Seeking User Experience With Stipula Iron Gall Inks

Posted July 29, 2018 · July 29, 2018

Hopefully I'll be able to write a review after my travels finish next month, but I've done some initial tests and can confirm all of Intensity's findings.

I did a water submersion test after letting the ink dry overnight and most of the ink washed off. However, what remained was still crisp and fully legible, just significantly faded. It reminded me of other weak iron gall inks like R & K Salix, except that Salix is a darker color to begin with so the faint remnant on the page is a little more pronounced.

Long story short, if you are just looking for a reddish brown sepia that is legible after being doused with water, then the Stipula IG Sepia will be good enough. If you want the kind of water resistance that comes with serious IG inks like ESSRI, then I don't think anything exists in this color. Also note that Stipula IG Sepia smears easily, so if you want it to be legible after a spill, you need to fully wash off the smeared portion.

That being said, the color is really nice and the ink also lacks all the potential problems that come with more concentrated IG inks.

Posted July 29, 2018 · July 29, 2018

In my own experience with R&K's IG inks, more than a faint line remains: much of the original line is undisturbed. In comparison the Stipula ink looks like a dye-based ink of high saturation where most of the ink washes off and some faint amount remains. I.e. a lot of inks have this much water resistance without having any IG content. I have never done a submersion wash, however, since a more realistic scenario would be either a spill that's dabbed by paper towel, or a whole journal submersion where the pages get stuck together too. I normally try to simulate the former in my water resistance tests to get an idea of how much stays behind and how much smears around the writing. Basically if the smearing is heavy, then in a closed submerged journal, where the removed ink won't just be cleanly rinsed or lifted off, all that smearing can obfuscate the original lines.

Edited July 29, 2018 by Intensity

Posted July 30, 2018 · July 30, 2018

What's weird about the remaining line with this ink after submersion is that it doesn't look like the grey line usually left by IG inks. The remainder is a pale brown, so definitely the IG is minimal.

I wonder how the IG version compares to the non-IG Stipula sepia.

Posted July 30, 2018 · July 30, 2018

Right, that's why I'm doubting whether it contains any IG at all and why I even wrote to the vendor, thinking I got a mislabeled vial. I'm sure it does, and we have R&K's Scabiosa and Salix with similar odd gray line-less water resistance behavior, but at least the latter two have much better water resistance and don't smear much. I just don't understand why this ink is marketed as "Iron Gall".

Edited July 30, 2018 by Intensity

Posted August 7, 2018 · August 7, 2018

and we have R&K's Scabiosa and Salix with similar odd gray line-less water resistance behavior, but at least the latter two have much better water resistance and don't smear much.

I totally agree. I just finished my second fill, this time with a wet OB nib, and the water resistance was just as terrible as with the other nibs. It virtually disappears off the page.

By contrast, I'm REALLY enjoying my first fill of Platinum Classic Khaki Black now thanks to your comparisons. Excellent water resistance, lovely shading, and all the things you'd expect from a real IG ink! I'm really loving it in a fat and juicy OBB stub right now. It may actually replace Herbin Lie De The as my favorite brownish sepia.

Posted August 8, 2018 · August 8, 2018

I'm also fond of Khaki Black, and also Citrus Black. I think Citrus Black is by far the most fun ink of the lot, but it's also the most challenging one for me: I really like the darkest version of it when it comes out in a very juicy line. I've "hacked" the Lamy LX feed to supposedly release more ink, and the nib I use it with is also a juicy kind, but it's not quite enough. I have to periodically push more ink into the feed with the converter knob. I'm still trying to find just the right pen for that ink, and it might just have to be a vintage one with ebonite feed after all. A personal preference.

Posted August 9, 2018 · August 9, 2018

I'm also fond of Khaki Black, and also Citrus Black. I think Citrus Black is by far the most fun ink of the lot, but it's also the most challenging one for me: I really like the darkest version of it when it comes out in a very juicy line. I've "hacked" the Lamy LX feed to supposedly release more ink, and the nib I use it with is also a juicy kind, but it's not quite enough. I have to periodically push more ink into the feed with the converter knob. I'm still trying to find just the right pen for that ink, and it might just have to be a vintage one with ebonite feed after all. A personal preference.

I can definitely see the appeal of Citrus Black and, like you, would need to use it in a gusher to get the right effect. It's interesting, the color of my favorite sepia (Herbin Lie De The) seems to be right between the hues of Khaki and Citrus Black.

I'm sure an Indian pen with ebonite feed will fit the bill for wetness. An ebonite eyedropper would definitely work, but FPR's cartridge or piston models with ebonite feeds would also do the trick, especially if you upgrade to a flex nib because they put a wetter feed with wider channel on those.

Posted August 9, 2018 · August 9, 2018

Oh that's an excellent idea! I'll try out one of FPR models. Thank you. I'm a fan of Lie de The as well. It has a very complex color-shifting appearance, beyond just plain shading, and also has good water resistance. The fun of Citrus Black is seeing it come out in a pale yellow line that rapidly darkens. Also it looks gorgeous on Tomoe River when used with a wider tip pen and a higher flow feed/nib in terms of the shading transitions and the gentle matte finish.

