3 Oysters DIY My Color Kit

3 Oysters recently sent me their new DIY My Color kit to try out, so I’ve been having fun all week coming up with different ways to use it.

The kit comes in a useful silver tin, packaged well. The kit includes:

• 10-5ml bottles of ink

• 2-5ml bottles of ink toner

• 1 glass pen-mine is green

• 2-5ml beakers

• 1-5ml empty glass bottle with eyedropper top

• Instruction book

• 4 coloring postcards

The instructions show how to mix inks, how to create lighter and darker colors, and a sample chart of possible colors. You can see this chart re-created below.

Swabs:

Left to right: Black, Brown, Red, Magenta, Orange, Yellow, Green, Emerald, Cyan and Violet.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there is just a little bit of bleeding, mainly in the swabs and the Violet color.

Other properties: low shading, tiny to no sheen, and no shimmer. Violet shows some green sheen, Black shows some grey sheen and Cyan shows some pink sheen. I was only able to see the sheen in large swabs on Tomoe River paper, but none in writing.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as bleeding, so I would not recommend these inks for cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

For these comparisons, I wanted to show some alternatives, as well as coming up with a set of inks you could create yourself from one brand to get a similar mixing kit. Since I have a lot of Diamine inks, and they generally mix safely, I made sure I showed a Diamine alternative for each color.

Black is similar to Sailor Jentle Black, although they are not an exact match-the Sailor ink has a cooler tone, as does Diamine Jet Black.

Brown is similar to SBRE Brown, Diamine Ochre is a bit less orange than 3O Brown.

Red is similar to another 3 Oysters ink I have already reviewed-Chili Red, but Diamine Tulip is another alternative.

Magenta is similar to Monteverde Garnet, Robert Oster Hot Pink and Diamine Claret.

Orange is similar to Diamine Blaze Orange, Montblanc Lucky Orange and Sailor Jentle Apricot.

Yellow is similar to Diamine Sunshine Yellow, Pilot Iroshizuku Daikokuten and Private Reserve Buttercup.

Green is closest to Colorverse Supernatural, but Diamine Meadow is another close alternative.

Emerald is almost an exact match for 3 Oysters Aqua Green, but is also similar to Colorverse Morning Star and Diamine Steel Blue.

Cyan is almost an exact match for 3 Oysters Blue, but is also similar to Colorverse Supernova, KWZ Hawaii Blue and Diamine Asa Blue.

Violet is similar to Diamine Lavender and warmer than Colorverse Hayabusa and Waterman Tender Purple, but Tender Purple does have a similar green sheen.

I had a lot of fun re-creating the sample chart from the instructions. I simply mixed 50-50 ratios of each of the colors. So many possibilities from 10 basic inks. I did notice that there wasn’t a lot of difference in the mixes with orange and brown. They are pretty close on their own, so their mixes looked pretty similar.

I love that you can create gradients with this kit. I did notice that it takes twice as many toner drops to create the same change one drop of black can make. For example, 4 drops of toner would create a similar difference to 2 drops of black.

Finally, I made two of my own mixes. What I called Moody Teal is a mix of Emerald, Red and Toner-I picked the name while it was still wet, but it dried to more of a green than teal. It almost reminds me of Robert Oster Sydney Darling Harbour, but darker. Moody Blue is a mix of Red, Cyan and Black. Again, I named it while it was still wet, but it dried to more of a teal. There are so many different colors you could create.

Overall, I really enjoyed this kit, and was impressed by how well thought-out it was. There are so many possibilities. I was sad when I quickly ran out of certain colors (I ran out of Black and Emerald first), so I was excited to find that Cityluxe has the inks for sale individually. UPDATE: I just found out that Vanness Pens (USA) has them in stock and on sale!

