Experiences With Shimmering Inks

[Venemo]

I've purchased a bottle of Diamine's Night Sky and Sparkling Shadows. I love both of them, but I'm having some trouble.

 

First of all, the shimmering particles seem very lazy. They rather gather on the feed (or settle in the ink reservoir) than flow to the paper... At best, the shimmer is either very subtle or disappears entirely. Sometimes after a few lines of shimmerless writing one blob of particles find their way and the result is an overwhelming sparkiness, resulting in a very uneven variation of the effect. So far, the pen of mine that manages best is a Parker 51 with a broad nib.

 

However, I've had less than optimal results with Esterbrook, where the particles almost clogged the nib unit (9556). I might try again after a thorough cleaning, but not sure if I should. (Btw, Pilot Parallel can handle it perfectly, but that's not something I use every day.)

 

I'm curious, what are your experiences with these shimmering inks?

Which pen works best with them?

What pen / paper combination works best for you?

Have you found any difference between the behaviour of individual types of shimmering inks?

 

[migo984]

I haven't used them as I don't like glittery-effect inks, but have started to read some reports of hard starts, either a "gloopy" or "gritty" feel with particular colours, clogged feeds and inconsistent performance. They seem to be fussy about the pens used, needing wet nibs/wider feed channels.

 

On the other hand there are equally those people who profess to have had no problems whatsoever.

 

So I guess the jury's out.

[Fabienne]

Bad news: the shimmer is not evenly distributed as you write. What you saw is what you are going to get as you write...the shimmer is overwhelming at first and disappears as you write. I think it's the nature of the particles, they are heavier than the ink suspending them and eventually fall to the bottom as you write. Short of shaking your pen like mad every 3 words, I think you have to live with it. The one I have had the most luck with consistent particles is Rouge Hematite by Herbin, but even that one tails off.

[Venemo]

They seem to be fussy about the pens used, needing wet nibs/wider feed channels.

On the other hand there are equally those people who profess to have had no problems whatsoever.

 

Which pens were the ones that haven't had any problems whatsoever?

 

Bad news: the shimmer is not evenly distributed as you write. What you saw is what you are going to get as you write...the shimmer is overwhelming at first and disappears as you write. I think it's the nature of the particles, they are heavier than the ink suspending them and eventually fall to the bottom as you write. Short of shaking your pen like mad every 3 words, I think you have to live with it. The one I have had the most luck with consistent particles is Rouge Hematite by Herbin, but even that one tails off.

 

Yeah, that's what I thought... shaking the pen every few sentences does help, but... there must be a better way.

[migo984]

 

Which pens were the ones that haven't had any problems whatsoever?

 

 

 

I'm not the best person to ask. As I wouldn't ever use these inks I can only report on others' experiences. So if you want first hand information you'll have to ask those who have used them.

 

However, what I have read on other forum and heard from friends is inconsistent. One person has had major problems with a Safari with a blocked feed; another says it's perfectly fine and works OK. TWSBI 580 (which we know has narrow feed channels) is a problem. Pelikano seems to be OK.

 

No-one I know has taken a chance with a vintage pen, but I'm sure there are some who have. Reports of a 'gritty' feel would certainly persuade me not to try. I also wouldn't use them in a pen with a large collector. It'll be interesting to see what the pen manufacturers have to say about these inks and their warranties. Or maybe they'll be perfectly OK with them being used in their pens.................

 

What a lot of people are saying is that the sparkly bits aren't held in suspension for long and the effect is the same as you have experienced. Apparently some colours are better than others.

 

As with all novelty inks, some will have reasons to love them, some won't. At least they are being talked about I suppose.

Edited November 10, 2015 by migo984

[vjones]

I've had good results with Blue Pearl using a broad nib. (Pilot Parallel, 2.4). I shake the bottle before filling the pen, and I shake the pen before writing with it. So far I've had good success with consistent "shimmering".

 

As to the ink's behavior - I'd be cautious with it. I don't think I'd put it in an expensive pen. Also if you happen to spill any, it doesn't clean up as easily as other inks do. In pens with smaller nibs I've noticed it starts to slow down after a while. It seems to work well in the calligraphy pen though, and that seems like a nice application for this ink. Otherwise it's pretty much a novelty thing for me.

[HalloweenHJB]

Numerous users have reported in a number of threads their experiences with these inks. The conclusion that most have come to is that they work best in pens with excellent flow (the nib size is not as important as whether it is a "wet writer"), and broader nibs tend to make the effect more appealing.

 

Cleaning out the pen is a bit more troublesome than with other inks, since it takes many flushes to get out most of the shimmering particles.

 

So the end result for most of us has been that the inks are FUN, but you have to work at it a bit if you want the full effect and somewhat consistent results. For me, Rouge Hématite and Eméraude de Chivor have been exceptionally good even on their worst day, and then Blue Lightning, Golden Sands, and Red Lustre are the best of the Diamine line.

[Chrissy]

I haven't used them with any really old pens, as I'm a fan of modern pens so most of mine are modern. I also prefer to use them in cartridges (with my Kaweco Sport pens) or in twist converters, where I can see if the particles have settled. It definitely also helps if the pen is quite a wet writer too.

