's efforts). With this in mind, I thought it would be nice to encourage Jinhao's creative efforts, and I was not expecting much. Instead.... 1. Appearance and design: 10/10 This is really cool: the design is a sort of vintage/retro, reminds a bit of a FIAT 500 or a Smeg fridge. Very cute, absolutely awesome design work here! 2. Construction: 7/10 The metal looks sturdy, and tolerances are really tight. The section looks cheap, though, and so does the converter. 3. Quality of materials: 8/10 Everything looks OK, but the red and chrome coating is thin and seem likely to wear off very soon. I suggest to keep the pen in a pen holder. 4. Weight and dimensions: 7/10 Tiny, comfortable to use: the heft of the metal body makes the pen gravitate towards the paper. People with large hands will have issues, though. 5. Nib performance: 6/10 A no-nonsense M steel nib. Nothing special here: a bit of a hard starter and slightly on the dry side, and perhaps a bit "soulless", but it does its job. 6. Nib appearance: 7/10 Nice engravings, albeit banal. 7. "Out-of-the-boxness": 9/10 I expected much tweaking and fixing to get this to write: instead it wrote almost perfectly straight away! A little bit of tines spreading and it was good to go. 8. Filling system and maintenance: 2/10 Standard C/C system. The converter is a rip-off of a Lamy one, and this is unacceptable. Also, it leaks a tiny little bit... I guess I'll have to replace it soon. 9. Clip and usability with shirts: 8/10 The clip is maybe a bit too strong ( - 2 for this), but other than that, it's great, and the size makes it suitable for most shirt pockets. 10. Cost and value: 10/10 EUR 5 for the pen and shipping with registered mail?!?! This is incredible. If this is the "Chinese future", I'm very much looking forward to it! Final mark: 74/100 It was difficult to be ruthless with this: I highly recommend this pen to anyone who wants a nice, well-built, well-designed, tiny little pen For EUR 5 you get the pen shipped from China, inclusive of a converter, and it writes! That's more than you can say of some EUR 300 pens you get from Western manufacturers. I'm now officially a huge fan of Jinhao.

Full disclosure: I have no affiliation with Birmingham Pens beyond being a happy customer. Birmingham is a small Pittsburgh-based concern — apparently a one-man operation, in fact. Based on my dealings, all very positive, I would like to see the proprietor, Nick, get the support that he needs and deserves from our community to maintain and grow his business. Back when Birmingham Pens was known as “XFountainPens,” I became a fan of their custom Chesterfield line of inks, and especially the “antique” colors. In truth, I wasn't initially interested in the new Birmingham ink line when it appeared. I had, however, ordered a TWSBI 580-AL turquoise from Nick, who was offering a bottle of his ink as a promotion. Based as much on its name as anything else, I selected Fred Rogers Cardigan Red — henceforth, fRED for short — as my freebie. Unfortunately, Nick quickly ran out of inventory on the TWSBI and was obliged to cancel my order. I think it speaks to his integrity that he nonetheless sent me a full 30 ml bottle of fRED. My most recent purchase from Birmingham included two Knox Avicenna pens, one 'Slate Gray' with an oblique double-broad nib, and one 'Deep Red' with an EF nib. I prefer finer Japanese nibs, so for me the OBB was a novelty, and ordering it a caprice catalyzed by the pen's affordability — it being at the time on sale for $9.99. I first tried out Birmingham fRED with a Delta Unica and greatly enjoyed it. So once I received my Avicenna in 'Deep Red,' the temptation to pair it with fRED proved irresistible. The Avicenna belongs to a line of metal, cartridge-converter pens — all named after renowned men of learning*, and all sporting German-made Knox nibs. Avicenna is a fairly heavy pen, around 35 grams filled, of which 13.5 g resides in the cap. So, it is probably just as well that the pen does not post. Unposted, it is long enough (~125 mm) and light enough to fit most hands comfortably (size comparison photos, capped and uncapped, attached). I've not used the other Knox pen models, but they seem to differ from the Avicenna, and from each other, merely stylistically. In fact, the Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, and Galileo have perhaps more in common than do Platonism, Aristotelianism, or any four randomly chosen schools of philosophy. Available colors do vary by model, but all the Knox pens are about the same size and weight (though the Aristotle and especially the Plato are somewhat heavier), all come with a converter and a three-year warranty, all offer the same wide choice of nibs, and all (as of this writing) regularly sell for $14.99 at Birmingham. My Avicenna seems very well constructed, with due attention given to the fit (good tolerances, a satisfying snap of the cap) and finish (a deeply rich and lustrous red). My only reservation has to do with the threads mating the metal barrel to the plastic section. This attachment feels loose as one assembles the pen, but becomes secure enough once fully tightened. The Knox steel nib (photo attached) is gold plated and etched (possibly stamped?) with attractive scrollwork and a rampant lion logo. Both the EF and the OBB nibs proved smooth, wet, skip-free, and pleasant to write with. It appears to be a #5 nib, and it is more than good enough so that no one is likely to buy this pen with the intent of swapping in a better nib. All told, the Avicenna is well worth its retail price, especially if you consider that you can get two of them, ready to write, roughly for the cost of one Lamy Safari, sans converter. “Now let's talk ink, shall we?” As nearly as I can tell, red inks fall into two categories. (For the purposes of this review, I am excluding the 'light reds,' such as carmine, rouge, magenta, and pink. I am also leaving aside particulate inks such as J. Herbin's Rouge Hematite.) On the one hand there are the 'pure reds,' which cannot be mistaken for any other color. While indubitably vivid, these inks tend to have the disadvantage of shading very little or not at all. When read back, many also assault the eyes with a near-thermonuclear intensity. In this category, I include inks such as Shaeffer Skrip Red, Diamine Wild Strawberry, Noodlers Dragon's Napalm, and De Atramentis Poppy Red. I happen on occasion to enjoy some of these inks, but let's face it: Their chief advantage is their ability to stand out, which best suits them for applications such as grading papers. A second category includes the 'hybrid reds,' of which there are too many to shake a nib at. These are predominantly red admixtures with blue, black, orange, or brown. They include shades such as burgundy, crimson, maroon, brick, terracotta, burnt sienna, oxblood, and black cherry. These inks are often very lovely, and provide decent shading, but vary widely in the redness of their identities. That's how I see it, anyway. If anyone does have experience with a 'pure red' that isn't in some measure a combination of flat, loud, and obvious, I would very much like to hear of it. Absent such a wunderkind schreibtint, if one wishes to choose a red ink for more than annotation, it seems that the practical question is not whether the chosen hue will shift away from some Platonic essence of red, but rather in what direction. Now, this is a supremely subjective matter. But to my mind, Birmingham Fred Rogers Cardigan Red manages to walk the tightrope between 'pure' and 'hybrid' red as well as any ink I have used or known. And I believe the reason is that it is such an interesting hybrid. On the one hand, I can see a slight overall leaning toward orange, though much less so than with, say, Noodler's Habanero. On the other hand, fRED is darker than most orange-reds, and shows strong traces of burgundy in more heavily inked strokes. And in its very lightest traces, there are hints of pink. While it would not be confused with Skrip or the other pure reds, fRED manages overall to retain an unambiguous red identity. To my eye, it is as unshakeably red as is — say, Diamine Matador — but within that, offers much more in the way of richness and nuance. In Fred Rogers, Birmingham has produced a red ink that is interesting, solid, versatile, and legible. Like its namesake, it is also calm and dignified, perhaps not quite to the point of being work appropriate, but at least to the point of being congenial and companionable. Indeed, whole pages written with this ink read back ..... wait for it ..... readily. (Writing sample attached.) The ink's flow was perfect in both of the pens I tried it with. And, bucking the tendency of many reds to overstay their welcome, fRED cleaned up in a jiffy with no more than water. I tend to be fickle and impatient with ink, usually itching after a few days to exhaust my pen's converter so that I can rotate in a new color from my collection. But I have to say, I was so enjoying this ink in my Delta Unica that I was genuinely sorry when it ran dry. As I later wrote to Nick, my sole complaint about Fred Rogers Cardigan Red is that it comes exclusively in 30 ml bottles. As with my other favorite ink colors — J Herbin's Lie de Thé, for example — I would hate to run out of fRED now that I have so latched onto it. I'm hoping that eventually, Nick will see fit to, as J Herbin does with Lie de Thé, offer this color in 100 ml bottles as well. [ * It is a fine thing naming a pen so as to honor erudition above political station, athletic achievement, or mere celebrity. But, though classical philosophy is not exactly replete with exemplars, one still hopes someday to see women among those so named. Not to teeter overlong on this soapbox, but if there are any penmakers within the reach of my voice, how about Marie Curie or Emmy Noether, for starters? For that matter, wouldn't it be lovely for someone to craft a pen — assuming her family's consent in the matter — Wirthy to be named after our late friend Susan? ]

