Looking for a dark red ink

[inkstainedruth]

On 11/20/2023 at 7:32 AM, Karmachanic said:

 

Is a colour doppelgänger for KWZ Red #1

Thanks for the heads up.  Now I want to try one of them (or both of them and do a side by side... ).  

My husband, of course, will NOT thank you.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Karmachanic]

13 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks for the heads up

 

Com Breakdown is a Germany Exclusive, so I went with KWZ #1 as I can get that locally.  That and I'm partial to KWZ inks.

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, I've liked a lot of them too.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Runnin_Ute]

I'm quite fond of Diamine Merlot. So much so, It has a mostly permanent home in my Platinum 3776 Century Borgogne.

 

Compared with Diamine Classic Red.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Runnin_Ute
Add photo

[amberleadavis]

On 11/28/2023 at 3:34 PM, kiri836 said:

 

 

I think I might be a little stupid, I can't for the life of me figure out what it says. It does seem to be a bit too bright, but the color is quite nice. If someone could enlighten me with the name of the ink, that would be very appreciated. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

That ink is the first version of the J Herbin 1670 Anniversary Ink.  Other versions have been different colors and different sheen.  Even if you get a sample, I think Rouge Hematite varies from bottle to bottle.  However, it is a wonderful and beautiful ink.

 

Reviews are not the answer for you, IMO.  You need to try samples, which it looks like you are doing.  Scans / photos / monitors do not accurately reflect the color. Very few of us have the technical skill to color-correct our reviews. @Sandy1 was one of the few who did so.

[InesF]

Sorry @kiri836, I'm a bit late but may add some inks not mentioned so far.

a good neutral red is Waterman Audacious Red - well behaved, on the dry side, neither yellowish nor blueish leaning, suits all paper types

a good intense red is Diamine Noel - still quite neutral, some sheen, well behaved, medium dry, for all good paper types

another good intense red is Fritz Schimpf Morgenröte - very well behaved, a bit dry, a saturated red leaning a tiny bit towards brown, for all paper types.

 

All these three reds are compatible with all nib sizes and clear out quite easily.

[ErrantSmudge]

You might try Leonardo Officina's Passion Red, or "Rosso Passione".  This one I think flies under the radar because it's a pen manufacturer ink, and Leonardo isn't well-known for their inks.

 

https://www.fountainpencompanion.com/brands/167-leonardo-officina-italiana/inks/3183-leonardo-officina-italiana-rosso-passione

 

ETA: They also have "Taurasi Red", which is a very dark wine-red.

[DilettanteG]

I was going to second Cult Pen’s deep dark red,  but it looks like that’s already flunked out. I’d try mixing a very little amount of black with your Noodler’s widowmaker. It’s my go to red and is saturated enough you will hopefully avoid that washed out brownish look. Stick with a Noodler’s black as those inks don’t always play well with others. Then again Noodler’s Red Black dries with a brownish hue.

 

Does Levenger still make Their Cardinal red?

 

Noodler’s standard Red dries pretty true to color. It might work with a very wet nib. Hard to beat J.Herbin Rouge Hermatite and the shading is gorgeous. I have a latter batch which looks a little like Montblanc’s discontinued Love Letter (also by Herbin.) 

 

Maybe Noodler’s antienam, american eel rattler red, Fox Red,or Nikita? Sounds like you want a true red and those look similar dried next to my J Herbin 1670 RH.

 

edited to add: and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over the unavailability of Parker Penman’s Ruby. It dries surprisingly purpulish. Though maybe my bottle has succumbed to old age?

 

Also Diamine Ink-Vent Red Robin looks a shade darker than the Classic Red above, but sadly I don’t have it to compare: https://vanness1938.com/products/diamine-red-edition-red-robin

[chromantic]

After being impressed with Diamine Monoaco (which some ppl felt had a brown-ish lean), I tried Sailor Manyo Ume. Love at first sight.

[txoko]

Has Stipula Calamo Dark Red been mentioned?  It may not have the harmonics you seek; I am not adept at chromatography at all, so this may not be helpful. 

I recently snagged the new Asvine P80 and, enjoying silliness, decided to try to match the red translucent barrel.  18 samples and a bunch of bottles later and I can't see straight I have so much red.  Which I don't even like all that much, comparatively.  I could name quite a few that do not sound like they match OP's conditions; matching is a little harder.  I have been surprised at the number of inks that qualify as "close, but no cigar".

