Maimeri extra fine metallic powders are produced in Italy. When mixed with a little water, the resulting "ink" is perfect for dip pen use.
I'm afraid that my photography can't do justice to the way that the metallic finish gleams on the page, but this may give some idea of the delicace hairlines which are possible with this very fine powder. I have no connection with Maimeri, I just like the product.

This was written with a Hunt 101 nib with the new-style adjustable Oblique holder designed by Joe Vitolo for Paper & Ink Arts.
(Again, no affiliation - just a marvellous product!)

caliken

Hello!

This is really beautifully written and the flourishing is very elegant. Also the colours seem quite unique. I especially like the copper-ish one. If it has the same gleam as my wife's cooking pots then I am sold.

I only wonder how the copper-ish colour would look on a white paper... that is whether the colour is too light for that.

Well thanks for the inspiring post,

Zed

Thanks. Zed

The full range, to the best of my knowledge, is -

Pale Gold
Penny Bronze
Sequin Gold
Rich Gold
Ducat Gold
Silver
Copper

Although I've had these colours for some time, I believe that they are still available.

I would post colour patches on white paper, but it would be a bit pointless, as my photography isn't good enough to replicate the original colours.

In the example the colours are as follows -
'B' pale gold
'eautiful' ducat gold
'M' silver
'etallic' rich gold
'I' sequin gold
'nks' pale gold

Very interesting work, and beautiful... no, marvellous! I didn't know Maimeri products, this is a very useful information.
Thank you for posting, Ken.

@Zed: if you go to this PAGE and click on the colour samples you can have a "little" idea of the look on different background (going with the cursor on the little black/gray/white squares).

Beautiful work and lovely colouring.


Are the powders sold in the UK? Or did you bring them from Italy?

I don't think I've ever seen them in the States but of course did in all the art suppliers in Italy and admired them then.

Thank you, Zoe

I bought them in the UK, but it was a long time ago, and I can't remember the supplier.

caliken

Thanks tipstricks for finding the link for me!

Wow! I must to buy some of that! Is the exact product name "Maimeri extra fine metallic powder?" Dick Blick carries Maimeri products but I did not see this one. Has anyone located an online source in the U.S.?

This may be of some help - this is the label from 3 sides of the same bottle.
This is an enlargement - the original bottle is 60mm high.

good luck!

caliken

For those interested, here is more information about the product
http://www.maimeri.it/FineArts/colorprod.asp?mnu=0402

This is the same product, but in different packaging and 60ml compared to 30ml.
I've just realised that my bottles are over 30 years old! How time flies!

caliken

I don't believe the normative art suppliers in the States carry these, but Kremer Pigments (NY and Germany) may. They are widely respected pigment suppliers from Germany and do carry other brands or did. They recently merged with another group called Sinopia, I believe.

I just ordered something from them yesterday and asked that they include an up to date catalogue. I might be able to answer when it arrives.

My goodness, how beautiful. The lettering is gorgeous, and I am sure the metal sparkles like nothing else when it catches the sunlight!

Paper and Ink Arts has a few old bottles available even though they don't officially offer Maimeri metallic powder any more. I bought two... even though I'm not supposed to be spending any money right now. Am I bad?

Nice find. Let us know how they work for you. I asked for a catalogue--haven't seen one in ages.

Just yesterday I was working on some gold envelope designs with Daler Rowney acrylic metallic ink. I sit around and make up envelope designs for my snail mail in advance when I have the time. Anyway, hearing about some wonderful metallic powder was just too hard for me to resist since it was on my mind. (That's my excuse for spending money... and I'm sticking to it....)

Thank you, Daosus.
I just wish that my photography could show the metallic brilliance to better advantage.

Ken

Wow! The powder must be ground very fine to accommodate the very delicate lines of the writing. And once it dries, does it stay "fixed"? In the real world, does it shimmer or sparkle?

I wasn't aware of this technique at all -- thanks for another wonderful surprise.

Doug

The powder is very fine indeed and when mixed with a little water, and with a bit of practice, it is quite easy to use with a dip pen. When dry, it has the reflective power of solid metal - much denser that conventional watercolour. and it stays fixed, unless subjected to hard rubbing. I seem to remember that it has a gum constituent to aid adhesion. If adhesion is a worry, an extra couple of drops of gum could be added.

I use real gold leaf on important documents (citations, scrolls etc.) and in the past, I have frequently used this product as additional decoration. Ducat gold, for example, looks really well beside the real thing.

Also, if you are writing in Gouache or Watercolour, adding a little metallic powder to the mix can add a bit of sparkle to the finished result.

