We haven’t had a new ink brand party in ages – and it’s time get got one started. Please welcome….{insert drumroll here}….Ferris Wheel Press inks! In fact, we haven’t just invited Ferris Wheel Press inks to the Official Pen Chalet Pen Party – we’ve invited the whole Ferris Wheel Press lineup: fountain pen inks, ink charger sets (we adore these beautiful, tiny sample size curated ink sets), the Box of Fascinations (basically, it’s an ink charger PARTY and the best gift a pen and ink fanatic could ask for this holiday season), Ferris Wheel Press Brush fountain pens, Ferris Wheel Press The Scribe ballpoint pens, and more to come soon! BUT today, we’re replacing our weekly ink review with a Ferris Wheel Press ink feature – showing off 6 random inks from different Ferris Wheel Press ink series.

Hoping to enter to win one of the featured Ferris Wheel Press inks in our traditional giveaway and feeling antsy? Not a problem. We can accommodate antsy. But before we do…quick reminder: we don’t give away the inks each week anymore, they’re all included in the prizes for 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet. And that was your link to enter to win in case you missed it. Good luck!

Ferris Wheel Press Fountain Pen Inks: An Overview

We’ve seen Ferris Wheel Press inks around and we love their style. Their packaging is delightful, creative, and innovative. Their brand tells a story you want to hear over and over, and their product line fills a need while also inspiring the imagination. They also offer a wide variety (and number) of fountain pen inks, so we can’t possibly them all at once.

Ferris Wheel Press Fountain Pen Ink: What You Need to Know

Ferris Wheel Press makes their fountain pen inks with high quality dyes and resins. Here at Pen Chalet, we currently carry their best-selling 38ml bottle size along with the “ink charger set” we mentioned previously. (Click here for more information on the Ferris Wheel Press ink charger sets or the Box of Fascinations).

The Ferris Wheel Press 38ml Ink Bottle:

The 38ml ink bottle has a unique shape and cap. The shape is described as having a jewelry inspired silhouette. The ink bottle is glass, and features very clear labeling with a sticker in the color of the ink with the color name also printed on the sticker covering the entire back of the bottle. On the front of the ink bottle, you get to enjoy the beautiful Ferris Wheel Press logo alongside one of their classic carnival-chic pen and inkscapes in gold. The lovely glass ink bottles are paired with their signature brass cap including a secure locking mechanism. The 38ml ink reservoirs are far more versatile than you expect from an ink bottle, they stand upright, they can lay flat, and they can stack (see image below).

About Ferris Wheel Press Inks: Common Traits and Characteristics

Ferris Wheel Press inks are known for their rich, saturated tones. They’re also usually beautifully shaded with low sheen. The water based inks are safe for use with fountain pens, dip pens, etc.

Other Products and Supplies We Used During Today’s Ink Feature:

For today’s ink feature, we used a J. Herbin Spiral Glass Dip Pen in Sand along with a Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book and spare Col-o-ring paper cut into squares for use during the Dry Test and Water Test. We also kept a Dee Charles Pen Wipe nearby to cover our bases. Other supplies used include: cotton swabs, water, and ink syringes.

The Ferris Wheel Press Inks Showcased in Today’s Ink Feature:

To appease the masses, and keep things under control, we’ve picked 6 random Ferris Wheel Press fountain pen inks to showcase today:

• Jelly Bean Blue from the Ferris Wheel Press Gourmet Summer Ink Collection
• Lady Rose also from the Ferris Wheel Press Gourmet Summer Ink Collection
• Tanzanite Sky from the Ferris Wheel Press Original Trio Ink Ink Collection
• Bluegrass Velvet also from the Ferris Wheel Press Original Trio Ink Collection
• Autumn in Auburn from the Ferris Wheel Press Autumn in Ontario Ink Collection
• Edwards Gardens from the Ferris Wheel Press Twilight Garden Ink Collection

To help you figure out how you feel about Ferris Wheel Press inks and if they’re a good fit for your ink collection…we ran a couple simple tests (a dry test, and a water test) and created side by side ink swatches, writing samples, and ink splashes for your viewing pleasure. For the dry test, we wrote a sample introducing the name of the ink, waiting 3 seconds, and then swiped it with a cotton swab. We then escalated to 6 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, etc. to determine an approximate dry time for each ink. (Some inks we skipped past the lower numbers for expediency as it was obvious they were not drying in 3 seconds). For the water test, we wrote out ‘Let’s do a water test!”, waited 3 minutes, and then ran a wet cotton swab over the writing sample. You can see the results below.

