thINKthursday
Sailor Irori
Warm yourself by the hearth this winter with the vibrant red of Sailor Irori!
An Irori is a traditional sunken hearth used for heating the home and for cooking. The vibrancy of this red certainly evokes the idea of a roaring fire! Irori is part of Sailor’s Seasons line of ink and comes in a 50ml short glass bottle with a plastic filling reservoir. This review was done with a Sailor 1911 F, Lamy Safari B, and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.
Irori is a very saturated bright red ink that has a pink hue. In a fine nib, the ink looks like a true fire engine red. With a broader nib, there was some minimal shading that brought out a pink hue. Areas where a Q-tip or brush was used had a strong golden sheen that was a beautiful juxtaposition to the red, but no sheening occurred when writing with a standard fountain pen.
Sailor inks are some of the most consistent on the market and Irori was no different. Flow was good and feathering and bleedthrough were non-issues. Irori is a very saturated ink, which led to some higher dry times of around 25-30 seconds. The ink was not water resistant and because of the high saturation, clean up was a little more intensive (but nothing that water couldn’t handle).
Irori is a strong, bold color that would be perfect for grading or corrections. It really pops off the page and makes a strong statement of whatever you’re writing. While it has some pink tinges, it should be considered if you’re looking for that perfect red.
As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s right for you.
Ink it up!
Chris
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