I'm surprised that it isn't better known. I don't use it every day, but it's always there when I need to liven up a bit of artwork, and I suppose that I've taken it for granted, over the years.
Really good products in a limited field like ours, tend to disappear without warning. At the time, I bought several bottles of each colour - enough to see me out! As it turned out, I needn't have bothered, as it seems to have been constantly in production albeit in different packaging.

As I said before, no affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

caliken

OMG! My Maimeri metallic powders just came so I've been testing them and THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!! I bought Ducat Gold and Rich Gold (a red gold and a green gold.) I've tried them with just water and also mixed some with a bit of ink -- they write easily and smoothly with my dip pens. They even show up on white paper. How impossible, bad, awful and suicidal would it be to test some in a fountain pen? Maybe an inexpensive Sheaffer School pen. Would it clog immediately? Once clogged would I ever be able to clean the pen? A quick reply would be good because I'm so curious to test it.....

As I was the one who started this topic, I felt duty-bound to be the one to (possibly) ruin a fountain pen!

I used an old Osmiroid fitted with a convertor.

The first, immediate problem is getting the consistency right. Too thick and it doesn't flow, too watery and it blobs onto the paper - so no surprises there.

After a few messy attempts, I managed to write a few words with it before it dried up on me. So the short answer is no, possibly not a good idea with a fountain pen. However, it appears to be totally non-waterproof even when dry, so it shouldn't do any damage. Having said that, I wouldn't advocate testing it with a fountain pen of any value!

Good luck!

caliken

I think I'll forego clogging a fountain pen BUT I have been using my dip pens set up with fp feeds which is giving me more per dip and has not (yet) clogged the feed.

Can I keep adding new water to the Maimeri powder as the water dries up in my mixture? The powder seems to float on the surface. Is the powder only on the surface or is it mixing throughout? I assume it does not dissolve.

This metallic powder is just beautiful and WAY better than the acrylic metallics I was using. Thanks for telling us about it Caliken.

That's very nice. But I think the color mixing looks a little funny.

I wanted to give an indication of the range of metallic colours available, but I'm afraid that my photgraphy wasn't very good.

I've found that, when dry, the colour on a palette can be "revived" with a little water. As the metal particles don't dissolve, they are left as the water evaporates. I find that it is best to constantly stir the"ink" otherwise the mix becomes too watery as the particles sink. A lot of this is trial and error, and you'll soon get the feeling for the corect thickness of the "ink". A little Gum Arabic can be added, if you want to improve adhesion.

Doug : If you want to make the colour more stable (resistant to rubbing) and waterproof, try adding a couple of drops of Rotring Artistcolour Universal Medium. This also works well with Gouache paint rendering it waterproof when dry. With this method, it is necessary to wash the nibs frequently, as you would with any waterproof product.

caliken

The Maimeri metallic powders are somewhat light on white paper -- here's a scanned example. They look better, more metallic, in person than in this picture. They can be mixed into other inks if you want them to show up more.

I decided to have another go at photographing Maimeri metallic ink. As jbb said, they tend to look a bit light when photographed normally. What I've done here is to write on a white background, then photo to show the metallics to best advantage - allowing the background to appear dark. Also, I deliberately wrote on thin paper, whch creates an uneven surface. Again, this shows the reflective ink well.

Thanks for your continued interest jbb - nice scroll work on your sample BTW

caliken

Thanks for the links. It's certainly easier than writing in glue!

Okaaay, this is wonderful!

simply beautiful and so lovely...

Your work is always inspirational caliken. (I'll keep practicing.)

I know we shouldn't quote the images in replies, but I couldn't help myself. The "leafy" capitals just knock me out! I notice that the colors of the majuscules and miniscules alternate between words. In other words the majuscule "M" in Metallic is the same color as the minuscules in "Script" and the other way around. And the color of the "foliage" of each majuscule alternates too. I'm probably not being very clear, but that was fun for me to discover.

And those leafy majuscules -- I don't recall seeing them anywhere. Are they caliken inventions? For some reason, they bring out a smile and make me smile.

Thanks caliken!

Doug

Like most of my work, the leafy capitals are not original - they're a loose interpretation of capitals from a typeface called "Aterna Caps" which I dug out of my files.

I've added a second version in 2 parts which shows the great differences when the reflective surfaces are photographed from different angles and with different lighting.

Thanks again for your interest, Doug.

I compared LuminArte Metallic Mica powder to the Maimeri Powder since they are more readily available for me (at my local craft store) and it seems to be about the same to write with. It was a bit cheaper too. Overall the metallic powders take getting used to working with (I'm still getting the hang of it) but they're soooooo pretty. I've been using them just with water and mixing them in some ink too.

UPDATE!!: The LuminArte powder rubbed off a day later whereas the Maimeri was totally afixed to the paper! If I add gum arabic would that solve the problem?