The Theme is the Thing: FWP Printing Press Inks
For full disclosure, I am an affiliate for Ferris Wheel Press (FWP). I received Bearington Black and Russet Typecase from FWP as part of their creative ambassador program. I purchased Leadcast Letters with my own funds from Atlas Stationers. All opinions about the inks are my own.
I am a total fan of the stories behind objects, whether that is something new or old. I am a firm believe that the value of a thing is the story behind it and the inspiration it brings to its owner. It’s one of the reason I love working in museums and wandering through antique shops. Each object has a story, either how it was invented/made, how it was used, and who owned it. Sometimes we can learn all of these answers and other times only one of the three. Even though I’m now reaching the age where my childhood toys are considered “vintage” it’s still fun to find things with people’s names on them, or a manufacturer that no longer exists, or an object that was an experiment. I recently found a circa 1900 filing box, which had a lot of the features of modern filing cabinets, but had the file dividers hooked into a metal bar at the bottom of the box. It’s a hefty wooden piece and I adore it. Old school office supplies are the best.
The stories make a common object mean something. A fork is not just a fork when you dig into the story of the maker’s mark on the back. A beaten up manual is not just a book when there are notes in the margins from the conductor that carried it in his pocket to make sure the trains ran on time. A fountain pen ink isn’t just blue or gray or orange. The name it carries is the story. The name invokes a memory, time, place, concept, or feeling.
Just to name a few: Wearingeul uses inspiration from literature and mythology from various cultures to create their colors. Colorverse uses space and astronomy (and occasionally Korean culture) for their lineup. Anderillium makes themed sets after animals (so far). Laban pulled from Greek Mythology. And there are many more.
Ferris Wheel Press is similar to the other brands I mentioned, only they created their own fairytale world that gets embellished with every new ink in their “everyday” line. These inks tend to be released in groups of three and surround a theme. Some recent themes have been “a trip to New Orleans”, “a trip to California”, “Retro Holidays”, and “Midnight Masquerades”. Their central character, Bearnice, is usually a focal point, although other members of the cast of characters become their focal point. It’s a cute centering point and with the pretty art they create for their boxes (which should really also be sold as posters), each set tells a different story. One of my favorite sets this year is one that was themed after a fictional printing press company, Bearington & Co. Limited, run by Bearnice’s father Barry Bearrington. Another character involved in the story is Grandmother Grizzelda, who also helps with the printing. Each little bit of the story is portrayed on the boxes.
But now the really important part - the inks themselves. The three colors are Leadcast Letters, Russet Typecase, and Bearrington Black. They are all standard inks with no shimmer (FWP has actually had some really solid non-shimmer inks come out this year). I did all of the writing on Life Bank Paper.
Leadcast Letters is a warm gray with a brown undertone. This leads to really wonderful shading, especially in dip pens and broader nibs. I’m always a fan of an interesting gray and I’ve actually have had it inked up since I bought it in November. I actually almost didn’t own it at all, when it came out it was very popular and I think FWP had some setbacks with production so it was sold out everywhere. Luckily, it is much more readily available now.
Russet Typecase is an earthy orange. It really gives me the vibe of rusty antiques that have been sitting on the shelf for years. It has a very warm, vintage vibe and is a great color for fall. FWP has some really solid orange ink options and this one is no exception.
Bearrington Black really interested me when I first heard they would be releasing a black. A plain black is a first for FWP. There is one other black ink, but it was the special edition Roaring Patina Black and is no longer available. I’m also not sure I even consider that one a black since it’s really more of a dark, dark blue with red sheen and gold shimmer. This one, however, is just that - a black. It’s always interesting to see different brands taking on a color that seems so simple on the surface. Black is black, right? It’s actually a color I really enjoy exploring because some are more gray with varying undertones, some have black sheen, and some are dark, dark, dark. Bearrington Black sits on the dark, dark gray shading end of the black ink spectrum. I really like it and I’m glad that FWP finally has a black in their lineup for those that are in their ecosystem.
I don’t think that FWP is a company necessarily going after people who are already fountain pen fans, but those that are interested in journaling and sketching. Having an option for a black opens them up for more people to find them. I think this set is a nice entry point for folks learning about fountain pens. The colors are simple, but still elegant. No shimmer to deal with. Can work with any pen. The bottles and packaging look fancy and what non-fountain pen people may expect from fountain pen inks. Now that FWP has started making little starter kits for their low end pens, the Carousel (fountain pen) and their new Dabbler (their take on the refillable fineliners), having this set of colors makes sense. They already have some beautiful non-shimmer blues - Storied Blue and Harlequin Dream (more of a blurple) being some of my favorites.
Overall, a really solid set. In my ranking it goes Leadcast Letters, Bearrington Black, and then Russet Typecase. If you are interested in any of these inks, you can get them in 10 mL or 38 mL from Ferris Wheel Press, you can use my code JA-DIME to save 15%. They are also available at several retailers including Atlas Stationers (code DIME10 to save 10%), Vanness Pens, Yoseka Stationery, and most others.
Currently Inked
Winter light is not my friend, but at least you can see the lovely sheen on Diamine Black Ivy and a glimpse of the shimmer in Diamine Happy Holidays and FWP Galeforce Green.
Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters - FWP Carousel Oinking Embers M - I got this pen at the same time and this ink is just so useful when I need a more neutral color to write in.
Ferris Wheel Press Galeforce Green - Kaweco liliput copper 14K B - This grayish green with silver shimmer is part of the Three Little Pigs collection. It’s a pretty color. Greens have definitely grown on me a lot this year, mostly thanks to some of the more recent releases from FWP.
Diamine Happy Holidays - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K M ‘journaler’ - Still rocking this fun ink and debating on a second fill since it’s running low. Blue with red sheen and blue shimmer. Although, there are some pretty cool inks in the first nine days of Colorvent and Inkvent so I may be playing with some of those.
Anderillium Luna Moth Green - Kaweco Art Sport Terrazzo B ‘imperial’ - Just running out of this soft shading green. It was used a lot during some planning and brainstorming sessions this week.
Diamine Black Ivy - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K M ‘selvedge’ - The sheen on this ink is gorgeous. It was my stealth serious ink this week for work meetings. Seems to be a simple green-black until it catches the light.