Diamine Merlot

[DanielCoffey]

INK : DIAMINE MERLOT

 

PAPER : RHODIA #16 A5 white lined

 

PEN : Onoto Magna 261 Medium nib tweaked for wet flow by John Sorowka (Oxonian)

 

Scanner : IT8-calibrated Epson V600 flatbed

Colour Space : Adobe RGB

Matte : 50% grey and 100% white

Post-process : Unsharp Mask

 

 

Diamine Merlot is a mid-saturated wine-coloured ink which behaves very well on most papers. It gives a good tight line and is easy on the eye. Its tone is slightly more purple than Waterman Havana Brown (Waterman Absolute Brown).

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewMerlot.jpg

 

 

Here is a close-up of the swab. Saturation of this ink is moderate and there is some metallic sheen but it is difficult to isolate...

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewMerlotSwab.jpg

 

 

And a close-up of the shading. In a wet nib there is significant shading. The ink should be considered "medium" in wetness and is well lubricated. It gives a good tight line...

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewMerlotShade.jpg

 

 

Water-resistance is not something that this ink brings to the table. One drip of water and it is gone. On the other hand that makes it very easy to clean out of the pen...

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewMerlotWater.jpg

 

 

DRYING TIMES : The writing tests above were done in a very wet medium nib that had just been cleaned. Drying times were about normal for a Diamine ink... Xerox 90gsm was around 10s. Rhodia and G Lalo Vergé took around 30s and Clairefontaine Triomphe took a good 45s to dry.

 

SMEARING : None on any paper. This ink bonds nicely with the paper and does not sit on top, even on Clairefontaine Triomphe. A careless wipe with a damp finger, however, will result in the colour moving.

 

BLEEDTHROUGH : This ink is fairly tolerant of copy paper but watch it in very wet nibs. Given the wet nib I used above, I recorded the following... Xerox 90gsm had moderate bleedthrough and slight feathering. Rhodia had no bleed through and no feathering. Clairefontaine Triomphe had no bleed through or feathering. G Lalo Vergé had no bleed through or feathering.

 

FLOW AND LUBRICATION : Flow for this ink seems to be medium. I suspect a dry fine nib would have no issues. Lubrication was good in the pen tested (my medium above). The writing experience nice and the ink performed well at a good mix of writing speeds.

 

CLEANING : There were no colour residues left on the converter and this ink washed out very easily. It did not cling to the inside of the converter so a thorough flush and rinse was all that was needed to get the pen clean.

[alexander_k]

This is one I'm ordering soon (together with the new goodies). Thanks for showing it so well.

[DanielCoffey]

Thanks - glad to help fellow IAA members. You will have to wait till tomorrow to see my Bilberry review... another winner I am sure. I have a feeling it will give Grape a run for its money.

[The Good Captain]

A nice review, Daniel. It reminds me just a tad of Scabiosa, before things start to change.

[Ad_Astra]

Looks nice; doesn't seem very water-resistant though. When I saw your Eclipse review, I started to hope that maybe we'd see more Diamine inks leaving a decently water-resistant imprint.

 

Excellent review as always!

[DanielCoffey]

I spoke to Phil at Diamine about water resistance and he said it isn't a question of not being able to, more that they prefer to keep the colours easy to clean.

 

Going down the water resistant road would change the dyes they had available to them. He didn't say it would limit their choice, just change it. He preferred an ink that is simple to wash out of the pen, flows well and can be cleaned in case of accidents. I guess that is Diamine's current direction.

[The Good Captain]

I spoke to Phil at Diamine about water resistance and he said it isn't a question of not being able to, more that they prefer to keep the colours easy to clean.

 

Going down the water resistant road would change the dyes they had available to them. He didn't say it would limit their choice, just change it. He preferred an ink that is simple to wash out of the pen, flows well and can be cleaned in case of accidents. I guess that is Diamine's current direction.

This is one of the main reasons that I and a load of others like Diamine.

[Ad_Astra]

I spoke to Phil at Diamine about water resistance and he said it isn't a question of not being able to, more that they prefer to keep the colours easy to clean.

 

Going down the water resistant road would change the dyes they had available to them. He didn't say it would limit their choice, just change it. He preferred an ink that is simple to wash out of the pen, flows well and can be cleaned in case of accidents. I guess that is Diamine's current direction.

 

Acceptable tradeoff to me; I haven't yet ever spilled anything on a document that's ruined it. Keyboards though...that's a different story. :embarrassed_smile:

[gumwater]

This is a great color that is quickly becoming my burgundy favorite. Thanks for the review.

[shaylenwilliams]

I spoke to Phil at Diamine about water resistance and he said it isn't a question of not being able to, more that they prefer to keep the colours easy to clean.

 

Going down the water resistant road would change the dyes they had available to them. He didn't say it would limit their choice, just change it. He preferred an ink that is simple to wash out of the pen, flows well and can be cleaned in case of accidents. I guess that is Diamine's current direction.

 

Acceptable tradeoff to me; I haven't yet ever spilled anything on a document that's ruined it. Keyboards though...that's a different story. :embarrassed_smile:

 

This is how I feel too! If I want an infallible ink, I'll load it into a "disposable" pen, or grab a Sharpie.

 

That said, this ink looks very similar to PR Black Cherry, which is not for me, but objectively a nice color.

[1962falcon]

Daniel.... You have convinced me to take another look at Merlot, as always a great review. Like you I run a Magna 261, mine has a juicy B nib, it is presently enjoying time with Meadow. Agree with TGC and others about merits of Diamine's direction.....

[Chi Town]

Nice Review! I really like this Diamine Merlot. It is becoming my GoTo ink for my woodgrain Fountain Pens. It just fits those pens "purfectly" I currently have it in the 30mL bolltle, Well the next step is going to be the Bigger bottle as I am going thru the smaller bottle, "but" quickly.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Chi Town

[breaker]

nice review!

thanks!