Being a huge sci-fi and space buff, when Nemosine launched a line of ten inks all with space themes, I couldn't help but buy them all. Unfortunately, Goulet sold out of Alpha Centauri (they have at the time of this writing, restocked it today) so I was forced to buy from Nemosine directly. They billed me immediately but never shipped. I sent two emails, both going unresponded, but two full weeks later they shipped (I presume they were simply out of stock, but a simple email letting me know would have been great when I had contacted them twice) and I was pleased to see that they tossed in a free M nib singularity! So delay and poor communication aside, I am happy with my order. Aeolis Palus is a plain between the north edge of the Gale crater and the northern foothills of Aeolis Mons on Mars, a region explored by the rover Curiosity. This ink has thusfar been another winner. It's a very true, neutral red. Bright, but not eye searing. it's a very wet flowing ink, very smooth, with good shading, decent manners on awful paper, and actually looks to have the barest amount of a black sheen outlining very wet writing nibs (much more visible in the ink smear) Zero water resistance, ~15 seconds washed it almost completely away. Dry times are exceptional, 10-15 seconds in my wet EF nib. Overall, I really like this. it's a lovely neutral red, similar to diamine firestorm red without the shimmer, some nice shading, this would be a great color for grading papers or writing letters. I sometimes use red in my patient charts since they are very visible and contrasted in the various boxes. This ink reminded me of bright red blood. Thus, a quote from Warhammer 40k. The box is extremely basic. Nemosine's logo is raised on one side Another side has a small sticker indicating what color it is, along with the location of the ink's manufacture, Slovenia. The label of the bottle is simple, clean, and elegant, and includes the geographical coordinates of the ink's bottling (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) which is a nice nerdy touch. Someone should send Neil DeGrasse Tyson this ink set, since he's really into space themed fountain pens. Don't mind the slightly raised label, that was from me getting it caught on the edge of the box when I put it back in. The labels are well adhered, the cap seals nicely and doesn't get dried-stuck like sailor's awful bottles. I quite like the design of the bottle as well, it's hefty and solidly made, and would look very presentable on a desk. ​The mouth is quite wide for such a small bottle, able to accommodate any sized pen And now for the writing samples. All Lamy nibs stuck on a CP-1, my go-to for these ink reviews. It's a fairly wet flowing pen, with the 1.1 a medium-dry nib. All the ink seemed to come right off the page. Almost nothing left behind (ignore the blue smear, that's from the paper towel I also used on the Alpha Centauri review) Nice shading. On some dots you get hints of the dark outline/sheen that forms around the wet spots. Much more subdued when writing cursive. The ink smear was quite dramatic. And your obligatory garbage paper sample. As long as you don't need to write on both sides, it's very usable, feathering is well controlled. Better copy paper is probably fine for double side, this is the worst paper I've ever been able to find.

Hello fountain pen enthusiasts, Today I am writing my very first review. I am new and not well informed on the subject, I will probably make some mistakes. So, please excuse any error I can write. I am open to critics as long as they are not mean. Recently I was looking for several fountain pens in various colors to match with my mood. I already own a blue and I was looking for a red one to pair with the dark blue suit I have to wear sometimes. I am no a fortunate person, sadly I cannot afford the Parker I really like. I do not think buying a £400 or so pen is a good idea when I have million of things to buy first. Initially, I was lurking on Amazon, latter I took some days looking on Aliexpress. I started to have a growing interest toward the Picasso brand. I was conquered by the PS-915 with a red barrel and gold nib. Eventually, I found an appealing offer on eBay for the decent price of £26.31 (US$ 38.80), free delivery. I bough this baby and a Picasso Pimio 923 at the same time. It is amazing how easy it can be to buy the things you like on-line. A single click an your money is turned into smoke and impatience. Less than one month after I became the happy owner of two nice red pens. It did not last for long, when I have shown the Picasso Pimio to my best half I lost it in a heartbeat. Too bad, this poor pen was too appealing for here, and what woman wants is what woman gets. I have a mixed feeling, do I have so good tastes? Are they too girlie? Anyway, I was not prepared to that, it was a shock, to me the parker vector was a Royce Rolls. Now It makes me feel like the vector is a Lada. The box and its content: The pen came with a "Gift Box", I do not know if the other option was a blister. The pen traveled overseas, I am not sure if any other option than a box is an intelligent choice. My first impression was positive, the box looks clean and sturdy. A sticker inside contains a paint to scratch, I removed it, revealing a code. Its purpose is probably related to the after sale service, an authentication code to verify if it is a genuine product or a counterfeit one. I did not buy a lot of pens in my life but I bough a lot of high quality tools, the use of codes like that are generally, a good practice. The "shell" box protects its real content, a black box made of plastic and covered with a plastic/paper material, all sewed to the plastic. Even if it is not leather, this material is not easy to scratch, as long as you are not careless. Inside the box there is a white cotton like fabric, it seems to be a light felt. Along with the pen, an inspection card and a small general guide are enclosed, of course all instructions are written in an authentic Chinglish, nobody is perfect. The box: The pen and the nib: The pen is delivered with a converter, I did not use such thing until this year. I must admit, it is a real pleasure to chose which ink I use from the infinite colors and brand available on the market. You probably all know that, but I do not. To me, fountain pens were made for cartridges and quills for the inkwells. The nib is large (0.357 in, 9.7 mm), it is the largest nib I have seen in my life and I must confess that I love it. A dove with an olive branch is engraved on the surface, as well as the words Picasso and FRANCE. Is the nib made in France? If the pen refuses to write after 35 hours so the nib is French. I am still suspicious, even if it was clearly written "made in France" on it. Anyway, does it really matter? The nib is made of gold plated steel, this seems to be specific to the PS-915 with a red and gold barrel. The tip presents no problems, there is neither baby bottom nor misalignment, and the slit is perfectly parallel. The manufacturer says on its website that you can return the pen within three months to repair or adjust the nib and other parts. I cannot say if they have a god after sale service, but at least they seem to propose a solution to problems that occur within the first three months after purchase. If you have dealt with the Picasso after sale service, please fell free to complete this review with your own experience. The gold parts of the cap are pinker than the gold of the nib. I do not know if it came from the gold plating on a different material or if it is a brass covered with enamel. This is difficult to say without a destructive analysis. The barrel is made of celluloid, so the use of solvents must be avoided, even worst, this material is highly sensitive to fire/heat. The cap remains tightly clipped on the pen when closed. The only problem I observed is that the cap does not fit very well at the bottom of the barrel. Better use the pen without the cap. Either because it will fall from its bottom, or because it will be very hard to write when it is covering the nib. With a diameter of 13.3 mm (0.524 in), the barrel is thick but it is comfortable to use. The total length, with the cap on, is about 157 mm (5.7 in). Without the cap, from the tip of the nib to the bottom of the pen, the length is 129 mm (5.07 in). The pen: The nib: The writing experience: The first thing about the Picasso pens I like, is the ease of writing, the nib literally floats on the paper. The size highly depends on the paper used, in my case I find it slightly too thick, so I reserve it for the A4 paper size and bigger. The tip does not scratch the paper, this was predictable since the tip is well aligned, as shown on the pictures. The writing: This is the end of my review, you are free to judge by yourself what you think of this pen. In addition to the red and gold barrel presented on this review, the PS-915 is available with a green and silver barrel, and with a black/grey swirls and silver barrel. Note: This is the pen I bough. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Picasso-Fountain-Pens-915-Eurasian-Feelings-Rosy-Celluloid-Barrel-Luxurious-Gift/401163887600?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Note2: Pictures in the spoilers above are in low resolution 1000*750, the links in the spoiler below are linked to the high resolution pictures (2000*1500). List of links: ​ Geoffrey Hautecouverture

