Search the Community

Tintenlabor – Aprilis Argente - Dark Green (dunkel grün / schwarz) Iron Gall ink Ink review # 183. Overview: Aprilis Argente is the last of Tintenlabor's three dark Green iron gall inks. It has the highest iron content (6 gr/l) and is a specialty ink designed for cheap paper and wet pens. Due to its high iron content, it has a sluggish flow compared to Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l). Background: Tintenlabor is a new Swiss-based ink company focused on Iron gall inks. What differentiates these inks is that you know the dye content beforehand. Disclaimer: I was sent the inks free of charge, and I only participated in the shipping You can find more about this ink here: https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products/aprilis-argente-dunkelgrun-schwarz The website is in German, so you must use the web browser translation function, unless you speak German You can check my overview and comparison of the three Dark Green inks by Tintenlabor below: Here you can find the review of Tintenlabor Dark Green 1, the ink with the lowest iron content: In case you're wondering why I skipped Dark Green 2, David, the Inkmeister, informed me that he has fixed its flow issues, so I'm waiting for the new bottles to arrive. Review Aprilis Argente is the last of the three dark Green inks. It's a specialty high-iron (6 gr/l) high-dye ink designed for cheap paper and wet pens. It's not for everyone, so if you're risk-averse, avoid it. This ink is for people who like challenges, wet pens, and iron-gall inks. This ink took me on a journey. It gave me the worst grief, doubting my sanity and everything I thought I knew about pens. Ultimately, it gave me the most pleasure after I tamed it. In that process, I used half a bottle of the ink! This ink is the pickiest about its pen and doesn't follow the dogma of ebonite feed/ vintage pen. I had difficulty using it in a vintage wet noodle, whereas I could easily use it in a Jinaho 163. Go figure. It worked well in Safarim, but I had to rub the converter with a Q-tip and vinegar. Its oxidation is slower than Dark Green 2, slowest on Tomoe River 68 gsm, Midori, Hammermill, Rhodia, and fastest on Iroful. In time, it turns into lovely grey/charcoal black. Cleaning can be a pain in some pens, and you'll need diluted vinegar or lemon juice. Do not use ammonia-based cleaning solutions with iron gall inks. Chroma: Writing Samples: Unfortunately, the scanner deforms Midori's cream color. I checked this ink on a variety of cheap papers. The ink behaved flawlessly on most papers. However, with the vintage flex, there can be some bleed-through. The black spots you see are not bleed-through, but ink that I added inadvertently to the reverse of the scan. This cheap shopping list shows you various Tintenlabor inks/bulletproof & pigment ink with different nibs. Photo: This is oxidation on Iroful in real time. The last word is still wet; you can see the green dye. Here's a photo of Midori. The oxidation process is slower. The first line was written a week before the actual review. A comparison between Dark Green 2 and Aprilis Argente. Comparison: You can see the oxidation process on the swatch cards in one month. Note that I have named the inks by iron content and not the actual name: So the inks are: Dark Green 1 (3 gr/l) - Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l) and Aprilis Argente (6 gr/l) Water test: Left side (10 seconds under running water, after 24 hours) Art Work: Xolotl and the Sun This was inspired by the legend of the Aztec God of lightning and thunder, Xolotl. It is said that each night, the God accompanied the sun through the underworld. Yellow ink is a highlighter. You can still see some dye that hasn't oxidized. Bonjour Tristesse Talens square Mixed Media paper. The wash was done right away. Finally, inspired by @LizEF Quin & Makhabesh's Grey Spot Adventure, with a yet-to-be-written character, Professor Eeneess (many thanks to @InesF), in her lab with her quills, infinity drawer, alembic, etc. This is on a Talens Mixed Media. Re-inventing Colour..... I've done many drawings with this ink; you can find them here: https://www.deviantart.com/yazeh1/gallery?q=aprilis · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Kanwrite with FPR nib, and many other pens. · What I liked: A challenge, the colour. · What I did not like: The challenge, flow issues. · What some might not like: It’s a high-maintenance ink. · Writing experience: Ok. But you will need to prime the feed. · Pros: For very wet vintage pens and copy paper. · Cons: Flow issues, · Shading: Yes · Ghosting: Very good in general. · Bleed through: Very good in general. · Flow Rate: Sluggish, you might need to prime the feed. · Lubrication: Low, but not unpleasant. · Nib Dry-out: It will happen. · Start-up: You might need to prime most pens or have a water brush nearby. · Saturation: Delicious. · Shading Potential: Good. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): It could · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: It could be a pain in the feed! You’ll need either pure lemon juice or white vinegar solutions. · Water resistance: Very good. · Availability: 30- 50ml bottles, Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments. The more the merrier