Jim P.

Father, geek, serial hobbyist.

I have mixed feelings about Endless Alchemy Candy Sea. It looks great, but it’s not very unique (there are many blue+heavy red sheen inks out there), and it sometimes has drying issues. For example, parts of the swatch were still tacky after a week. On top of that, it has a tendency to dry out pens faster than usual and gum things up, which leads to hard starts and clogs.

Scans

Scans don’t typically show much sheen, but this sheens so heavily it still makes an appearance, though not as prominently.

Scan of an ink swatch card made from Col-o-ring paper Scan of an ink swatch card made from Iroful paper Scan of an ink swatch card made from MD paper
Swatch Card Scans. Click to enlarge.

The scans do make it easier to see how it shades in some cases, and the areas with less ink have little to no sheen.

Video

This video was taken inside a light tent where the even light is not the best for showing off sheen, but even under these less-than-ideal conditions, it’s still easily visible.

Video of the swatch tilting to show changes in sheen

Photos

Iroful and MD show stark differences in the sheen depending on the angle of the light. Col-o-ring is more even and less interesting, so it’s not shown here.

Low angle photo an ink swatch card. Overall the ink is a deep, dark blue with heavy dark red reflective sheen. The card is an Iroful swatch card with an outline of a paint palette. Inside the palette is mostly filled in with swirls of midnight blue ink and areas reflecting magenta. Some areas with more ink are even darker blue, and areas with even more ink are reflecting magenta. Even lower angle photo an ink swatch card. Overall the ink is a deep, dark blue with some areas of even darker blue, almost black. The card is an Iroful swatch card with an outline of a paint palette. Inside the palette is mostly filled in with swirls of midnight blue ink. Some areas with more ink are even darker blue, and areas with even more ink are almost black.
Photos of swatch cards to show sheen. Click to enlarge.

Microscope

Microscope photos show heavy red sheen and a much lighter cyan where less ink has settled.

Microscope photo of ink on the Iroful swatch card. Paper fibers are visible. On the right the ink is dark blue with even darker blue on the paper fibers. Some have a slightly red tint. On the left is very reflective and varies between purple and magenta.
Ink under Magnification. Click to enlarge.

Writing Samples

Writing samples also vary by light angle, here are a few photos of writing in an Endless Storyboard spiral notebook.

Writing sample on dot grid paper First line reads "Endless Alchemy Candy Sea" followed by four "x" shapes and some swirls. The text is underlined with a variable-width line. The ink appears to be a dark blue color. Second line reads "Endless Alchemy Mystic Forest" followed by three trees, four "x" shapes, and some swirls. The ink appears to be a dark green color. Writing sample on dot grid paper First line is partially visible, reads "Endless Alch". The text is underlined with a variable-width line. The ink is blue and there is a noticeable reddish sheen on portions of the lines in the writing. Second line is partially visible, reads "Endless Al". The ink is dark green. Writing sample on dot grid paper First line is partially visible, reads "y Candy Sea" followed by an "x". The text is underlined with a variable-width line. The ink is blue and there is a noticeable reddish sheen on portions of the lines in the writing. Second line is partially visible, reads "my Mystic Forest" followed by a green blob. The ink is dark green.
Writing Samples. Click to enlarge.

Chromatography

The chromatography seperates out into sort of a blue-gray, cyan, and dark blue at the leading edge.

Photo of chromatography paper under UV light.
Chromatography strip photo under UV light

Nothing too noteworthy under UV light.

Group Photo

A wider view of a couple swatch cards and chromatography to show them in visible light. Nothing too surprising here compared to the other images, but it does show how evenly the col-o-ring swatch sheens.

Photo of two ink swatch cards and a chromatography strip. Both cards have text reading "Endless Alchemy Candy Sea" followed by an X and curlicue in a stub and EF nib width. Overall the ink is a deep, dark blue with heavy dark red reflective sheen. The top card is an Iroful swatch card with an outline of a paint palette. Inside the palette is mostly filled in with swirls of midnight blue ink and areas reflecting magenta. Some areas with more ink are even darker blue, and areas with even more ink are reflecting magenta. The bottom is a Col-O-Ring swatch card. It has a large vaguely circular blob of ink that appears to be purple with some areas closer to magenta, but the entire surface appears reflective. The chromatography strip starts sort of a blue-gray, then a little clear, then gradually darkens to medium blue then very dark blue around the leading edge.
Group photo of Iroful, Col-o-ring, and a chromatography strip

Uniqueness

I don’t think I have all that much ink in the grand scheme of things and even I have three other inks with similar properties, though one is just a sample vial:

Verdict

It has more than its share of drawbacks, but it is worth the trouble since it looks nice on the page.

As with similar problematic inks, either use a pen that seals very well, or use it fast before it can dry out and gum up the feed.

Based on a Mastodon Post

Updated:

Questions or comments? Contact me on Mastodon

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