Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Diamine Earl Grey Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

(Update: I had no idea the Reddit community /r/fountainpens collaborated with Diamine to make this ink. How cool is that? Read more about it here.)

As we begin to leave winter behind, gray inks may not be what you’re looking for, but they definitely help the spring colors stand out. And, who doesn’t love a good cup of earl grey tea? With Earl Grey, Diamine have created a beautiful gray ink that is delightful to use, even when spring is in the air.

When I first received this ink and looked at the name, I naturally associated it with the color of tea. I was a bit surprised when I got out a sample to swap and saw a beautiful gray swim across the page. While earl grey tea is certainly brown, this ink is certainly not. Gray inks tend to fascinate me at certain times due to the number of colors hidden beneath the surface that make gray what it is. Is it on the blue side? More green or brown? Or maybe it’s an off-black? These subtle characteristics in hue grab my eye and make the color endlessly enjoyable.

Like almost every other Diamine ink I’ve used, this is a well-behaved, predictable ink that flows well, washes out easily, and has nice characteristics. As an added bonus, it also dries really quickly. In my tests with a 1.1mm stub nib, it often dries in under ten seconds, and certainly by fifteen. In the pen, the flow is smooth and well-lubricated, there are no unexpected starting problems or other oddities. It performs well, just as I’d expect from a Diamine ink.

When I look at this ink on the page, I see more of a blue or green tint in the light. Compared with Iroshizuku fuyu syogun, which is more of a purple tint, it has a warm and inviting tone that works well in business or office settings, but really shines when paired with a wide nib. It’s on the medium to dark side, but the shading adds some lighter variations that are pleasant.

What really makes this color pop for me is the wide range of shading it exhibits. This is also the same reason that I love the fuyu syogun ink so much. I really enjoy shading in gray inks, and there’s plenty of it with Earl Grey. On top of that, I’ve noticed a slight amount of sheen on top of the dried ink in certain light. It’s not a stand-out feature, but you can see it if you’re looking for it.

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with this ink. It’s a lovely color that shades nicely and behaves well in my pens. Add on the bonus of a fast dry time, and you’ve got a nearly unbeatable combination provided you enjoy the color. Diamine offer this in two sizes: 30ml or 80ml bottles for around $8 and $16, respectively. It’s a great value, and I highly recommend it if you’re interested in the color.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 4, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Diamine, Ink Reviews.

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough Black-brown Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

With all the vibrant, gorgeous ink colors available on the market today, it's a wonder anyone tries the browns and blacks to uncover the subtle treasures they offer, but I'm always glad when I take a trip to the dark side of ink. DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is my latest experiment, and I've been pleasantly surprised.

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough, part of the famous people collection of inks, is a rich black-brown ink that reminds me of caramelized sugar or bourbon when writing. My expectations were a little harsh on this ink just because of the name. When I think of a black-brown, I think of the inks I've tried that so dark that you can barely see the chocolate colors coming through. In the case of this black-brown, the brown is still the star and main attraction. The color reminds me very much of Monteverde Scotch Brown, but just a tad darker.

Along with the sultry color, the ink exhibits some lovely shading. The amount of variance isn't dramatic, but it's just enough to add some visual interest on the page that alters between a dark and medium brown. I was surprised (again) to see this much variation in such a dark color, but these types of unexpected features are always welcome.

It's not often I find an ink that dries in less than 15 seconds, but this ink easily fits in that category. Using the 1.1mm stub nib on my test pen, the ink was typically dry in 15 to 20 seconds. But, when using a smaller medium nib, it was dry between 10 and 15 seconds. Not bad!

The Monteverde I use to test inks can also lean toward the dry side, but this ink does a good job of lubricating the nib and keeping the flow of ink steady and dependable. Using the pen after a long period of rest was also no problem — after a few test strokes, the ink starts flowing easily.

This ink is also incredibly easy to clean out of pens. It washes out quickly and doesn't leave behind any pigment. Overall, it's extremely well-behaved.

DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is available in a 35ml bottle for around $14. It's a beautiful but subtle color, and I can highly recommend it if you're a fan of brown inks.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on February 21, 2018 by Jeff Abbott and filed under DeAtramentis, Ink Reviews.

DeAtramentis Louis XIV of France, Antique Pink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

King Louis XIV of France was nothing if not a man of extravagance. He commissioned numerous portraits of himself, and had the Hall of Mirrors built at Versailles to commemorate his military victories.

So, it seems fitting that DeAtramentis chose to name this flamboyant pink color after Louis XIV.

Louis XIV of France (also called “antique pink”), is a lovely shade of pink. It’s not a subtle pink (just as Louis XIV was not a subtle king); rather, it is bright and cheery, much like pink roses.

I tested the ink using my Platinum Century 3776 with a fine nib. Platinum nibs are much finer than Western ones, so essentially the lines are like an extra fine. With such a fine line, you wouldn’t expect to find shading, and I didn’t. But the ink flowed well and had reasonable dry times. You can really see the rich color in the swab. The ink is not waterproof.

Chromatography demonstrates that this ink has little more than pink and dark pink in its composition.

I compared DeAtramentis Louis XIV pink with a few other pink inks I had on hand (I am clearly not a pink person, because I struggled to find four!). Each shade is rather unique, especially J. Herbin’s Rouille d’Ancre, which reminds me of well-worn ballet shoes.

Using my ruling pen, I wrote some nice big letters (with fabulous curlicues befitting King Louis). You can definitely see some shading using this large nib, though the ink doesn’t have any sheen.

King Louis of France ink is a good choice for anyone who wants a shade that is unabashedly pink. This would make a terrific Valentine’s Day ink. You can get a 35ml bottle from Vanness Pens for $14.00.

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