Search the Community

Today I'm reviewing Diamine Macassar A dark brown ink from the standard range. The word ‘macassar’ means a kind of oil that men formerly used on their hair to make it shine and lie flat. Makassar is a spelling variant. Makassar is also a former name of Ujung Pandang, a seaport on SW Sulawesi in central Indonesia. Flow Rate: Very good. Quite wet in the pen & paper combinations I used.Lubrication: Good with the M nib on several different papers, a bit more would have been nice with the Safari F nib.Nib Dry-out: Not noticed.Start-up: Immediate.Saturation: Good.Shading Potential: Some seen with the Safari.Sheen: None seen.Show Through:Tomoe River 68gsm.Cheaper generic 80 & 90gsm printer papers & lined pads.Field NotesTom Bihn LinedWhitelinesSpread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Only a little seen on Field Notes.Nib Creep / “Crud”: Not seen, even after over 1 week in the penStaining (pen): Not seen after several days - easy clean-upStaining (hands): Easy clean-up with bar soap. Two washes required with liquid soap.Clogging: Not seen. Seems unlikely.Water resistance: Quite water resistant, but not sold as waterproof.Availability: Available from Diamine Inks web-site and many other outlets.

Today I'm reviewing Diamine Warm Brown ink Flow Rate: Good. Feels wetter and looks more saturated in broader nibsLubrication: Good on several different papers.Nib Dry-out: Not noticed.Start-up: Immediate.Saturation: Not a saturated inkShading Potential: Very goodSheen: Not seenShow-Through: Tomoe River 52gsm & 68gsm.Cheaper generic 80gsm printer papers & lined pads.Field Notes​The reverse of the image shows more show-through than is actually present on the paper. Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Seen on Field Notes.Nib Creep / “Crud”: Not seen, even after over a week in the penStaining (pen): Not seen - easy clean-upStaining (hands): Not seen - easy clean-upClogging: Not seen. Seems unlikely.Water resistance: Not sold as waterproof, but is water resistant.Availability: Available from Diamine Inks web-site and other outlets.​

This is still quite a rich brown, not as dark and rich as Chocolate Brown, but still a really nice shade, with a hint of red. More of a milk chocolate than a dark chocolate. Saddle Brown is a good name for it, as I remember having a saddle that was this colour a long time ago. I saw some shading because it’s a less saturated ink than Chocolate Brown. It’s drier than Chocolate Brown ink and I noticed that it dried quickly on my thick, coated Xerox paper as well as the other papers I tested it on. I experienced no problems at all while I was writing with it. It had a smooth flow with a lubricated line. II saw no skips or hard starts, and it didn't dry out on the nib while I was doing swab tests. For me it was a well-behaved ink, as well as being a nice colour. It only exhibited show through on Field Notes paper, but so do most inks. It isn't sold as water resistant, but there was a little water resistance. This isn't sold as a waterproof ink, but shows a little water resistance.Bearing in mind the review form paper I use is thick with a shiny surface at 100gsm, and I used Lamy F,M and B nibs, this ink took 10-12 secs secs to dry using the M nib.No smear after dry.It exhibited good flow and I found it smooth to write with. I saw no skips or hard starts while I did swabs and dry time tests.It is currently available in 80ml glass bottles or 30ml plastic bottlesDiamine sell it directly to end-users on their web-site.It's a reasonable price. Chroma Test Strip