Diamine Sapphire Blue Smells Like Mould (Mold)?

[SNAK]

Could some one who owns Diamine Sapphire Blue ink go and smell your bottle of ink for me please?

 

I just ordered a few bottles of ink directly from Diamine UK, and among them is a 30ml plastic bottle of Sapphire Blue. As soon as I opened the cap, I noticed the unmistakable mouldy smell. Very strongly.

 

If you have this ink, can you tell me if your Sapphire Blue smells differently from other Diamine inks you own? I have 20 odd other Diamine inks and most of them don't have any smell, or some of them have just a faint solvent type of smell. But this bottle just stinks! And I know what mould smells like. When you lived in an old house with mould in the wall for 12 months, you just know. I may have even developed some allergy to the smell of mould because I get teary eyes and sneezy when I smell such strong mouldy smell now. Thank goodness we have our new house built and everything is fresh these days.

 

After I smelt the mould in Sapphire Blue, I went and opened every bottle of Diamine inks I own and sniffed all of them one by one. I noticed a faint hint of mouldy smell in Sargasso Sea as well, interestingly, another bottle from this new batch of inks I ordered. Both of these smelly 30ml ink bottles have the silver tape on top of the cap with the black text to show the name of the ink as usual, but the black font used on these is a little bolder or larger than my other older bottles.

 

First of all do you think this mouldy smell is normal? Have you noticed anything like this from your recent Diamine order? I haven't contacted Diamine yet, because I wanted to check with you to see if this smell is normal for these particular inks i.e. Sapphire Blue, and maybe Sargasso Sea as well. Thanks for your input! Even if it is normal, I can't use these because just the smell gives me stuffy nose and headache.

 

SNAK

 

Eddited to add: I do love my Diamine inks, and I am not badmouthing them or anything, I am sure if this turns out to be a contaminated ink they will happily take them back and exchange for good ones. I will continue to be their customer too.

Edited July 9, 2014 by SNAK

[EclecticCollector]

I'll check my bottle when I get into the office tomorrow, but I don't recall it having a moldy odor (and I too know what that smells like).

[Bookman]

I received a sample of Diamine Sapphire Blue last week from Goulet Pens. Only a little remains in the sample bottle. But I just opened it and took a whiff: moldy. I sniffed the full-size Diamine bottles. Chocolate Brown and Orange had no smell. Midnight smelled floral. Imperial Blue smelled like Dimetapp Elixir.

 

I guess I should clean it out of my Phileas. I'll email the Goulets and see what I can find out.

[mhosea]

It does smell different and stronger than other Diamine inks. It is not mold.

Edited July 9, 2014 by mhosea

[WateryFlow]

All my Diamines have a subtly different smell, but sapphire blue stands out as having a much more potent smell than the others. Must be the dyes it uses.

 

 

^

agreed. I don't think it's mold either otherwise they would all smell the same except sapphire

Edited July 9, 2014 by WateryFlow

[SNAK]

It does smell different and stronger than other Diamine inks. It is not mold.

I am really hoping that it is not mould but I don't know. The smell hit me very soon after I opened the bottle cap, by the time I wiped the rim of the bottle opening clean and picked up my pen ready to dunk into the bottle, it was unmistakably mouldy smelling. I am glad I didn't ink the pen.

 

How strong would you say is the smell of your Sapphire Blue? Would you smell it 50cm (1.5 feet) away within 1 minute of opening the bottle?

 

I don't think I am being paranoid or anything, because I won't get the sneezy symptoms for any old smell. I thought it was unmistakable.

 

I would appreciate it if others who has this ink can chime in with the smell description of it.

 

SNAK

[SNAK]

I received a sample of Diamine Sapphire Blue last week from Goulet Pens. Only a little remains in the sample bottle. But I just opened it and took a whiff: moldy. I sniffed the full-size Diamine bottles. Chocolate Brown and Orange had no smell. Midnight smelled floral. Imperial Blue smelled like Dimetapp Elixir.

 

I guess I should clean it out of my Phileas. I'll email the Goulets and see what I can find out.

If you find out anything from Goulet about your sample Sapphire Blue, please let me know. I will appreciate it.

[SNAK]

All my Diamines have a subtly different smell, but sapphire blue stands out as having a much more potent smell than the others. Must be the dyes it uses.

 

 

^

agreed. I don't think it's mold either otherwise they would all smell the same except sapphire

I notice subtly different faint scent from different Diamine inks too, but they all smell like normal ink to me, variation within normal range. But this bottle of Sapphire Blue is just... noxious. It's not the sharp chemically smell or sweet solvent type smell, or the organic type smell that some dyes can carry.

 

How would you describe the smell of your bottle of this ink? Can you compare it to something? Thanks!

[mhosea]

How strong would you say is the smell of your Sapphire Blue? Would you smell it 50cm (1.5 feet) away within 1 minute of opening the bottle?

 

 

Yes, definitely. It's very strong. I have received this ink in 3 different ways--as "Chesterfield Sapphire" cartridges, as a 30ml bottle, and as an 80ml bottle received directly from Diamine a few months ago. I am reasonably certain that these represent at least two vastly different "vintages", if not three. I would simply describe it as pungent, unpleasant, and unusual. As is common in internet discussions about issues of this nature, people may experience the same thing and describe it differently, or experience different things and describe them the same way. I cannot guarantee you that your Sapphire Blue is normal, only that out of a dozen or so Diamine inks, it is the only one that I have used that I would describe as "pungent".

