Calamus Antik Braun (Antique Brown)

[yazeh]

Calamus Antik Braun

 

This ink in to celebrate the 22^ND anniversary of Aratrum, the distributor of many fountain pen brands in Europe. They also have their very design fountain pen /pen / pencil. There are three inks in the line-up, antique brown/red and green as of October 2024. I bought my sample from fountainfeder. 

 

Beautiful reddish/pink brown when smudged,  very wet, lubricated, with lovely shading, depending on the wetness of the pen and nib size the ink. The wetter your pen the darker it becomes, and the shading disappears. I prefer my brown dark, murky with little red. 

 

Not suitable for thin copy paper, as it becomes Halloween fest with all types of ghosts and bleed through.   though it handles my cheap paper shopping list very well. 

 

Ink is slightly water resistant, however, it spread and seeps into the back of paper and makes a mess. 

 

It has a very complex Chroma:

 

 

 

Writing Samples:

Copy paper: 

Photo:

 

Comparison:

I'll be doing several brown ink reviews. Note the colour in the swatch doesn't reflect the ink. 

Water test:

Left side 10 seconds under running water. Note how the water brings out the burgundy  

 

Art Work:

Drive - Ridge (Thelma and Louise)

Part of Inktober 2024 challenge: Inspired by Thelma and Louse 1991. 

Paper is Canson Mixed media.

I used the following fountain pen inks: 

Calamus Antik Brown

Jacques Herbin Turquoise de Perse (diluted)

Noodler's Lexington Gray, 

Octopus Polar Bear White (clouds)

Diamine Celdaon Cat (car)

 

 

·      Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef (semi-flex) Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1) 

·      What I liked: Writing experience, with a wet pen.  Easy cleaning, price. 

·      What I did not like: I’m not a fan of reddish brown. 

·       What some might not like: Not good for cheep paper. 

·      Shading: With dry pens yes. 

·      Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. 

·      Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper.

·      Flow Rate: Wet

·      Lubrication: Excellant 

·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

·      Start-up:  Ok

·      Saturation:  Dark

·      Shading Potential: With dry pens yes. 

·      Sheen: No. 

·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. 

·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

·      Staining (pen): No. 

·      Clogging: Did not notice.

·      Cleaning: Very easy.

·      Water resistance: A bit. 

·      Availability: 30 ml bottles. 

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier  

[LizEF]

Wow!  That is some chroma.  Fabulous quotes - every one had me chuckling.   I had to go back and re-look at the ink... I like the ink best on Iroful, which tones down the red a tiny bit.  But I like browns, and can't make up my mind which shade of brown I like best...   Decent shading everywhere.  Reminds me a little of Robert Oster Aussie Brown, which is also a red-leaning brown, but it's been a while since I used it, so they might be more different than I think...

 

Hmm.  I'm having a hard time figuring out what Cat and mouse are doing on the swatch...  Is kitty writing with a feather quill?  (Fun set of swatch cards, BTW.)

 

Fabulous water-test image.

 

Ah, and I still love Thelcat and Mouise.

 

Thanks, @yazeh for another fantastic review.

[yazeh]

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Wow!  That is some chroma. 

Isn't it? 😊

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Fabulous quotes - every one had me chuckling.

Glad they were fun😊

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

  I had to go back and re-look at the ink... I like the ink best on Iroful, which tones down the red a tiny bit.  But I like browns, and can't make up my mind which shade of brown I like best...  

I was going to post Barock first. But I'm enjoying it so much I want to use every single drop.

I have some left, I can send it over, if you want 😂

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Decent shading everywhere.  Reminds me a little of Robert Oster Aussie Brown, which is also a red-leaning brown, but it's been a while since I used it, so they might be more different than I think...

Yep. That was a nice surprise. 

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Hmm.  I'm having a hard time figuring out what Cat and mouse are doing on the swatch...  Is kitty writing with a feather quill?  (Fun set of swatch cards, BTW.)

Yep. Calamus has to do with the quill. Lots of murky brows :😄

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Fabulous water-test image.

😄

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Ah, and I still love Thelcat and Mouise.

🙏🙏🙏

5 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Thanks, @yazeh for another fantastic review.

Thank you for the kind and in depth comments

[LizEF]

11 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I was going to post Barock first. But I'm enjoying it so much I want to use every single drop.

I have some left, I can send it over, if you want 😂

I won't toss the package unopened, but you know full well I don't need any more inks!!   (Thank you, either way.)

[Sailor Kenshin]

*faints at chroma*

 

Let me at it!  I'm a brown ink lover.  I had a sample of Rome Burning but didn't care for the yellowish part or the properties.  Got JH Lie de The... it needs the right pen/paper combo.

 

Is Calamus made by Stipula?  The company that made Musk Green which is actually brown...and now evidently Unobtainium?

 

Love the quotes and the illos.  I just know that car will sprout wings and fly Kitteh and Mousie to the next adventure.

 

 

@yazeh, thanks once again for making life colorful with your detailed, entertaining InkSplorations!  Keep ‘em coming! 

[yazeh]

59 minutes ago, LizEF said:

I won't toss the package unopened, but you know full well I don't need any more inks!!   (Thank you, either way.)

I'll send them to Smoke then 

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

*faints at chroma*

Same here  

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Let me at it!  I'm a brown ink lover.  I had a sample of Rome Burning but didn't care for the yellowish part or the properties.  Got JH Lie de The... it needs the right pen/paper combo.

I just finished reviewing Lie de Thé. I have another one, which I personally like a lot. It's like Brown/ Grey a bit low in lubrication. But a joy to write with: Barock Umbra made by Octopus. 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Is Calamus made by Stipula?  The company that made Musk Green which is actually brown...and now evidently Unobtainium?