Disclaimer: This product was provided by 3 Oysters for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #967: Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri

I’ve been using a lot of Pilot inks lately but haven’t reviewed them all yet, so today we are looking at Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri aka “Wild Chestnut”. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Yama-guri is a medium brown with a purple undertone.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more purple than black, with some antique gold sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, low sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen is only visible in the flex nib and swabs on Tomoe River paper.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in all nib sizes but just a tiny bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Yama-guri is a bit lighter than Robert Oster Motor Oil and a bit cooler than Diamine Espresso. Click here to see the Pilot Iroshizuku inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Montegrappa Copper Mule with a fine nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. It has a nice wet flow and some decent shading. It’s a great go-to brown, I think I would use it most in the winter. I did recently find out that the price of these Iroshizuku inks will be going up in January 2020, so if you are considering buying one it’s a great time to do it.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #966: Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho

Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-ho aka “Grain of Rice” has been on my list to review for a long time. A reader recently sent me a sample for review so let’s try it out. You can purchase this ink at Pen Chalet.

The color:

Ina-ho is a medium yellow-brown with lots of character.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks much darker but still has plenty of shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in all nib sizes but just a tiny bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Ina-ho is lighter and more yellow than Robert Oster Khaki and Noodler’s Banker’s Tan. Click here to see the Pilot Iroshizuku inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M200 Gold Marbled with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I love this ink so much I ordered a full bottle. It has a great color, wonderful wet flow and lots of shading. Pilot does a great job on their Iroshizuku line, and this one is no exception. It’s definitely worth a try!

Disclaimer: I received a sample of this ink from a reader for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #965: Kyo-iro #01 Stone Road of Gion

I received a sample of Kyo-iro #01 Stone Road of Gion in a sample swab a year ago, but never got around to playing with it, so let’s try it out. You can purchase this ink at Pen Chalet.

The color:

Stone Road is a cool-tone medium brown. I really enjoy this color, I find it a more appropriate color in the winter when I want all the cool tones.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shows off some of its pretty shading. The more ink there is the cooler in tone it appears.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in all nib sizes but just a tiny bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Stone Road is darker than Montblanc Swan Illusion but lighter than Monteverde Moonstone. All three have a similar cool-tone vibe to them. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Studio Terracotta with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had a dry flow. This nib and ink together created some beautiful shading.

Overall, I love the color of this ink, but it is very dry. It’s a good ink, but I would add a drop of White Lightning (ink additive) to make it flow better and then I think it would be a great ink.

Disclaimer: I received a sample of this ink from a sample swap. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #964: Organics Studio Frog Green Shimmer

Lisa Vanness, owner of Vanness Pens occasionally hands me some random inks to try. When I saw her last at the Pelikan Hub one ink she gave me was Organics Studio Frog Green Shimmer.

The color:

Frog Green is a bright, vibrant green with gold shimmer.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink turns almost black where it pooled heavily, and shows off a lot of gold shimmer. It doesn’t have any sheen though.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-this ink feathered on Rhodia, mostly in the flex nib.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib on Rhodia and a little bit on Leuchtturm.

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in all nib sizes and bleeding in the flex nib.

Comparison Swabs:

Frog Green is a little bit darker than Diamine Golden Oasis, but has a similar vibe-bright green with gold shimmer. Click here to see the Organics Studio inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Green with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had a dry flow, I think due to the shimmer making it seem drier than it would without. The shimmer seemed to stick to the sides of the ink chamber rather than completely mixing in with the ink. The ink only clogged once as I wrote this page.

Overall, it’s not the best shimmer ink I’ve tried, but it’s not the worst. I like it better than the Organics Studio Amino Acid shimmer inks I’ve tried, but don’t like it as much as the Robert Oster or Diamine shimmer inks. Diamine Golden Oasis is similar enough that I don’t think I need both.

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by Vanness Pens for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

SEQES Dotted Hardcover Notebook

I reviewed the Archer and Olive notebook earlier this year and was really disappointed in how it handled fountain pens, so I’ve been looking for a good alternative. I recently watched a YouTube comparison of a few different 160gsm notebooks, and the winner was this SEQES dotted hardcover notebook, aka the QiHeng notebook. After watching the comparison I decided to give the winner a try. I purchased my notebook from Amazon. It arrived quickly with a nice boxed packaging, some page flags and a ballpoint.

The details:

The notebook measures 5.7’’ x 8.2’’ x 0.9” and features a grey linen cover, elastic closure, pen loop and two bookmarks. The one thing that stuck out to me was that the pen loop is secured with a metal stud rather than just glued in. I thought it would interfere with how I use it, but it I didn’t even notice it while using the notebook.

