Recommendations for a warm medium-dark brown ink!

[collectorofmanythings]

Hello!

 

Unfortunately I can’t seem to find an ink that makes me completely happy. I would like a warm medium-dark brown ink, but that doesn’t have an olive-y look and has good shading. Noodler’s Walnut has a purplish undertone, Jacques Herbin Terre D’Ombre is too olive-y and on Apica paper it is so dark. Herbin Lie de Thé is a little too light, and Diamine Chocolate Brown is just a little bit too dark. I know this is very specific, but do any of you have recommendations? I am not sure if this is the place to put this post, if not please say so. Thank you so much for your help!

 

W. H. Major

[A Smug Dill]

13 minutes ago, collectorofmanythings said:

Unfortunately I can’t seem to find an ink that makes me completely happy.

 

Do you expect that there is such an ink in the market? Should, or would, there be such an ink in existence at all? Could an ink that makes you completely happy today not be so tomorrow?

 

13 minutes ago, collectorofmanythings said:

I would like a warm medium-dark brown ink, but that doesn’t have an olive-y look and has good shading ...‹snip›... do any of you have recommendations?

 

You can always try mixing your own special makes-me-completely-happy ink, for example with Platinum Mixable Ink.

 

See https://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/emixfree_top.html for a chart of example mixes.

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by A Smug Dill
Added link to page with chart of 1:1 mixes

[collectorofmanythings]

Just now, A Smug Dill said:

 

Do you expect that there is such an ink in the market? Should, or would, there be such an ink in existence at all? Could an ink that makes you completely happy today not be so tomorrow?

 

 

You can always try mixing your own special makes-me-completely-happy ink, for example with Platinum Mixable Ink.

 

 

Huh. Very interesting. Thank you for you recommendation! I will be sure to look at that!

[BayesianPrior]

That's a fairly wide spectrum between Diamine Chocolate Brown and Herbin Lie de Thé.

 

Could I suggest the following:

• Diamine Macassar (if you want a touch lighter than Chocolate Brown)
• Rohrer & Klinger Sepia (if you want something in the middle)
• Diamine Saddle Brown (if you want a touch darker than Lie de Thé)

[collectorofmanythings]

8 minutes ago, countrysquire said:

That's a fairly wide spectrum between Diamine Chocolate Brown and Herbin Lie de Thé.

 

Could I suggest the following:

• Diamine Macassar (if you want a touch lighter than Chocolate Brown)
• Rohrer & Klinger Sepia (if you want something in the middle)
• Diamine Saddle Brown (if you want a touch darker than Lie de Thé)

Thank you! I will definitely look into all of those!

[bunnspecial]

Montblanc Toffee Brown

 

It's a nice rich neutral brown color with wonderful light to dark shading. It's bar none my favorite brown I've used. I like it enough that I even have a couple of the ludicrously priced boxes of cartridges around to use in my 147.

 

Waterman Havana Brown/Absolute Brown is also a really nice brown-perhaps a bit darker than the MB Toffee Brown, but also shades nicely.

 

 

[chromantic]

I dunno, Macassar is pretty dark, too, and Iwould call it cool, rather than warm but that's just me. (It's one of the two browns I use, the other being Yama-guri.) I was going to mention the MB Toffee Brown myself but bunn ninja'd me. That just based on reviews, though, not actual experience.

[JakobS]

Macassar is one of my favorite browns, but I agree it’s on the cooler side, as is R&K Sepia, in fact it is so cool, it’s almost dreary! 
 

J Herbin Cafe des iles is warmer, perhaps a bit red leaning in some drier pens. 
 

I think most of my browns either lie in the honey toned variety or the very dark brown variety so am struggling a little to come up with more off personal experience!
 

 

[mizgeorge]

MB toffee brown

Herbin Cafe des Iles

Diamine Saddle Brown

Robert Oster Golden Brown or Aussie Brown (may be too dark)

L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Canelle or Havane (may be too light)

 

Or start with something like Diamine Espresso (which is gorgeous) and warm it up a little with a bit of burnt sienna or something similar?

 

I think there are a couple of Monteverde browns that might work, but I haven't tried them myself so I'll leave them for someone else to recommend.

 

 

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

Sample vials are your friend!  Start with some of the above recommendations.

[cgfolks]

My two favorites are Pelikan Brilliant Brown and Robert Oster Cafe Crema, both are excellent inks.

[lapis]

Yes, this is the best place to put this post.

Three suggestions:

• GvFC Hazelnut Brown
• Diamine Terracotta
• R&K Kastanienbraun (AKA "Maroon", a LE from 2019 but still available if you're in luck)

All of those may not be as warm as you'd like... but... none of them are olive-y.

FWIW my two favorite browns are CdA's Grand Canyon (long gone since 2013) and Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript. The latter is/was also a LE ink which apparently comes and goes. Both of them, too, may not be all that warm. They are both very earthy. Both have style.

[collectorofmanythings]

18 hours ago, bunnspecial said:

Montblanc Toffee Brown

 

It's a nice rich neutral brown color with wonderful light to dark shading. It's bar none my favorite brown I've used. I like it enough that I even have a couple of the ludicrously priced boxes of cartridges around to use in my 147.

 

Waterman Havana Brown/Absolute Brown is also a really nice brown-perhaps a bit darker than the MB Toffee Brown, but also shades nicely.

 

 

I have the absolute brown, but I find it has a purple-ish undertone. Shades beautifully though! I will have to check out the MB Toffee Brown though!

[collectorofmanythings]

9 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

MB toffee brown

Herbin Cafe des Iles

Diamine Saddle Brown

Robert Oster Golden Brown or Aussie Brown (may be too dark)

L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Canelle or Havane (may be too light)

 

Or start with something like Diamine Espresso (which is gorgeous) and warm it up a little with a bit of burnt sienna or something similar?

 

I think there are a couple of Monteverde browns that might work, but I haven't tried them myself so I'll leave them for someone else to recommend.

 

 

 

Thank you! Will have to check all of those out!

[collectorofmanythings]

1 hour ago, lapis said:

Yes, this is the best place to put this post.

Three suggestions:

• GvFC Hazelnut Brown
• Diamine Terracotta
• R&K Kastanienbraun (AKA "Maroon", a LE from 2019 but still available if you're in luck)

All of those may not be as warm as you'd like... but... none of them are olive-y.

FWIW my two favorite browns are CdA's Grand Canyon (long gone since 2013) and Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript. The latter is/was also a LE ink which apparently comes and goes. Both of them, too, may not be all that warm. They are both very earthy. Both have style.

Very interesting... thank you!

[Detman101]

11 hours ago, cgfolks said:

My two favorites are Pelikan Brilliant Brown and Robert Oster Cafe Crema, both are excellent inks.

My two favorite browns as well!!
Awesome!

BONUS: "Caffe Crema" retains it's shading when used with flex pens also!
Very versatile ink!

[TheDutchGuy]

 Kaweco Caramel Brown?

[MoriartyR]

I’m using Scribo Classico Seppia right now and it is certainly a lovely warm medium-dark brown. Not sure it exhibits as much shading as you are looking for, though - although I use extra-fine nibs so I can’t judge.

 

[Carrau]

Tono & Lims Sachertorte is a well behaved, medium-dark brown ink, fairly saturated though, so it may not offer the shading you desire.  It doesn’t lean red or gray. Shigure Inks carries it.  I’ve attached a link-the sample swatch on their website is darker than it is in person.

https://shigureinks.com/products/tono-lims-sachertorte-30ml-glass-bottle

[carlos.q]

Take a look at Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz...