Some Ink Tests

[USG]

9 hours ago, Mechanical said:

But what about Bungubox Ruri Sea?

I was checking out Rubi Sea on Vanness and it looks very similar to Seiboku.   Take a look, what do you think?  I like Souboku, but I agree with you that it’s pretty monochromatic.  I used it more when I first got it.  

 

And of course, your 823 unscrewed…. Easily…. Maybe after writing with it for a while, the section loosens up and unscrews?

[USG]

11 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  That’s a good question. I will dig out my Ecoqua and see.

You mentioned that the Vellutata was a thick 100gsm paper, unusual that it would feather with wet inks.  Do you know off hand, what the weight of the Ecoqua paper was?  😀
 

I was just looking at your Beauty shots, that’s such a nice desk photo.  All those wonderful inks and pens and paper... What is the blue ink second from the right, I couldn’t read the name?  😀

[USG]

Practice writing samples on Kokuyo Thin 52gsm

 

 

 

One Close up

[Mechanical]

14 hours ago, USG said:

I was checking out Rubi Sea on Vanness and it looks very similar to Seiboku.   Take a look, what do you think?

 

I do see the resemblance.  On the other hand, Ruri Sea has pronounced red highlights which are absent in Seiboku, so far as I can tell.  

 

14 hours ago, USG said:

And of course, your 823 unscrewed…. Easily…. Maybe after writing with it for a while, the section loosens up and unscrews?

 

I was astounded, really.  When we first discussed this, I tried to get the section to unscrew using my rubber grip sheets.  No movement at all.  But now, just using my finger tips and a medium force, it loosened instantly.    Earlier attempts loosened it, I think.

[USG]

12 hours ago, Mechanical said:

I do see the resemblance.  On the other hand, Ruri Sea has pronounced red highlights which are absent in Seiboku, so far as I can tell.

 

Do you think you could post a couple of close ups so I could see the red?

Btw, nice to have you back.😀👍

 

12 hours ago, Mechanical said:

I was astounded, really.  When we first discussed this, I tried to get the section to unscrew using my rubber grip sheets.  No movement at all.  But now, just using my finger tips and a medium force, it loosened instantly.    Earlier attempts loosened it, I think.

 

I just tried it again... no luck.  It's glued tight.  Maybe it's a function of time  How long have you had your 823?

Maybe it's the ink.  Did you use any other inks besides Pilot blue?

[USG]

OK, very good news on the Kokuyo Thin 52gsm paper.  I tried a lot of pens and inks and there was NO feathering, skipping or bleeding.

 

Below is a scrap from the other day....  32 pens.  When I tried this with Fabriano paper there were multiple feathering failures.  There are not many white papers that are this bullet proof and pleasant to write on at the same time. 

 

How does it compare to Tomoe River-S?  Could it be a Tomoe River-S substitute?  I don't know, it surprised me.  

 

My main criterion is feathering, followed by white paper and color rendition.  And so far the new Kokuyo Thin gets an A+.  (MIdori MD is also an A+ paper but it's not white or in this weight class.)

 

What we need is a group comparison.  Let's see what the consensus is.

 

@Mechanical, @Penguincollector, @Lithium466, and anyone else who would like to join in.  If you need a sample, pls PM me.

 

I'd also like to ask Professor @LizEF to weigh in if she has the time or interest. 

 

Also ink reviewer @yazeh who was in on the Canopus test.

 

@inkstainedruth  Ruth, any interest in comparing Tomoe River-S paper to Kokuyo Thin paper with maybe one of your 61s or 75s?

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Well, I'm not familiar with the Kokuyo paper at all.  And not entirely sure if the Tomoe River paper I have (which I'm basically hoarding at this point since it was the "original" version) is Tomoe River-S....

As for the pens?  Most of the 61s have had issues with cracking (except for one of the black ones and the 61 Flighter.  And I only have two 75s (both being sterling Ciselé ones) and I'd be nervous about sending them off someplace -- even though I didn't pay much for the one with the F nib at ALL).  The one with the B nib?  I paid more 10 times as much (if you factor in the cost of the matching ballpoint for the one with the F nib).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

  Is this an all new Kokuyo 52, or has it been around for some time? I have some in an IDEA notebook and a Yamamoto sampler that’s at least a year old. I’ve saved the Century version of it on my JetPens wish list, but I haven’t ordered it yet.
 

