Private Reserve Plum ink

[bphollin]

Review of Private Reserve Plum ink

Lamy Safari Medium nib and Lamy Al-Star fine nib

Staples Brand 28# premium laserjet paper

 

Here's my handwritten comments with transcription and links to other reviews below. As ever, your monitor will likely look different than mine. The scan looks pretty darn close on an iMac...

 

Close-up on the header:

 

And the full shebang:

 

This is just to say that WCW was a jerk of a fruit thief... I mean that Private Reserve Plum ink is a really fine (and fun) ink! I'm a bit sheepish to admit that I bought this for my sweetie and promptly snuck a converter-full before I even gave it to her. Stupid poem, planting seeds in my head....

 

Anyway, here are some characteristics:

Dry time: Quick to dry, especially for Private Reserve ink. 8 seconds in medium nib. 5 seconds in fine nib

Flow: Average. A bit dry in fine and extra-fine nibs, but great in medium+ nibs

Saturation: Very saturated and not much shading

Bleed-thru: Very modest in medium nib. None in fine

Feathering: Feathers on bad paper and in the usual suspects (dagger eyes at bad Moleskines)

Waterproof?: No bulletproof, but good water resistance. A lot better than Waterman inks, at least. Was readable after a quick dash under the faucet and after a ten-minute soaking.

 

I really wasn't expecting to like this color much, but the great behavior, fast drying, and really fun color won me over. It is a good summertime alternative to Skrip Red in my editing and markup pen. But don't take my word for it. Other reviews by TNS and JDlugosz.

 

Enjoy,

 

Brandon

[ehebert]

Great color! Your scan looks similar to Noodler's Cactus Fruit, which is one of my favorites. Your funny poem reminded me of another great WCW parody:

 

This Is Just to Say

(for William Carlos Williams)

 

I have just

asked you to

get out of my

apartment

 

even though

you never

thought

I would

 

Forgive me

you were

driving

me insane.

 

By Erica-Lynn Gambino

(from Good Poems, selected by Garrison Keillor)

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you for this review -- Plum wasn't on my radar, but now I think it may be worth a try.

[bphollin]

You're welcome Peter. It was my pleasure. I wasn't expecting to like this ink much, but it has become a fast favorite. It is at least worth trying a small sample from Pear Tree Pens or the FPN ink exchange if the opportunity presents itself.

Edited July 31, 2009 by bphollin

[kronos77]

Has anyone tried mixing Midnight Blues with Plum? I am thinking it might give me a dark, saturated indigo.

[Bearcat]

 

Brandon:

 

Nice review. Thanks for posting it. I really like the shading on the broader nib test.

 

--Doc