Alt-Bordeaux - Rohrer & Klingner

[visvamitra]

I'm big fan of Rohrer & Klingner's inks. I believe in Europe you won't find better ink for better price - in my country bottle of 50 ml R&K ink costs between 5 - 6 dollars. I know the prices are much higher in America so let's reserve my recommandation for europeans. In States you can have other inks of good quality for similar or better price.

Alt-GBordeaux is strange ink. It looks pale and boring in dry nibs, especially in my everyday ink-testing Pilot 78G broad nib. Yet in wet iridium - tipped nibs it shows nice shading and juicy color similar to wine dregs. I kind of like it but bare in mind Alt-Bordeaux is fussy about the pens you choose.

INK SPLASH

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3396/SFOT7z.jpg

DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/6972/ZJQe2j.jpg

CHROMATOGRAPHY

http://imageshack.com/a/img904/7452/eHYBPl.jpg

SOFTWARE IDENTIFICATION / COLOR RANGE

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/6659/svE5Vt.jpg

COLOR RANGE

http://imageshack.com/a/img905/5096/c3nfJe.jpg

Review written with Jinhao 599, medium nib

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2483/gcwByH.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/7260/fntnfp.jpg

OXFORD PAPER

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/4046/UZgA1a.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/139/z3ZkYj.jpg

[dragos.mocanu]

Does this ink exhibit any fading/change in color for you? I found that mine turns into a lovely color similar to that of raspberries after it sits for a couple of hours on paper. Love this ink, very warm and personal!

[visvamitra]

Yes it seems to soften a little with time. To be honest I didn't like it when I first tried it in Pilot 78G broad nib. It's dry writer. The line was pale and there was nothing interesting about the color. But then I've tried it in medium Jinhao nib (another ink testing tool) and I like the result.

[dragos.mocanu]

I've tried it in both wet and drier nibs, and I love the results with both; I guess it's just a matter of preference. And this is the only ink I own that I really enjoy when it fades/changes color. I'm earnestly waiting for the next R&K reviews from you, thanks again!

 

Edit: By the way, how does this compare to Diamine Tyrian Purple in terms of color/behavior? They seem pretty close colors to me.

Edited September 16, 2014 by dragos.mocanu

[Mercian]

I am now attempting to restore visvamitra's images to this thread, as there are only a few reviews of this ink on FPN so far.

 

Do though please note that these images date from September 2014.

 

It is possible that the ink has been reformulated since then - in which case these images can serve as a way to compare any 'new' formulation to this one from 2014.

So, IF any of you happen to have a bottle of Alt-Bordeaux that you have purchased in the last few years, and you know that the ink has been reformulated, and that it no longer looks/performs like this iteration of it, I would be very grateful to you if you would now make a review (short or long) of your own.

 

Anyway, with my plea out of the way, please enjoy visvamitra's splendid review of this ink!

-----

 

I'm big fan of Rohrer & Klingner's inks. I believe in Europe you won't find better ink for better price - in my country bottle of 50 ml R&K ink costs between 5 - 6 dollars. I know the prices are much higher in America so let's reserve my recommendation for Europeans. In States you can have other inks of good quality for similar or better price.

 

 

 

Alt-Bordeaux is strange ink. It looks pale and boring in dry nibs, especially in my everyday ink-testing Pilot 78G broad nib. Yet in wet iridium - tipped nibs it shows nice shading and juicy color similar to wine dregs. I kind of like it but bare in mind Alt-Bordeaux is fussy about the pens you choose.

 

 

 

INK SPLASH

 

 

 

 

DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHROMATOGRAPHY

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOFTWARE IDENTIFICATION / COLOR RANGE

 

 

 

 

 

COLOR RANGE

 

 

 

 

 

Review written with Jinhao 599, medium nib

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OXFORD PAPER

 

 

 

 

-----

 

Like visvamitra, I am a fan of Rohrer & Klingner's inks.
Even in the ex-EU UK, they are very reasonably priced for the performance that they deliver - and I can see a bottle of Alt-Bordeaux heading to my part of Mercia in the not-so-far off future

 

Slàinte,
M.

[Mercian]

Well, I have now found that visvamitra did another review of this ink in 2017, and from that review it seems that it may indeed have been reformulated!

 

For further details, please read his thread from 2017, which can be found here ↓

 

Slàinte,
M.