The Dry Test: How Fast Do Ferris Wheel Press Inks Dry?

The fastest drying inks out of today’s fountain pen inks was Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose ink from their Gourmet Summer ink collection. Although, at 10 seconds, it wasn’t a wildly fast dry time. Ferris Wheel Press inks seem to be, as described, rich and saturated, and as is often expected with this type of ink, we saw some longer dry times.

Here are the results of the dry time test in order from fastest dry time to slowest:

• Lady Rose Ink (about 10 seconds)
• Tanzanite Sky (about 12 seconds)
• Autumn in Auburn ink (about 13 seconds)
• Jelly Bean Blue (about 13 seconds)
• Bluegrass Velvet ink (about 13 seconds)
• Edwards Gardens ink (about 14 seconds)

The Water Test: How Do Ferris Wheel Press Inks Stand Up to Water?

First we’ll point out the winner of today’s Most Water Resistant award. The MOST water resistant Ferris Wheel Press ink in today’s ink comparison (and remember we chose 6 in stock Ferris Wheel Press inks at random to offer up an overview of the new brand’s performance possibilities) appeared to be Lady Rose ink. In fact the lady seemed almost impervious to water. Very impressive, Lady Rose, very impressive, indeed. Particularly since you also dried the fastest of this group of inks.

We chose today’s Most Water Resistant Ferris Wheel Press ink award winner based on which ink had the most legible writing with the least amount of distortion after the water test (running a wet cotton swab over a writing sample after it dried for 3 minutes).

Today’s inks in order of most water resistant to least water resistant:

• Lady Rose ink
• Autumn in Auburn ink
• Bluegrass Velvet ink
• Edwards Gardens ink
• Jelly Bean Blue ink
• Tanzanite Sky ink

Which Ferris Wheel Press Inks Offered Shading & Sheening Traits?

For your info (so we’re all on the same page): When we refer to sheen, we’re talking about a visible metallic-like overlay that shows up after some inks dry. When we talk about shading, we’re referring to variations of the ink’s base color (lighter or darker colors that are visible after the ink dries).

When considering the 6 Ferris Wheel Press inks in today’s ink feature, three of the inks showed signs of sheening during our normal writing samples (reserved almost exclusively for high saturation points): Edwards Gardens, Bluegrass Velvet, and Autumn in Auburn. However, when applied in a particularly heavy saturation level (like in the ink splashes), we not got to see the extreme possibilities. 2 of the inks that showed signs of sheening in the normal writing sample showed very drastic sheening capabilities at the heaviest saturation levels. And we added a 4th that held back a bit during the writing samples.

1. Edwards Gardens veered from a deep, steady turquoise to a violet pink metallic sheen set off by a third distinct color most easily described as a shimmery aged brass color.
2. Bluegrass Velvet also showed extreme sheening capabilities at the heaviest saturation levels veering from a vivid turquoise to a shimmering gray teal to a a mauve purple.
3. Autumn in Auburn showed similar sheening capabilities as seen in the normal writing sample (with most of this ink’s magic being in the shading possibilities), but at the heaviest saturation points, the darkest tones carry a bit of shimmer.
4. Jelly Bean Blue hid its sheening capabilities during the writing sample, but made them quite clear in the ink splash – showing a pinky red to vy with the deep sea blue.

The top shading performer in today’s Ferris Wheel Press ink comparison was Autumn in Auburn followed closely by Lady Rose and Tanzanite Sky. Autumn in Auburn showed shades of orange from tangerine through to candlelight orange through to a deep orange-brown and veering towards a black-orange at the wettest points. Lady Rose showed lovely shading possibilities with a wide array of pink shades veering towards a dusty dark purple. Tanzanite Sky is a very dark, powerful purple that holds pops of Indigo and veers towards a deep purple-black at the other end of the spectrum. We also some some shading possibilities with Ferris Wheel Press Bluegrass Velvet ink with the vivid turquoise veering through towards grey-turquoise (although the shading traits were overshadowed by the major sheen capabilities).

Check back often for full ink reviews (weekly) and our ink comparisons and ink features that pop up once a month or so! And, as always, find your favorite pens and inks at PenChalet.com.

Enter to Win a Ferris Wheel Press Fountain Pen Ink:

Enter to win a bottle of Ferris Wheel Press ink during 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet!

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