Inktend / Ink library / Sugar Kelp

Sugar Kelp

Small-batch Pittsburgh-made inks in house formulas, from everyday Keystone colors to intense sheeners.

Track this bottle → Find this ink ↗Also on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Specs

Color familyWarm tones

Approx. hex#878528

SheenNot typically noted

BrandBirmingham Pen Co.

Paper & pairing

Warm tones (oranges, yellows, ambers) show strong contrast between light and dark areas of each stroke, which is part of why they're popular with broader nibs. This ink will behave predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Cheap, highly absorbent paper (standard copier paper) will dull any ink's saturation and can cause feathering or bleed-through with wetter nibs.

Own a bottle of Sugar Kelp?

Track fills, remaining bottle life, and your real paper swatch in Inktend.

Track it →

About Birmingham Pen Co.

Birmingham Pen Co. is a two-person American ink and pen manufacturer from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, originally based in a warehouse on the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh's Southside and now located in Cranberry Township. The name honors the Southside's old nickname 'Little Birmingham', a nod to Birmingham, UK, the historic center of pen and nib manufacturing. The company hand-produces small batches of fountain pen ink in distinct in-house formulas such as Keystone and Everlasting.

See all Birmingham Pen Co. products →

Storing and using the bottle

Bottled fountain pen ink has an effectively long shelf life when kept capped and out of direct sunlight: most inks remain usable for years. The main risk isn't the ink spoiling, it's a pen sitting inked and unused for weeks: that's what causes clogs, not the ink's age.

Frequently asked questions

What color family is Sugar Kelp?

Sugar Kelp falls into Inktend's warm tones family based on its typical swatch color.

Does Sugar Kelp have sheen?

Sugar Kelp is not typically noted for sheen. If you want that effect, browse similarly colored inks tagged with sheen in the ink library.

How should I store a bottle of Sugar Kelp?

Years, easily, as long as it stays capped and out of direct sunlight. The thing that actually shortens an ink's usable life is sitting unused inside a pen, not sitting on a shelf.

What paper works best with Sugar Kelp?

It behaves predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Stick to something reasonably absorbent-resistant, since cheap copier paper dulls saturation and can feather.

Similar shades By colour distance

Fukuoka Special 2023 - Fukuoka Yuzu Kosho

Shake 'N' Shimmy - Grun Gilt

Robert Oster

Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.