Once Christmas and New Year are over then comes January. Often considered the longest month in the year; so, I thought I would review an ink that might brighten things up a little bit.
After some thought I selected Sheaffer Retro Sunset as my ink for January; the criteria was “that sounds like a cool name” and I figured if it lived up to its name then a little bit of sunset might be enough to brighten up a winter month.
So, a little background. The ink is now made in China for A.T. Cross and whilst I’m not really a fan of Cross I have to admit they have done a very nice both with the ink and its packaging. The ink sits in a made to measure dense foam lining in a box that slides out of the outer sleeve like a drawer; this sleeve is secured to the box by the usual discreet adhesive tabs and is printed internally and externally with a design and block colour areas that match the ink; in short Cross have done an outstanding job on the packaging.
On the bottle is a matching label, a colour line around the cap and the Sheaffer dot on the top.
Testing the ink was a bit of a mission; I decided to unscrew the cap as one would normally do but not being The Rock this proved impossible so I had to resort to soaking the cap in very hot water for several minutes to sufficiently loosen it so it could be removed. Before I go on to talk about the ink it’s worth noting that Sheaffer ink bottles contain an ink well (full instructions on leaflet in the box); all you do is tip the bottle and then set it down and you can use the ink well to fill your pen or as I did use it with a dip pen.
The ink was very nice to write with; the colour saturation is spot on for a bright orange and whilst I would say it is a medium wet ink it still dried quite quickly. When writing (using a conventional fine nib dip pen) the ink flowed evenly producing nice text. Layering the swab test created a bright but deeper shade of orange which did not significantly increase the drying time which, for text, was completely dry in just under 20 seconds.
Finally, is it worth your pennies? I think it is and whilst it might not be an ink for work it is definitely one to use when your off the clock and £8.00GBP for 30ml won’t break the bank so treat yourself to a little something that will definitely brighten your January.
Disclaimer: The ink was purchased at retail price. The opinions expressed in this review are my own; and I am not connected with either the retailers or manufacturers in any way.
The Indian Marmalade Company 