Tintenlabor – Echinacea

[yazeh]

 

 

Tintenlabor – Echinacea

 

Ink Review # 208

 

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🧾 Description

 

Tintenlabor is a Swiss ink company specializing in Iron Gall inks. What differentiates this brand is that it discloses the iron content.

The samples were sent to me by the ink-Meister, David. 

 

The inks have been streamlined and now comprise a few new colours. 

Echinacea has a 4 g/L iron content. The highest iron content is 6 g/L (goldrausch) and lowest is 1 g/L (alpstein). 

 

Ink writes as a hot pink and oxidizes to dark burgundy or black (ebonite feed/flex). In the latter combo it’ll bleed through copy paper. However, for those of us who doodle, the same combo is fantastic for creating black lines.

 

You can see the oxidation process here with Kaweco Sport B nib and Noodler’s Ahab. Note as the ink has been more than 2 weeks, in the pen barrel it has oxidized slightly in barrel compared to the photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning: This time for my peace of mind I went with a pinch of pure ascorbic acid in the pen jacuzzi. The pens and their parts were happy. 

 

 

Never use ammonia-based cleaning solutions to clean iron gall inks. 

 

After using this ink for a month, I have fallen in love with this ink. The colour shift is dramatic and the oxidized colour lovely.  

 

 

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 🧪 Chroma

 

 

 

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 ✍️ Writing Samples (scan)

Rhodia / Iroful

 

 

 

 

Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm

 

 

 

Hammermill 20lb  

 

 

 

 

 📸 Photo

 

Photos were taken under artificial (LED) lights, to show off the colour after one month. 

Rhodia/ Iroful

 

 

 

Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm

 

 

 

Hammermill 20lb

 

 

 

Oxidation and closeup: 

 

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

 

 

 

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 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

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 🎨 Artwork

Inktober 2025 - Day 13 - Drink

A toast between cat and mouse — what could possibly go wrong?

Talens Mixed Media notbebook for all drawings. 

Kaweco Sport , Noodler's Ahab 

Note how black lines was achieved with Ahab.   

 

 

Inktober 2025 - Day 15 - Ragged

Inspired by the silent movie, The Kid (1921),  this is my take on ragged with my cat & mouse theme.  

 

 

 

 

Inktober - Day 17 - Ornate

The maiden who waited for her valiant knight to return was awarded with the grail rose from his beloved. 

 

An ornate drawing of an award (prompt 31).

 

Inspired by A Bridal Couple, 1470, by an anonymous German painter. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/14003448827763348/

Talens square pocket notebook. 

 

 

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- Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Kaweco Sport (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.9) , Ahab with FPR Super-flex.

- What I Liked:  Colour, writing, drawing, ink washes, water resistance. Drawing with a flex nib. 

- What I Did Not Like: Writing with a very wet pen can be both a joy and pain.  Choose your paper wisely. 

- Writing Experience: Lovely with most nibs, even flex, though dry times were long. (too much ink) which oxidizes to black. 

- Pros: Lovely colour, wet, well lubricated, maintains burgundy with most paper pen combos. Water resistant. 

- Cons: Not suited for vegetal resin Ahab barrels. If you eyedrop a pen, ink can oxidize in the barrel. 

There might be tariffs for some. 

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: Lovely.

- Ghosting: Faint. See below. 

- Bleed Through: Yes, with very wet pens.

- Flow Rate: Wet.

- Lubrication: below average to good, depending on nib size and pen, 

- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

- Start-up: Very Good.

- Saturation: Gorgeous. 

- Sheen: No. 

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

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen): Yes, on Ahab’s barrel, none on Kaweco’s. 

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: Moderately easy with Kaweco, I still went with ascorbic and pen jacuzzi to be on the safe side. 

- Water Resistance: Very good. 

 

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 🛒 Availability

 

- Available in 30/50 ml bottles, directly from Tintenlabor. 

https://tintenlabor.mycommerce.shop/products/echinacea

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 💬 Closing

 

I have been wowed by the evolution of Tintenlabor inks. This new series have surprised me by their quality and performance. Echinacea is not different. The shift from hot pink to a deep gorgeous burgundy is mesmerizing. 

 

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.  

