Some Ink Tests

[USG]

On 3/31/2026 at 10:52 PM, Penguincollector said:

  At some point, USG asked me about my sample of OG Nitrogen. Mine seems to lean more cerulean than his. It was a gift from the gracious @LizEF. 

 Here it is being used at the fude nib’s lowest angle:

 

 

  It looks very different on MUJI:

 

Hi PGC

I answered this on my iPad but evidently didn't hit reply.  I'm so out to lunch....

 

What I remember is that your Nitrogen was turquoise, (with a finer nib), and my Nitrogen is a dark blue like Quasar.  I wanted to post a writing sample of my Nitrogen on the same Fabriano paper as you but I couldn't find my Nitrogen pen.  Typical ❗  I know it's somewhere (duh) and it'll eventually turn up, but not in time for this post.

 

Your sample on MUJI looks more sheen than blue color so it's hard to judge.

 

To clarify, what does OG stand for?

 

[USG]

Midori Cotton Paper: 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lithium466]

Thank you @USG for the Midori writing sample. China blue looks interesting too...I tried resisting based on some reviews showing a wimpy pale blue, the matured form isn't.

[USG]

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you @USG for the Midori writing sample. China blue looks interesting too...I tried resisting based on some reviews showing a wimpy pale blue, the matured form isn't.

 

And it consistently outlines on most paper...

[Penguincollector]

9 hours ago, USG said:

 

Hi PGC

I answered this on my iPad but evidently didn't hit reply.  I'm so out to lunch....

 

What I remember is that your Nitrogen was turquoise, (with a finer nib), and my Nitrogen is a dark blue like Quasar.  I wanted to post a writing sample of my Nitrogen on the same Fabriano paper as you but I couldn't find my Nitrogen pen.  Typical ❗  I know it's somewhere (duh) and it'll eventually turn up, but not in time for this post.

 

Your sample on MUJI looks more sheen than blue color so it's hard to judge.

 

To clarify, what does OG stand for?

 

OG was supposed to be OS, for Organic Studios. I’m still not 💯. I think I used it on the Canopus sample-I will repost it when I find it.

 

  It was not Canopus- but I found at least one turquoise leaning sample with a finer nib.

[Penguincollector]

 

I think I found it, a writing sample where the pen was starting to run out of ink. 
 

 

On the lower portion of right hand column of this Cosmo Snow page is OS Nitrogen:

 

 

Here’s my swatch library card for OS Nitrogen, on Tsubame OK Fools paper: 

[USG]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

 

I think I found it, a writing sample where the pen was starting to run out of ink. 
 

 

On the lower portion of right hand column of this Cosmo Snow page is OS Nitrogen:

 

 

Here’s my swatch library card for OS Nitrogen, on Tsubame OK Fools paper: 

 

The swatch card is what I remember....

The writing sample on Cosmo Snow is how I usually expect Nitrogen to look....

[USG]

11 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

 

 

 

BTW… This was a monumental Dip Pen effort….   What were your favorite inks?  Any outlining?  Nuances?

[USG]

PAPER COMPARISONS CONTINUED

• MIDORI MD PAPER 
• MIDORI COTTON PAPER 
• TOMOE RIVER-S

Midori MD Paper:

 

Midori Cotton Paper:

 

Tomoe River-S:

[USG]

[Penguincollector]

On 4/2/2026 at 8:57 PM, USG said:

BTW… This was a monumental Dip Pen effort….   What were your favorite inks?  Any outlining?  Nuances?

 

  I just saw this- apologies. Sometimes the site notifications don’t show up for me. 

 

  I took a look and didn’t see any outlines, but I haven’t used the magnifier so that might change. My favorite ink color of all of them is the PR 2 Minutes to Midnight. Out of the sheening inks, I really liked Organic Studios’ Santiago Sea Blue, and shading it was Diamine Prussian Blue. I found some pigmented inks to behave almost like paint. There are definitely many more nuances than my poor uncaffinated brain can truly express right now. Some inks are almost playful in how the ink properties show. 

