Ink Review: Diamine Steel Blue

[Chrissy]

I'm currently reviewing some of my favourite Diamine inks.

 

This one is Diamine Steel Blue. It's quite a greenish turquoise, and in trying to do comparisons, I find that all of my others are blueish turquoises. This ink is quite a bright shade.

 

• Bearing in mind the paper I use is very smooth, this ink dries quite quickly in 10-12 seconds.
• It flows reasonably wet, and lubricates the nib quite well.
• No start-up problems noticed. No skipping noticed.
• It is currently available in 80ml glass bottles, or in 30ml plastic refill bottles directly from Diamine or from many online stores. The bottles don't have inkwells.
• This isn't a waterproof ink.
• Diamine sell it directly to end-users on their web-site.
• It's reasonably priced.

 

 

[lapis]

Thanks for the nice review. I myself don't like it because I find it too tealish but I'd still say that "steelish" fits the bill quite nicely. Best fit -- or match -- IMO is with the colour of your pen's cap!

 

Mike

Edited April 2, 2015 by lapis

[Uncial]

I love this ink. The sheen is great.

[VivienR]

I like that too (along with Aqua lagoon), its very nice color.

[Chrissy]

I have been advised by a friend that this is the closest replacement for the now discontinued C d'ache Caribbean Sea

Edited April 5, 2015 by Chrissy

[VivienR]

I have been advised by a friend that this is the closest replacement for the now discontinued C d'ache Caribbean Sea

 

I think there is a comparison post about that here somewhere...

[mcgeechan]

I like.

Looks like another one for the ink to buy list.

I am glad Diamine do 30ml bottles, it allows us to have lots of ink without draining out our bank accounts.

 

[Chrissy]

I like.

Looks like another one for the ink to buy list.

I am glad Diamine do 30ml bottles, it allows us to have lots of ink without draining out our bank accounts.

 

They are good in that they are inexpensive, and are therefore an excellent way to try an ink without breaking the bank. But so many of my pens won't fit into the top of the bottles so I can't fill them. Also, they are a bit unstable if you're accident prone like I am.

[mcgeechan]

They are good in that they are inexpensive, and are therefore an excellent way to try an ink without breaking the bank. But so many of my pens won't fit into the top of the bottles so I can't fill them. Also, they are a bit unstable if you're accident prone like I am.

 

I use an ink syringe most of the time to fill up my pens.

[bugsydog55]

Another option in this family of colors is Chesterfield Antique Mariner. It can be compared with the Diamine Steel Blue but it is not quite as "bright" on the page. It is probably my favorite in this color family and has a classy look without that ethereal glow some of these colors can have. Trouble is that Chesterfield ink (or renamed Diamine as some would say) was only available at X Fountain Pen which is now Birmingham Pen Co. and they no longer carry it but their own branded ink looks promising. Also been considering the same samples.

[inkstainedruth]

Another option in this family of colors is Chesterfield Antique Mariner. It can be compared with the Diamine Steel Blue but it is not quite as "bright" on the page. It is probably my favorite in this color family and has a classy look without that ethereal glow some of these colors can have. Trouble is that Chesterfield ink (or renamed Diamine as some would say) was only available at X Fountain Pen which is now Birmingham Pen Co. and they no longer carry it but their own branded ink looks promising. Also been considering the same samples.

 

I dip tested a few of the Birmingham inks, but the only one I really liked was the brown [shadyside Walnut Street Brown] -- they seemed watery, but then someone told me that they weren't blotting the excess water from the nibs after the testing. Their steel blue was more saturated than some of the other colors, but it's not a color I particularly like.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Chrissy]

Another option in this family of colors is Chesterfield Antique Mariner. It can be compared with the Diamine Steel Blue but it is not quite as "bright" on the page. It is probably my favorite in this color family and has a classy look without that ethereal glow some of these colors can have. Trouble is that Chesterfield ink (or renamed Diamine as some would say) was only available at X Fountain Pen which is now Birmingham Pen Co. and they no longer carry it but their own branded ink looks promising. Also been considering the same samples.

 

Chesterfield inks were rebranded Diamine inks. According to the thread on here that I was reading just the other day, all of the colours matched up with Diamine colours. So I wouldn't be at all surprised if Antique Mariner was Steel Blue.

[ca49reber]

Not my idea of steel blue. There are very few green inks that I like & this looks like green to me.