 

 

 

[Lithium466]

What an ink 🤩

Thank you for your review. I can't remember, do you have KWZ Gummiberry IG?

[yazeh]

19 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

What an ink 🤩

 

19 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you for your review.

A pleasure!

19 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

I can't remember, do you have KWZ Gummiberry IG?

Nope. I don't have that one.

[LizEF]

Great review, @yazeh!

 

Thanks for the video of the oxidation - nice transition from lighter/brighter to darker. 

 

Very cool chroma!  Cool on the outside, hot on the inside!   Ember? A new candy? A dragon's heart?

 

I enjoyed the quotes.  Great job capturing the oxidation photos!  This look like a color I would enjoy right up until it turned black.  

 

Fun swatches, as always. The watertest sketch has me wondering if mousey is allergic to flowers - he appears to be cursing....

 

And wonderful drawings!  Thanks for all the work to show off this ink for us!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Fantastic video!  And what a chroma.  
 

Cute sketches.

 

 No, I won't be buying Echinacea, but we grew the plant once, and neighbors still do.  The chroma center is just like the petals. Thanks.  I do enjoy reading your IG reviews, @yazeh!  👏🏻

[lamarax]

Oh man, I do love the look of these inks (or how you make them look)  

 

I wish there was an easier way to get them; like say, distributors in other countries outside of Switzerland?

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great review, @yazeh!

Thanks!

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thanks for the video of the oxidation - nice transition from lighter/brighter to darker. 

It's fun to do. I'm learning stuff. For example don't write in an unstable table.

 

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

Very cool chroma!  Cool on the outside, hot on the inside!   Ember? A new candy? A dragon's heart?

 

No, it's Puff the magic dragon.

 

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

I enjoyed the quotes. 

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great job capturing the oxidation photos! 

Thanks. It's easier than the video.

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

This look like a color I would enjoy right up until it turned black.  

The color turns black with the ebonite, flex combo, only. One can extrapolate, that more ink, and you'll get black. I took the photos a month after the scans. For now the color is stable. But as someone once said: "Tomorrow is another day. "

 

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

Fun swatches, as always. The watertest sketch has me wondering if mousey is allergic to flowers - he appears to be cursing....

In the promotional.blurb, there was a nod to Hello Kitty.  I tried to do something with that and the flower in mind.  Nowadays, when I get my samples,  I do the swatching,  water test, chroma in the same time.  Modern times. 

 

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

And wonderful drawings!  Thanks for all the work to show off this ink for us!

Thanks for your kind works and support. 🙏🙏🙏

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

It's fun to do. I'm learning stuff. For example don't write in an unstable table.

 There's nothing like personal experience to teach you what works and what doesn't!

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

No, it's Puff the magic dragon.

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

The color turns black with the ebonite, flex combo, only. One can extrapolate, that more ink, and you'll get black. I took the photos a month after the scans. For now the color is stable. But as someone once said: "Tomorrow is another day. "

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Fantastic video!  

Thx!

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

And what a chroma.  

Gorgeous isn't it? 

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Cute sketches.

 

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 No, I won't be buying Echinacea, but we grew the plant once, and neighbors still do.  

Our neighbours grow it too. I prefer the ink to the flower, which reminds me that summer is soon over.  

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

The chroma center is just like the petals.

 

4 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks.  I do enjoy reading your IG reviews, @yazeh!  👏🏻

Glad it's enjoyable.

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, lamarax said:

Oh man, I do love the look of these inks (or how you make them look)  

 

1 hour ago, lamarax said:

I wish there was an easier way to get them; like say, distributors in other countries outside of Switzerland?

The shipping is quite fast though. When the post wasn't on strike here, I'd get it in a week.  

There'll be another ink, next month, if things go well. It's "turquoise".  I'm still in the testing phase. If you check the inktober, page, I'll be posting a sketch or two in few days or so.  

Plus you can admire some very creative art.

 

[yazeh]

28 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 There's nothing like personal experience to teach you what works and what doesn't!

 

Yep. I'm having a "sprinkler" experience right now.  

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh Oooh.  This one looks interesting.  And I love the artwork.  

Thanks for the review.  And, well, not....   Especially with the current issues in the US with tariffs.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

25 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh Oooh.  This one looks interesting.