Edited July 9, 2014 by mhosea

[WateryFlow]

I notice subtly different faint scent from different Diamine inks too, but they all smell like normal ink to me, variation within normal range. But this bottle of Sapphire Blue is just... noxious. It's not the sharp chemically smell or sweet solvent type smell, or the organic type smell that some dyes can carry.

 

How would you describe the smell of your bottle of this ink? Can you compare it to something? Thanks!

It's not unpleasant. It smells slightly like some old books may do, but it's kinda difficult to pinpoint.

 

Personally I really wouldn't worry about it because if everyone is noticing the same and it smells different to the other inks, then it's almost certainly due to the dyes used to achieve that colour rather than anything moldy or whatever

Edited July 9, 2014 by WateryFlow

[Bass Culture]

'Old books' is pretty much how I'd describe it too. I only tend to notice it when I'm inking a pen up and have never noticed it when using the pen thereafter. I see it as more of a matter of vague interest rather than a cause for concern.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Bass Culture

[Bookman]

I assume from what I'm reading here that my Diamine Sapphire Blue sample smells the way it's supposed to smell—like what everyone else's smells like—and mold is not involved except perhaps as the inspiration for the aroma. Or perhaps it smells that way because of a happy accident of the dye components grabassing with no respect to our olfactory nerves. I did send an email to the Goulets this morning alerting them to SNAK's concern, and I included a link to this thread. We'll hear something soon, one way or another.

[Bookman]

And I'd like to make a special request to the chemists at Diamine that they try harder to come up with a formula for Sapphire Blue that produces a scent not quite so off-putting. Maybe "halitosis" or "fungal infection."

[mhosea]

I see it as more of a matter of vague interest rather than a cause for concern.

 

Full disclosure: I had never smelled it from the cartridges, and after I opened the 30ml bottle I smelled it. I was, in fact, "concerned". It was worth investigating. So I opened a cartridge and smelled that. Same smell. I was satisfied. Later, when I got the 80ml from Diamine recently, it had the same smell, which I took as reasonable confirmation of my earlier inference that it was nothing to worry about.

[SNAK]

 

Yes, definitely. It's very strong. I have received this ink in 3 different ways--as "Chesterfield Sapphire" cartridges, as a 30ml bottle, and as an 80ml bottle received directly from Diamine a few months ago. I am reasonably certain that these represent at least two vastly different "vintages", if not three. I would simply describe it as pungent, unpleasant, and unusual. As is common in internet discussions about issues of this nature, people may experience the same thing and describe it differently, or experience different things and describe them the same way. I cannot guarantee you that your Sapphire Blue is normal, only that out of a dozen or so Diamine inks, it is the only one that I have used that I would describe as "pungent".

Wow mhosea, that is exactly the kind of comments I was hoping that I would hear. Your three separate samples smelling the same way is definitely a good sign.

 

It's not unpleasant. It smells slightly like some old books may do, but it's kinda difficult to pinpoint.

 

Personally I really wouldn't worry about it because if everyone is noticing the same and it smells different to the other inks, then it's almost certainly due to the dyes used to achieve that colour rather than anything moldy or whatever

That description is within a similar range to what I would describe too!

 

'Old books' is pretty much how I'd describe it too. I only tend to notice it when I'm inking a pen up and have never noticed it when using the pen thereafter. I see it as more of a matter of vague interest rather than a cause for concern.

Another reassurance!

 

Thank you all, I think from your feedback that we are in fact smelling the same thing, but describing it in different ways.

[SNAK]

And I'd like to make a special request to the chemists at Diamine that they try harder to come up with a formula for Sapphire Blue that produces a scent not quite so off-putting. Maybe "halitosis" or "fungal infection."

LOL, as long as this particular one is known to be a stinker, and is still a good and beautiful ink, I am all happy.

I may have freaked out prematurely, but at least now it is searchable if someone else experiences the smell and panics the same way that I did, they can look it up and find the answer here in the future.

[SNAK]

 

Full disclosure: I had never smelled it from the cartridges, and after I opened the 30ml bottle I smelled it. I was, in fact, "concerned". It was worth investigating. So I opened a cartridge and smelled that. Same smell. I was satisfied. Later, when I got the 80ml from Diamine recently, it had the same smell, which I took as reasonable confirmation of my earlier inference that it was nothing to worry about.

 

Thank you so much for providing this information about the 3 separate samples of Sapphire Blue you had. That was the most definitive data and I am satisfied now too about the smell being not harmful.

 

As I noted earlier, Sargasso Sea also has a smell in the similar vein but less strong, so I can only presume that Sargasso Sea may use the same ingredient (dye?) that Sapphire Blue is made of, but in a lesser degree.

 

Wow, this was an interesting finding. I will drop Diamine a line about the smell, and will let them know about the conversation we had here. I think I now feel safe to ink up my pen with this ink, but still, oh the smell. It's like knowing it is part of life, and it needs to be done, but still makes me gag. Like changing your own baby's nappy. I think it's time to get my husband and let him do it.

 

Thanks again everyone for your feedback. You have put my mind at rest.

[Bookman]

Still haven't gotten an email reply from Goulet Pens. But we don't seem to need it now.

[SNAK]

Bookman, it would be great if you can still let us know what Goulet has to say about the smell, if you hear back from them. Thanks again!

[EclecticCollector]

I just smelled my Diamine inks (and received a few weird looks from coworkers) but the Sapphire Blue definitely smells quite different from the others. I would say it has a sort of "old bathroom linoleum" smell to it, not really what I would describe as moldy. I wouldn't say it's any stronger smelling than my other Diamines either.