Search the Community

Ink Review : Diamine Händel (Music Collection) Pen: Lamy Safari, M-nib Paper: Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm Review London, summer of 1727. “I have been commissioned to write an anthem for the coronation ceremony of my benefactor Prince George – but what to use as a theme? Now, while attending mass in Westminster Abbey, my eye is drawn to the minister’s vestments. A whirlpool of dusty red and purple shades in the muted light of the cathedral. Ah… this setting inspires my muse. I see the theme of my anthem now… Zadok the Priest anointing King Solomon. Yes… that will be it.” In 2015 Diamine released the Music Collection, a set of 10 subdued ink colours named after well-known composers. In this review, we take a look at Händel. After the above introduction, you're sure to remember that this is a dusty red-purple ink. Diamine Händel is a muted purple ink, with a heavy red undertone as is obvious from the chromatography. The ink works really well in fine nibs – well lubricated, and good contrast with the paper resulting in an easy read. This is one ink that I actually like more in EF, F and M, than in the broader nibs. With broader nibs, the shading becomes very prominent and the red undertones of the purple colour become much more visible. I personally prefer my purples without too much red, so this makes the ink less attractive to me. Below you can see what the ink looks like when heavily saturated. I really poured the ink on Tomoe River paper and let it dry up. This gives you an idea of the ink's behaviour when used in very wet & broad nibs. Händel behaved really well on all the papers I tested – with only a touch of feathering and bleed-through on the Moleskine paper. Drying times varied widely from 5 seconds on absorbent paper, to 20 seconds on more glossy papers (all with M-nib). The ink’s look & feel is fairly consistent across paper types, and the result looks good on both white and more yellow paper. The ink has no water resistance to speak of – even short exposure to water will obliterate your writing. Diamine Händel is a nice muted purple, that looks great in finer nibs. Personally I’m not a fan of the strong red undertones in this ink, but your preferences may vary. Technically, Händel behaves very well on all types of paper. Just be aware that this ink has zero water resistance, so probably not a good ink for the workplace. My overall score: B+ Technical test results on Rhodia N°16 notepad paper using a Lamy Safari

Here's my first review of the Diamine Music Collection inks, all of which are awesome in my book. Diamine Handel is a soft, red-leaning purple ink with an attractive green sheen on heavier deposits. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/912/5lYrjg.jpg

I'm currently reviewing some of my favourite Diamine inks. This is Handel from the Diamine Music Gift set. I didn't think I would ever be able to afford to buy the Diamine Music Gift Set, so I was really pleased to find that Diamine now sell all of their Gift set inks in 30ml plastic refill bottles. To be honest, the glass bottles in the set are much nicer, but as the ink is exactly that same, it means that at least I can try some of them. Water test on the review form shows this isn't a waterproof ink.Bearing in mind the paper I use is very smooth, and I used a stub nib, this ink takes longer to dry than some others.It flows very well and lubricates the nib very well. No start-up problems noticed.It is currently available in the gift set of 10 x 30ml glass bottles, or single 30ml plastic refill bottles.Diamine sell it directly to end-users on their web-site.It's reasonably priced.

Does anyone know if these inks can be purchased separately from the set? If so where could I purchase them? I can't afford the entire set, but I am quite smitten with these two! Thanks!