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Autumn Oak - Diamine


visvamitra

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Visvamitra, what ink manufacturers do you prefer? I find Pilot/ Iroshizuku to be a great choice, if a titch cost prohibitive. Also intrigued by J. Herbin though the palette is a little limited IMO.

~April

 

 

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem,

see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

 

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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@Inkheart - good question :) I guess my favourite ink manufacturer is Sailor. Most of their inks I've tried were amazing. Graf von Faber-Castell makes stunning, well-behaved yet expensive inks. Their color choice is limited but I prefer to have one good green than five greens that are just OK :) I appreciate Rohrer & Klingner inks as well as De Atramentis, roshizuku and others. To be honest I look more for interesting colors than stick to manufacturers.

 

Basically I don't like Sheaffer inks because I find their colors ugly and/or boring. I don't really like Pelikan 4001 Brilliant line because the colors are rather boring (but they're all good inks), I'm not so keen on Privarte Reserve because all the inks I've tried caused some clogging / nib creep / nib crud (especially Orange Crush and Shoreline Gold).

 

My all time favourite ink is made by L'Artisan Pastellier - french ink maker, my favourite green is made by Graf von Faber-Castell, my favourite purple is made by Diamine, my favourite red is made by Diamine, my favourite grey is made by Caran d'Ache, my favourite orange is made by Noodler's, my favourite blue is made by L'Artisan Pastellier, my favorite brown is made by Graf von Faber-Castell. So there's no Sailor in my favourite colors, yet I like their inks most :)

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Thanks for this! I've saved some reviews of attractive Sailor Inks myself; should take another look!

 

I ordered my first samples of De Atramentis earlier today, actually. I'm looking forward to testing them.

 

I appreciate the recommendations! :)

 

Edited to add: I was also underwhelmed with Private Reserve...

Edited by Inkheart

~April

 

 

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem,

see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

 

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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  • 2 months later...

I bought a bottle of Autumn Oak because of your great review, thanks. The shading of this just awesome. I loaded up my Pelikan m205 (italic) and WOW, just WOW!. What a perfect Fall ink

 

I'm going to load up my Pilot Parallels and do a little Fall themed calligraphy. Should be fun.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qVJOiluU9_4/THp4iGeCcpI/AAAAAAAAA2A/xh2FRE0B8p0/s320/InkDropLogoFPN3.jpg
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  • 5 months later...

@visvamitra thanks for sharing! I totally dig Kelly green and your choice of oranges ;)

Shocking pic of Ancient Copper nib creep-no way I'd put that in my pen after seeing your photo! :yikes:

 

Sorry to necro-post, but it hasn't been mentioned here, and it should be, that the crud seen with Diamine Ancient Copper is thoroughly mundane, or at least it would be if the pen had been left uncapped for 3 weeks rather than capped. It seems that DAC just accelerates the dryout process for some reason, so you need a tight-sealing cap for it. The strategy of relegating it to cheaper pens is ultimately self-defeating for this reason--many of the cheaper pens have push caps that seal very poorly.

I know my id is "mhosea", but you can call me Mike. It's an old Unix thing.

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Sorry to necro-post, but it hasn't been mentioned here, and it should be, that the crud seen with Diamine Ancient Copper is thoroughly mundane, or at least it would be if the pen had been left uncapped for 3 weeks rather than capped. It seems that DAC just accelerates the dryout process for some reason, so you need a tight-sealing cap for it. The strategy of relegating it to cheaper pens is ultimately self-defeating for this reason--many of the cheaper pens have push caps that seal very poorly.

Really? I had a Jinhao capped for a long time, but never had any problems. Same with a Dollar 717i pen. Could yours just have been duds?

fpn_1434432647__fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pinks-bottle_200x159.jpg

 


Check out my blog at Inks and Pens

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I've had ink crud from Ancient Copper amd Deep Dark Orange, but really only in my wet writers, and I wouldn't call it an 'issue'. More of a maintenance, cleaning thingie. Washes off easily enough. (Unlike Bilberry)

 

If you want to see some truly beautiful ink crud look to the J. Herbin 1670 inks.

Semper Faciens, Semper Discens

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Really? I had a Jinhao capped for a long time, but never had any problems. Same with a Dollar 717i pen. Could yours just have been duds?

 

No. We're talking about 3 or 4 dozen pens here. Some were better than others, but I know exactly why that was so in every case.