In May 2014 Kingdom Note came out with a new line of specialty inks from Sailor based on Mushrooms. At that time they were relatively easy to obtain, but only two of the inks were colors that appealed to me then, so I passed on the others. Recently several became available again as they sometimes do, and I decided to get them. I've learned that the little color circle on the box is only the most general idea of the ink color. The five inks of this series are Amanita muscaria (red) Entoloma virescens (light blue) Stropharia aeruginosa (green) Mycena pura (pink) Trametes versicolor (dark blue) I'd reviewed the two blue inks earlier and the links are above. Normally I don't buy red inks as I rarely have any use for them, they're often too bright, or dry. Occasionally I've bought some Noodler's reds mostly for the label (Park Red, Berning Red) but they rarely make the rotation. But this one seemed different and I decided to give this one a try since I was ordering other KN inks as well. This ink didn't disappoint. This particular pen has a fairly fine nib and with this ink produced a very nice line. The flow was wet enough, not dry, reasonable dry times, and no problems in handling. And I liked the color. I don't know how it looks in a wide nib. There's a good amount of pink in this red and that's probably why I like it. Pen: Pelikan M201 (F-steel) Papers: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, Rhodia=Rhodia 90g ivory. Camera: iPhone 7 Depending on the angle of your screen, the ink may appear much darker than real life. The original pictures seem to be darker than my review pages where the writing is simply darker than the page. The ink color approaches a strawberry shade more than the Coca-cola red. I wouldn't say it's a red-orange color either like the box implies.

Sailor Maruzen Nihombashi Akane (2017 re-issue) OK, let's start with some history. Long ago, perhaps around 2008, Sailor made some LE inks for the Maruzen Nihombashi store in Tokyo. Each ink was limited to 300 bottles. Fast forward to 2014. By then, the inks were long sold out but Akane had gone down in history as legendary, a grail ink, the best red Sailor had ever made. And there was never, EVAH, to be any more. So it became a mythical ink, perhaps on par with PPS, at least among fans of red inks. Well, all I can say is that sometimes pigs do fly, on rare occasions Hell does freeze over, and Sailor makes inks again that they had said they would never make again. Within the last month or so Maruzen Nihombashi had re-issues of all of their limited edition inks, including Akane. I was fortunate to obtain a bottle from a friend in Japan before they sold out. The ink comes in a Sailor vase bottle without a label. The box has a very nice label. Normally I don't like red inks, but with this one I'm in love. The flow and lubrication are excellent, the handling great, the color not too bright, the shading also great, and on the right paper there is golden sheen. Visvamitra referred to this ink as "FP nectar" and I'd have to agree. The ink is not water resistant. It is Unobtanium. Pen: Pelikan M201 (F-steel) Papers: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, Rhodia=Rhodia 90g ivory. Camera: iPhone 7 The iPhone did not pick up on the shading very well. It's much better than shown here.

Robert Oster is new player in fountain pen ink market. He operates through retailers worldwide. The inks are sold in 50 ml PET bottles with a tightly secure twist cap. I don't know who makes the inks for the shop, but the colors look interesting and fresh. At the moment Robert Oster inks are available in billion colors - I lost track how many. Sample of Ruby was given to me by Mmg112 - thanks! I believe Ruby is a special release for the Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery in Belgium but I'm not 100 % sure. The color of this ink is acceptable although lack of good lubrication and average flow won't make me buy a bottle. It's average ink. Personally I think you'll easily find more interesting red inks on the market. Flow: average. Saturation: average Lubrication: average Drying time: rather reasonable. 10-15 seconds on Rhodia, 5 – 10 seconds on absorbent paper. Clogging issues: None experienced. The ink may dry in the nib but only after few minutes. You can leave the pen uncapped for 2-3 minutes and everything should be fine. Feathering: some experienced on Moleskine. Bleedthrough: almost none. Water resistance: this ink isn't water resistant. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Software ID Color range Rhodia, Jinhao x750, medium nib Leuchtturm 1917, Jinhao x750, medium nib Tsubame, TWSBI 580, medium nib