 

I always agitate the bottle thoroughly before filling my pen, as well as agitating the pen thoroughly before writing with it. I've never had a pen clog while writing, or while it's been filled with one of these inks, and that includes the J Herbin inks as well as the Diamine inks. Notably several of my pens have been filled with Diamine shimmer inks for over 3 months now. All I do when I want to write is to agitate the pen so that the particles are mixed into the ink, and they just write.

 

My pens include a Parker Sonnet with F nib, a Sheaffer Targa with F nib, a Stipula Agata with F nib, a Pilot C74 with M nib, a Jinhao pen with M nib, 2 Kaweco Sports; F nib and 1.1 nib and a Lamy Safari with M nib.

 

The only pen that ever skipped or had a hard start when filled with this ink was the Jinhao, when I tried it out with a nib that I had stubbed myself. It was no longer a perfectly flush fit on the feed surface. So I swapped it with a new M nib and feed unit that I had bought and that fixed the problem.

 

When I wrote my reviews for all of the Diamine inks (on here in the Ink Reviews forum) the sheen was clearly visible while I was writing on the ink review forms, plus on the alternative papers that I photographed to show how visible the sheen was.

 

I recommend that if you're writing with a pen filled with a particulate ink for quite a prolonged period, or if you put it down on the table so that the ink has time to settle, then you would need to agitate it again to mix in the particles before continuing writing.

[benay148]

Currently have these inks in a Lamy Alstar B and have had zero issues. It did however clog up my Lamy 2000. One of the nice things about this ink though, is that it seems to clean out of my pens very easily.

[The Good Captain]

I used Lamy Safaris for some of the tests and only really found a bit of an issue where the particles collected around the inside of the grommet inside the converter. No reap problems. They have M nibs.

However, I did the tests I posted on here with a Sailor Sapporo and B nib (mine's more like a Western M) and had no issues whatsoever. I will definitely use that pen again when I need to use a 'shimmer'! It cleaned up perfectly.

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't tried any of the Diamine ones. I have a bottle of Herbin Stormy Grey (which I love) and one of the original formula bottles of Rouge Hematite (with the big flakes). Still making up my mind about the reformulated Herbin Bleu Ocean (mostly on whether I'd use it enough to justify the expense, but I must say I like the underlying ink color better than the original version).

Rouge Hematite has only gone into a cheap Chinese pen with a fude nib. Stormy Grey and (at the moment) Bleu Ocean I've put into a 1980s era Pelikan 100 with a 1 mm stub, and both inks have worked pretty well in that pen. Yes, they take a little extra maintenance -- but no more than you would when flushing an iron gall ink out of your pen (in fact, less, because you don't have to worry about doing a vinegar solution rinse). You do have to agitate the pens regularly, because the particles go out of suspension fairly quickly, and you have to shake the bottle a lot before opening it for the same reason.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[kreinhard]

I have the 1670 Stormy Grey, Rouge Hematite and Ocean Blue. To date, I've only used the Stormy Grey and only in an "Original Reform 1745". It works fairly well in this pen, with no clogging noted. It does settle out pretty quickly, though. I've been using a gentle swirling/twisting motion to keep the particles in suspension without spraying ink all over the place. Seems to work well.

 

All that being said I hadn't used the pen in a little over a week. It's been sitting in my computer bag, mostly horizontal. I took it out this morning to see if it would start. It was a hard start, and what came out eventually was a HUGE glob of gold glitter. Pretty lettering, but not really ideal. My recommendation would be to not let your pen sit for a week.

[alaskazimm]

I've used the Diamine Shimmer ink in Blue Pearl and Magical Forest in an Edison Herald with a pretty wet M nib. I have noticed the need to remix the ink in the converter every line or so to keep the shimmer a bit more consistent.

 

One thing that has helped is to use a stainless BB in the converter to agitate the particles. I got mine from a Platinum cartridge, but I suppose any small stainless BB would work.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have samples of all 10 of the Diamine inks. So far I have only tried the Blue Lightning and Red Lustre. I have the BL in my TWSBI 580 B Tomahawk and the RL in a Noodler's Konrad with Goulet B nib. The latter seems more inconsistent and more prone to hard starts than the former - so far. I picked these two as they are my two wettest pens.

 

As to clean up I can't attest to it yet. Have only had it in them a few days.

[Venemo]

Thanks for the input! Keep it coming!

[amberleadavis]

Written response to follow.

[RayJ]

I don't have cheaper pens that I can spare for inks like these. So no, thanks.

Herbin kept it classy with a reasonable amount of glitter. Diamine is just overkill. Better to buy a glitter pen.

[vorpal]

I am an utter coward. I adore Diamine Sparkling Shadows, but won't actually put any of it inside a pen. I shake the bottle and dip the the nib. I can write a page or two before the ink runs out and the sparkles are consistent. I rinse the pen put at the end of a writing session. I wouldn't leave the ink on overnight.

Edited November 12, 2015 by vorpal

[amberleadavis]

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/album/Journal/Black_Red_Green_Inky/20151112_141530.jpg

[amberleadavis]

http://www.sheismylawyer.com/album/Journal/Black_Red_Green_Inky/20151112_141543.jpg