Ink Review : Diamine Tchaikovsky (Music Collection)

December 25, 2016

Ink Review : Diamine Tchaikovsky (Music Collection)

Pen : Lamy AL-star, M-nib

Paper : Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm

Review

St.Petersburg, 1891
Well met stranger... my name is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and I'm here at our famous Blue Bridge looking for inspiration for a wonderful fantasy ballet called "the Nutcracker". This blue setting makes me think of a magical dance, playful blue roses... why not waltzing flowers ? Yes... that's it ! I see the music before me, a magical dance called "the Waltz of the Flowers".

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 Tchaikovsky. After the above introduction, you're sure to remember that this is a wonderful blue ink.

Daimine Tchaikovsky is a wonderful true-blue ink that just looks good without being pretentious. The ink writes smoothly with good contrast in the finer nibs, making it perfectly usable in a business setting. But it's with the broader nibs that Tchaikovsky really opens up with some fantastic shading. I really like it... this ink is doing its best to entice me to move up a notch from my current comfort zone of F/M nibs to a broader M/B spectrum. The ink exhibits good flow and performs well on a wide variety of paper. And with the right kind of paper (like Tomoe River) and a wet nib, it produces a striking red sheen.

Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm - drying time ~15 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through.
Paperblanks journal paper - drying time 10-15 seconds, no feathering, no show-through and no bleed-through.
Generic notepad paper 70 gsm - drying time ~10 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through.
Moleskine journal - drying time ~5 seconds ! Just a hint of feathering, significant show-through and bleed-through. Nevertheless - looks great, just don't expect to be able to use both sides of the paper.
Tomoe River paper - drying time 15-20 seconds, no feathering, no show-through, no bleed-through. Really nice red sheen on this non-absorbent paper !
Original Crown Mill cotton paper - drying time 10-15 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through.

Impressive behaviour ! Even on the lower-quality paper. This is an ink you can use on the cheaper paper in the workplace. Unfortunately, Tchaikovsky has no water resistance to speak of. The blue colour quickly dissipates when the ink comes into contact with water. What remains on the paper is barely decipherable. A pity...

Conclusion

Diamine Tchaikovsky is a true-blue ink that is at home with all types of paper, even the lower quality ones. The ink works well with finer nibs, but is really meant for use in broader nibs where it exhibits a beautiful shading. And on the right kind of paper, the ink shows a striking red sheen. This is one of the better classic-looking inks of the Music Collection. If you're looking for the perfect true blue ink, this might be it, if you're willing to ignore the total lack of water resistance. A great ink form a great collection !

my overall score: A