This year, I’ve introduced a new rotation system that hopefully will ensure I use more of my pens, especially those favorites that haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. I’ll write more about specifics once things have broken in a bit more, but the gist is that I’ve divided my pens into several categories (“Desert Island/Favorite” pens, pens from independent makers, limited/special editions from standard makers, favorite brands, etc.), and the goal is to have a 1-2 pens from each category inked up at any given time, cycling in a new pen when one is written dry or at the end of the month, whichever comes first. It’s worked well, but a side benefit of this system is that I’ve been re-inking pens more, and therefore also using more of my ink collection and finally getting around to testing out a number of inks that have been in the queue. Today I’ll talk about two that I’ve really enjoyed, both of which are offbeat colors that pleasantly surprised me.
When wet, as shown here on Midori MD Cotton paper, the ink is a brighter yellow. Note the gold tones on the drier writing sample as opposed to the swab.
Anderillium American Goldfinch Yellow: Finally, a Legible Yellow Ink I Can Use Every Day
For years now, I’ve been on a mission to find a yellow ink. I know, it’s a somewhat odd color to fixate on, but I’ve really been wanting an ink that I can use to both highlight and annotate - one that’s not too dark, but at the same time legible. The latter has been the main problem. Most yellow inks are fine as highlighters, but when you try to actually write with them it looks, well, like you’re writing with a highlighter. You can’t read it easily.
On the off-white Plotter paper, Anderillium American Goldfinch dries to a darker golden yellow hue.
Anderillium inks are known for their offbeat, somewhat unusual takes on classic fountain pen ink colors. As it turns out, “American Goldfinch Yellow,” from their Avian series (based on birds), is exactly what I’ve been looking for. When wet, the ink resembles your classic yellow highlighter, but dries to a richer gold color that’s almost, but not quite, orange. It’s legible enough to use for annotation or everyday writing, depending on your use case. I currently have this ink in my Franklin-Christoph Model 20 in “Winter Pine” acrylic, paired with a medium S.I.G. (Stub Italic Gradient) nib that’s an excellent match for how I want to use this ink.
Of the two inks I’m reviewing today, American Goldfinch Yellow is the one that’s widely available, and we carry Anderillium Inks in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, priced at $14.50 per bottle. I’ve previously reviewed other colors in the series as well, including Cuttlefish Brown, the Michigan Avenue Chicago Pen Show Special Ink, Colossal Squid Dark, and Green Kingfisher Green.
Ferris Wheel Press Roaring Patina Black
One of Ferris Wheel Press’s 2022 limited releases, I hesitated to pick this one up giving my limited use of shimmer ink, but I’m glad I have a full bottle. Roaring Patina Black is a relatively uncommon pairing of a rich black ink with gold shimmer and, according to Ferris Wheel Press, a red sheen. (I’ve not seen much of the sheen, but I’ve also not been using the right paper as most of my writing has been “practical” so far this month.) I wouldn’t characterize this ink as a pure black, as it has some rich blue/purplish-undertones that complement the gold highlights.
Roaring Patina Black features what I refer to as “subtle shimmer” - it’s not so in-your-face glittery that you can’t use it for work, and the shimmer particles are fine enough that they won’t clog your pen. I’ve had this ink in my Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Macassar for the past two weeks without issue, and the “Art Deco” theme of this ink perfectly matches the look of the pen. Unfortunately, Roaring Patina Black was released as a limited edition so it’s no longer widely available, and I was unable to find any retailers with the ink in stock. If you can find it, buy it, because it probably won’t last very long. I enjoy Ferris Wheel Press inks, but looking back I haven’t reviewed very many, other than Peppermint Drop, another red sheener.
This week’s review pens: Franklin-Christoph Model 20 in Winter Pine (left) and Graf von Faber-Castell Classic Macassar.
Longtime readers of this site will know that I don’t use crazy inks: 80% of the time my pens are inked up with standard dark blue / dark green / dark red, but for the other 20% I like to play around with more offbeat colors. That said, even with more unusual ink colors or properties, I have little patience for inks that bleed, feather, and never dry, or only work on certain specific papers with certain nibs. Neither of the two featured here have given me any problems. Sometimes you have to hunt around - sometimes for a very long time - but well-behaved, relatively low-maintenance inks do exist outside of the standard blue/black/blue-black color scheme!
Note: Though I’ve found it to work fine in fountain pens, Ferris Wheel Press Roaring Patina Black is a shimmer ink, meaning that the ink contains fine particles of gold shimmer material. If left in a pen for too long and allowed to dry out, all shimmer inks will clog your pen. If this happens, flushing the pen with water should resolve any issues, but it’s always a best practice to clean your pen every few weeks if you’re using inks such as these.
The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain third-party affiliate links or paid advertising. I purchased the Ferris Wheel Press Ink with my own funds, for my own use.