 

I'm uncertain what you mean by "any problems". I personally consider it "a problem" if I store the pen horizontally, pick it up 24 hours later, put the nib to coated paper like Rhodia, and it skips for 2mm before the flow picks up. To me, that is an annoying. Unfortunately, it can be caused by the nib setup, and some inks are more prone to it than others, but the other factor is dry-out to a poorly-sealing cap.

 

Try this experiment. Unscrew your barrel and push your Jinhao's section into the cap until it snaps. The "snap" is what happens as the raised ring at the end of the section passes over 3 or 4 tabs, little ramps or raised areas, in the inner cap. These are just tabs, little ramps. They don't go all the way around. Now, after you feel the snap, see if you can move your section around inside the cap a little (gently). I have a Zhenjue 930 here, which is like an upscale Jinhao x450 except with the slightly smaller nib. When the section is snapped in, I can move it a few millimeters back and forth beyond the tabs. In better pens (e.g. a Sheaffer Prelude) the cap will not be loose in this configuration because the raised ring will be trapped against a full-circumference flange just beyond the tabs. This full circumference flange pressing against the raised ring at the end of the section creates an air seal. However, when there's no full-circumference flange, then it's likely that air can flow around the raised ring on the section between the little tabs. In such cases, the air seal, such as it is, relies on contact between the cap and the barrel. It can be an OK seal if everything is just right, but I don't think it can ever be a great seal, and maybe you need a great seal for Diamine Ancient Copper in some climates, at least if you are going to leave a pen inked for a long while without much use. I also think a good seal is needed with some other inks that dry out more quickly on the nib.

 

In these pens the barrel also provides a "stop" that prevents the cap from feeling loose when it is snapped on, though friction there will wear the plating over time if you spin the cap when it is snapped on. The Zhenjue feels perfect when it snaps (with the barrel on), but in this pen, inks that have dry-out tendencies tend to skip-start after the pen has been left alone for awhile, which is why I no longer use it (because I like a lot of those inks plenty well enough in other pens). I could fix everything about the nib and feed, etc., but I can't fix that blasted snap cap! I never really understood what was going on until I got a pack of 10 Wing Sung 3203's and thought I could make them seal as well as a Sheaffer Prelude. Failure was what started me really looking at the way the basic Chinese push-cap works.

 

Anyway, the relevant points to the DAC issue raised in this thread are

 

1. Don't be afraid of a little dried ink.

2. If you experience something like that with a Diamine ink, or any other, try it in a pen that seals better than average. I don't really care how much it costs (not many pens seal as well as a Platinum Preppie, let alone better).

Edited by mhosea

I know my id is "mhosea", but you can call me Mike. It's an old Unix thing.

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I've had Ancient Copper in a bunch of my pens with absolutely no issues. Maybe it was a bad bottle.

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you for this very informative and insightful review!

 

I recently received a bottle of Diamine Autumn Oak. I too have "steered clear" of Diamine inks until I was discussing them with another FP aficianado. He sent me a fresh bottle. This ink is a lovely warm shade very evocative of autumn leaves and warm cider. And I was very impressed with the shading. I found that the drying time was slower than I had expected on Clairfontaine and Midori papers, as you clearly show in your review. I really like the color, but I am still not completely sold on Diamine.

 

I found your photos of "nib creep" (or nib crud as another mentioned) to be concerning. But I am a bit of a "clean" freak when it comes to my fountain pens. I generally only ink up a few pens at a time, then weekly clean and rotate my pens. And I don't keep old ink around. If it is getting too old or has any impurities, I throw it away.

 

Thank you again for the great review.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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No. We're talking about 3 or 4 dozen pens here. Some were better than others, but I know exactly why that was so in every case.

 

I'm uncertain what you mean by "any problems". I personally consider it "a problem" if I store the pen horizontally, pick it up 24 hours later, put the nib to coated paper like Rhodia, and it skips for 2mm before the flow picks up. To me, that is an annoying. Unfortunately, it can be caused by the nib setup, and some inks are more prone to it than others, but the other factor is dry-out to a poorly-sealing cap.