[USG]

On 4/12/2026 at 12:41 PM, Penguincollector said:

 

  I just saw this- apologies. Sometimes the site notifications don’t show up for me. 

 

  I took a look and didn’t see any outlines, but I haven’t used the magnifier so that might change. My favorite ink color of all of them is the PR 2 Minutes to Midnight. Out of the sheening inks, I really liked Organic Studios’ Santiago Sea Blue, and shading it was Diamine Prussian Blue. I found some pigmented inks to behave almost like paint. There are definitely many more nuances than my poor uncaffinated brain can truly express right now. Some inks are almost playful in how the ink properties show. 

 

I don't have PR 2 Minutes to Midnight but I do have Organic Studios’ Santiago Sea Blue and Diamine Prussian Blue. Both Nice !  😀👍

 

[USG]

I had high hopes for the latest Tomoe River 68gsm paper but it feathered like the 68gsm paper I tried years ago. Not horribly, or as much as Fabriano for instance, but enough to be annoying. It has a great surface to write on, with good colors, sheening and shading, if only it didn't feather.  At the bottom you will see two of the problem inks reproduced on Midori MD paper, which unexpectedly displays good color, sheening, shading and  outlining.... if only it was white.

 

 

Enlarge to see shading, sheening and feathering details

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here I repeated a couple of the inks that feathered on the TR 68gsm paper on Midori MD paper which had a finer line, No feathering and better sheening. <-- go figure, right?

 

[Penguincollector]

On 4/13/2026 at 6:31 PM, USG said:

 

I don't have PR 2 Minutes to Midnight but I do have Organic Studios’ Santiago Sea Blue and Diamine Prussian Blue. Both Nice !  😀👍

 

   I have been on a mission to find or make a dupe of 2M2M since Liz was kind enough to send me a sample. It’s really pretty. Apparently Clueless🐧 missed the boat when it was released in 2021. 
 

  What have they done to my TR68‽ 😱

 

  I really do like Midori. I know it’s not a white paper, but it really brings out ink nuances and as you mentioned, keeps lines narrow, which I like when writing with my tiniest nibs. 

[USG]

9 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

   I have been on a mission to find or make a dupe of 2M2M since Liz was kind enough to send me a sample. It’s really pretty. Apparently Clueless🐧 missed the boat when it was released in 2021. 
 

  What have they done to my TR68‽ 😱

 

  I really do like Midori. I know it’s not a white paper, but it really brings out ink nuances and as you mentioned, keeps lines narrow, which I like when writing with my tiniest nibs. 

 

I completely agree with you about Midori MD.  It was quite a surprise to see the nuances and.... fine lines....  I'm not sure how to classify it though because even thought it doesn't feather it's not white....  Well at least it's not as yellow as LIFE paper... 😉

[USG]

On 4/15/2026 at 10:17 AM, USG said:

 I have been on a mission to find or make a dupe of 2M2M

 

What inks have you considered? 😀

[Penguincollector]

13 hours ago, USG said:

 

What inks have you considered? 😀

  I have been thinking about combining Private Reserve inks to try and get the same level of saturation and wetness that their inks have. I need to see what is closest and go from there. 

[Lithium466]

A long overdue update on Iroful.

Boring blues: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I can only get Platinum pink in cartridges:

 

 

 

I finally was able to source some Midori MD cotton, and look forward to trying it now   It only seems available as blank (no grid).

 

 

[Penguincollector]

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Since I can only get Platinum pink in cartridges:

  I tried looking for you, but it’s sold out all over Canada. JetPens has it here, but I know it’s a pain to buy from the US. 

[Lithium466]

Thank you for trying, @Penguincollector ☺️ 

Taccia Momo so far seems well behaved, with a lot of sheen from a not particularly wet Parker 45!

There was Octopus Fluids Phoenix too, but it turned bad (?) with lots of sediments.