Jump to content

Diamine Shimmer Inks - First Impressions!


The Good Captain

Recommended Posts

Having had samples of some of these amazing inks since May, it has taken a lot self-control not to leak any images of them. So it was great to get the go-ahead from Diamine earlier this week, and we're allowed to put up some more detailed information on Friday 28th August, 2015.


That's TODAY!


Now, there have some changes over the last few months and some colours have been altered and decisions made about whether there should be gold or silver particles in any particular one but the people at Diamine did listen to those of us who passed comments and opinions and the resultant ten colours are the ones that will be on the shelves soon. I'm sure Chrissy and the others who've been looking at them, will do much better and in-depth reviews than I tend to do but there is a reason for my brevity.


That is that I believe all opinions about a particular ink (no pun intended) are subjective. There really isn't any way of communicating something link ink/paper/pen correlation on a computer screen. For all the best will in the world, monitor calibration; a person's eyesight and so on, have a vast impact on how someone might perceive an ink's qualities and characteristics.


So I don't tend to do that. My scanner and computer are pretty accurate in terms of colour reproduction but I just point out that the rest of you could quite possibly comment that the inks are different that the images I've uploaded. Well' that's just the way it is. We all know about the differences between nibs of the same make, width etc, not to mention paper batches, so all I want to show is a brief introduction to this new range of colours and let you all make up your own minds when you've tried them out.


The written examples were done with a Sailor Sapporo, Broad nib (that tends much more to a Western Medium) and on Rhodia 80gsm dot paper. There were no problems with the pen: nib; feed and converter all came out of the tests totally unscathed. I decided to use the Sailor and not my usual Safaris, to try to put those of you with doubts about using this type of ink in a 'good' pen, at ease. However I will say that as I don't soo my using this sort of 'effect' ink in the course of normal daily writing, I don't imagine using them in a piston-filling pen - purely for reason of volume and nothing to do with perceived value of that any writing instrument.


So take a look and ENJOY!


fpn_1440603827__diamine_shimmering_seas.



fpn_1440604125__diamine_blue_lightning.j



fpn_1440604139__diamine_brandy_dazzle.jp



fpn_1440604163__diamine_golden_sands.jpg



fpn_1440604177__diamine_magical_forest.j



fpn_1440604201__diamine_sparkling_shadow



fpn_1440692383__diamine_blue_pearl.jpg



fpn_1440692400__diamine_night_sky.jpg



fpn_1440692418__diamine_purple_pazzazz.j



fpn_1440692432__diamine_red_lustre.jpg


Finally, these last two pics were sent from Diamine and are 'photos' rather than scans. They certainly give an idea how things might look with indirect lighting.


fpn_1440604684__shimmering_ink_images_1_



fpn_1440604709__shimmering_ink_images_2_


To sum up, these are a great lot of inks that can only go on to expand Diamine's involvement in the market place and it's nice to see the awareness of the necessary diversity, to stay up there at the top! Well done!

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 17
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • The Good Captain

    3

  • Gloucesterman

    2

  • Uncial

    2

  • Algester

    1

It's too bad they don't seem as shiny in the writing samples. Red Lustre and Purple Pizazz look gorgeous in the swab tests. :drool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review and pics., I think. I was hoping to have a break from buying ink for a couple of years, but these inks aren't helping!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for sharing these scans.

 

At first sight, I tend to like the Magical Forest and Brandy Dazzle the most. Even still, I'll just get them all.

A collector of inks, currently doing my own ink challenge.

 

IG: mcvanwijk1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The swabs seem to show the shimmer but am I correct in thinking that when used in a pen there is no difference when compared to more conventional ink?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The swabs seem to show the shimmer but am I correct in thinking that when used in a pen there is no difference when compared to more conventional ink?

 

For the Herbin inks it depends on the fill. You have to really shake it up to get the shimmer dispersed through the ink. In certain light you might not see it and may have to tilt the page for the light to catch it and show it off. It can be quite subtle or totally in-your-face. As for the Diamine, I don't know, as I haven't tried them yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The swabs seem to show the shimmer but am I correct in thinking that when used in a pen there is no difference when compared to more conventional ink?