@inkstainedruth, your pens stay home with you. We send each other paper samples to gather as much data as possible, since we all have different pens and inks. We post results on this thread.

 

  Tomoe River started to change around 2019 I think, so if it’s older than that, I would definitely hoard it. 

[Penguincollector]

On 5/4/2026 at 8:47 PM, USG said:

You mentioned that the Vellutata was a thick 100gsm paper, unusual that it would feather with wet inks.  Do you know off hand, what the weight of the Ecoqua paper was?  😀
 

I was just looking at your Beauty shots, that’s such a nice desk photo.  All those wonderful inks and pens and paper... What is the blue ink second from the right, I couldn’t read the name?  😀

 

  The Ecoqua is 85 gsm, I believe.
 

  I thought it was odd that just the one ink would feather so badly, but the 52 had been inked for months, so there may be some hidden chemistry going on between the sac and the Herbin ink that wouldn’t happen in a modern pen. The color is much darker and greener than when freshly inked.
 

  I don’t know what picture you are referring to, but if you link me to it, I can tell you.

[USG]

50 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  Is this an all new Kokuyo 52, or has it been around for some time? I have some in an IDEA notebook and a Yamamoto sampler that’s at least a year old. I’ve saved the Century version of it on my JetPens wish list, but I haven’t ordered it yet.
 

@inkstainedruth, your pens stay home with you. We send each other paper samples to gather as much data as possible, since we all have different pens and inks. We post results on this thread.

 

  Tomoe River started to change around 2019 I think, so if it’s older than that, I would definitely hoard it. 

 

This is 'new' Kokuyo Thin 52 from Jetpens.  I can't tell if it's the same as the Kokuyo 52 I got years ago but the form is different.  The new paper is loose sheets and the old was a pad.  Kokuyo has been a fierce competitor to TR52 for a long time.  I wouldn't be surprised if Kokuyo tweaked their formula because the Thin paper wasn't available for a while and now it is again.

 

The Tomoe River-S is also recent and from Jetpens.

 

I think the best thing to do would be for me to send y'all samples of both for the test.  That way we'd all be on the same page, haha, so to speak. 😀

 

@Mechanical PM me your new information, I have everyone else's.

 

You too @inkstainedruth.  If you have the time, It'll be fun. Use any pen/ink you want.  I only mentioned your 61 because I remember you posting about filling with water and writing with the residual ink and I have a soft spot for your Ciselé '75 because I had one too, but it was stolen.  Anyway, PM me with your information and I'll get the samples out to you.

[USG]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

 

  The Ecoqua is 85 gsm, I believe.
 

  I thought it was odd that just the one ink would feather so badly, but the 52 had been inked for months, so there may be some hidden chemistry going on between the sac and the Herbin ink that wouldn’t happen in a modern pen. The color is much darker and greener than when freshly inked.
 

  I don’t know what picture you are referring to, but if you link me to it, I can tell you.

 

Most of my inks have matured into darker versions after being in pens for a while.  I noticed this a long time ago, so to keep my office notes the same color, I started refilling cartridges and for my M800s and Auroras by removing the nibs and filling the barrels which I still do today.

 

I have a Parker Sonnet that takes turquoise Monteverde Capri blue and turns it into a deep dark blue like American Blue, which I kinda like.  I cleaned it a couple of times but it keeps doing it, so go figure...🤷‍♂️

 

As far as the pic goes, let me look for it.... 😀 Ah ha,  I found it.... This one...  the blue ink sample second from the right...

 

 

[LizEF]

9 hours ago, USG said:

I'd also like to ask Professor @LizEF to weigh in if she has the time or interest. 

I've never made an effort to compare papers, nor even to identify what attributes there are or how to compare them.  I've never made an effort to compare the same ink across multiple papers - it's a given that the ink will likely be different in one way or another when the paper differs.  And honestly, I don't care.   I enjoy the ink, paper, and pen I'm using and don't worry about changes when one (or more) of the variables changes.

