Franklin Christoph Terra Firma

[crahptacular]

Franklin Christoph Terra Firma

 

This is a matte reddish or pinkish brown with medium saturation that leaves me with the impression of dried red soil or clay soil (I don’t know much about soil, so there might be better terms…). I chose a set of comparison inks that have different undertones (Lie de The for yellow-green, Ancient Copper for orange, Doyou for grey-black). Terra Firma ends up being more red-pink than GvFC Hazelnut Brown, which I would consider to be slightly on the red side of brown. That being said, I don’t have any browns that are very similar to this color. I have seen comparisons that show that this shade is close to that of MontBlanc’s Leonardo Red Chalk, but I don’t have Red Chalk myself. In any case, the color is highly reminiscent of earth baked dry under the sun, so I think this ink is very aptly named.

 

The ink behaves quite well for all paper types, including awful copy paper, with less feathering and bleeding than the average ink. On the flip side, the ink is less lubricated and runs drier than average (for my collection at least; I’m used to well-lubricated inks from Sailor…). In more extreme circumstances, e.g. non-absorptive paper paired with a fine, dry pen/nib, you may produce a dissatisfying pale pink line instead of a brown. In cheaper or absorbent papers (or broader, wetter nibs), this is not a problem. I would recommend this ink to those looking for an ink to use primarily on less-than-ideal papers. Those who prefer more dramatic colors will probably be disappointed, but I personally enjoy this shade.

 

Lubrication: Moderate-Low

Shading: Moderate (noticeably present; not very high-contrast)

Sheen: None

Water Resistance: None

Other notes: This ink also dries fairly quickly, becoming completely smear-free on Tomoe River in under 10 seconds (with my pen/nib). I usually don’t take notice of dry time unless it’s significantly faster or slower than average, but if this is a property you value, I think you’ll be happy with this ink.

 

The following sample was done with a Franklin Christoph 02 (Steel Fine Cursive Italic) on Tomoe River (52gsm, white, loose-leaf) and a water brush for the doodle.

 

Bad Scanner Disclaimer: Color-correction this time is pretty accurate on my monitor. Both the doodle and the smear came out relatively true to life, apart from being too flat/washed out. The scan is unflattering, I think. The bottom half of the photo shows that there’s more contrast than the scan suggests.

 

Scan:

 

Photo:

 

Comparison inks from left to right (big smear is the featured ink):

J Herbin Lie de The, Diamine Ancient Copper, Graf von Faber Castell Hazelnut Brown, Sailor Doyou, Franklin Christoph Urushi Red

[Uncial]

Looks quite interesting.

[Barkingpig]

Thank you for another beautifully rendered & enticing review!

[DrDebG]

Great review! This isn't a color that I would probably use.

[PS104]

This has just been placed on my short list

Thank you for the review

[FPRebel]

Thank you for an exquisite review of an exquisite ink!
It's oddly (uniquely) beautiful.
With thanks to you, this made my short list, too.

[crahptacular]

Thank you for enjoying the reviews! I am pretty happy with F-C inks, although I only have a few of their colors. In fact, I have fewer of their inks than pens... I'll have to remedy that situation...In any case, I've found them to be reasonably priced, reliable, and interesting. I think the only reason I don't have more of their inks is because the distributors I frequent don't carry them, which prevents me from irresponsibly tacking one onto an existing order.

[namrehsnoom]

Thank you for this wonderful review - I really enjoyed it. As an ink colour, not really my cup of tea. But I was tempted for a moment :-)

[crahptacular]

I just read on the F-C website that they are retiring the Loden and Terra Firma inks. For those interested, their remaining stock is being sold in the Stock Room section of their website (and retailers that carry FC inks will probably have their own stock remaining), after which these will become "unobtainium."

 

If you're looking for Terra Firma and the stock has already run out, Birmingham Walnut St. Brown is probably the closest match I've personally found, both in color and performance.

[titevm]

I love your reviews, the comparisons! Thanks!