Ink Review: Rohrer & Klingner Sepia

[nweissma]

Rohrer & Klingner

Sepia

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia3.jpg

 

By request, here is my review of Rohrer & Klingner Sepia ink. Have I ever said this was my favorite ink? Yes, dozens of times. I love this ink. I have accumulated many different brands and colors of ink. But I keep coming back to this one.

 

Why? Because the color is so darn cool.

 

I like black, make no mistake. But its too dark. When you write on a page occupied by some puny ball-point black, and you lay down that big black hole of color, well then, it just sucks out the light from the white. It says, look at me, Im here to bring attention to myself. Brown ink often has too much red, and much too light. This version of sepia is a muted grey-brown. Not too dark, but not too bright. It plays well with the rest of the ball-point pens. It's a very professional color, yet distinctive.

 

Sepia was one of my first fountain pen inks. I bought it on whim. It was cheap, on sale, and the other colors had run out of stock. I had never heard of this company, nestled in the city of Leipzig in eastern Germany. Apparently they are noted primarily for their calligraphy inks. They've been around for over 100 years. This bottle is, as all of their bottles, brown tinted glass, with a plastic, now aluminum, cap. The bottle contains 50 cc of ink (1.6 ounces).

 

I have used R & K Sepia is multiple pens, both vintage and new. It flows well. It resists feathering. It doesnt bleed through the paper. It dries fairly quickly, about 5-10 seconds. The ink is not waterproof.

 

Conclusion: Buy this ink!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlingner_Sepia.jpg

The first stanza of a William Blake poem reproduced using an early 1900s Aiken Lambert Capital Educator fountain pen with semi-flexible nib. It was photographed in bright sunlight. The loops were added to show shading of the ink. A cotton swab was used to provide a swatch of color.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia4.jpg

Yes, it writes on newsprint, and it doesn't feather!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/RohrerKlinger_Sepia2.jpg

Yes, it writes on glossy paper!

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Brown_inks.jpg

Comparing the color to other browns

May I inquire after what fp's you're using: it's my understanding that R&K inks are acrylic-based and are therefore pigmented which, I understand, have a tendency to clog.

[grainweevil]

I believe you're probably thinking of their calligraphy ink - this is their fountain pen or writing ink.