Diamine Sargasso Sea

[DanielCoffey]

INK : DIAMINE SARGASSO SEA

 

PAPER : RHODIA #16 A5 white lined

 

PEN : Onoto Magna 261 Medium nib tweaked for wet flow by John Sorowka (Oxonian).

 

Scanner : IT8-calibrated Epson V600 flatbed

Colour Space : Adobe RGB

Matte : 50% grey and 100% white

Post-process : Unsharp Mask

 

Phil from Diamine kindly provided me with a pre-release sample of this ink which will be available from Diamine and authorised resellers from June 1st 2012.

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargasso.jpg

 

 

Here is a close-up of the swab. I noticed a clear metallic sheen on a very wet writing pen which was just visible on the Rhodia but was very clear on G Lalo Vergé Ivory....

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargassoSwab.jpg

 

 

And here is that sheen on the G Lalo Vergé...

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargassoSheen.jpg

 

 

And a close-up of the shading. Shading in a wet writer is muted in this ink because it is so saturated. I did not have a fine or dry nib to test it on...

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargassoShade.jpg

 

 

Since this is one of the newer inks from Diamine I wanted to run the usual drip and soak tests on it. While I can understand folks needing to know how an ink will react outdoors in the rain or where at risk of the odd coffee ring, I suspect those of us who machine-wash our journals are pretty rare. As expected, this ink is in NO way water resistant but then Diamine never said it was. Once wet, this ink will let go a TON of dye from the page. Bring extra kitchen paper!

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargassoWater.jpg

 

 

DRYING TIMES : The writing tests above were done in a VERY wet medium nib that had just been cleaned. Drying times on Xerox 90gsm were in the order of 10s and on Rhodia were around 30s. Clairefontaine Triomphe took a good 45s to dry as did G Lalo Vergé.

 

SMEARING : I noticed a very slight tendency to smudge or smear even when dry if the fingertips were not totally dry but only on certain papers. Copy paper seems to keep hold of the ink properly but very smooth papers such as Clairefontaine Triomphe will need handling with care and dry hands if your pen has a fat or wet nib. I do not believe it is as bad as Diamine Majestic Blue but be aware that since this ink is so saturated, there may be excess dye on the surface when dry.

 

BLEEDTHROUGH : Since the ink is so saturated, some bleed through may be expected on copy papers with wet or fat nibs. I would not expect bleeding on dry or fine nibs or when the ink is used on a good quality paper. Given the wet nib I used above, I recorded the following... Xerox 90gsm had pronounced bleed through and some feathering. Rhodia had minor bleed through and no feathering. Clairefontaine Triomphe had no bleed through or feathering. G Lalo Vergé had no bleed through or feathering.

 

FLOW AND LUBRICATION : Flow for this ink seems to be good to high. I suspect even a dry fine nib will put down a good line. A fat or wet nib will lay down a line towards the outside of it's natural width. Lubrication was excellent in the pens tested (my medium above and my broad stub). The writing experience was very enjoyable.

 

[EDIT] CLEANING : Judging by the way the dye exploded off the paper when dunked, I was not anticipating any problems with cleaning. Phil from Diamine advised that the ink was designed to be straightforward to clean, but to take the same precautions you would with any highly saturated ink. He was certainly right about the saturation affecting the ease of cleaning. I was getting blue out of the end ring of the converter for a few washes but the combination of fairy+water and fresh water with a rubber bulb syringe got all the blue out of the section with only a few extra flushes. As a precaution I dunked the section in the ultrasonic for a minute and there was a little extra blue dislodged but not so much that it would really affect the next ink fill too much. There was a little residual colour adhering to the silicone on the inside of the converter but a prolonged soak would probably shift that.

 

 

The highlight of my writing was when I tried my wet medium on the G Lalo Vergé Ivory paper. It almost seems this ink is made to glide on that paper. We are talking "dancing bunny" good... in fact it may even be a "limbo-dancing bunny" (if there was such an emote)!

 

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewSargassoGLalo.jpg

Edited May 24, 2012 by DanielCoffey

[DanielCoffey]

EDIT : moved comment about CLEANING into the main review.