 

I also have no experience with this Kokuyo paper, and haven't made any effort to keep track of the various TR papers (pretty sure I have a pack of the original 52gsm in B5, and a Bond Travel Gear journal that might be said paper - not sure).  Therefore, I have no grounds wherewith to make said comparison.  Sorry.

[Mechanical]

11 hours ago, USG said:

Do you think you could post a couple of close ups so I could see the red?

Btw, nice to have you back.😀👍

 

Here's a couple of the Bungubox Ruri Sea close-ups, first on Iroful and the second on Cosmo Air Snow.  These are both from when the pen was newly filled.  It really is a charmer.

 

 

I'm not sure I would be up to moving houses in another 10 years.  What a lot of work!  It's a nice transition though, from a big old house with gigantic yard to a retirement cottage.  Nice to be back, but still haven't unpacked my pens, inks, and papers.

 

11 hours ago, USG said:

I just tried it again... no luck.  It's glued tight.  Maybe it's a function of time  How long have you had your 823?

Maybe it's the ink.  Did you use any other inks besides Pilot blue?

 

At first, my experienced was just like yours.  That Pilot 823 section just would not budge with the application any reasonable force.  It's plastic, after all, so no way did I want to go all-out.  Anyway it felt like it was glued tight.

 

I've used a fill of the Pilot Blue that came with the pen and then multiple fills of Pilot Blue Black.  Also I've carried this pen around in a pen bag quite a bit so it has been through a bit of jostling. Whatever the reason, it now unscrews with just the medium effort that you'd expect.  Not too tight and not too loose.

 

[Mechanical]

10 hours ago, USG said:

What we need is a group comparison.  Let's see what the consensus is.

 

@Mechanical, @Penguincollector, @Lithium466, and anyone else who would like to join in.  If you need a sample, pls PM me.

 

USG, I will definitely be ordering some of this Kokuyo 52gsm.  Sounds right up my alley.  But this will need to wait until my pens, paper, and ink are liberated from their hidden and obscure packing boxes.

[USG]

9 minutes ago, Mechanical said:

 

USG, I will definitely be ordering some of this Kokuyo 52gsm.  Sounds right up my alley.  But this will need to wait until my pens, paper, and ink are liberated from their hidden and obscure packing boxes.

 

No rush 😀  Do you have Tomoe River-S paper?

[Penguincollector]

1 hour ago, USG said:

blue ink sample second from the right.

  That’s Brrr, a pigment shimmer ink from the 2025 Diamine Inkvent Calendar. It should be available in the footed bottles this summer. It’s so pretty! 😍 I will find the ink card and show you. 

[USG]

2 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  That’s Brrr, a pigment shimmer ink from the 2025 Diamine Inkvent Calendar. It should be available in the footed bottles this summer. It’s so pretty! 😍 I will find the ink card and show you. 

Cool....   Nice find !  😀👍

[Penguincollector]

Just now, USG said:

Cool....   Nice find !  😀👍

  Thanks. It was a gift from the lovely Grace of YouTube’s Wildly Imaginable channel. She’s great. If you like pen reviews, currently inked videos, and general pen stuff- highly recommend her channel. 

[USG]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

  Thanks. It was a gift from the lovely Grace of YouTube’s Wildly Imaginable channel. She’s great. If you like pen reviews, currently inked videos, and general pen stuff- highly recommend her channel. 

Haha, I've seen Gace....  definitely chatty 😀  And artsy 😀 

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

I've never made an effort to compare papers, nor even to identify what attributes there are or how to compare them.  I've never made an effort to compare the same ink across multiple papers - it's a given that the ink will likely be different in one way or another when the paper differs.  And honestly, I don't care.   I enjoy the ink, paper, and pen I'm using and don't worry about changes when one (or more) of the variables changes.

 

I also have no experience with this Kokuyo paper, and haven't made any effort to keep track of the various TR papers (pretty sure I have a pack of the original 52gsm in B5, and a Bond Travel Gear journal that might be said paper - not sure).  Therefore, I have no grounds wherewith to make said comparison.  Sorry.

My apologies if this came off as dismissive or otherwise negative / derogatory. I did not mean it that way. I simply meant to say that I can't really contribute because I don't pay attention to this sort of thing (details of the differences in an ink between two FP-friendly papers).