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Diamine Bilberry


musicman123

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I think Amber is the one that sent me this ink in a recent SuperPink sampling program. This ink is Diamine Bilberry. It is a dark purple ink that is highly saturated.

 

This review will follow my normal standard format for reviews, with pictures following a small blurb. The pictures were taken with an iPhone 6, back camera, in artificial lighting. Effort has been made to show the true color, but your milage may vary depending on your monitor. If you would like to see all my ink images, you are free to go to http://inkyreviews.tk/

 

 

Here is a preview of the ink. The ink is definitely a dark purple ink that is very very saturated. This image came out a little blurry for some reason.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Ink.jpg

 

The review was written on HP 32lb Premium Laser Paper, which can be found at Staples for the whooping price of $19.99, or on Amazon for $15.39. This is my new "standard" paper I will be using for all my reviews, writing, and comparisons. I still have a bit of HP 28lb, which is now discontinued, but I am going to be moving to this one now, as it is much better, IMO.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Paper.jpg

 

This review was done in a brand new Jinhao X450 with the stock M nib that did not receive any modifications. I also didn't flush this pen out when I got it as I was so eager to put this ink in.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Nib.jpg

 

Here is the swab of the ink. It was pulled from my latest project, a crowd-sourced ink swab database found here http://inkymadness.tk/. This is my own swab that I am using here, but many other people's swabs of lots of inks can be found there! You are free to contribute your swabs as well by emailing them to me at admin@inkymadness.tk.

 

http://inkymadness.tk/Diamine/Bilberry.jpg

 

The ink is quite wet and has a medium amount of lubrication to it. There is barely any visible shading, but it stays a consistently dark hue. The ink is VERY saturated and I only had 1 hard start with the ink. There is no spread, feathering, show through, or bleed through on this paper. This ink also has A LOT of gold sheen to it. It almost rivals Stormy Gray in terms of sheen amount. These pictures don't capture the sheen very well. Sorry if the pictures are a bit blurry this time around.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Characteristics.jpg

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Characteristics%202.jpg

 

Here is a poorly drawn ghost to show how the ink looks with sketching, and coloring.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Ghost.jpg

 

The ink takes a bit longer to dry that some other inks, averaging at roughly 19 seconds. However, this isn't a big problem for me as I'm a strong overwriter.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Dry%20Time.jpg

 

I left the comparison section blank on the review form, but I will be showing swabs of similar inks here. This is a my new format that I am trying out for the comparisons. Tell me what you think. The swabs used here are from my latest project, a crowd-sourced ink swab database found here [http://inkymadness.tk/]. This is my own swab that I am using here, but many other people's swabs of lots of inks can be found there! You are free to contribute your swabs as well by emailing them to me at admin@inkymadness.tk.

Left to right. The images were stretched to fit in one row. Color was not altered.

1. Diamine Bilberry (This ink)

2. Sailor Kobe Tamon Purple

3. Aurora Blue

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Comparison.jpg

 

Here is a water test. The top grid had drops of water placed for 10 seconds, then vigorously wiped downwards. The bottom text did not receive any drops of water and was only wiped with in the same motion as the grid. The ink performed terribly on this test. There was a lot of lifting on the grid, leaving the dots barely visible. Also, there was a huge amount of wet smear, leaving the text barely readable also.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Water.jpg

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Water%20After.jpg

 

Lastly, here is a scan of the review. Use the scan to read the rest of the review. I did not intend for it to show color accuracy. The pictures are the most accurate representation of the color.

 

http://www.inkyreviews.tk/Diamine/Bilberry/Scan.jpg

 

 

That's all folks! I would give this ink a 7/10. If you liked this review, stay tuned for more to come!

 

 

fpn_1434432647__fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pinks-bottle_200x159.jpg

 


Check out my blog at Inks and Pens

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Thanks for the thorough review. Bilberry is a great ink. I don't see much sheen personally, but maybe I should use it on less absorbent papers!

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I just bought a little bottle of it from the Goulets on the basis of these reviews. I'm so pleased that this review validates my purchase! I can't wait to try it out.

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Bilberry sheens nearly as much in use as the sheen-iest Sailor inks, even on absorbent paper. I've just finished writing a letter with it in a vintage Pilot Elite SF (Japanese Fine being very very fine), and the gold sheen was everywhere. Admittedly it was on Midori MD paper.

Verba volant, scripta manent

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Does it stain? I have Pansy which is a highly saturated purple as well, but it stains terribly. And fades.

I'd be interested to know if it stains too. It seems a few of Diamine's saturated purples do (Sargasso Sea, although SS is definitely worth putting up with the staining).

 

Thanks for the review!

So many inks, so little time...

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Does it stain? I have Pansy which is a highly saturated purple as well, but it stains terribly. And fades.

I'd be interested to know if it stains too. It seems a few of Diamine's saturated purples do (Sargasso Sea, although SS is definitely worth putting up with the staining).

Thanks for the review!

I have it in a standard Jinhao clear piston converter and I report absolutely 0 staining so far on the converter. I have not taken apart the feed to check for stains there, but I think it's safe to assume there will be none.

fpn_1434432647__fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pinks-bottle_200x159.jpg

 


Check out my blog at Inks and Pens

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  • 2 weeks later...

I found Bilberry didn't stain, but GRAPE STAINS.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Colors/Purple/Diamine_Bilberry.jpg

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I found Bilberry didn't stain, but GRAPE STAINS.

Note taken! Not gonna touch Grape then.

fpn_1434432647__fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pinks-bottle_200x159.jpg

 


Check out my blog at Inks and Pens

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Note taken! Not gonna touch Grape then.

That's what I said about Sargasso Sea... Then I tried a sample of it and will be getting a bottle in my next order.

So many inks, so little time...

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Note taken! Not gonna touch Grape then.

 

I found Bilberry didn't stain, but GRAPE STAINS.

 

I've also had problems with Grape drying in the nib in the course of normal use, such as note taking or writing a letter, and as a result have been wary of trying other Diamine purples. Is Bilberry suitable for the kind of writing in which one might stop for a minute to think before writing the next sentence?

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I've also had problems with Grape drying in the nib in the course of normal use, such as note taking or writing a letter, and as a result have been wary of trying other Diamine purples. Is Bilberry suitable for the kind of writing in which one might stop for a minute to think before writing the next sentence?

 

I have had that experience with Grape but not Bilberry - assuming you're not going to make a sandwich and a cup of coffee, it starts back up fine. (I usually only use Bilberry in one pen, so I can only speak to a small sample size.)

 

That's what I said about Sargasso Sea... Then I tried a sample of it and will be getting a bottle in my next order.

Me too. "Why would anyone use an ink they knew behaved funny?" I asked, and then I understood. And now I have to recommend it, because it's amazing, but with these caveats.

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