Diamine Salamander - Coming Very Soon!

[The Good Captain]

I can now announce a forthcoming new ink from Diamine - Salamander. It's a wonderful dark green, olive, khaki, brown colour which I'm sure will be very popular. Seriously it is all of those colours.

Working in collaboration with Phil Davies at Diamine I was asked to come up with a name for a sample of the ink he'd sent me to have a look at, labelled 'No 93'. I was intrigued and Salamander was born.

It reminded me of the colours of Royal Flying corps bi-planes during WWI so I had a look for some more information. Here is one of the Q & A bits on a website for UK model aircraft fanatics.

"I have been trying to discover the true colours used on these aircraft. The excellent pictures in Cross and Cockade journals were my starting point but I remain unsure as to what the colours really were. For example are the upper planes and fuselage dark green, olive, khaki, brown? Please can anyone help on this?"

"There's not an easy answer to your question, as the colour wasn't constant. The dope used for aircraft upper-surfaces on the Western Front was PC 10 (Protective Colouring No 10) and the pigments were natural oxide of iron (yellow ochre) and lamp black/carbon black, in the ratio of 250 to 1 (ochre is comparatively heavy and lamp black is very light); this produced a dark brown mixture. To spread it on to aeroplane fabric, the mixture was added to cellulose or oil varnish, something that caused an optical effect known as 'green shift', which caused the doped area to look greenish under some light conditions. The degree of green shift varied depending on the type of varnish used. However, as the aeroplane was exposed to the elements, the green shift was reduced and it took on a definite dark brown appearance.

To add to the confusion, the colouring could vary between manufacturers, and even from batch to batch on aircraft made by the same manufacturer."

When I tried out the ink, I noted that the similarity with the changes of colour from brown/green to brown and then to green sometimes, and the ‘green shift’ effect was remarkable. On white papers, such as Rhodium or Clairefontaine, the colour when the ink first hits the paper has a definite green starting point. However, it dries to that mystical olive green/khaki colour but then when direct light hits it, there is shading and a metallic sheen is sometimes visible. On Rhodia ivory paper, the brown colouration is evident but on Leuchtturm and even more so on Moleskine, that brown goes positively copper and the sheen is most pronounced.

Something in the back of my mind came up with the name 'Salamander' and when I looked for pictures on the net, I realised that it was the fact that a lot of that species of small amphibians are coloured black with yellow patches - just like the mix or PC 10 - that had jogged my memory!

Obviously, you will have to make up your own minds. The ink should be available in about six to eight weeks and I will post scans as soon as I am allowed to.

Until then, sit back and wait for Salamander - it will be worth it, I promise you.

 

[Jadie]

However, it dries to that mystical olive green/khaki colour but then when direct light hits it, there is shading and a metallic sheen is sometimes visible. On Rhodia ivory paper, the brown colouration is evident but on Leuchtturm and even more so on Moleskine, that brown goes positively copper and the sheen is most pronounced.

 

Sheen? Sheen?!

 

Oooo, I'm really excited now. Why couldn't you have posted this a few weeks later? Six to eight weeks seems like an eternity to wait now....hahaha.

 

Thanks for the update---I'll be looking forward to your pictures when it comes out. I love Diamine inks, and this new green/olive/khaki/brown combo is something I've never had in any writing utensil before. Perfect for writing in the woods, maybe?

 

(If you can get some macro/closeup shots of the sheen, I'd be absolutely delighted. Thanks again!)

[rabiosocorazon]

I love olive green colours. :drool: :drool:

[SmoovD]

The description sounds like a winner. Olive green, metallic sheen!

[N2theBreach]

Sounds interesting. Camouflage ink.

Edited June 28, 2013 by N2theBreach

[Antaresia]

Everything about this sounds perfect, especially the name, I frigging love reptiles.

 

This on my list.

[Fabienne]

i am so in! Sounds right up my alley. My favorite one of those so far has been Noodler's Golden Brown but shifting from green to brown and back while staying on the muzzy green side is what I have been dreaming of. Thanks for telling us and I think your choice of Salamander is excellent! Has an ancient part of its history and I think that is so appealing.

[JLS1]

Hmm, if I'm lost in a forest and drop the paper where I wrote the directions back home, will I be able to find it? (Doesn't sound like it...)

 

Seriously though, I'll be watching for a review to see if I'll like it.

[Harlequin]

An olive ink with a metallic sheen sounds really interesting, I'll be waiting for a review and pics too.

[betsypreston]

Everything about that sounds great. I can't wait to see some samples!

 

And now I want a salamander pen...

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Everything about that sounds great. I can't wait to see some samples!

 

And now I want a salamander pen...

 

Yep. This.

[PDW]

Now it's almost publicly available, Cap'n, how about taking your sample to the Shuttleworth Collection to check the match?

[The Good Captain]

Now it's almost publicly available, Cap'n, how about taking your sample to the Shuttleworth Collection to check the match?

An interesting thought but I never actually said that Salamander was meant to 'replicate' PC 10; just that it reminded me of it. Imagine the hoo-hah if I'd called it 'RFC Green' or 'Sopwith Olive Drab' or something.

Salamander is just a pigment of my imagination!

[cbaytan]

Non-permanent Diamines were always a grief for me. Especially the Presidential Blue.

[Fabienne]

Bought mine today. Mmmm. Looking forward to it.