Rohrer & Klinger Iron Gall Nut Ebony

[bokaba]

This appears to be the first review of this 2023 limited edition. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only commercially produced black iron gall ink for fountain pens:

 

Flow: medium

 

Water Resistance: likely high (not yet tested) -- chromatography swatches done (not by me) show significant iron gall oxidation

 

Color: gray/black with tones of purple and brown -- will likely continue to change color as time goes on

 

Shading: as with most iron gall inks, yes

 

Price: medium

 

Availability: special release. If you want this, you should probably jump on it now, as it will likely be permanently out of stock at some point.

 

 

[LizEF]

Thank you for the review, @bokaba!  I guess I should review the sample I was gifted to help folks decide whether to get it.  I'll put it next on the list.

[lapis]

Thanks for this review. An "Introduction" to me, as R&K's LEs appear each year only once (usually at the beginning of March or April).

Actually, this isn't the only black IG for FPs.

Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10 schwarz is also "practically" black. More exactly, it is more of a brownish dark grey, in any case absolutely no blue.

[InesF]

Thank you, @bokaba, for introducing R&K Ebony and for your first impression.

I found this ink quite interesting as it is not a pure black. I love the subtile warm brown undertone and that the ink can appear black at heavy application.

I do not like the below average lubrication - it scratches like many or almost all iron gall inks do.

[yazeh]

Thanks for giving us your first impressions :

As @lapissaid this reminds me of Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10 schwarz. Also, Büroservice Bergman's can turn into black

[inkstainedruth]

I didn't even know this ink exists.  Is it still available anyplace (given that it was an LE ink from last year)?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

21 minutes ago, yazeh said:

As @lapissaid this reminds me of Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10 schwarz

OK, then why was my sample of this such a delightful shade of pale dirty dishwater?  Because I really want more of the pale dirty dishwater!!  But everyone calls this ink "black"!  So confused.

[inkstainedruth]

Hmmm.  Wondering if you got a sample that was starting to go bad (which I think may have been the case with the sample I got years ago of Diamine Registrar's -- it had nice shading but beyond that it was a washy ink that oxidized to blue grey....).  And my 60 ml bottle of Ackerman Izjer-Galnoten went bad because I didn't use it up fast enough.  

I'm almost afraid to think what shape my other IG inks are in at this point....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[LizEF]

44 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Hmmm.  Wondering if you got a sample that was starting to go bad

If so, I want a bad bottle!

[inkstainedruth]

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

OK, then why was my sample of this such a delightful shade of pale dirty dishwater?  Because I really want more of the pale dirty dishwater!!  But everyone calls this ink "black"!  So confused.

Yeah. I ordered one bottle. The first had gone bad. They sent me a 2nd bottle.  It was still weak. That the problem with iG inks they turn bad fast

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Yeah. I ordered one bottle. The first had gone bad. They sent me a 2nd bottle.  It was still weak. That the problem with iG inks they turn bad fast

So, I need to get a bottle and then let it go bad. Got it!

[bokaba]

This ink is still available from Vanness. 

[PithyProlix]

Somehow this was totally off my radar screen. A not-so-black shading ink is a good thing and now I want it. Thanks for showing it to us.

 

BTW, Ostrich now makes an iron gall black called Black Turtle (and also now a red, brown, and yet another blue-black). Judging from the ink film on the neck of the bottle below it might just be high-violet-dye-load (like some other black inks) in an iron gall base, not sure.  I haven't figured out an easy way to order these newer Ostrich iron gall inks yet but I also haven't tried that hard. 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

16 hours ago, bokaba said:

This ink is still available from Vanness. 

Not anymore.

[lapis]

FWIW: This was the R&K LE of 2023, not 2024. BTW, they are not always issued once every year. As shown below, only about 1500 bottles of this LE were issued. They always go fast!

 

Name of R&K LE ink        Issued     Made for = sold by       Total #

Der Blaue Reiter......... 2011...... Hokushin, Japan............  500

Blau-Schwarz............. 2012...... R&K, Germany............... 1000

Efeublatt................ 2012/13... Tsutaya, Japan............. 1000

Blue & White Porcelain... 2014...... FWI, Taiwan................ 1000

Kaffee Kantate........... 2016...... Hokushin, Japan............ 1000

Aubergine................ 2018...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

Kastanienbraun (maroon).. 2019...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 3000

Isatis (blue-grey)....... 2021...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

Deep Pine Forest......... 2022...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

Iron gall nut (Ebony).... 2023...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 1500

 

[yazeh]

22 hours ago, LizEF said:

So, I need to get a bottle and then let it go bad. Got it!

It's really pricey for us the other side of the pond  It's almost the price of the camera zoom thingy you wanted to get

 

[LizEF]

10 minutes ago, yazeh said:

It's really pricey for us the other side of the pond  It's almost the price of the camera zoom thingy you wanted to get

 

Well, you know, a girl can dream...

[lgsoltek]

Oooh lovely. I always enjoy seeing new R&K inks. They make great inks and they take their time.

 

Not sure how I would get these new LE here without paying a lot for international shipping and jumping the customs hoops. But it’s a black so I won’t miss it much. 😂

[yazeh]

17 hours ago, LizEF said:

Well, you know, a girl can dream...

Dream on