Ferris Wheel Press Pumpkin Patch
Ink Review #14
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Overview
The color/properties:
Ferris Wheel Press Pumpkin Patch is a vibrant orange that shades with a soft gradient that can vary anywhere from a near yellow to a light, bright orange. The deeper orange hues are vibrant without appearing unnatural, while the lighter, more yellow tones provide a contrast that’s warm, rustic, and autumnal. Wetter pens will bring out more of the deep orange, but not so much that it appears artificial.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
Pumpkin Patch performed well during my assessments. I didn’t encounter any feathering or bleed-through on any of the test pages. Dry times were average at anywhere between 10 to 20 seconds but were the best on both the Rhodia and Maruman papers. Unfortunately, the water resistance was weak. There’s some slight retention, but the color washes away easily and creates a yellow-orange fog that may be legible, but individual results will vary.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Pumpkin Patch’s performance was good, but not perfect. Most of the test nibs wrote fine, with medium-wet flow that felt well lubricated. Unfortunately, I ran into multiple stops with the needlepoint on the Maruman and Kokuyo paper. I also had consistent hard starts on all the test papers while using the broad nib. I was surprised by this because out of all the test nibs, the broad nib seemed to come out the wettest. Performance issues aren’t uncommon with orange inks, however, and individual outcomes will vary a lot. Cleaning the ink out of the pen was easy. The water ran clear after a quick flush with no residue left over in the barrel or on the piston, which I’m often concerned about with orange inks.
Value/cost per ml:
Standard price for this ink at the time of writing is $22 (from US retailers) for a 38ml bottle putting this ink at $0.58 per ml. It can also be purchased in a larger 85ml bottle for $35 USD
The bottle/packaging:
Both the box and bottle look fantastic. It comes in the standard Ferris Wheel Press flat bottle (unless you get the 85ml) with the brass cap and an outer box with some beautiful artwork. The pumpkin with the brass cap is an excellent touch. Unfortunately, it’s not as practical as it is beautiful. The bottle feels unstable and the neck is extremely narrow. The brass cap also makes the bottle top heavy and even more prone to tipping over if it’s disturbed. I strongly recommend using something to stabilize the bottle when filling.
Score: 59/70
Price per ml: 5/10
Performance in a pen: 8.5/10
Performance on paper: 10/10
Color saturation: 5/10
Sheening: 0/10
Shading: 6/10
Dry time: 7/10
Water resistance: 1/10
Ease of cleaning: 10/10
Bottle form: 5/5
Bottle function: 1.5/5
*Only 70 of the 100 available points are required for an outstanding score.My personal thoughts…
Pumpkin Patch. What a captivating name. So full of promise. And it had my attention on the spot when I first observed it. But does it live up to the name? I’m delighted to say that it does. It’s not just that it’s pumpkin colored — there’s enough color variation here that it brings so much more to the table. It’s earthy. Rustic. Like a pumpkin patch. The price may be somewhat high, the bottle may make me nervous every time I open it, but none of that matters. It’s the pumpkin-themed ink I always wanted.
Written on Cosmo Air Light paper with a #6 Journaler nib
More images/info:
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 7 nib units including a Needlepoint grind, EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub, and an Architect grind. All nibs are tuned to perform at the same medium wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A 68gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook
Other pumpkin-themed colors:
