Diamine Inks And Staining?

[MX5l]

I just bought a few Diamine inks (Oxblood, Asa blue, Ochre, Macassar, Ancient Copper) and I was planning to use some of them in my M800 and Lamy Vista. Should I be aware of any staining issues that these inks have? Also, I've read that these inks can sometimes have a sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Should that be any cause for concern?

 

Thanks

[hypnostene]

I can only comment on Oxblood: no stains on my demonstrator TWSBI; very easy to clean converters in other pens. Also easy to clean on my hands etc, generally well behaved (same goes for Sherwood Green, not at all for Onyx Black, which stains like hell).

[casualmerlinconstant]

In general be wary of red dye. Probably try the ancient copper +oxblood in a converter first. That way worst comes to worst you only stain a converter

[Jdm dc2]

In general be wary of red dye. Probably try the ancient copper +oxblood in a converter first. That way worst comes to worst you only stain a converter

Is there a reason to why red dyes are susceptible to staining?

[alc3261]

Just the way it is!! I'm sure there is some chemical explanation but I don't know it.

Ancient Copper can have a deposit - nothing to worry about.

[amberleadavis]

I've used all three with no staining in my TWSBIs. The only stains I have ever struggled with have been from Diamine Grape. Purples have been bigger problems for me than reds ever dreamed of being. I used reds between problem purples to help clean. I don't think you'll have any troubles.

[GG917]

I can only comment on Oxblood: no stains on my demonstrator TWSBI; very easy to clean converters in other pens. Also easy to clean on my hands etc, generally well behaved (same goes for Sherwood Green, not at all for Onyx Black, which stains like hell).

 

Is Onyx black staining pens? I have one 30 ml bottle and thinking of inking my new vac-700 demonstrator, so that is a wrong idea?

[kvz]

Diamine is a lot better than other inks in terms of lack of staining. I have used midnight and sapphire blue.quick flush removed all colour from my TWSBI 580. As I'm a blue person, my advice is to be wary of sargasso sea and majestic blue as there have been numerous reports of higher maintenance (staining etc)

[hypnostene]

 

Is Onyx black staining pens? I have one 30 ml bottle and thinking of inking my new vac-700 demonstrator, so that is a wrong idea?

 

My experience doesn't point to 'staining' as much as 'not very easy to clean'. But that's because after 2 tries I gave up on using it in a demonstrator. Note the first 3star review here though:

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/Diamine_80ml_Onyx_Black_Ink_p/d7053.htm

[amberleadavis]

If you are worried, try them first in the Vista.

 

Overall, just keep the inks clean and if you use a highly saturated ink, then follow it with a good flush and a totally different color.

[dcwaites]

All inks stain. That is their job. However, some inks stain more than others.

 

Dyes are made from Organic Chemicals, which tend to have colours in the Ultra-Violet spectrum. By modifying the molecule so that it is distorted, you can change the colour towards Blue. The more the distortion, the more the colour changes, from Blue through Green to Red.

The Red molecules are the most unstable, which is why Red t-shirts fade on the washing line most quickly.

 

I would assume that is why Red dyes would tend to stain more, as there is more energy tied up in the molecule. Just speculating...

[tomgartin]

First, I use a 50/50 mix of Diamine Midnight and Diamine Eclipse. The Midnight is just too light colored for me after it's dried, and the Eclipse is too dark and close to purple on its own, but together they make a very nice blue-black.

My wife and I were vacationing in Jacksonville Beach a few weeks ago and my Kaweco Classic Sport came unscrewed in my pocket while we were walking on the beach. I didn't realize it for a while, so I had a large, blue-black stain (quarter sized) in the pocket and a slightly smaller stain (nickel sized) on the outside when I finally found out. I was mad because they were the only pair I had with me and the pants were still new. I knew I had at least 24 hours before I would be home to use the washing machine. Until then, I just wore them--this time, leaving the Kaweco in the hotel room. We drove home the following day and made it in just before midnight. I was tired and collapsed in bed, forgetting about the stain until the following morning (T+36 hours). I rain the washer on warm, pre-treated with Shout, and used Tide Cold Water. 30 minutes later when the cycle finished, there was no trace of a stain.

So... maybe the original question was about a different kind of staining, but you should know it's possible to wash out Diamine just in case something goes awry.

HTH

Enjoy your new inks!

[proton007]

The general advice I've read is not to keep saturated red/violet inks in pens for long periods.

Blues and blacks are the safest, and generally the more boring the ink color, the safer it is.

Edited April 8, 2014 by proton007

[gmax]

I just bought a few Diamine inks (Oxblood, Asa blue, Ochre, Macassar, Ancient Copper) and I was planning to use some of them in my M800 and Lamy Vista. Should I be aware of any staining issues that these inks have? Also, I've read that these inks can sometimes have a sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Should that be any cause for concern?

 

Thanks

I'd be cautious with the Ancient Copper, but I've used the others in a range of Pelikan (800,700,400) and MontBlanc pens (149,146,342) with no issues. Cleanup has alway been fast and thorough with plain water. Sargasso Sea is very saturated and took a bit more flushing to clear from my Vista.

[richardandtracy]

As you are not using the colours in pens with sacs, I'd tend to be sanguine about them.

 

I have had a clear P17 Lady sac stained nearly black by one fill of Diamine Sapphire Blue. I was less than happy as the pen still has its chalk marks.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[MX5l]

If you are worried, try them first in the Vista.

 

Overall, just keep the inks clean and if you use a highly saturated ink, then follow it with a good flush and a totally different color.

That's probably the safest thing to do. Will it behave differently in the Vista in terms of staining? The Vista section is ABS while the inner barrel of the Pelikan is celluloid cotton?

 

I'd be cautious with the Ancient Copper, but I've used the others in a range of Pelikan (800,700,400) and MontBlanc pens (149,146,342) with no issues. Cleanup has alway been fast and thorough with plain water. Sargasso Sea is very saturated and took a bit more flushing to clear from my Vista.

Is that only because of the crusting issue? I think I read here that the issue is benign Will it actually potentially damage the pen or is it more of a matter of convenience in this case?

 

As you are not using the colours in pens with sacs, I'd tend to be sanguine about them.

 

I have had a clear P17 Lady sac stained nearly black by one fill of Diamine Sapphire Blue. I was less than happy as the pen still has its chalk marks.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Ouch, that sucks

Despite the Pelikan not having a sac, I'd still prefer not to stain the inside of the barrel, as it is somewhat translucent.

[mhosea]

I've not seen any staining with Ancient Copper or Red Dragon. Sapphire Blue seems to stain cartridges. I recently received an order of 4 bottles of Diamine ink directly from Diamine which were sent in plastic bottles along with empty glass bottles for me to transfer them to upon receipt. The inks were Sapphire Blue, Red Dragon, Ancient Copper, and Wild Strawberry. I transferred the inks and cleaned the plastic bottles in case I might want to reuse them for something. I ran them through my ultrasonic with ammonia and Photo-Flo, rinsed them, and set them out to dry. It's no mystery which plastic bottle held the Sapphire Blue. It's not that pronounced, but it's a definite "tinge" of blue that the other bottles don't have.

 

OTOH, I want to note that just because something stains a PVC ("Pli-Glass") sac doesn't mean it will stain any other clear pen part. PVC sacs stain very easily. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion if you're an inkophile.

[MX5l]

How does the staining process (for pens) work by the way? I imagine it doesn't simply occur immediately on contact and that there are other factors at play.

[Bigeddie]

I have used Ancient Copper in my Vista, I can vouch for the crusting issue but no staining observed. I have also used Oxblood a fair bit, but never in a demonstrator - no staining of ink windows so far.

 

The only slight staining that I have seen from a Diamine ink is Prussian Blue on the barrel of a Pilot Custom 92 clear demo. It;s only really noticeable when the piston is moved out of the full/closed position and you can see a slight change in the plastic at the furthermost point that the ink would have made contact with the barrel compared to the completely clear untouched by ink part.

[Uncle Red]

I find Ochre hard to clean and prone to staining. Don't leave it in a pen to long and clean it promptly. Great color and worth the extra attention.