Tintenlabor - Aprilis Argente (dunkel grün / schwarz) iron gall ink

[yazeh]

 

Tintenlabor – Aprilis Argente - Dark Green (dunkel grün / schwarz)  Iron Gall ink

Ink review # 183. 

Overview: 

Aprilis Argente is the last of Tintenlabor's three dark Green iron gall inks. It has the highest iron content (6 gr/l) and is a specialty ink designed for cheap paper and wet pens. Due to its high iron content, it has a sluggish flow compared to Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l). 

 

Background: 

Tintenlabor is a new Swiss-based ink company focused on Iron gall inks. What differentiates these inks is that you know the dye content beforehand. 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was sent the inks free of charge, and I only participated in the shipping  

You can find more about this ink here:

https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products/aprilis-argente-dunkelgrun-schwarz

 

The website is in German, so you must use the web browser translation function, unless you speak German  

 

You can check my overview and comparison of the three Dark Green inks by Tintenlabor below: 

 

Here you can find the review of Tintenlabor Dark Green 1, the ink with the lowest iron content:

 

 

 

In case you're wondering why I skipped Dark Green 2,   David, the Inkmeister, informed me that he has fixed its flow issues, so I'm waiting for the new bottles to arrive.  

 

Review

Aprilis Argente is the last of the three dark Green inks. It's a specialty high-iron (6 gr/l) high-dye ink designed for cheap paper and wet pens. It's not for everyone, so if you're risk-averse, avoid it.  

 

This ink is for people who like challenges, wet pens, and iron-gall inks. This ink took me on a journey. It gave me the worst grief, doubting my sanity and everything I thought I knew about pens. Ultimately, it gave me the most pleasure after I tamed it. In that process, I used half a bottle of the ink!  

 

This ink is the pickiest about its pen and doesn't follow the dogma of ebonite feed/ vintage pen. I had difficulty using it in a vintage wet noodle, whereas I could easily use it in a Jinaho 163. Go figure. It worked well in Safarim, but I had to rub the converter with a Q-tip and vinegar.  

 

Its oxidation is slower than Dark Green 2, slowest on Tomoe River 68 gsm, Midori, Hammermill, Rhodia, and fastest on Iroful. In time, it turns into lovely grey/charcoal black. 

 

Cleaning can be a pain in some pens, and you'll need diluted vinegar or lemon juice. 

 

Do not use ammonia-based cleaning solutions with iron gall inks. 

 

Chroma:

 

 

 

Writing Samples:

Unfortunately, the scanner deforms Midori's cream color.  

 

I checked this ink on a variety of cheap papers. The ink behaved flawlessly on most papers. However, with the vintage flex, there can be some bleed-through. 

The black spots you see are not bleed-through, but ink that I added inadvertently to the reverse of the scan.  

 

This cheap shopping list shows you various Tintenlabor inks/bulletproof & pigment ink with different nibs.

Photo:

This is oxidation on Iroful in real time. The last word is still wet; you can see the green dye. 

 

 

Here's a photo of Midori. The oxidation process is slower. The first line was written a week before the actual review. 

A comparison between Dark Green 2 and Aprilis Argente. 

Comparison:

 You can see the oxidation process on the swatch cards in one month.  Note that I have named the inks by iron content and not the actual name:

So the inks are: Dark Green 1 (3 gr/l) - Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l) and Aprilis Argente (6 gr/l)

Water test:

Left side (10 seconds under running water, after 24 hours)

 

Art Work:

Xolotl and the Sun

This was inspired by the legend of the Aztec God of lightning and thunder, Xolotl. It is said that each night, the God accompanied the sun through the underworld.

Yellow ink is a highlighter. You can still see some dye that hasn't oxidized.  

Bonjour Tristesse

Talens square Mixed Media paper. The wash was done right away. 

 

 

Finally, inspired by @LizEF Quin & Makhabesh's Grey Spot Adventure, with a yet-to-be-written character, Professor Eeneess (many thanks to @InesF), in her lab with her quills, infinity drawer, alembic, etc. 

This is on a Talens Mixed Media. 