​Noodler's Qin Shi Huang Review & Election Week Giveaway Note: Note: this review is also available on my personal reviews site with more pictures and better formatting. If you'd like to take a look, click here. The giveaway is also only available through that site. Click here for more details. Red inks are a peculiar bunch. They come in all sorts of shades—from dark maroon all the way to candy red. Noodler’s Inks is no stranger to this as they have 16 different shades of red available themselves. One of these inks I have to review today: Noodler’s Qin Shi Huang Red (pronounced Chin-Shi Huang). The ink is quite fantastic as it is a bright, popping red ink that is not too painful to look at, and has a professional, teacher’s-red hue. The ink is named after the first Emperor of China: Qin Shi Huang, later named Qin Shi Huangdi, after he unified China and proclaimed himself the first emperor in 221BC. (He is also famous for having the Terracotta Warrior Mausoleum, which he had created for himself). The bottle and box are standard Noodler’s three ounce set; and, while polarizing to some people, I like the bottle quite a bit. The bottle is slightly tinted, allowing for good storage, and is very functional in its shape, allowing for the most ink in as small a package as possible. It is also very easy to organize in a collection thanks to its cubical form. The label of the ink is something quite interesting. Unlike most inks, the name of the ink is neither in English, nor is it front and center of the label. Instead, the name ‘Qin Shi Huang’ is in Mandarin Chinese, written as ‘秦始皇.’ The label, instead, is dominated by a painting of Emperor Qin’s boat, sailing to find immortality. I also believe that the label is an original painting, done by Noodler’s Founder Nathan Tardiff. The paining is, honestly, quite striking, and a beauty to look at. The bottle is exceptional, and I always appreciate the effort Noodler’s puts in towards having both wonderful form and fantastic function. The Qin Shi Huang ink has a very pleasing color. It is, to quote Noodler’s founder Nathan Tardiff, “A very red red ink,” and while somewhat confusing in terms of vocabulary, this sentiment runs true. The ink could never be mistaken for a pink, or a brown, or an orange, or anything but red itself. It’s a very red ink. However, despite the ink’s hue, it is not eye-gougingly bright or annoying to look at; it is actually quite pleasant. However, this ink is not serene, as it calls attention to itself on a page the way a teacher’s red pen may. The ink is also quite saturated—however, it does not have much sheening or shading to speak of (it is quite constant in color). The ink is also quite water-resistant. Even though it is not an ‘immortal’ ink, it is quite water resistant whilst maintaining relative ease of cleaning. It is a slow drier, however, taking about 50 seconds to dry thoroughly. However, it does not feather or bleed, unless it is only less expensive paper, where it will absorb immediately while feathering and bleeding like crazy. This is also one of the Noodler’s inks which also happens to be a weak acid (with a pH around 4.5 or 5). This means that it does not mix well with other inks, so it should only be used alone, as a reaction might occur when used in concert with other inks that may end up ruining your pen. So, please, use it alone (for the sake of your pens). The ink also has one quite cool property: it fluoresces under UV lights (also known as black lights). While not glow-in-the-dark per se, it does have a lighter, extra dimension, so to speak, when underneath a UV light. Noodler’s Qin Shi Huang Red is a very nice, well-behaved red ink with a few tricks up its sleeve. And, even though it is a red ink, it is not eye-popping or annoying to look at for long periods of time. It could even be used, albeit rather more dramatically than blue or black ink, for professional use. Regardless, I’d recommend you give it a try. It is available on Goulet for $12.50 and on Amazon for $13.50 with Prime Shipping (most of the time)—(this link is not an affiliate link). Hope you enjoyed this review, if you did, please consider subscribing—it helps a great deal. Plus, as a special for the 2016 American Elections, once you subscribe, you will be eligible to win a new bottle of one of the inks reviewed today. All subscribing requires is your email, and I promise not to spam your inbox.

Manufacturers since 1864, Diamine Inks relocated to this purpose built 'state of the art' factory in Liverpool in 1925, where they successfully carried on using the traditional methods and formulas for ink production. Over the years the company has changed hands and are now located close to the world famous Aintree Race Course http://www.diamineinks.co.uk/images/DimaineFactory.gif Monaco Red is interesting earthy red ink. After reading some other reviews one could expect more vibrant red but in my experience this ink is a little subdued. I like it. It has a lot of shading and allow you to get result with more or less depth depending on the pen and nib you use. Software ID Color range Tomoe River - Caran d'Ache Leman, medium nib Leuchtturm 1917 - Kaweco AL Sport, broad nib

I'm currently reviewing some of my favourite Diamine inks. This one is the red ink from the latest Diamine 150th Anniversary collection: Carnival. Bearing in mind the paper I use is very smooth, this ink dries reasonably quickly.It flows quite wet and lubricates the nib very well. No start-up problems noticed. No skipping noticed.It didn't dry out when I left the cap off the pen while I did the swabs and the comparison inks.It is currently available in wedge shaped 40ml glass bottles that don't have ink wells.Water test on the review form shows this isn't a waterproof ink. It washes off skin very easily.It's reasonably similar to Diamine Matador.Diamine sell it directly to end-users on their web-site.

Here is my first attempt at the art of CRVs with the starter set from amberleadavis. if that doesn't work: http://s960.photobucket.com/user/milo1119/media/2017-04-28%2020-49-page-005_zps3wi9qfe1.jpg.html Hope that all works out correctly.

Recently Monteverde modified and expanded their line up of inks with new, modern packaging and two sizes: 90ml and 30 ml. There seems to be 31 colors in the new line if I counted correctly. Thanks to ErrantSmudge and Amberlea Davis I received a sample of the Canyon Rust ink. I'd never tried the Monteverde inks before so this my first chance to do so, and my impressions are fairly favorable. This is a muted red ink. While in some lighting conditions it appears closer to brown, that's not the case most of the time. The ink blot shows the dye mix being red with a little bit of green/blue-green. So Canyon Rust is an appropriate name for this ink. The handling was perfectly fine in the Edison Premiere used with the ink. I didn't encounter any problems in how I usually write. This isn't a color for me so much, but it's perfectly fine; kind of in the "dried blood" category which seems popular. I haven't noticed any staining on the converter after a couple days in the pen. The shading is decent, but no sheen observed. The ink is probably middle-of-the-road saturated, it's definitely not watery in it's feel, and the color strength is good. The prices listed online for these inks are very reasonable, comparable with Diamine. It seems some of the online retailers are carrying the 90 ml bottles, and others the 30 ml bottles, some both. Perhaps this simply reflects the newness of the update to the line. Obviously, I can't extrapolate to the whole line from just one ink, but this one has been very nice. If the rest of the line is anything like this one, ink lovers will rejoice. So perhaps you might want to add some samples the next time you make an ink order from your favorite vendor, and give these inks a try. I know I have a few I'd like to try out. ps I have no affiliation with Monteverde, their distributors, or any retailer. The sample was sent to me for free by friends, and I'm just telling you I liked what I got. Pen: Edison Premiere (M-steel) Papers: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, Rhodia=Rhodia 90g ivory. Camera: iPhone 7

Robert Oster Signature Australian Shiraz In wine terminology Australian Shiraz is French Syrah. If you go down the wine-making rabbit hole like I did, you can get a lot of information about the differences between them (or not, depending on who is writing the article), but my understanding is that they are the same grape. The color of the ink is a bit difficult to describe. Anderson Pens describes it as a rich shade of burgundy, but I don't see much brown in it. There's some red, some purple, some pink, a little brown. It's an interesting color, but I wish that it had a little more shading to show off the complexity of the color. I mistakenly titled the review below as Shiraz instead of Australian Shiraz - the full name of the ink is Robert Oster Signature Australian Shiraz. So if you're like me and go straight to the S's when trying to find it on various seller's website's, it won't be there.