It is.

 

25 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

 And I love the artwork.  

Thanks. 🙏

25 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks for the review.  And, well, not....  

 

25 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Especially with the current issues in the US with tariffs.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[InesF]

Great, how you combine Swiss-made inks with Swiss-made quotes!

 

Thank you, @yazeh, for staying enthusiastic with iron gall inks, for this heartwarming Hello-Kitty water test image, for the quotes, for "Cat in the Bottle"  , for the gloomy Ragged and for the charming Ornate! 

 

Unfortunately, all those purple, purple-muted, lilac and lilac-muted inks are potentially addictive (therefore extremely dangerous). The first time you open the ink bottle you are hooked!   

I think, I own 10 such inks - all bottles opened!  . There is no way back for me ....

 

I'm sooo happy about both, my ink drawer refusing to grow and my inks having organised themselves in a labour union resisting against me for picking one ink out to making room for another. 😲  

 

Looking forward to your next review!

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, InesF said:

Great, how you combine Swiss-made inks with Swiss-made quotes!

 

1 hour ago, InesF said:

 

Thank you, @yazeh, for staying enthusiastic with iron gall inks, for this heartwarming Hello-Kitty water test image, for the quotes, for "Cat in the Bottle"  , for the gloomy Ragged and for the charming Ornate! 

Most welcome. Glad they were enjoyable.  

1 hour ago, InesF said:

Unfortunately, all those purple, purple-muted, lilac and lilac-muted inks are potentially addictive (therefore extremely dangerous). The first time you open the ink bottle you are hooked!   

I think, I own 10 such inks - all bottles opened!  . There is no way back for me ....

 

1 hour ago, InesF said:

 

I'm sooo happy about both, my ink drawer refusing to grow and my inks having organised themselves in a labour union resisting against me for picking one ink out to making room for another. 😲  

 

I thought you got a new drawer, or chest of drawers.  

1 hour ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to your next review!

It has been challenging with Inktober.   But I have a few reviews done in advance.  

[Baggins]

I still am not (yet), sold to IG inks in general. They are quite beautiful. I always have the pen prejudice risk on the back of my mind. However I have really really loved this review, especially the art.

So dear sir, I must congratulate you on your impressive and creative work 🫡

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, Baggins said:

I still am not (yet), sold to IG inks in general.

 

5 hours ago, Baggins said:

They are quite beautiful. I always have the pen prejudice risk on the back of my mind.

It is understandable. Best try and test them with easily replaced or cheap pens.  

5 hours ago, Baggins said:

However I have really really loved this review, especially the art.

Thanks! It was fun to be able to explore the range of this ink, through art.

5 hours ago, Baggins said:

So dear sir, I must congratulate you on your impressive and creative work 🫡

Obrigado.  

You might enjoy the art on Inktober thread. You might enjoy @catbert's very creative Joāo VI series.  The link is above. 

[namrehsnoom]

Thanks for showing us this ink @yazeh. This one looks totally gorgeous. I'm quite hesitant to put iron-gal inks in my pens, but the wonderful stuff you've shown recently from Tintenlabor makes me think it's time to reconsider. I might put a couple of these inks on the wish list for when Santa comes around.

 

From the art pics, I like the "ragged" drawing the most. I really captures the atmosphere with just a few simple strokes of the pen. Marvelous!

[yazeh]

11 minutes ago, namrehsnoom said:

Thanks for showing us this ink @yazeh.

 🙏

11 minutes ago, namrehsnoom said:

This one looks totally gorgeous. I'm quite hesitant to put iron-gal inks in my pens, but the wonderful stuff you've shown recently from Tintenlabor makes me think it's time to reconsider. I might put a couple of these inks on the wish list for when Santa comes around.

These are fun inks. The transformation is magical. Try them with cheap or easily replaced pens, that can be dismantled easily. This will help you discover them with peace of mind. 

Note that I eye-dropped my pens for the review, to experience the full range of the ink. 

11 minutes ago, namrehsnoom said:

From the art pics, I like the "ragged" drawing the most. I really captures the atmosphere with just a few simple strokes of the pen. Marvelous!

Thanks! I really enjoyed doing that work.  It's fun to use only one ink and have a range to play with.