Re-inventing Colour..... 

 

 

I've done many drawings with this ink; you can find them here:

https://www.deviantart.com/yazeh1/gallery?q=aprilis

 

 

 

·      Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Kanwrite with FPR nib, and many other pens. 

·      What I liked: A challenge, the colour. 

·      What I did not like: The challenge, flow issues. 

·       What some might not like: It’s a high-maintenance ink. 

·       Writing experience: Ok. But you will need to prime the feed. 

·       Pros: For very wet vintage pens and copy paper.

·       Cons: Flow issues, 

·      Shading: Yes

·      Ghosting: Very good in general. 

·      Bleed through: Very good in general.

·      Flow Rate: Sluggish, you might need to prime the feed. 

·      Lubrication: Low, but not unpleasant. 

·      Nib Dry-out: It will happen. 

·      Start-up:  You might need to prime most pens or have a water brush nearby.

·      Saturation:  Delicious. 

·      Shading Potential: Good. 

·      Sheen:   No.

·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. 

·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

·      Staining (pen):   It could

·      Clogging: Did not notice.

·      Cleaning: It could be a pain in the feed! You’ll need either pure lemon juice or white vinegar solutions. 

·      Water resistance: Very good. 

·      Availability:  30- 50ml  bottles, 

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments. The more the merrier  

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

It has a sluggish flow due to the high dye content compared to Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l).

You meant the high iron content, right?

 

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

Ultimately, it gave me the most pleasure after I managed to tame it.

 

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

Its oxidation is ... slowest on Tr 68 gsm, Midori, Hammermill, Rhodia, and fastest on Iroful.

That's interesting!  No idea how to explain it, but it's interesting!

 

Chroma's pretty cool.  Good job catching the color change in the Iroful photo - I find that really hard (outside the video)!

 

Love your sketches and drawings, but this one is absolutely fabulous!  Love all the magical-science stuff. Thanks!

 

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

and finally, inspired by @LizEF Quin & Makhabesh's Grey Spot Adventure, with a yet-to-be-written character, Professor Eeneess 

This is on a Talens Mixed Media. 

Re-inventing Colour..... 

 

 

Great review, @yazeh!  Really glad you were able to find the magic to make this ink work for you.

[yazeh]

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

You meant the high iron content, right?

Thanks! I spent 20 minutes re-editing it. 

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

That's interesting!  No idea how to explain it, but it's interesting!

I can't explain it either

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Chroma's pretty cool.  Good job catching the color change in the Iroful photo - I find that really hard (outside the video)!

Yep. I don't have a video setup,and frankly, I don't see myself doing that. 

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Love your sketches and drawings, but this one is absolutely fabulous!  Love all the magical-science stuff. Thanks!

A pleasure  If you look closely you'll see the Infiniti drawer  

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Great review, @yazeh!  Really glad you were able to find the magic to make this ink work for you.

Me too  

[LizEF]

33 minutes ago, yazeh said:

If you look closely you'll see the Infiniti drawer  

Perfect!!  I saw the infinity symbol, but my brain didn't make the connection.   Thanks!

[yazeh]

42 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Perfect!!  I saw the infinity symbol, but my brain didn't make the connection.   Thanks!

Well, after all these talks with @InesF I had to draw her one.  

[lapis]

According to their website (https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products), there are only 3 dark Greens (dunkelgrün), namely 1, 2 and aprilis argente. Thusly no number 3, not even the aprilis argente. I.e., I've removed your "(Dark Green 3)" and replacd it with "(dunkel grün / schwarz)".

[yazeh]

44 minutes ago, lapis said:

According to their website (https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products), there are only 3 dark Greens (dunkelgrün), namely 1, 2 and aprilis argente. Thusly no number 3, not even the aprilis argente. I.e., I've removed your "(Dark Green 3)" and replacd it with "(dunkel grün / schwarz)".

Thanks, @lapis , for correcting it. 🙏

[inkstainedruth]

Hmmm.  This one really does serious oxidation, doesn't it??  I suspect I can pass on this one.  But thanks for the stellar review and of course the fun artwork (particularly the one of "Professor  Eenness). 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

44 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Hmmm.  This one really does serious oxidation, doesn't it??  I suspect I can pass on this one.  

