Birmingham – Waterfront Dusk

[crahptacular]

Birmingham – Waterfront Dusk

 

The Birmingham Pen Co.’s line of inks (30 colors at the time of writing) feature various colors based on or inspired by notable locations or people associated with its home city of Pittsburgh, PA. I bought their sampler pack, and plan on slowly going through the whole line of inks, though I expect it will take me quite a while. For those interested, I posted some color swatches in a different topic (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/328952-birmingham-pen-co-ink-swatches/) where you can get a quick idea of what the whole line looks like together.

 

Waterfront Dusk is a moody, somber purple with a fair amount of grey in it. It has a medium-purple hue, with more blue than red. Compared to other dark purples I have, it is significantly more blue than Poussiere De Lune, slightly more red and darker than Soft Snow of Ohara, and less saturated (more grey) than Shigure (comparisons 1, 4, and 5, respectively). I personally enjoy this color a lot, being a fan of what might be considered moody or gloomy colors. It’s attractive, unique (in my collection), and well-named—the color evokes the sense of “dusk” very well. I think anyone who likes Soft Snow of Ohara would definitely enjoy this ink; they have a similar mood, but the colors are different enough for me that I don’t consider them redundant. Performance has been good as well. It has pleasant flow and lubrication, even in a needlepoint nib, and even offers some degree of water resistance. Its dyes (two main components, from what I can tell) separate when washed, making it a fun ink to paint with as well. I’ll be said when this sample runs out, and am considering buying a full bottle.

 

Flow/Lubrication: Moderate-High

Shading: Low

Sheen: There is the tiniest hint of something in the most extreme cases, but effectively none

Water Resistance: Moderate

 

The following sample was done with a Franklin Christoph 27 (Needlepoint) and a Namisu Nova (Medium) on Tomoe River (52gsm, white, loose-leaf). Doodle was done with a size 3/0 mop. Flex writing was done with a Trionfo 900 dip nib.

 

Bad Scanner Disclaimer: The photo is better than the scan here, pretty much across the board. The scan was adjusted so that the writing and the big smear are relatively accurate, but the doodle and the comparisons are off.

 

 

Scan:

 

Photo:

 

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

J Herbin Poussiere De Lune, L’Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Violet, Nemosine Alpha Centauri, Kyo-Iro Soft Snow of Ohara, Sailor Shigure

 

Writing Samples (scans; some color correction), from Ray Bradbury’s “The Long Rain”

 

Maruman Mnemosyne:

 

Tsubame Fool’s University:

Franklin-Christoph:

Edited November 8, 2017 by crahptacular

[Cyber6]

Really Nice....

 

 

C.

[ENewton]

I've been looking forward to this review, and it does not disappoint. Thank you!

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review. I have this but haven't tried it yet, other than dip-testing it in the store. On the Franklin-Christoph paper it looks -- dare I say it? -- maybe a little bit like Noodler's Kung Te Cheng (which is of course why I bought it in the first place... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[farazqamar]

Love your reviews!

[fountainpagan]

This ink is not for me, but your reviews, always.

 

Thank you.

[Tas]

This ink is not for me, but your reviews, always.

 

Thank you.

 

Yep. My sentiments exactly.

 

So pretty.

[white_lotus]

Quite interesting. Thanks for the review. Maybe...

[Intensity]

It's very interesting to see these beautiful reviews, not just for the viewing pleasure but also because they are very informative in highlighting the uses where the ink shines. In this case, I think it looks wonderful used as a watercolor, with all those shades coming through, but is rather unremarkable for regular writing, unless an "off-black" is the goal.

 

Thank you.

[jmccarty3]

Your reviews are so superb it almost doesn't matter what the ink is.