Edited May 24, 2012 by DanielCoffey

[mhphoto]

Great review! I'll definitely be checking this ink out. The sheen reminds me of sun sparkling off of uneasy blue waters.

[DanielCoffey]

I can definitely see that. I wonder if Diamine will ever admit what the inspiration for some of these ink names were.

[welch]

Available June 1? Just a week from now? Does Diamine PROMISE? (Because I will pester Art Brown's until they have it...also Fountain Pen Hospital, which should, but does not, carry Diamine).

[DanielCoffey]

Yup - June First... ask the Goulets.

[The Good Captain]

I'll be getting a bottle when I'm next in the 'Big Town' up the road. It looks good and as you say, if it doesn't smear as much as Majestic, it will be a winner.

And of course, one of your usual excellent and concise reviews.

[lapis]

Great review. Thanks! Best of all (if only for me), this blue colour is exactly what I had expected from one of the first reports here, and/or exactly what was looking for.

 

Mike

[WOBentley]

Yup - June First... ask the Goulets.

You could just mosey on over there right now to see if it is listed

[georges zaslavsky]

pretty interesting ink thanks for sharing

[DanielCoffey]

It looks good and as you say, if it doesn't smear as much as Majestic, it will be a winner.

 

Unless your pen is a real "gusher" (what an uncomplimentary term), you should find it dries and stays very well on the paper. It only rubbed a little on the Clairefontaine Triomphe when my hands were a bit hot.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the reviews folks - it is much appreciated. Next up will be Diamine Ochre which will give me the opportunity to see how the Sargasso Sea washes out. Thank goodness for CC pens!

[The Good Captain]

It looks good and as you say, if it doesn't smear as much as Majestic, it will be a winner.

 

Unless your pen is a real "gusher" (what an uncomplimentary term), you should find it dries and stays very well on the paper. It only rubbed a little on the Clairefontaine Triomphe when my hands were a bit hot.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the reviews folks - it is much appreciated. Next up will be Diamine Ochre which will give me the opportunity to see how the Sargasso Sea washes out. Thank goodness for CC pens!

Well, you're never alone with an Onoto. Sounds like a cigarette advert from the 50s. Sorry!

[DanielCoffey]

I still remember the Hamlet Cigar ads on British TV. The wiki says they ran from the mid-60s to the late 90s. Ah, memories.

 

Anyway folks, I have now given the pen a thorough clean in preparation for the next review and have edited the main post at the top for CLEANING since I was still in the 24H window.

 

tl;dr

 

It cleans fine but you have to put the extra work in that you would expect for any other highly saturated ink.

[The Good Captain]

I still remember the Hamlet Cigar ads on British TV. The wiki says they ran from the mid-60s to the late 90s. Ah, memories.

 

Anyway folks, I have now given the pen a thorough clean in preparation for the next review and have edited the main post at the top for CLEANING since I was still in the 24H window.

 

tl;dr

 

It cleans fine but you have to put the extra work in that you would expect for any other highly saturated ink.

 

It was 'You're never alone with a Strand' - about 1959.

[Laura N]

I sound like a broken record, but wow, what a great review. I really appreciate these pre-release looks at an ink, especially when they are so thorough and balanced.

[amble63]

Thanks for the review. It reminds of Diamine Asa Blue(an ink I quite enjoy)with the added bonus of sheen.

[saintsimon]

Hmm, comparisons with PR Electric DC Show Blue and PR Black Magic Blue will be interesting.

[mholve]

Nice blue - I'm a sucker for them.

 

Maybe it'll be helpful to compare with an actual picture of the Sargasso Sea...

 

http://litpixel.com/ee/images/normal/L1003063.jpg

[alexander_k]

I'm suffering from envy: everyone's seems to be getting a Sargasso sample but me. Could you please reduce my pain by means of a comparison to Majestic Blue, if possible?

[DanielCoffey]

It will only increase your pain... Sargasso will be pretty similar and should smear less. Give in and pre-order some Sargasso from your local Diamine importer - you won't regret it...