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Troublemaker Inks Troublemaker Inks is a small ink manufacturer in the Philippines. Their website indicates that their inks are 100% handmade, and "offer a personal and artisanal alternative to contemporary fountain pen inks. Everything from the mixing, bottling, and packaging is done by hand." They state that their inks are "Honestly-priced - Show your support for the little guys! Our inks maintain an economic price-to-mL ratio because we don't put a premium on them. 100% of your purchase goes to the materials, transport, and directly supporting the people creating your ink." They also offer free shipping, shipping worldwide for free with no minimums. I was first introduced to Troublemaker inks by our fellow FPNer, herrjaeger, who kindly sent me a sample of Troublemaker Abalone. I fell in love with the color and wanted to try some of the other colors. I also read Nick Stewart's ink comparison (.https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/349449-painting-with-troublemaker-inks/?hl=%2Bnick+%2Bstewart). Unfortunately, Troublemaker Inks are a small operation and limited in their sales. I have tried for several months to order from them, but they were not accepting orders. Finally, I heard that Shigure Inks were selling Troublemaker Inks, but they were sold out. Then, out of the blue one day I went to Shigure's website and they had new stock. I immediately ordered a bottle of Abalone, Petrichor, Milky Ocean and Grape Vine. I have been using the inks now for a couple of weeks, in several different pens and on several different kinds of paper. My overall impression is positive. Troublemaker Petrichor in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Abalone in Leonardo Momento Zero with stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Grape Vine in Leonardo Momento Zero with Fine nib Troublemaker Petrichor in Nemosine Fission .8 stub nib Paper: Tomoe River 65 gsm Abalone, Petrichor and Milky Ocean all have a watercolor effect, with nice shading and haloing. Abalone is a medium blue with green, gray and pink undertones. Petrichor is gray with subtle shades of green and pink undertones. Milky Ocean is a light to medium blue with pink undertones. Grape Vine is a fairly saturated dark lavender with a forest green sheen to it. All of these color variations depend upon the nib and especially the paper used. Troublemaker Petrichor in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Petrichor in Nemosine Fission .6 stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in TWSBI Eco with 1.1 stub nib Troublemaker Milky Ocean in Nemosine Fission .6 stub nib Troublemaker Grape Vine in Leonardo Momento Zero with Fine nib Paper: Clairfontaine Classic Hardbound Notebook - Blank All of the inks behaved fairly well on all the papers used with minimal showthrough. Milky Ocean seems to have some bleedthrough on Clairfontaine paper, but not Tomoe River. I also used them on HP All-in-One 22 lb copy paper and was very impressed with minor feathering, bleedthrough and showthrough. I was not given a choice of "wetness" which the Troublemaker Ink website advertises. I believe that I was sent the "standard" version which is supposed to be "wet". I found all of the inks to be moderately wet with some lubrication. They behaved well, even in my Nemosine pens which seem to be fairly dry pens. Petrichor is probably the driest ink of the four and Grape Vine seems to be the wettest ink. Of the four inks, my personal favorite is Abalone. I love the color and the variations particularly with a 1.1 stub nib. Troublemaker Abalone in Pilot Metropolitan with fine nib Troublemaker Abalone in Nemosine Fission with medium nib Troublemaker Abalone in Leonardo Momento Zero with 1.1 stub Paper: Clairfontaine Classic Hardbound Notebook - Blank Overall, I really like these inks, particularly the watercolor effect of Abalone, Petrichor and Milky Ocean. While Nick Stewart thinks they are great for inks their artistic value, I am convinced that they are great inks for everyday journal writing and doodling.

Please post your comparison photographs/scans of translucent multi-hue ink that have become recently popular. The inks I can think of off the top of my head are Sailor x Sailor Nagasawa Kobe #57 Hime Ajisai; Sailor Ink Studio 150, 123, and 162; Troublemaker Inks Petrichor, Kelp Tea, Milky Ocean, and Abalone. All of these inks separate into distinctly different hues when drying on a page, and it's not because of sheen. I did not include Kobe #57 Hime Ajisai into this comparison, though I should have. It's not as complex as the rest, but still has a separation from blue-lavender to vibrant magenta-pink. For all of these inks, daylight makes them look more washed out. Artificial light--at least good quality with high CRI illumination--brings out more constituent colors. Daylight shade: (Troublemaker Kelp Tea first written with Pelikan M800 IB nib then dip pen, and Troublemaker Petrichor was first written with Lamy 1.5mm nib and then dip pen) Mixed daylight shade with some artificial light: Wet paper towel "chromatography" shows that Ink Studio 123 and 162 have a different base color dye but probably the same additional dyes. Close-ups: Troublemaker Inks "Kelp Tea" Troublemaker Inks "Petrichor" on Tomoe River 52g white, dip pen: Sailor Ink Studio #123 on Tomoe River 52g white, dip pen: Sailor Ink Studio #162 on Tomoe River 52g white, dip pen: