royal rhubarb ink review swatch and writing sample

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink Review

In today’s Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink review, we’ll get you some details about an ink from this popular ink maker that writers and artists love for its combination of fun and practicality.

All About the Ink Maker: Ferris Wheel Press

Ferris Wheel Press is a stationery company out of Canada with a lovely lineup of products – most obsession-worthy (in the opinion of Pen Chalet customers anyway) are their fountain pen inks. We love that the company’s slogan, “Fall in Love with Writing Again” TM is a shout out in support of writing enthusiasts around the globe. Overall, Ferris Wheel Press inks are water-based with high-quality dyes. Most Ferris Wheel Press inks have deep saturated tones and a low sheen. The brand often releases beautifiul, new colors, and no one can deny that their packaging is above reproach. (Look for more info on the packaging later in the review). Ferris Wheel Press inks are made in Canada and they are fountain pen-safe.

ferris wheel press royal rhubarb ink review
Featured: Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink, Ferris Wheel Press Carousel fountain pen, and Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose Always Right Fether Notebook.

This week’s featured ink, Royal Rhubarb, is from the Ferris Wheel Press Autumn in Ontario Collection.

All About The Ink Series: Ferris Wheel Press Autumn in Ontario Collection

Royal Rhubarb ink is one of the inks in the Autumn in Ontario ink series. There are 6 inks in the complete ink collection, including:

  • Algonquin Maple
  • Autumn in Auburn
  • Beaver Dam Brown
  • Goose Poupon
  • Moss Park Green
  • Royal Rhubarb (this week’s featured ink)

Let’s get to know Royal Rhubarb ink a little better!

All About This Week’s Chosen Ink: Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink Review

ferris wheel press royal rhubarb ink review
Ink ink swatch and ink splash and quick writing sample with today’s featured ink, Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb, on a FWP Color Spectrum swatching notebook.

The Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink is a deep, powerful burgundy ink shade inspired by Autumn in Ontario. The ink goes down dark on paper, and performs well with dip pens, fountain pens, etc.

***Looking for the giveaway that usually accompanies our weekly ink reviews? As always, we’ll forgive you if you skip straight to the bottom of this ink review and enter to win. But remember winners are no longer picked weekly! Instead, we will include the inks featured in our weekly ink reviews as giveaway prizes during our monthly 15 on the 15th: GIVEAWAY DAY with Pen Chalet. Check it out: 15 on the 15th fun (you’re going to love it). 

It’s Time: Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink Review

royal rhubarb ink bottle and box
Featured:
Ferris Wheel Press 38ml Royal Rhubarb ink bottle and box.

We put the featured ink through our standard ink review tests for this Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink review. Read on for a better idea of how it might suit your style, and your collection.

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

For our review of Royal Rhubarb, we used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib) like we usually do in our ink reviews. But this week, instead of the typical Rhodia paper used in most of our ink reviews, we used a Ferris Wheel Press Fether Notebook, the Always Right in Lady Rose. Here’s a complete list of products used during this review:

  • Ferris Wheel Press Fether Notebook – Always Right in Lady Rose (dot grid)
  • Ferris Wheel Press Carousel fountain pen in French Vanilla
  • Ferris Wheel Press Color Swatch Notebook
  • Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink (38ml)
  • J. Herbin Spiral glass dip pen

As always, we want to remind you that different papers or different nib sizes may produce different results!

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink review test results.
Take a look at the Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink review test results.

What Sort of Ink Bottle Does Ferris Wheel Press Use?

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink bottle and box
Get a look at the gorgeous Ferris Wheel Press packaging. Seen here, the 38ml Royal Rhubarb ink bottle and box.

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink comes in their 38ml jewelry-inspired glass ink bottle. (Their outer packaging is completely gorgeous, and very professional – always)! The Ferris Wheel Press products have a strong brand and are given themes – something about Ferris Wheel Press inks that their adoring fans love. This week’s ink is from a collection of inks all inspired by aspects of the autumn season in Ontario. The ink’s packaging also includes extra protection for the ink bottle inside the box. The bottle itself is display quality, heavy-weighted, and collectible. Ink fans will also enjoy the easy to open, unique, and interesting brass lug nut cap with what Ferris Wheel Press describes as a secure locking mechanism to secure against any leaks. We’re also intrigued by the ability to set this 38ml ink bottle on its side (when capped, of course) and stack it with our other Ferris Wheel Press 38ml inks.

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink swatch ink splash and writing sample
Check out the Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink swatch, ink splash, and writing sample.

How Much Do Ferris Wheel Press Inks Cost?

Ferris Wheel Press inks fall in the mid-range price in comparison to other fountain pen inks on the market. Look for the best prices at PenChalet.com.

How Fast Does Royal Rhubarb Ink Dry?

Royal Rhubarb fountain pen ink showed a dry time of approximately 17 seconds with high saturation during our ink review. The ink’s dry time falls outside the range we’d consider a good choice for an everyday ink, so it would be good to consider that this won’t be one of your fastest-drying inks.

Does This Week’s Fountain Pen Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use (and we didn’t see any bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test either).

Was There Any Feathering During the Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink Review?

We saw no feathering during normal use, but we did see some feathering during the water test (which is normal for any non-waterproof ink). We also saw some feathering when we applied Royal Rhubarb in a quick writing sample on the ink color testing card in our Ferris Wheel Press Color Swatch notebook. It’s always interesting to see how some inks perform quite differently on different types of paper.

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water? 

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink is not designed as waterproof, but we like to put all our inks through a water test to see how well (or not) they withstand exposure to water. For the water test, we let our ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before we run a wet cotton swab over the sample and observed the effect on the ink. Here are the results we saw during our Royal Rhubarb ink review water test:

  • Color smearing (typical for any non-waterproof ink)
  • Heavy to moderate line distortion (with minimal water exposure, the lines remained very legible, but with the initial heavy saturation, the lines washed away into a very lovely color smear)
  • Some feathering (depending on the amount of water exposure)
  • This non-waterproof ink doesn’t enjoy exposure to water, and doesn’t hold up against water well.

Does Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink Have Good Shading / Sheening Traits?

This particular Ferris Wheel Press ink doesn’t have a sheen or shimmer, and we didn’t see much shading either (it went down with fairly consistent color during our review). However, it’s possible you could see a bit of shading with Royal Rhubarb ink depending on the pen, nib, and your penmanship. I’d call this a low-shading fountain pen ink.

Final Conclusion on Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb Ink:

Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink is a mid-range price ink with a very beautiful and powerful burgundy-pink color. The deep rhubarb pink ink is low shading, safe for use with fountain pens, and a stunning ink suitable for a wide variety of projects. Ferris Wheel Press inks are known for their fantastic packaging; their 38ml jewelry inspired ink bottles are beautiful, very usable (and also stackable). Royal Rhubarb ink had a higher dry time (about 17 seconds). Happy writing from Canada!

Discover more popular luxury pens and fountain pen inks on our recently reviewed pens and ink page.

Enter to Win This Week’s Ink, Next Week’s Ink & More

Look for the bottle of Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb ink used in this week’s ink review as one of the giveaway prizes in our next 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet! Enter to Win now, and come back next week for another weekly ink review.