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Tintenlabor Dark Blue 3 (New Formula) (Eisengallustinte 3, dunkelblau / schwarz) Ink Review # 189 --- 🧾 Description Tintenlabor is a Swiss ink company specializing in Iron Gall inks. What differentiates this ink from other brands is that you would know the iron content. The samples were sent to me by the Ink-Meister, David. This is the new formula of Dark Blue 3, a Blue Black iron gall with 5 g/l iron and high dye content. I haven't tested the old formula, so I cannot compare them. But this is a wet ink. On most papers I tested, the ink oxidized immediately from sky blue/petrol blue (depending on the nib width) to blue-black/ grey. Midori was the only exception, which took 12 hours. Ink is almost waterproof from the moment it dries. With a very wet, primed flex nib, I saw feathering on Midori and Hammermill. While there was some ghosting and bleed through on the latter, there was none on my cheap shopping list paper. As with iron gall inks, it's best to clean them directly with a diluted ascorbic acid solution (to make your life easier). Never use ammonia-based cleaning solutions to clean iron gall inks. For more information, check this thread, especially our resident scientist @InesF explanations on page 2. --- 🧪 Chroma --- ✍️ Writing Samples (scan) Rhodia / Iroful Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm While it's written Blue 2 on the Tomoe River paper, it's actually Blue 3. Hammermill 20lb --- 📸 Photo Rhodia, Hammermill, Iroful Midori, Tomoe River 68 gsm Oxidation 🔍 Comparison Tintenlabor Dark Blue 2 vs Dark Blue 3 - Artificial vs natural light Swatches: --- 💧 Water Test --- 🎨 Artwork Dragonfly Tintenlabor Azur Noir/ Dark Blue 3 ( it's the background blue black) Paper is Talents Mixed Media. Part of Inktober yearlong challenge 2025. Dragonflies were very important in Samurai culture. Fado Tintenlabor Azur Noir (fado singer), the Portuguese guitar, and the landscape were done with Tintenlabor Dark Blue 3 – Paper is Strathmore. I'm a fan of fado music — a traditional Portuguese genre often played with the Portuguese guitar. It evokes saudade, an untranslatable feeling that blends nostalgia, longing, loss, and yearning. I Don’t want to be Human Tintenlabor Dark Blue 3/Noodler’s Red Rattler Eel A salute to all the cats who’ve had enough of human nonsense — and let their tongues, and their mouse companions, say it all. --- - Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Kanwrite with FPR ultraflex - What I Liked: Nice wet, decent lubrication. - What I Did Not Like: Nitpicking: With some nibs, the base color was petrol blue, not my favorite colour. - What Some Might Not Like: Cleaning and IG inks. - Writing Experience: Delightful. - Pros: Waterproof. Lovely colours. Small bottle. - Cons: You can buy it only from the website. It's not as good as Essri for copy paper. 🧷 Ink Characteristics - Shading: Good. - Ghosting: Yes on Hammermill, not on shopping list. - Bleed Through: Flex nib can't handle copy paper. - Flow Rate: Wet, to very wet. - Lubrication: Very good. - Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. - Start-up: Great with most pens. Kakuno was a bit fussy. - Saturation: Lovely - Sheen: Did not notice. - Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Only with a wet flex primed nib. - Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice. - Staining (Pen): You'll need a Q-Tip. - Clogging: No. - Cleaning: Like all IG inks, water, a pinch of ascorbic acid, Q-tip and patience is necessary. - Water Resistance: Excellent after oxidation. --- 🛒 Availability - [ ] Available in 30/50 ml bottle directly: https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products/eisengallustinte-3-dunkelblau-schwarz --- 💬 Closing This is lovely ink by Tintenlabor. The final question remains: What is the difference between Dark Blue 2 and Dark Blue 3? Both oxidize to a charcoal grey colour. Blue 2 has low dye content, and Blue 3 has high dye content, but both look similar in the end. No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review. ;) Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.