Solferino 
Rohrer & Klingner


       Like most people that are passionate about something, they can't resist sharing that passion with all those around them. This ink is a result of my efforts to expose others to the fountain pen experience. This ink is a great match the Kaweco Sport 'metallic purple' fountain pen and was paired together as a gift. I found the colour and qualities of  Rohrer & Klingner's Solferino quite attractive even though I do not use purple ink.

Solferino - test plate after 3mL of water

     Solferino has a colour spectrum that doesn't veer far from magenta. There is a modest amount of shading that is noticeable on Hilroy more than ink resistant papers like Clairefontaine. There exists an olive green sheen to the ink that can be noticed on the Hilroy sample and the photo of the bottle. I was hopeful that the sheen could be created more easily as I do enjoy this quality. The ink dries reasonably quick and the flow is normal. I experienced no feathering, but did see bleed through on the shading swabs mostly. Water leaves only traces of the ink on the paper and it is relatively easy to clean from pens. The test plate left small traces of ink easily removed by a second rinse.

     The colour of Solferino is bold and bright plus the ink is well behaved. I feel that using the right combination of pen and paper to pull out the sheen properties will make this ink a valuable to most fountain pen users. So far I have not found it, let me know if you do.

Solferino on Hilroy paper

Solferino on Clairefontaine paper

Ink diagrams prepared using:
1.  Speedball C-4 nib in dip pen
2.  Esterbrook #0 nib in dip pen