Monteverde's revamped line of inks recently got my attention for their comprehensive lineup of clear, distinct hues, as well as good value. A 90ml bottle can be had for about $13-$15 USD from the better known online retailers in the United States, making it a very good deal. Monteverde touts their "ITF Technology". From Monteverde's promotional material, here's how it claims to benefit us writers: Monteverde Canyon Rust I was PIF-ed this ink by Amberlea at the LA Pen Show. I think she might have noticed my budding interest in brown inks and gave this one to me to try. She gave it to me on the condition that if I did not like it, I would PIF it on to someone else. Color/Saturation Canyon Rust is a red-brown ink, to me more brown than red. The color varies highly with the pen and ink flow. From my Pilot 78G with a double-broad Italic nib, it comes out looking very much like a rust red color. My Aurora Talentum with a M regular nib gives the ink a darker, browner hue. Clairefontaine paper Shading/Sheening Canyon Rust shades well on several papers, including Clairefontaine, Fabriano and even on copy paper. I have not noticed sheening on any of the papers I have tried. Tomoe River paper Flow Though Monteverde bills their Ink Treatment Formula as a flow enhancer, their inks haven't been consistent and Canyon Rust runs somewhat to the dry side of the six Monteverde inks I have tried. Amberlea PIF-ed this ink to me for a simple reason: when she filled a pen with Canyon Rust, right out of the bottle, the pen went dry and refused to write. She rejected the ink on those grounds alone. I filled a brand-new Pilot 78G with Canyon Rust and put pen to paper. The pen refused to write for me as well. I twisted the converter to saturate the feed, and tried again. This time I got half a page in before the pen went dry. Since the 78G was a brand-new pen, I had no way of knowing if the problem was the ink or the pen, so I flushed and loaded it with Waterman Blue-Black, a known "reliable" ink. The pen had no problems. Loading the 78G a second time with Canyon Rust, I had no flow or starting issues. Over the past month, I've revisited the 78G, leaving it nib-up for days and sometimes over a week between uses. I haven't seen a repeat of the flow or starting issues. I suspect the pen simply needed a good flush because it was brand new. (And it also teaches me to use known pens for testing unknown inks, and vice-versa). I also loaded Canyon Rust into my Aurora Talentum, one of the best writers in my collection. The Aurora is about middle on the scale between dry and wet writer, and Canyon Rust works well in this pen, again with no starting or flow issues in a month of use. Lubrication Judging lubrication is a little difficult with my two test pens - the Italic nib on the 78G writes very crisply, and Aurora nibs have a characterstic "toothiness" to them that somewhat works at odds with the lubricating qualities of inks. That said, I would say that though Canyon Rust is less lubricated than the other Monteverde inks I've tried, it ranks about average compared to inks I've used in general. I have noticed the "stiction", where there's a little bit of added resistance at the beginning and end of each pen stroke. This has been characteristic of nearly all the Monteverde inks I have tried and I suspect comes from their "Ink Treatment Formula". Dry Time Dry Time for Canyon Rust is pretty quick on Clairefontaine paper, about 15 seconds . On 20 lb. copy paper, it's a bit slower than I expected, about 10 seconds. 20lb. Copy Paper Feathering Feathering is close to nonexistent on 20 lb. copy paper. On a cheap office pad, there is a mild to moderate amount of feathering. 20lb. Copy Paper Office Pad Bleedthrough There is no bleedthrough on 20 lb. copy paper. On a cheap office pad, bleedthrough is moderate, but enough so to make the back side of the page unusable. 20lb. Copy Paper Office Pad Water Resistance Canyon Rust does not have much water resistance. It practically all washed away in the 10-second immersion test. Noodler's Heart of Darkness, a waterproof ink, is used as a control. Clairefontaine paper