Dark Green 2 does even more serious oxidation. It'll take a month until I can finish the review. And then there are the purples, which are gorgeous, and the 4 blue blacks. 

44 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

But thanks for the stellar review and of course the fun artwork (particularly the one of "Professor  Eenness). 

Thanks. I enjoyed doing Professor Eenness' sketch. I don't know if @LizEF saw Makhabesh, Essri, plus, the cat & mouse  

[Mercian]

1 minute ago, yazeh said:

And then there are the purples, which are gorgeous, and the 4 blue blacks....

 

I am going to have to make a conscious effort to NOT read the reviews of those - I am worryingly susceptible to (i.e. wont to purchase) purples and blue-blacks!

[LizEF]

22 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I don't know if @LizEF saw Makhabesh, Essri, plus, the cat & mouse  

Oh yes, I see them!  Quin is surely jealous.

[Mercian]

10 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Oh yes, I see them!  Quin is surely jealous.

 Who do you think drew the picture?

[LizEF]

50 minutes ago, Mercian said:

 Who do you think drew the picture?

[yazeh]

11 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

I am going to have to make a conscious effort to NOT read the reviews of those - I am worryingly susceptible to (i.e. wont to purchase) purples and blue-blacks!

I'm telling you in advance, purple 1 is one of the most pleasant and delicious inks I've written with. The colour is so soothing  

[yazeh]

@Mercian & @LizEF  

[Sailor Kenshin]

@yazeh, this risk-averse person thanks you for letting me in on the ride, which is fascinating as I watch from a safe distance.

 

Your artwork as usual is fantastic!  Aztec gods and alchemy, and of course, Kitteh and Mousie accompanying.

 

And the water test.  Chroma= colorful green-headed bunny.  I await your next, and thanks again.

[yazeh]

57 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@yazeh, this risk-averse person thanks you for letting me in on the ride, which is fascinating as I watch from a safe distance.

A pleasure as always  

57 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Your artwork as usual is fantastic!  Aztec gods and alchemy, and of course, Kitteh and Mousie accompanying.

Thanks a lot!

57 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

And the water test.  Chroma= colorful green-headed bunny.  I await your next, and thanks again.

It would be the lovely Purple 1. It's a gorgeous smoky purple. Lovely, smoky purple to write with. More challenging to incorporate into drawings. Conversely, I mixed Aprilis with the Purple and the flow improved into a lovely murky colour   

[Mercian]

On 5/3/2025 at 8:40 AM, yazeh said:

I'm telling you in advance, purple 1 is one of the most pleasant and delicious inks I've written with. The colour is so soothing  

 

🙈

[LizEF]

On 5/3/2025 at 2:40 AM, yazeh said:

I'm telling you in advance, purple 1 is one of the most pleasant and delicious inks I've written with. The colour is so soothing  

I did rather enjoy the purple - enough that I went looking around for a similar purple that's not IG.  Didn't find it.

[InesF]

On 5/2/2025 at 2:31 PM, yazeh said:

This ink is for people who like challenges [...]

... and for ink reviewers with a sense for quotes and art! 👍  

 

Everything is well thought and connected: the Swiss ink with Swiss quotes 👍 with ancient history (Xolotl 👍), with emotions (Tristesse 👍) and with alchemy (Oh, how precise you are - I spent more than an hour searching for the hidden camera in my lab ... 🤗  ). 

 

I feel not only well informed but also well entertained by your ink review! I't such a pleasure, thank you! 

 

However, high iron content is not fully to my desire. As told already before, any ink named 0.x (with less than 3 g/L iron) would fit my needs a bit more.

And, no doubt, what I read in the description of the purple iron gall ink sets my grey brain mass on steroids ... 🤪 ... means: I'm already narrowly focussed¹ and looking forward.  

 

 

 

^{1) I'm sorry about becoming distracted so easily - all I can say is: I'm scientist, I do not have a free will when it comes to an opportunity to learn something new!}