Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa

Fountain Pen Ink Review

Pen: Lamy 2000, Binderized Medium Nib
Ink: Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa
Paper: Kyokuto F.O.B. COOP – Dot Grid – B5

Notes: I can’t believe how much this ink looks like P.W. Akkerman’s Vorhoot Violet, BUT that’s only for now. Scabiosa is an iron gall ink that will slowly darken as it oxidizes and bonds with the page. I really liked the Akkerman, and it’s nice to have an ink close to it in color that’s much easier to obtain. Scabiosa is an iron gall ink, meaning it’s made from iron salts and tannic acids (usually from oak galls). Since there is a higher level of acidity in the ink that most others, it’s not recommended that you leave it in a fountain pen for more than a week between flushings. The good thing about iron gall ink is it’s permanence and water resistance once it’s set into the page. This kind of ink was used for hundreds and hundreds of years, and most old documents and papers were written with the stuff. The acidity of the ink can corrode through the paper over the centuries, but it’s a durable ink and I think it’s pretty cool that it’s still made and used today. Scabiosa is a nice shade of purple, but after a few days it’ll begin to darken up. The ink does exhibit some nice shading too. If you want to try out the go-to kind of ink that was used for centuries, Rohrer and Klingner’s Scabiosa is a fine example. This ink was also part of the awesome ink sample package that Azizah at GourmetPens.com sent over a few months back – so thanks again!

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