Aurora is one of few still operating Italian fountain pens makers. Omas is gone, Stipula has some ongoing problems, it seems only Visconti manages well. On the other hand I haven’t seen their financial reports. As for Aurora I keep on asking myself how on earth they manage to function? They employ a lot of people and have big factory and it seems their fountain pens aren’t really popular. Aurora produces fountain pens that are very diverse stylistically – just look at Aurora Talentum, Idea, Ipsilon and 88 – they look like pens produced by different companies. Their economy models (Idea, Ipsilon, Style) enable clients to enter the brand’s world before moving upscale by purchasing expensive and prestigious models. The thing is I’ve never liked design of Aurora’s cheaper pens. On the other hand I always enjoyed the looks of their expensive pens but, well, they are REALLY expensive so I wasn’t in a hurry to buy them and even if money was there timing never seemed right. I wanted to try them first but even though I regularly participate (few times a year) in fountain pen afficionados meetings in Poland there was never a lot of Auroras to try. It seems their not popular in my country. Which is surprising as I find Aurora 88 or Optima designs much more interesting than these of german tanks (Montblanc, Pelikans). One of pens I received from VodnikVolsovecek in huge package of pens to try was interesting Aurora model – The Aurora 85th Anniversary Limited Edition that celebrates 85 years of company’s history. Impressions The fountain pen comes in a red-marbled aureloide resin with solid silver trim. The ring of the cap has the serial number engraved and features floral motifs, a symbol of early Aurora designs. The clip is inscribed with 85°. A finely-engraved nib made from rhodium-treate solid gold looks stunning (at least to my eyes). The model is based on Optima line but there are some differences – it bears silver trim and has silver section. Optima pens are too light for me. This one is definitely heavier and while I usually prefer longer pens, this one fits comfortably in my hand. It has nice weight to it. There’s quite a lot of silver furniture on this pen and, to be honest, there’s just too much of adornments and embelishments to my taste. I would prefer silver elements to be plain. The engraving is too ornate for me. What I enjoy most is silver section – it’s quite long, metal and very comfortable. It’s not slippery and should warm nicely during the use. Oh, and there’ll be cool patina on it with time. Acrylic ink window between red barrel and silver section looks appealing, especially when you feel the pen with red ink. Nib The ink used in writing sample is Nagasawa-kobe Ijinkan Red. This pen was available with nice variety of nibs: EF, F, M, B, stub, oblique and italic. This nib is simply stunning. It’s big and nicely shaped. Also it writes like a dream. While I usually prefer smooth nibs (think Omas or Sheaffer dreamtouch) I must admit I love the way this nib performs. It has some tooth and gives feedback but it’s siomply great. It’s worth noting that when it comes to nibs, Aurora doesn’t but them from Bock or other companies. Aurora is one of the few pen manufacturers that manufactures its own nibs rather than outsourcing the work. That’s why their nibs may have a slightly different shape than what we mostly see in other pens . This nib is quite rigid and springy. Medium line is juicy and the ink flow is very satisfying for me. To put it plainly – it’s very wet nib. Not a gusher, mind you, but it’s generous.It does allow to get some line variation but I wouldn’t advise to force it. It would be a shame to damage such a beautiful nib. This nib gives some feedback – it’s not scratchy, it’s just you feel paper underneath it. Filling system It’s a piston-filler. The end cap serves as the turning knob. The cap is adorned at the end with an ornately engraved sterling silver cap and trimmed with a wide engraved sterling silver band. A large ink view window at the top of the barrel is finely executed. The piston mechanism works smoothly and makes impression of very durable one. Dimensions The 85th Anniversary is a mid-size pen, it’s shorter than most of the extra large limited edition pens made today. It measures 131mm when capped, 124mm uncapped and 155mm posted (although I wouldn’t advise to post it). The maximum diameter of the barrel is 16mm. It weighs 41.5g and this weight feels perfect in my hand. Summary As this was a limited edition pen (only 1919 pens were made), it won’t be a big surprise when I tell you it’s an expensive pen. It was and still is expensive and the price is close to 1000 $. A lot. If I had this kind of money for a pen I would probably get Conid Monarch. I like this pen and if only engraving on silver furniture wasn’t so ornate I would start looking for one. I think that Aurora 85th anniversary fountain pen is great, well – engineered pen that performs flawlessly. On the other hand I prefer simpler designs – red Aureloide body and silver accent look well together but,in my opinion, there’s just too much adornments on silver elements. I would prefer them to be plain. It remains distinctive, but slightly too gaudy to my taste.

Red Pinstripe Sport Handmade Carbon Fiber and Red Glass Fiber composite over 2-toned Titanium. Fountain pen with colored Titanium nib. This is a Limited Edition with only 8 Fountain pens and 8 Rollerball Pens being created in each style. $2100 for the fountain pen and $2000 for the rollerball if you are interested email us at orders@airlineintl.com

I just bought a brand-new Ruby Red M320 and I couldn't be happier with a pen. Now, I must preface my totally subjective remarks by saying I have very small hands and I love miniature anything, especially mini fountain pens. But when I ordered it, I had no idea it was such a teeny-tiny, adorable slip of a pen! I opened the box and was totally floored by how cute it looked, lying there in its full-size Pelikan container. At the same time, the classic beauty of this pen took my breath away. The finish on this pen is GORGEOUS. (I'm trying to attach photos to this review.) When I hold the pen up to the light, the pinkish flakes in its depths sparkle and shimmer in layers. It gives the rich, beautiful, ruby-red resin real depth. While writing with this pen over the last few days, I have frequently sat with it open for as much as five minutes at a time. Every time, as soon as I put nib to paper, it started right up without hesitation. This diminutive pen performs every bit as well as my other Pelikans. I had my M320 reground to a stub by the seller, and I am very happy with the results. The nib has a sweet little spring to it that adds flair to my writing. When posted, it will be plenty long for most writers. For those with very large hands, it may be a little too slim. That will depend on individual preferences. As for the amount of ink it can hold, it's about what you would expect for such a tiny pen. However, it didn't run out so often that it became irritating. And besides, when are we really so far from a bottle of ink that we can't refill a pen on demand? If I plan to take it away from home, it is a very simple matter to carry some ink in a sample vial, if I really think I'll be running out. I've done some serious writing with it over the past few days, and it's taken several hours to run dry each time. I guess you can tell I'm a little biased and I absolutely love this pen. It was not an inexpensive pen; yet, I am so happy with it, I am considering buying the Pearl M320. That's not so unreasonable when you consider that my collection has lots of minis in it. The Ruby Red M320 is the most classically beautiful and adorable pen I own. I am finding every excuse to write with it. Actually, who needs an excuse, anyway?