 

Try this experiment. Unscrew your barrel and push your Jinhao's section into the cap until it snaps. The "snap" is what happens as the raised ring at the end of the section passes over 3 or 4 tabs, little ramps or raised areas, in the inner cap. These are just tabs, little ramps. They don't go all the way around. Now, after you feel the snap, see if you can move your section around inside the cap a little (gently). I have a Zhenjue 930 here, which is like an upscale Jinhao x450 except with the slightly smaller nib. When the section is snapped in, I can move it a few millimeters back and forth beyond the tabs. In better pens (e.g. a Sheaffer Prelude) the cap will not be loose in this configuration because the raised ring will be trapped against a full-circumference flange just beyond the tabs. This full circumference flange pressing against the raised ring at the end of the section creates an air seal. However, when there's no full-circumference flange, then it's likely that air can flow around the raised ring on the section between the little tabs. In such cases, the air seal, such as it is, relies on contact between the cap and the barrel. It can be an OK seal if everything is just right, but I don't think it can ever be a great seal, and maybe you need a great seal for Diamine Ancient Copper in some climates, at least if you are going to leave a pen inked for a long while without much use. I also think a good seal is needed with some other inks that dry out more quickly on the nib.

 

In these pens the barrel also provides a "stop" that prevents the cap from feeling loose when it is snapped on, though friction there will wear the plating over time if you spin the cap when it is snapped on. The Zhenjue feels perfect when it snaps (with the barrel on), but in this pen, inks that have dry-out tendencies tend to skip-start after the pen has been left alone for awhile, which is why I no longer use it (because I like a lot of those inks plenty well enough in other pens). I could fix everything about the nib and feed, etc., but I can't fix that blasted snap cap! I never really understood what was going on until I got a pack of 10 Wing Sung 3203's and thought I could make them seal as well as a Sheaffer Prelude. Failure was what started me really looking at the way the basic Chinese push-cap works.

 

Anyway, the relevant points to the DAC issue raised in this thread are

 

1. Don't be afraid of a little dried ink.

2. If you experience something like that with a Diamine ink, or any other, try it in a pen that seals better than average. I don't really care how much it costs (not many pens seal as well as a Platinum Preppie, let alone better).

 

Thanks Mike.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First off ~ lovely colour indeed. A fantastic Autumn ink to have in one's pen. Thank-you for a great review :)

 

On another note, I am with Scribbler, a bit stunned at the unhappiness surrounding Diamine inks. I have quite a number of them and love them all, including Ancient Copper. Regular pen cleaning deals with any clogging but I've never been put off using them because of it. Mind you I tend to use 70 year old Esterbrooks and Dip nibs so maybe it's the material in new pens that are reacting poorly with these inks. :/

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I like Diamine inks, most of them at least. There are hovewer some inks in their lines I would't use with vintage / favourite pens. And I believe that's also our role as ink testers to focus and rave not only on ink / pens pluses, but also point out their minuses :)

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I love quite a few of the Diamine colors, but the one I bought, Syrah, is now only left for cheap pens. It just did not behave well.

 

I am loving this color, but will have to find something similar in a different brand.

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Not a fan of orange ink, but great review, Vis. Your Ancient Copper nib creep photos cause nightmares.

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Thank you for this very informative and insightful review!

 

I recently received a bottle of Diamine Autumn Oak. I too have "steered clear" of Diamine inks until I was discussing them with another FP aficianado. He sent me a fresh bottle. This ink is a lovely warm shade very evocative of autumn leaves and warm cider. And I was very impressed with the shading. I found that the drying time was slower than I had expected on Clairfontaine and Midori papers, as you clearly show in your review. I really like the color, but I am still not completely sold on Diamine.

 

I found your photos of "nib creep" (or nib crud as another mentioned) to be concerning. But I am a bit of a "clean" freak when it comes to my fountain pens. I generally only ink up a few pens at a time, then weekly clean and rotate my pens. And I don't keep old ink around. If it is getting too old or has any impurities, I throw it away.

 

Thank you again for the great review.

 

 

Another Nevadan???? Please come visit.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By the by, if you do have staining, and/or maintenance, issues with Diamine inks that even a good soak and scrubbing with soap and ammonia won't cure, a good trick is to run a full load or two of Sailor Do-You ink through your pen.

 

Whatever environment unfriendly, banned in the EU substances Sailor puts in Do-You work magic for stains, feed clogs, sticky pistons, etc. It even got Bilberry out of my TWSBI demonstrator.

Semper Faciens, Semper Discens

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That's good to know. Please, we always love pictures of stuff like that.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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