The paper is white, 160gsm sturdy paper, similar to card-stock. It has a light 5mm dot grid and rounded corners.

The dot grid is nice and light-the dots don’t interfere with use.

Fountain Pens:

All of the pen/ink combos I tried had almost no show through and no bleeding. The juiciest broad nib was the one that had some show through, as well as the large swab. There was a little bit of feathering in the broadest nib, but other than that the paper handled everything well.

Pencils and Gel Pens:

The paper handled all of the gel pens, pencils and markers well except the sharpie which had some bleeding.

The Seqes notebook is on the left, and the Archer and Olive notebook I reviewed previously is on the right. They are very similar in almost every way except the paper and the price-the Seqes handles fountain pens so much better than the Archer and Olive, and does it at half the price too.

Overall, I enjoyed this notebook for both fountain pens and gel pens. I’ve been using this notebook for a while now, and find myself reaching for it often.

Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There is an affiliate link on this page but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #963: Franklin-Christoph Dark Chocolate

I received a sample of Franklin-Christoph Dark Chocolate in a sample swap over a year ago and haven’t played with it much, so today’s the day. This ink doesn’t seem to be for sale at Franklin-Christoph anymore so I’m unsure where you can find it now.

The color:

Dark Chocolate is a dark brown with a slight purple tone. The ink looks warmer on the Col-o-ring paper than it does in writing.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks almost black.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Dark Chocolate is darker than Robert Oster Smokescreen. In writing it looks similar to Colorverse Space Laika. Click here to see the Franklin-Christoph inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Petrol with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. I love the cool tone it has in writing. Since this ink doesn’t seem to be available anymore, Robert Oster Smokescreen or Colorverse Space Laika are good alternatives.

Disclaimer: I received this ink as part of a sample swap with a friend. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Private Reserve Fall Ink Set

I’ve had very limited experience with Private Reserve inks. The first PR ink I tried was a sample of Cosmic Cobalt, and I liked it fine. Then I tried Buttercup, a pale yellow that can be hard to see, but I love the color and used it often-until the bottle went moldy. I became very hesitant to try their inks, just based on my experience. Recently Private Reserve was purchased by a new owner in January 2018. She has done a lot of work in updating the brand and creating some new products including 7 new sample packs. I was still hesitant to try them until I spoke to a vendor at the San Francisco Pen Show who knew the new owner. He answered all my questions, so I went ahead and purchased one of the new sample sets. The Fall Sample Pack includes 4-15ml bottles, all with an autumn color theme: Chocolat, Copper Burst, Fiesta Red and Shoreline Gold. I wish I could remember the name of the vendor I spoke to, but unfortunately I don’t. You can find the sample pack online at Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Chocolat, Copper Burst, Fiesta Red and Shoreline Gold.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None in writing-just a little in the swab on Leuchtturm and Rhodia.

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a little bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Chocolat is a bit darker than Diamine Bach.

Copper Burst is less saturated than Monteverde Pumpkin Cake.

Fiesta Red is less saturated than Birmingham Carnelian Silk.

Shoreline Gold is a little more yellow than Robert Oster Terracotta.

The full set inked up.

I used a Lochby Lined Blank A5 notebook (Tomoe River 68gsm). All of the inks had an average flow.

Overall, all four of these inks are well-behaved and even have a little bit of shading. I love the 15ml sample size, and that they come in a set. They are great basic inks, and I will absolutely try more of their inks in the future.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #958: KWZ Honey

I got a sample of KWZ Honey about a year ago in a sample swap but never played with it much. When I actually spent some time with it I realized I would need to pick up a bottle ASAP, so I picked up a bottle from Vanness Pens at the San Francisco Pen Show.

The color:

Honey is just that-the color of golden honey. It’s a gorgeous color for fall.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper there is a range of brown and gold shades but no sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Honey is closest to Colorverse String. Click here to see the KWZ inks together, and click here to see the yellow inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had a wet flow. This pen/ink combo makes me so happy. This ink basically lives in this pen because I enjoy it so much.

Overall, I love this ink so much. It has a nice wet flow, gorgeous shading and amazing color. The dry time is a bit longer than normal, but it’s so well behaved otherwise that the dry time doesn’t bother me. When my bottle runs out I will be buying another.

Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.