After seeing Chrissy's excellent review of Diamine Classic Red, I thought I'd put one up for Ruby. While Ruby is a bright, intense 'red' red, it's a bit darker than Classic and not quite so eye-searing. It's fairly well-behaved in that it has decent flow, a tiny touch of feather, light show and light to moderate dots bleed on copy. No shading on the copy but some moderate shading on the BnR where the lighter area suggests a slight pink-ish lean. Didn't fare too well in the water drops but did better with the wet swab wipe. On copy, the ink looks about as good as Skrip red, although the Skrip color wins hands down; on better paper, Ruby retains a bit more presence and doesn't look quite as 'flat' when it dries as the Skrip does. (And, as you can see, the Skrip shows some shading even on the copy.) I originally had the Ruby in a Parker Frontier F and had a bad problem with it drying out pretty quickly after a day on two if unused. Usually holding the nib against a paper towel would get it started but sometimes I'd need to swipe it under the faucet. I moved it to a Deli S668f F and that pretty much took care of the problem; now I can leave it for much longer and it usually starts right up. On its own, Ruby is a lovely ink, a very 'red' red and if what you're looking for is a bright, intense red, Ruby is a good choice. I certainly enjoy taking it work on occasion. Seen next to the Skrip, however, I think it suffers because the Skrip is, well ... 'wow'. But I generally prefer darker colors so take that with a grain of salt. If you're looking for bright and vibrant, go with Ruby. The color in the scan and photo are both pretty accurate, I think. Here a snip on the BnR showing the shading.

This is a handmade Hybrid Carbon Fiber and Glass Fiber composite that is machined from solid block with Diamond tools over Titanium and Stainless Steel. The cap is complimented with luminescent engraving. Limited to 3 pieces worldwide. https://www.airlineintl.com/product/grayson-tighe-composite-redline-sport-fountain-pen

It's time for another Ink Giveaway PIF! I am giving away most of a bottle of Montblanc Bordeaux (Burgundy Red) ink. Montblanc has renamed and reformulated their inks since I bought this bottle, so I don't know if it is the same as the modern Burgundy color. I am keeping the original Montblanc bottle the ink came in. I have transferred it to an old bottle that once held Quink Black, which is how you will receive it. Here are the rules: 1) United States only. 2) Winners of my previous PIFs (Levenger, OMAS, Rotring, J. Herbin inks) are not eligible for this PIF. 3) Everyone who posts on this thread saying they want the ink through Tuesday, January 17, 2017 is eligible. 4) On Wednesday, January 18, 2017 I'll post here to close the PIF and everyone ahead of me in the thread will be entered. I'll select a winner using the random number generator at random.org. I'll list the winner here, and contact them via PM to set up shipment. 5) I will ship to the winner for free, in exchange for a letter or postcard from you containing handwritten samples of your five favorite ink colors. Or, you can pay for shipping, whichever you prefer. (I will ship via USPS). 6) A winner who doesn't respond to my PM within three days after close of the PIF will forfeit their winning. I'll draw again to find another winner. Here is a writing sample of the ink. Here's the ink in the bottle you will receive:

It's time for another Ink Giveaway PIF! I am giving away most of a bottle of Rotring Persian Red ink. Rotring no longer makes bottled fountain pen ink, so this ink has been out of production for some time. The ink was originally packaged in a bottle with a fill spout, that could fill a converter directly from the bottle (I will attempt to attach a photo). The cap has cracked, so I was forced to transfer the ink to some small jars, which is the way you will receive it. Each jar holds 15ml, and there are about one and a half jars of ink. Here are the rules: 1) United States only. 2) Winners of my previous PIFs (Levenger and OMAS inks) are not eligible for this PIF. 3) Everyone who posts on this thread saying they want the ink through Tuesday, January 3, 2017 is eligible. 4) On January 4, 2017 I'll post here to close the PIF and everyone ahead of me in the thread will be entered. I'll select a winner using the random number generator at random.org. I'll list the winner here, and contact them via PM to set up shipment. 5) You can enter as many of my PIFs as you want, but you can win only one. In the event the same FPN member wins two PIFs, I'll ask you to choose which you want. I'll draw another name to win the other prize. 6) I will ship to the winner for free, in exchange for a letter or postcard from you containing handwritten samples of your five favorite ink colors. Or, you can pay for shipping, whichever you prefer. (I will ship via USPS). 7) Winners who don't respond to my PM within three days after close of the PIF will forfeit their winning. I'll draw again to find another winner. Bottle: http://i.imgur.com/pdEvvxx.jpg Writing Sample: http://i.imgur.com/GuZhWsh.jpg

I've only found one other review anywhere on this forum for this color red. I thought they did an excellent job, but I just wanted to add my own contribution to it. Mostly, I was also just really excited to get a full bottle of this ink and put it in a pen. It is very watery, and very easy to clean. I do not have a single other ink yet that is this easy and quick to clean. Basically, if I need a red ink, and I want to put it in a vintage pen that does not disassemble easily, this is the ink I will be reaching for. I keep mentioning that because it is one of my hesitations with putting ink in a pen -- I don't want it to put the pen out of commission. Also the ease of cleaning seems to be relative to the ease of how it will behave on the page. This one behaves really well. Plus .... vintage ink! The paper is Rhodia cream 80g. I think it brings out the purple shading a little more than the white does, in my opinion. The scan seems to have captured the color I see on the page, looking at it through my monitor. The bottle design looks almost the same as a modern Waterman bottle, which is interesting. The yellow/red box definitely marks it as vintage. And I was really amused at the little "union made" stamp at the bottom of the box. Had to bring the loupe to it to actually read it, but it seems to have come out fine in this pic.

The Anderson Pen shop at one time had a line of their own inks. As of this writing they have one or more bottles of the red and the black of these inks. This is a abbreviated review of the Appleton red. I really didn't care for the ink that much so didn't explore it extensively. I don't use red inks much at all. It was quite difficult to get the color right in the image. On the page, the ink has a little more orange than shown here, and it's not as saturated as shown. If I tried to make it less saturated, everything went too dark. If I tried to lighten it, everything went too pale. Not water resistant, but that wasn't expected.