Ink Review #2: Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa

Today I will be reviewing my first iron gall ink: Rohrer & Klingner's Scabiosa. This is a waterproof (!) dusty purple with lots of lovely shading.

Rohrer & Klingner have been manufacturing inks since 1982. They have a wide array of inks as well as glass dip pens (which I've been eyeing wistfully). R & K have two irongall inks --Scabiosa, and Salix.

According to Wikipedia, iron gall inks have existed since the middle ages and consist of iron salts and tannic acids. The "gall" refers to tree galls, which are abnormal, external bumps on plants. The inks are traditionally prepared by adding gallotanic acid to iron (II) sulfate, which produces glucose and gallic acid. As a result, these inks are waterproof and will "darken". Because of the formulation, these inks are more acidic than modern inks and have been known to erode steel nibs! Currently, it's recommended to clean your pens regularly (every 4 weeks or so) when using these inks. I veer on the safe side and only use these inks in gold nibs which are corrosion-resistant.

Swabs:

This ink has medium shading and no sheen. It has cool, grey purple tones compared to J. Herbin's Violette Pensee. I love that this is waterproof and that you can see the ink "darken" as you write.

Writing Sample:

I love colors that shade and this is no exception! adore this color and think it would look excellent in all pen colors (especially white)! This ink dries quickly and is waterproof--which makes it one of my favorites for the office.

Overall: Although this is an iron gall ink, I rinse out my pens weekly and make sure to use gold nibs only. This is a beautiful grey-purple that would be perfect in offices and for the fall. I'm pleased with my first Rohrer & Klinger ink and will definitely try out more of their inks in the future.

Disclaimer: This pen was purchased by me and all opinions/photos are my own. This post was not sponsored.