Diamine Salamander Turns Brown On Hp Laserjet Paper

[Nomad]

Diamine Salamander is a muddy green ink that I ordered direct from Diamine in the UK. My bottle arrived yesterday.

It was reviewed by FPN member The Good Captain here. He was kind enough to supply images showing how the ink looks on various papers.

For the past four months or so, I've been using HP laserjet copy paper (24lb) as my default fountain pen paper on the basis of recommendations by various FPN members.

Overall, I've been quite happy with this paper, but something odd happened when I wrote on it with Diamine Salamander.

The ink went brown.

I tested it in other papers. It only shifts color on HP laserjet 24lb. copy paper and on some coated junk mail paper I had lying around. On other laserjet copy paper brands, it displays the expected green color. Here is a comparative scan:

The pen used for all samples was a Rotring 600 with a broad steel nib.

I'm wondering if others have experienced ink color shifts on this or any other paper.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Nomad

[bardharlock]

Ink colors can shift for a variety of reasons on different papers. Sizing, absorbency, brightness, width of nib, etc.

[Joane]

Aren't salamanders known for changing colour in different circumstances...

[Nomad]

Aren't salamanders known for changing colour in different circumstances...

 

I believe that's chameleons.

 

The odd thing about this salamander is that it doesn't seem to get along with one paper.

 

Greetings to a fellow Canadian colourist . . .

[migo984]

I really dislike this ink. It is an inconsistent, unpredictable performer. I don't mind other olive/brown/khaki/green inks but this one is somehow just a dirty, murky shade. It's the only ink I've ever tipped away - not something I recommend, as it's so wasteful, but I just disliked it so much.

 

I did have 2 bottles, so I gave the other full one to a FP-using friend, and he loves it. Different strokes, and all that jazz........ :-)

[jmccarty3]

I find both colors attractive. Go figure.

[Nomad]

I really dislike this ink. It is an inconsistent, unpredictable performer. I don't mind other olive/brown/khaki/green inks but this one is somehow just a dirty, murky shade. It's the only ink I've ever tipped away - not something I recommend, as it's so wasteful, but I just disliked it so much.

 

I did have 2 bottles, so I gave the other full one to a FP-using friend, and he loves it. Different strokes, and all that jazz........ :-)

 

 

I find both colors attractive. Go figure.

 

They suggest different types of cigar leaf. But other, more excremental, associations are possible. They don't bother me.

 

I'm curious about the chemical reaction that's likely going on between one of the components of the ink and some coating on the paper. I suspect an Optical Brightener Additive (OBA) may be the culprit. So the color shift makes me shy away from the paper rather than the ink.

[musicman123]

Looks like an interesting color here! Reminds me a bit of P&M Cigar but somewhat lighter.

 

http://inkymadness.tk/Sailor/Cigar%20(Pen%20and%20Message)%202.jpg

[migo984]

Looks like an interesting color here! Reminds me a bit of P&M Cigar but somewhat lighter.

 

http://inkymadness.tk/Sailor/Cigar%20(Pen%20and%20Message)%202.jpg

I like P & M Cigar; it's a complex, shading ink. & I've gone through 2 bottles of it since spring last year. But with Salamander the ink itself seems to lack clarity, as though the pigment is settling out of suspension somehow. Difficult to explain but whatever the property of the pigment mix, it makes it look murky rather than intriguing. I do get that others like it though. Edited May 23, 2015 by migo984

[chewytulip]

I'd be surprised if there was only one paper in your line up that contained an optical brightener. You could always check with a black light to find out if that's what is different about that paper.

[Nomad]

I'd be surprised if there was only one paper in your line up that contained an optical brightener. You could always check with a black light to find out if that's what is different about that paper.

 

You make an excellent point. I was clutching at straws.

 

The effect is even more pronounced when the ink is applied to satiny card stock. This is on the back of a business card:

 

[Chrissy]

I remember when I reviewed it that I had difficulty making the 256 colour scan show the shade that I could see on paper.

 

It didn't want to show any signs of the green that I could see in there. I think it's a good ink if you want that shade of olive green/brown.

 

I don't see that the swab of Cigar looks any less murky. There are 2 obviously different murky shades there. It looks like the colour of the contents of my water pot after trying out different inks then cleaning the pens out. And it costs at least twice the price of Diamine Salamander for a bottle that contains half as much ink.

 

Each to their own

Edited May 23, 2015 by Chrissy

[migo984]

I remember when I reviewed it that I had difficulty making the 256 colour scan show the shade that I could see on paper.

 

It didn't want to show any signs of the green that I could see in there. I think it's a good ink if you want that shade of olive green/brown.

 

I don't see that the swab of Cigar looks any less murky. There are 2 obviously different murky shades there. It looks like the colour of the contents of my water pot after trying out different inks then cleaning the pens out. And it costs at least twice the price of Diamine Salamander for a bottle that contains half as much ink.

 

Each to their own

Having had both inks concurrently, I can definitely say they are quite different, in behaviour & quality. IMO, price is worth paying for a decent ink, but as you say, each to their own.

[The Good Captain]

I actually like the colour shifts. Green on some and khaki/brown on others - particularly on Leuchtturm paper. But that was all part of the naming process - the RFC PC1 dope mix for WW1 aircraft did exactly the same.

[Chrissy]

IMHO all Diamine inks are "decent" well behaved, inks of good quality and at £2.67 for 30ml or £6.79 for 80ml they are a bargain price. And they are British.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Chrissy

[Tas]

Cigar is waaaay more complex than Salamander and If I hadn't splashed out on a bottle of Brown Algae I would have bought a bottle.

 

I was very grateful to be the recipient of a bottle of Salamander - thanks migo984. I can still picture that lady's face at the pen show when she overheard you refer to it's colour as diarrhoea.

 

Like The Good Captain has said, I too enjoy it's colour shifts and, like most inks I know, behaves and looks it's best on some of that gorgeous Tomoe River paper.

On some papers it's wash is monotone, on others it splits. I'll defo replace it when I've used it up.

 

Embrace it's quirkiness.

[Nomad]

I've done some more experiments.

 

By observing how the ink dries on coated card stock and lightly scratching the dried ink line and looking at the result under a loupe, it looks like on the offending papers, the reddish brown component of the ink binds to the surface almost instantly while the sap green component remains fluid and then sinks underneath the brown layer. A kind of chromatographic effect.

 

Where I scratch the ink and the topmost layer of the paper coating, I can see with a loupe the green ink component peek out from under the brown near the edge of the scratch.

 

A belated thank you to the Good Captain and Chrissy for their informative reviews of this slippery ink.

[Chrissy]

I've done some more experiments.

 

By observing how the ink dries on coated card stock and lightly scratching the dried ink line and looking at the result under a loupe, it looks like on the offending papers, the reddish brown component of the ink binds to the surface almost instantly while the sap green component remains fluid and then sinks underneath the brown layer. A kind of chromatographic effect.

 

Where I scratch the ink and the topmost layer of the paper coating, I can see with a loupe the green ink component peek out from under the brown near the edge of the scratch.

 

A belated thank you to the Good Captain and Chrissy for their informative reviews of this slippery ink.

Your experiments sound fascinating. Thank you for the information and as far as my review goes, you're welcome

[Tas]

Another Salamander fan, yippee !

 

[missuslovett]

So it's not just me then. I write with Salamander quite a lot in various notebooks - Moleskine at the moment - and this ink makes my eyes go funny. It often seems to shade into a reddy-yellowy colour so that whole paragraphs seem to undulate with different hues. I love it but I wondered if my brain was failing. Phew. It might be failing but at least it's not over this ink.