Posted July 12, 2019 · July 12, 2019

Bumping this just in case someone who's had experience with Stipula IG inks can respond. They are the only company, as far as I know, who offer black IG ink, and I'm interested in their Sepia version. The inks are rather expensive to buy blindly, and while I can get a sample of IG Black, there's no sample of IG Sepia available. The IG Red might be interesting as well.

EDIT: just noticed that Pen Chalet lists some information from the box:

"
About the Stipula Iron Gall(70ml)
The Stipula Iron Gall fountain pen ink has a balance of chemical components with purity over 99% and Tuscan oak galls. Created from four basic components: various plants, vitriol or iron sulfate, resin or Arabic gum and water. The iron gall ink creation has been passed on for generations and has been used in ancient Rome since 8 BC. Stipula has developed a new formulation of iron gall ink that is a modern ink with superior quality and standards.

The Stipula iron gall formula is compatible for use with fountain pens. The formula lays on a light ink color that will darken as it oxidizes and dries becoming an permanent ink on the paper for at least 1000 years."

Possibly due to the steep price, along with relatively recent release, I cant find any reviews of Stipulas Ferrogalico inks. Im especially interested in the Seppia IG ink. I was going to add a sample to my online ink sample order, but Seppia is only available in full bottle at that vendor (I can get a sample of black, but not interested in black).

Anyone here with any experience with Stipulas IG inks, and maybe also with some other IG inks for comparison purposes?

http://www.yafa.com/iron_gall_page.html

The Stipula IG inks are simply not suitable for fountain pens (I truly wish I could say otherwise, since I really wanted to like them). They clog the wettest of nibs, and will dry on the top of your nib quickly as you write. You can even see particulate 'globs' inside the bottle -- just imagine what they do when they attempt to enter your pen's feed.

Posted July 12, 2019 · July 12, 2019

The Stipula IG inks are simply not suitable for fountain pens (I truly wish I could say otherwise, since I really wanted to like them). They clog the wettest of nibs, and will dry on the top of your nib quickly as you write. You can even see particulate 'globs' inside the bottle -- just imagine what they do when they attempt to enter your pen's feed.

Thank you for your feedback. I was very interested in getting a bottle of Sepia and maybe dark Red due to curiosity and sentimental reasons (I love Florence), plus my sample of Sepia looks beautiful on paper. But in the end I decided to stick with better behaved inks, and the poor water resistance felt wrong for an ink marketed as "iron gall".

Posted July 24, 2019 · July 24, 2019

Due to a recent move and only having access to my bottle of Platinum Classic Khaki Black, I'm using said ink as a daily driver and it is just amazing. No need to even look at this Stipula stuff!

Posted October 9, 2020 · October 9, 2020

Bumping this old thread as I now have 3 out of the 4 Stipula Ferrogallico inks, and I'm working on a comparative review. The one I don't have is Nero Miseria (Black), as I read some negative feedback about it from a past user on reddit. I suspect it's close to how Blu Napoleonico behaves, in which case I'm glad I didn't get it. In short, streaky, low concentration, poor flow.

I do not know if these inks darken over time. My sample of Sepia came first, two years ago. My writing with that ink looks darker today than my brand new writing with the same ink from the same sample vial. I can't tell if the ink in the vial became lighter, or if it's because the written words did darken. Fresh, Sepia is quite a vibrant, highly shading burnt orange, not brown. I suspect it does darken somewhat, as water resistance of the text written 2 years ago is dramatically better than the fresh writing.

So far, in order of ink quality and personal preference Red >>>> Sepia >>>> Blue. Blue is just a terrible terrible ink that I would call a tinted gray. Red is fantastic and is basically a plum color, very close to KWZ Brown Pink.

Quick preview using absorbent Canson Mix Media paper:

While the more thorough review of each of the three inks is technically ready, I'm not sure if I should post it until I determine whether the inks do darken. However if the darkening takes more than a week or two, I'll post them as they are, and will update over time.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Intensity

Posted October 12, 2020 · October 12, 2020

Following up on my comparative review-in-progress, I reached out to the vendor from whom I ordered my sample vial of Ferrogallico Blue. I wanted to make sure this ink is representative of their other samples and original ink. Something just doesn't seem right to me in the inks's performance and appearance. It's a pale blue-teal-tinted gray, very dry, and has an odd blotchy finish. The vendor checked their sample vials and said they are all like that, and that there's a difference between the sample vial content and what the ink should be like. I got a refund for my sample vial.

Unfortunately the first vendor also said that their bottles of Stipula Ferrogallico did not keep well and degraded over time and so were pulled from sale. That does not bode well for my full bottle of Red. It's perfect now, and I like it very much.

Now I am contacting another vendor who sells samples of Stipula Ferrogallico inks to see how their samples of Blue are faring. I could of course buy a brand new bottle of Blue, but given the high cost of these inks (and now questionable stability), I'm reluctant to do it.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Intensity