Diamine Inks That Make You Happy

[metalhead]

Steel Blue, what a pretty colour esp. for broad nibs.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Presidential blue, Dragon blood, or for a curveball their onyx black is ace

[JulieParadise]

17 hours ago, RJS said:

Asa Blue is as attractive as any ink that exists.

 

Oooh, yeah, I'd second that. Beautiful hue and great ink. 

[Jayebird]

I really like Diamine Monboddos Hat. It's a deep velvety purple with a bit of shading that leans a little red. It's one of my go-to inks for trying new pens and I often have multiple pens inked with it.

[inkstainedruth]

That's one I keep meaning to try at some point.  But the problem is that Diamine has SOOOO many nice purple inks. 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[amberleadavis]

Winter Miracle.

[RJS]

Jack Frost looks really lovely, but it'll smear months later with a slight brush past it. A pity, because I love how lively it looks.

[Jayebird]

8 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

That's one I keep meaning to try at some point.

Will you be at the Sept Pittsburgh meet up? I can bring a sample.

[ParramattaPaul]

Oxford Blue is and has been my favourite for more than a decade.

[TSherbs]

Red Dragon is very nice.

[inkstainedruth]

15 hours ago, Jayebird said:

Will you be at the Sept Pittsburgh meet up? I can bring a sample.

Planning on it!  (Last month was up against the other hobby....) 

Also signed up for the Pittsburgh Pelikan Hub.  I have no new birds to show off, but did pick up a couple of other German pens last weekend at an estate sale -- a Reform c/c pen which I still need to flush out (going to see if some old Edelstein Amethyst cartridges from my first Hub fit, once I do); and an as-yet un-ID'd Senator "calligraphy pen" which writes quite nicely with the now diluted/reconstituted ink I think might be Skrip Black.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

I am a huge fan of Majestic Blue. It’s so sheeny.  From this year’s Inkvent, I loved Ghost and Upon a Star. I love Silver Fox, Cobalt Jazz, Autumn Oak, and Twilight as well. I really want the Kong Girls and Kong Guys, but that ship might have sailed.

[RJS]

7 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

I am a huge fan of Majestic Blue. It’s so sheeny.  From this year’s Inkvent, I loved Ghost and Upon a Star. I love Silver Fox, Cobalt Jazz, Autumn Oak, and Twilight as well. I really want the Kong Girls and Kong Guys, but that ship might have sailed.

Interesting that you had a different experience with some of these inks. Majestic Blue was one of my first Diamine inks, and it left a very bad impression, due to its tendency to skip on smooth coated paper, when other inks didn't. It was the first 'badly behaved' blue in my collection.
 

Twilight, meanwhile, was pure black for me- a manufacturing error, perhaps.

[InkyColors]

Here are some notes that I've taken about Diamine inks that I like:

Amaranth - pretty color - may stain demonstrator pens

 

Amazing Amethyst - While I like the color it fades badly.
 

Ancient Copper - good color - may stain demonstrator pens

 

Asa Blue - love the color - It will fade to gray if exposed to sunlight. 
 

China Blue - pretty color but turns pale gray with light exposure

 

Eau de Nil - This is a pretty color that looks great in a stub nib. It’s the color of the water at Cape Lookout in NC.

 

Grey - a cool gray with good fade resistance. I use it in my planner. No water resistance and not lubricated enough for EF nibs.

 

Kelly Green - Adding Sherwood Green to Kelly Green makes it easier to read as it darkens the color.

 

Macassar - a great dark brown that is a smooth writer - has good fade resistance and doesn’t stain demonstrator pens

 

Midnight - excellent lubrication - writes well in EF and dry pens - will change to gray if exposed to UV light

 

Red Dragon - excellent lubrication - works well in EF nibs - doesn’t stain my demonstrator pens

 

Sherwood Green - great color and doesn’t stain my demonstrator pens. It will turn yellow-green with light exposure.

 

Writer’s Blood - very wet - works well in dry pens - good fade resistance - needs good paper

[RJS]

2 hours ago, InkyColors said:

.Writer’s Blood - very wet - works well in dry pens - good fade resistance - needs good paper

It is astonishingly wet in some pens, I found. Looks fantastic in a dry pen, on good paper.

 

I mentioned Asa Blue as my favourite Diamine ink, but there's another one up there with it- Deep Dark Red. I like that one even more than Oxblood and Writer's Blood.

 

Edit: Have you observed fading of Diamine inks in closed notebooks, or only when intentionally exposed to light?

[Penguincollector]

5 hours ago, RJS said:

Interesting that you had a different experience with some of these inks. Majestic Blue was one of my first Diamine inks, and it left a very bad impression, due to its tendency to skip on smooth coated paper, when other inks didn't. It was the first 'badly behaved' blue in my collection.
 

Twilight, meanwhile, was pure black for me- a manufacturing error, perhaps.

 

  That’s interesting. My daily planner has a very smooth coating, and I don’t have any trouble with Majestic Blue. Twilight for me looks like a very dark blue that leans teal. My bête noir ink is Parker Penman Sapphire; as beautiful as it is, it gives me trouble, back in the day and now. 

[InkyColors]

1 hour ago, RJS said:

It is astonishingly wet in some pens, I found. Looks fantastic in a dry pen, on good paper.

 

I mentioned Asa Blue as my favourite Diamine ink, but there's another one up there with it- Deep Dark Red. I like that one even more than Oxblood and Writer's Blood.

 

Edit: Have you observed fading of Diamine inks in closed notebooks, or only when intentionally exposed to light?

I haven’t noticed it in closed books, but I’ve only been writing with these inks for a few years.  I did my own fade tests, first on a covered porch (samples were a little bit splattered by rain) and then inside by a window. My windows are supposed to block some UV light, but I still saw fading of many inks. Some just changed color and some disappeared altogether. 

[inkstainedruth]

9 hours ago, InkyColors said:

Kelly Green - Adding Sherwood Green to Kelly Green makes it easier to read as it darkens the color.

Good to know.  I tried Kelly Green early on and absolutely hated it -- too light and bright a green for my taste.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[RJS]

6 hours ago, InkyColors said:

I haven’t noticed it in closed books, but I’ve only been writing with these inks for a few years.  I did my own fade tests, first on a covered porch (samples were a little bit splattered by rain) and then inside by a window. My windows are supposed to block some UV light, but I still saw fading of many inks. Some just changed color and some disappeared altogether. 

It is surprising how much fountain pen inks tend to fade... anything can fade if left near a window, but some inks start to vanish in no time 

[antares1966]

I've been on a bit of a Diamine run lately, current holdings include Sapphire Blue, Sherwood Green, Red Dragon, and a couple shimmers, Red Lustre and Magical Forest which I use for holiday cards.  Have been pleased with every Diamine bottle I've ever bought.