No it's a German brand, as far as I know. They make a very "design" fountain pen. It could either made by Octopus or Pelikan, but I might be mistaken

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Love the quotes and the illos.  I just know that car will sprout wings and fly Kitteh and Mousie to the next adventure.

Yes, it will  

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@yazeh, thanks once again for making life colorful with your detailed, entertaining InkSplorations!  Keep ‘em coming! 

A pleasure 🙏

[LizEF]

29 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I'll send them to Smoke then 

[lapis]

I way I see it, CALAMVS (yes, with a “V”, https://www.calamvs.de/) is a brand of the company Aratrum (https://aratrum.de/) which is located in Hemslingen, a small town 50 km east of Bremen in Northern Germany. Aratrum also sells/distributes pens and inks from 8 other companies, including notably Kaweco (in Germany since 1883) and Platinum (in Japan since 1919). Who actually manufactures the CALAMVS pens -- and, above all the inks – they don’t say. Also, to digress further, neither the Aratrum site nor the Calamvs site is currently approachable in English.

(CALAMO is an ink collection of the company Stipula, based in Florence, Italy, https://www.stipula.com/product-page/stipula-ink-collection-calamo).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Yup, I got teh namez confoozed.  😵‍💫

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, lapis said:

I way I see it, CALAMVS (yes, with a “V”, https://www.calamvs.de/) is a brand of the company Aratrum (https://aratrum.de/) which is located in Hemslingen, a small town 50 km east of Bremen in Northern Germany. Aratrum also sells/distributes pens and inks from 8 other companies, including notably Kaweco (in Germany since 1883) and Platinum (in Japan since 1919). Who actually manufactures the CALAMVS pens -- and, above all the inks – they don’t say. Also, to digress further, neither the Aratrum site nor the Calamvs site is currently approachable in English.

(CALAMO is an ink collection of the company Stipula, based in Florence, Italy, https://www.stipula.com/product-page/stipula-ink-collection-calamo).

Thanks for clearing up the confusion @lapis

It is my understanding, that the V in Roman alphabet corresponds to the modern U. I'm sure more esteemed and specialized members can clarify this. Hence Calamus on the websites that sell /review the pen/ inks

 

[lapis]

My Latin is now more than one occasionally states as "rusty", but I can assure you that you are absolutely right inasmuch as that a "V" is the 'ol Latin spelling used for a letter in the alphabet where we today usually use a "U".

Small "proof"... that's the reason why the letter "W" in English is pronounced as "double-U".

 

Whew!  🤮

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh A bit too red-leaning a brown for my taste.  But thanks as usual for the comprehensive review (and, given that the Ohio Pen Show is starting this upcoming week, my wallet thanks you as well...).  Not to mention that in the next week or two the driveway people will be coming and that's NOT going to be cheap....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

20 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Yup, I got teh namez confoozed.  😵‍💫

What a calamity  

14 hours ago, lapis said:

My Latin is now more than one occasionally states as "rusty", but I can assure you that you are absolutely right inasmuch as that a "V" is the 'ol Latin spelling used for a letter in the alphabet where we today usually use a "U".

Small "proof"... that's the reason why the letter "W" in English is pronounced as "double-U".

My latin is as the same level as Asterix  and more of Medieval Latin, i.e. singing in choir and not Odes to Zeus  But thanks for confirming what I suspected

By the way, nowadays many browsers have the translate function embedded. On the top right side of the address bar.  

 

[yazeh]

10 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh A bit too red-leaning a brown for my taste.

Same here  

10 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

 

 But thanks as usual for the comprehensive review (and, given that the Ohio Pen Show is starting this upcoming week, my wallet thanks you as well...).  

Then I'm glad I was helpful in this way

10 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Not to mention that in the next week or two the driveway people will be coming and that's NOT going to be cheap....

Oh boy. Driveway people. I wish you luck, and hopefully a good job. 🙏

 

[inkstainedruth]

Well, they were recommended by good friends of ours.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

7 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Well, they were recommended by good friends of ours.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Then you should be good to go

[InesF]

WOW! I love the Thelma & Louise drawing! But I also love the Shaw quote and, sure, the classic quote from Hemingway. And, my hard-start Monday is saved by your ink review - thank you, @yazeh!  And one more thank you for trying to keep mouse and cat dry. It's not your fault when the roof was not fully rain tight. 🤷‍♀️

 

I find it quite interesting that the mixture of pink, blue and yellow separated so nicely in the chromatography. It doesn't happen often.

Unfortunately, that's the most interesting aspect of this ink for me, the colour is not so appealing to me.

 

Looking forward to your next review and press thumbs for cat and mouse!  

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, InesF said:

WOW! I love the Thelma & Louise drawing!

Thanks! 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

But I also love the Shaw quote and, sure, the classic quote from Hemingway.

The Shaw quote is unfortunately so true. One can see history repeating itself, like the Sisyphus myth  

4 hours ago, InesF said:

 

And, my hard-start Monday is saved by your ink review - thank you, @yazeh!  And one more thank you for trying to keep mouse and cat dry. It's not your fault when the roof was not fully rain tight. 🤷‍♀️

I'm glad, I helped your Monday. I though Ancient Roman temples were waterproof

4 hours ago, InesF said:

I find it quite interesting that the mixture of pink, blue and yellow separated so nicely in the chromatography. It doesn't happen often.

Yes, I have a few other brows which have this delightful chroma, creating lovely murky/ earthy browns. 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Unfortunately, that's the most interesting aspect of this ink for me, the colour is not so appealing to me.

Same here

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to your next review and press thumbs for cat and mouse!  

Same here  Anyway, we thankfully have Tuesday and @LizEF