[MKeith]

A dark red I have became very fond of is Diamine Writers Blood. In my opinion it's a match for the original Noodlers Black Swan in Australian Roses.

[DilettanteG]

2 hours ago, MKeith said:

A dark red I have became very fond of is Diamine Writers Blood. In my opinion it's a match for the original Noodlers Black Swan in Australian Roses.

Is it as purple as it appears online? I admit I'm tempted to buy it just because the name makes me laugh.

[MKeith]

DilettanteG

 

I see no purple hues in it, just a dark dusky red.

[DilettanteG]

@MKeith might be my monitor? Thanks for the heads up,

 

I also tried out some of my Pelikan Edelstein Garnet as the manufacturer describes it as, "dark red." It's a bit orange on white paper. I like it more on the cream pages pf my journal against the gray lines. Not what OP is looking for, but the flow and ease of which it laid down a line even in my broad italic was pretty nice. These inks really fit hand in glove with the Pelikan Mxxx model fountain pens.

[Doc Dan]

I just got some Diamine Blood Orange, but it is not a deep pure red. It is definitely more on the orange-red side. Beautiful ink, though. 

[Runnin_Ute]

Attached is a page from my ink journal that has

Diamine Merlot 

Akkerman Vorhout Violet 

Waterman Serenity Blue 

Diamine Writers Blood 

Diamine Saddle Brown 

Herbin Lie de The'

 

Included are pen and nib size

[SLinkster]

 

On 12/3/2023 at 10:45 PM, DilettanteG said:

 

Does Levenger still make Their Cardinal red?

Yes. I read somewhere that it "gets better with age". No idea how old my bottle is. I'd say it's a nice dark red, and it shades a bit too. I'll scan my swatch when I get home from work, and do some test writing. 

 

The first writing sample shows some outlining but not much shading. The paper is somewhat absorbent, which seems to be a contributing factor in producing the outline effect.

 

The second writing sample shows some outlining but more actual shading. I could see ink pooling on the paper as I wrote; the darker areas (obviously) correspond to the the most ink pooling.

 

The swatch card is bog-standard uncoated index card stock, writing done with a glass nib, large swatch made with a cotton swab I used to clean the nib and to gather loose ink out of the bottle cap. 

 

 

[amberleadavis]

On 12/3/2023 at 8:45 PM, DilettanteG said:

I was going to second Cult Pen’s deep dark red,  but it looks like that’s already flunked out. I’d try mixing a very little amount of black with your Noodler’s widowmaker. It’s my go to red and is saturated enough you will hopefully avoid that washed out brownish look. Stick with a Noodler’s black as those inks don’t always play well with others. Then again Noodler’s Red Black dries with a brownish hue.

 

Does Levenger still make Their Cardinal red?

 

Noodler’s standard Red dries pretty true to color. It might work with a very wet nib. Hard to beat J.Herbin Rouge Hermatite and the shading is gorgeous. I have a latter batch which looks a little like Montblanc’s discontinued Love Letter (also by Herbin.) 

 

Maybe Noodler’s antienam, american eel rattler red, Fox Red,or Nikita? Sounds like you want a true red and those look similar dried next to my J Herbin 1670 RH.

 

edited to add: and I wouldn’t lose any sleep over the unavailability of Parker Penman’s Ruby. It dries surprisingly purpulish. Though maybe my bottle has succumbed to old age?

 

Also Diamine Ink-Vent Red Robin looks a shade darker than the Classic Red above, but sadly I don’t have it to compare: https://vanness1938.com/products/diamine-red-edition-red-robin

 

I love Cardinal red from Levenger. What a great ink.

 

Oh, and I love Rouge Hematite.

 

I am off to ink up with red.

[txoko]

Another interesting red I found recently I bought for the name:  Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot.  Is there such a thing as "musky red"?  It is still fairly new, so not used much yet.  I didn't even know it was red, it was just a catchy name.  So far I quite like it.

Ah, I thought I should look before posting.  Yes, I have it in my PenBBS 456 Demo, and it is an interesting shade.  Not too bright, so it can be functional in various roles.

[RobNYC]

The only recommendation I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is Monteverde Napa Burgandy.