I just received the second bottle of Diamine Blue-Black (this one from a different vendor than the first) and opened the bottle to discover that there was an oily layer floating on the surface of the ink. I noticed that the cap has a liner of heavily waxed pasteboard. Maybe the container got overheated at the dock and some of this was melted. I have not had the problem with Diamine inks of other color. Anyone else have this experience?

I believe this oily sheen is surfactant (or some other common ink component) and is common in many inks. It's been discussed somewhere here before (relevant to which brand, can't recall) and I've seen in many times in ink that has worked flawlessly. I wouldn't worry about it. Wax would like melt than solidify again at room temp and be floating as bits of, well, wax if that was the issue.

I asked a similar question about Diamine Sapphire a little while ago and got some nice reassuring answers It is certainly a bit disconcerting the first time you notice it, I agree!

It leads me to another question - I have sometimes noticed that when I start writing with a newly filled pen (with Diamine), I'll get a patch where the ink doesn't quite stick to the paper. At first I thought it was a response to hand oils - but the effect doesn't persist after writing a couple of paragraphs; and when I deliberately "oil" the page with my hand, it doesn't really happen. It made me wonder if perhaps one of those surfactant globules stuck to the feed or nib, and was then carried down with the ink. Anyway, not a serious issue. Just made me wonder.

Just opened mine to see what might be there - no sheen or anything out of the ordinary.

My bottle of Diamine Quartz Black had an oily-loking sheen on top. Doesn't seem to be a problem, though. Perhaps Phil could comment.

Read this thread:
especially the last post with email from Diamine in it.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...=umber&st=0

Only thing I find a bit strange now is when I asked about this no one had ever seen it and the place I ordered from kept sending me replacements for it and now its commonly known? (Sorry, thinking out loud)

It would be interesting to know a bit more about it from "Diamine" Phil

Hi Lisa,

Sorry to be brief up to my eyes in it here !!!, I will get back to you later on with an explanation.

Phil

Hmm ... if you shake the bottle does it go away?

This used to happen to me all the time, when I was using a series of handmade journals with a sort of vellum-y paper. But I had no Diamine ink.

The effect would go on for a half a page, or a page, and then disappear. I always assumed it had something to do with the process of making the journal - but maybe not!

In a word....no. I had the same thing happen with my Diamine B-B. It was a fairly new bottle, I assumed I had forgotten to flush a pen before changing colors or something...but I KNEW I wouldn't do that. Anyway, shaking the bottle quite vigorously either: a) did nothing to mix the "oily stuff" into the ink, or it mixed but re-separated in the time it took to get the lid off the jar.

I poured an almost full bottle down the drain thinking something was wrong! I didn't even think to search here first...we're just so trained to assume floaties mean discard automatically.

I poured two bottles of Umber down the drain. I mean, if even the seller says it's not supposed to be there. What a waste in retrospect. At least now I know better.

Pendemonium followed up with Diamine on this problem, and this is what Christine at Diamine had to say:

>Thank you for making me aware, it is something thats comes up from time to
>time is is purely a cosmetic concern and does not in any way retard
>ink flow , however we will look into it anyway.

Not very specific, but I guess the ink is safe to use, oily sheen and all.

Just got a bottle of Diamine Sapphire, my first Diamine ink. Noticed the "oil slick". At first, I ascribed it to the wax cap melting in transit, but KCat makes a good point -- it would solidify back again at home.

Dipped a pen in it; the first several words hardly stuck to paper, it was like writing with diluted-dye colored oil. Then the oiliness went away and the ink worked normally. Has anyone else seen this effect?

I still can't muster the courage to actually fill a pen with it . It's hard to believe that this oil slick does not affect performance, after actually observing strange behavior.

I completely understand your reluctance, but for what it's worth, I've seen this in several bottles of Diamine, including Sapphire Blue and BB, and have never had any problems. Best,
David

Yes, I have - mentioned it in the thread I linked to above. It happened maybe the first two, three fills, and each time lasted just a few words. I suspect the surfactant clung to the outside of the nib, ran through, and the rest was incorporated into the ink. It doesn't happen after the first paragraph.

Several fills later, it hasn't happened again at all.