 

No, sorry but that isn't correct. If you look at my individual reviews you will see that the shimmer is definitely there when these inks are used in pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are literally none of these colors that I don't want! ^_^; ::starts saving pennies:: what sort of pens do you think are going to be best to show of shimmer like this? soft nibs, medium/broad ones? I'm guessing it's gonna be a fairly flat ink in a fine nib, yea?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are literally none of these colors that I don't want! ^_^; ::starts saving pennies:: what sort of pens do you think are going to be best to show of shimmer like this? soft nibs, medium/broad ones? I'm guessing it's gonna be a fairly flat ink in a fine nib, yea?

Based on the ones I used and the other results I've seen, I'd say that the broader the better. I used a Sailor B nib, so more like a 'Western Fine' but that was just for the tests. I usually use F or FE nibs and wouldn't expect to really see much shimmer at all with them.

It looks like the more ink that's laid down, the more particles are distributed onto the paper - goes without saying, really.

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This looks like an exact immitation of J. Herbin's 1670 inks? Yes, more combinations have been added, but it's a duplicator, not an innovator.

 

Having said that, i am a fan of diamine because of how friendly their regular inks are to vintage fountain pens and love and happily use their Sargasso Sea blue. The golden sand is pretty, and so is the red one, but i'm thinking like J. Herbin's line, these glittery inks are not vintage FP friendly??

Edited by Ana_
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's the situation with regard to pen maintenance using these ink?

Given the "shimmer" materials do pens require cleaning more often?

What about using in vintage pens? I have three or four vintage with wonderfully flexible nibs that could (I think) show some real beauty with these inks. Are they "safe" to use with vintage lever and/or piston-fillers?

 

Potentially I want all of them :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Diamine say that these inks will not 'harm your pen'. My only reason for not using them in a lever or piston-filler is simple: I don't foresee my need for a relatively-large amount of the ink at any one time, so will continue to use in the 'limited' volume of a cartridge-converter pen.

There was no difficulty in cleaning out the Sailor pen that I used for these written examples. I happened to choose that one as it was empty at the time and has a broader nib than I would normally use, so there was a better chance of more of the particles being visible. A Safari with a M nib (very similar to the Sailor's B) worked just as well. But, I did note a slight residue of particles trapped inside the black plug as the end of the converter and that isn't so easy to remove for full cleaning.

So I would suggest that pens with simpler converters - ie a straightforward tube, as it were - would be a possible advantage. Can't see any issues with piston-fillers either but it might be prudent to use ones where the nibs can be easily removed, just in case. And of course, the same policies would apply to any inks from any manufacturer, that contain metallic particles!

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Diamine say that these inks will not 'harm your pen'. My only reason for not using them in a lever or piston-filler is simple: I don't foresee my need for a relatively-large amount of the ink at any one time, so will continue to use in the 'limited' volume of a cartridge-converter pen.

There was no difficulty in cleaning out the Sailor pen that I used for these written examples. I happened to choose that one as it was empty at the time and has a broader nib than I would normally use, so there was a better chance of more of the particles being visible. A Safari with a M nib (very similar to the Sailor's B) worked just as well. But, I did note a slight residue of particles trapped inside the black plug as the end of the converter and that isn't so easy to remove for full cleaning.

So I would suggest that pens with simpler converters - ie a straightforward tube, as it were - would be a possible advantage. Can't see any issues with piston-fillers either but it might be prudent to use ones where the nibs can be easily removed, just in case. And of course, the same policies would apply to any inks from any manufacturer, that contain metallic particles!

 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

I may end up getting some of the ink after the Commonwealth Pen Show on the 20th of September. it will depend, at least partially, on my $$$ situation. Of course if anyone has some of these inks at the show self discipline may be sorely challenged!

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...