Franklin-Christoph Graphite 4B
Ink Review #34
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
Overview
The color/properties:
Franklin-Christoph Graphite 4B is a deep grey. There’s some light shading that was especially noticeable with the larger nib sizes, and with the finer nib sizes, it presented itself with more solidity. The grey is dark enough that a wetter pen would more than likely eliminate any shading, however, if the ink is laid down too wet it may lose its grey appearance in favor of a deep brown.
There’s also a plasticky smell that I’ve also noticed in several other Franklin-Christoph inks. It’s not as strong in this one and I didn’t notice it while writing, only while doing the ink splats.
Ink Splat
Ink Droplets
Performance on paper:
Graphite 4B’s performance was great. I didn’t experience any bleed-through or feathering on any of the test pages. The dry times were above average, never drying in more than 20 seconds, but often drying within 15. The water resistance was also excellent. When exposed to water, the ink barely smeared, and the remains were perfectly readable.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
I didn’t run into any skips, stops, or hard starts during my tests. Graphite 4B had a consistent medium flow across each of the test nibs, and the ink felt well-lubricated, providing a comfortable and pleasant writing experience. The cleaning process was easy, and the ink washed out in a single soak and flush.
Value/cost per ml:
At the time of writing, Graphite 4B is available from Franklin-Christoph for $8.25 in the 1oz size used in the review. This makes Graphite 4B $.28 cents per ml, but I should note that Franklin-Christoph also offers inks in a 2oz eyedropper for $12.50, bringing the cost down even further.
The bottle/packaging:
Graphite 4B comes in a simple glass bottle with a basic label and no exterior packaging. The glass has a moderate level of transparency, although I found that the ink often sticks to the inner walls of the bottle, leading me to initially mistake the glass for being ambered. The cap has shallow ribs on the edges to assist opening (though I found that they don’t provide as much grip as they would appear to) and there is an inner plug that will help create a seal. The opening is large enough to fit most pens easily, but because the bottle is light and taller than wide, I find that the bottle is lacking in stability for filling.
Score: 67.5/70
Price per ml: 7.5/10
Performance in a pen: 10/10
Performance on paper: 10/10
Color saturation: 5/10
Sheening: 0/10
Shading: 4/10
Dry time: 8.5/10
Water resistance: 8.5/10
Ease of cleaning: 10/10
Bottle form: 1.5/5
Bottle function: 2.5/5
*Only 70 of the 100 available points are required for an outstanding score.My personal thoughts...
What does 4B mean? I’ll assume that it’s referring to the hardness of the lead (graphite) in a pencil. 4B is a tad softer than say, 2B, and comes out a little darker as a result. How well does it match that though? While I can’t say I can match it to a 4B lead specifically (or any other grade for that matter), for the most part, I’d say it looks like graphite. I say for the most part for one reason: sometimes when I look at this ink I see brown. At first, I thought I was crazy, but then I looked at the chromatography and, sure enough, I can see where that’s coming from. That’s not to say that it’s a brown ink, it’s not, but the longer I look at it, especially the ink splats and droplets, the less I see graphite.
And absolutely none of that matters because: we have a dark grey ink that’s inexpensive, performs well, dries fast, is decently water resistant, and is easy to clean. My goodness, did I just find my new daily driver? I think I did. It’s perfect.
Perfect.
Written with a Pineider La Grande Bellezza Forged Carbon (Extra Fine)
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 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