Tintenlabor Iron Gall Dark Green 2

[yazeh]

 

Tintenlabor Dark Green 2 (Dunkelgrün / schwarz 2)

Ink review # 185

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🧾 Description

Tintenlabor is a Swiss ink company that specializes in iron gall-based inks. These inks are unique in that the iron content is known to the user beforehand.

You can find more about this ink here.

 

There are three Green inks: Dark Green 1 (3 gr/l) Dark Green 2 (4 gr/l) and Aprilis Argente (6 gr/l).

 

The new formulation of Dark Green 2, a low-dye, medium-iron-content ink that instantly oxidizes from bright green to dark grey or black, even on watercolour paper. The flow is wet, and the lubrication is below average but still pleasant. I will post a comparison review of the two formulas later on here.

 

Other inks with high oxidation rate are Gold Black and Aprilis Argente.

 

This ink can leave black iron residue on some pens and stain nibs. A diluted solution of white vinegar, water, and lots of soaking was necessary to clean. I removed the nib stain with a stain remover (Pink solution) and Q-tip from the nib. Do not use ammonia-based cleaning solutions to clean iron gall inks.

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🧪 Chroma

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✍️ Writing Samples

Rhodia & Iroful

Midori & TR68gsm

Hammermill 20lb

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📸 Photo

Oxidation in real time on Iroful paper (artificial LED light). I wasn't fast enough.

Oxidation in real time on TR 68 gsm. The bright green line is the colour going down.

🔍 Comparison

Observe how the oxidation process changed the colour of the inks over time. Dark Green 2 (New Formula) oxidized overnight.

After application                                                                      After oxidation        

       

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💧 Water Test

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🎨 Art Work

Black Panther
A fun drawing using the Dark Green 2/ Purple Black2 (new formula) on Fabriano watercolor paper.

I ain't your taurus
Part of the year-long Inktober challenge: Taurus
Tintenlabor Dark Green 2 (old formula)
Montblanc Origins Coral

Funky Fungi
Tintenlabor Dark Green2 /Violet Blue,
Noodler's Red Rattler's Eel

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• Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy (EF / F / M / B / Stub 1.1), Vintage Unic wet noodle flex
• What I Liked: Oxidation, iron gall ink
• What I Did Not Like: Not easy to clean
• What Some Might Not Like: Cleaning, iron gall
• Writing Experience:
  • Pros: Immediate oxidation. Waterproof,
  • Cons: Cleaning could be difficult. You need to soak in white vinegar (not balsamic, obviously )

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🧷 Ink Characteristics

• Shading: Some shading, especially with M nib and above.
• Ghosting: Yes on Hammermill
• Bleed Through: Yes, with wet/ flex pens.
• Flow Rate: Wet
• Lubrication: Good
• Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
• Start-up: With most pens ok.
• Saturation: Delicious and complex
• Shading Potential: With some pens yes.
• Sheen: Did not notice.
• Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice
• Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice
• Staining (Pen): Yes. Black iron residue can stick on the converter.
• Clogging: Did not notice
• Cleaning: A pain. Lots of soaking in vinegar. Though surprisingly only water with Jinhao X159.
• Water Resistance: Excellent.

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🛒 Availability

Available in 30, 50 ml bottles

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💬 Closing

I enjoyed using this ink, despite its drawbacks. If you want this extreme oxidation, this is the one for you. If you want one with less hassle, TIntenlabor Gold Black could be another option.

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review  

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

[LizEF]

Great review, @yazeh!  Really like the new format and image layouts!

 

Very applicable quotes.   Love all the sketches and drawings!  Especially that black panther!

 

Thanks for all the hard work!

[InesF]

10 hours ago, yazeh said:

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review  

+1 👍

 

Thank you @yazeh, for this ink review update! While I enjoy the Swiss related quotes, the Panther and the Taurus a lot, my scientist heart jumped high about the "real-time" photos of ink oxidation. What a great performance!  Indeed, an image tells more than 1000 words.

Interesting fact: Number 3 stays more green than number 2 after oxidation.

Ink orders are still on hold, neither infini drawer nor second hand wizard found ...   

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great review, @yazeh!  Really like the new format and image layouts!

Thanks! A lot of hard work and writing in Obsidian, and getting taught by ChatGPT, which wasn't always consistent, and last but not least, a good friend, who double-checked the new formats 🙏 

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

Very applicable quotes.   Love all the sketches and drawings!  Especially that black panther!

Thanks! A lot, believe it or not, Black Panthers are not as easy to draw  

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thanks for all the hard work!

It's good to know old "cats" can learn new tricks  

[Sailor Kenshin]

Wow, @yazeh, thanks!  The writing-in-progress photo was fascinating.  This ink has a pretty vibrant chroma, too, and appears to be quite waterproof.

 

Love the black panther drawing, if that's what it is.  Even if it's not! And the other drawings as well.  Keep 'em coming.

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Wow, @yazeh, thanks!  The writing-in-progress photo was fascinating..

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

  This ink has a pretty vibrant chroma, too, and appears to be quite waterproof.

Yes it is. Hopefully I'll post a side by side comparison of old and new formula. The chroma has changed

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Love the black panther drawing, if that's what it is.  Even if it's not!

Yes it's a black panther

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

And the other drawings as well.  Keep 'em coming.

🙏 

[LizEF]

5 hours ago, yazeh said:

Thanks! A lot of hard work and writing in Obsidian, and getting taught by ChatGPT, which wasn't always consistent, and last but not least, a good friend, who double-checked the new formats 🙏 

I heard about Obsidian from someone else, and elsewhere (unrelated to FPs), just the other day.  Interesting to hear again so soon!   Hope it's working for you - it certainly appears to be!  Hooray for good friends!

 

5 hours ago, yazeh said:

Thanks! A lot, believe it or not, Black Panthers are not as easy to draw  

From my perspective, nothing real is easy to draw!  Sure, I can make patterns ("Zentangles"), but a drawing that's supposed to be recognizable as a real-world object?  That's beyond me!  I'm very impressed with your persistence and drawings!

 

5 hours ago, yazeh said:

It's good to know old "cats" can learn new tricks  

There's something very satisfying about doing something new, especially successfully.  Over the weekend, I dug out my two sprinkler boxes (one was really bad), disassembled one sprinkler and replaced its diaphragm.  I need to wait for the lawn to need water before I'll know for sure if it worked - water's too expensive and we don't have enough this year from snow-pack, so even testing will have to wait.  But I was quite pleased with myself for figuring it all out.

[yazeh]

53 minutes ago, LizEF said:

I heard about Obsidian from someone else, and elsewhere (unrelated to FPs), just the other day.  Interesting to hear again so soon!   Hope it's working for you - it certainly appears to be!  Hooray for good friends!

 

For someone who comes from the world of MS word it was destabilizing. I was trying to find an interface where to write the original review, links and then export it to FPN and the rest. But it wasn't as easy as I thought. Every website has it's quirks.

53 minutes ago, LizEF said:

From my perspective, nothing real is easy to draw!  Sure, I can make patterns ("Zentangles"), but a drawing that supposed to be recognizable as a real-world object?  That's beyond me!  I'm very impressed with your persistence and drawings!

Thanks. I taught myself from a book and some input from my wife. I still have to finish the book, if I'll have the energy to better my skills

53 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

There's something very satisfying about doing something new, especially successfully.  Over the weekend, I dug out my two sprinkler boxes (one was really bad), disassembled on sprinkler and replaced its diaphragm.  I need to wait for the lawn to need water before I'll know for sure if it worked - water's too expensive and we don't have enough this year from snow-pack, so even testing will have to wait.  But I was quite pleased with myself for figuring it all out.

Bravo 👏 That feeling is amazing when you do it, even at times you're lost. The important thing is action 👍

[LizEF]

40 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The important thing is action 👍

That's pure truth right there!

[yazeh]

12 hours ago, InesF said:

+1 👍

🙏

12 hours ago, InesF said:

 

Thank you @yazeh, for this ink review update! While I enjoy the Swiss related quotes, the Panther and the Taurus a lot, my scientist heart jumped high about the "real-time" photos of ink oxidation. What a great performance!  Indeed, an image tells more than 1000 words.

Glad it was helpful. The images were difficult to capture as oxidation of the new formula was almost immediate. Science can be magical

12 hours ago, InesF said:

Interesting fact: Number 3 stays more green than number 2 after oxidation.

Thanks for pointing out the error. I redid the comparison image. Number 3, alludes to iron content. So Number 3 is Dark Green /Black 1. My apologies 🙏  

12 hours ago, InesF said:

Ink orders are still on hold, neither infini drawer nor second hand wizard found ...   

It takes time to find the right wizard and drawer  

[yazeh]

Another drawing with a Lamy Safari with a stub nib 1.1

Paper is Talens Mixed Media

What's up?

 

[LizEF]

House-lion and mousey. Love it, @yazeh!

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, LizEF said:

House-lion and mousey. Love it, @yazeh!

For once, her majesty was still long enough that I could do a rough sketch—nothing like a Cat purring beside you. 🙏

Oh, and by the way, there was no real rodent present.  

[LizEF]

39 minutes ago, yazeh said:

nothing like a Cat purring beside you.

 

39 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Oh, and by the way, there was no real rodent present.

[InesF]

13 hours ago, yazeh said:

What's up?

+1 👍 is up!

 

Do I remember right, lions and mice never became enemies (nor prey - neither mice for lions nor lions for mice).   

Love your drawing! 

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, InesF said:

+1 👍 is up!

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

 

Do I remember right, lions and mice never became enemies (nor prey - neither mice for lions nor lions for mice).   

Love your drawing! 

Thanks!