Saharagrau - De Atramentis

[visvamitra]

De Atramentis is german manufacturer of calligraphy and writing ink. The inks are hand made (the entire production process is done manually in their manufacturing center) by i's founder - Dr. Franz-Josef Jensen. I believe he uses high quality dyes from well established European companies like BASF and Bayer.

De Atramentis offers a variety of "traditional" fountain pen inks and a broad selection of special and scented inks. I believe they should get more attention as the quality od these fluids is very good and some colors are simply stunning.

Saharagrau, though, is not really practical - it's too light and mute for everyday use.

Ink splash

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4716/o7rODj.jpg

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7721/k1T82H.jpg

Software ID

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/1742/RAIBMS.jpg

 

Oxford recycled, 90 g- Kaweco Sport Classic, B

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/1126/wTpfgn.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4811/oENRFQ.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/7607/ITXt05.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img912/1372/LUPXTP.jpg

Kalendarz - Kaweco Sport Classic, B

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3688/WXfI5G.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img912/8156/fDaMCK.jpg

[Cyber6]

YEP... Way too light to be practical... I am sure is great for mixing thou..

 

 

Thanks for the review Vis...... you are the best !!!

 

 

 

C.

[errantmarginalia]

Great review, as always! But definitely not my kind of color...

[F104]

So, I am assuming the name means "Sahara Grey." Maybe my monitor is out of whack, or my eyeballs: it looks green-gold-yellow to me.

 

Not that it's an unappealing color, or, in my opinion, too pale for practical use. Then, I like scribbling with J. Herbin Gris nuage, and that's a fairly pale grey.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Reminds me of Iroshizuku Ina-Ho.

[Ghost Plane]

I think the color has shifted in the last few years. It used to be dark enough for use in a broad nib and more greeny-gray.

[amberleadavis]

Thanks for the review.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Is this ink still available?

[visvamitra]

I believe yes.

[lapis]

I bought mine about 3 weeks ago. Also, my lot has exactly the same colour as that seen up above. (But I still like it.) Very nice flow, too. And... drying time 5-6 s uing an M205, nib = BB.

 

'kay?

[WaskiSquirrel]

I like this ink. I use it for letter writing and sometimes for correcting papers.

 

I have always wondered why it is called "Gray" when it looks green to me. I hoped that it was a bad translation from German, but I see it isn't.

[lapis]

Funny but true: the wording on my label inadvertently says "Saharagraun" (my underlining the "n"). The real equivalent of Sahara Grey is in fact Saharagrau but maybe whoever made the label was thinking of Saharagrün (Sahara Green). I wouldn't hold that against him.

[Pira]

Funny but true: the wording on my label inadvertently says "Saharagraun" (my underlining the "n"). The real equivalent of Sahara Grey is in fact Saharagrau but maybe whoever made the label was thinking of Saharagrün (Sahara Green). I wouldn't hold that against him.

 

 

De Atramentis ~ sahara grey by Pira Urosevic, on Flickr

 

The green part is something I can not unsee. In fact I would hazard to say this is very much like R&K's Alt-Goldgrun..but without the yummy, golden sheen. For what it's worth...here is my InkTest tree on the subject.

[amberleadavis]

You make the best looking trees.

[delano]

This ink looks better in the tree than in the writing sample.

[Pira]

You make the best looking trees.

 

Thank-you....making them is a good wa for me to relax.

 

 

This ink looks better in the tree than in the writing sample.

 

 

And that is sometimes very true. My trees are done for my own amusement in part because I really like to see how fountain pen ink acts when wet, through the drying process and the change over time. Certainly I use them to write with, but I find making writing samples boring. I mean...why do something that takes me a few minutes when I can spend 1 1/2 hours on it?

Edited June 10, 2015 by Pira

[Frank C]

Thanks for the review. Not really a color I can use, though.

[amberleadavis]

Thanks for the review. Not really a color I can use, though.

 

But you shouldn't let that interfere with acquiring new inks.