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Getting The Best Out Of Shimmering Inks


sandy101

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I'm struggling to get the best out of Diamine's new shimmering inks.

 

I'm using Purple Pazazz and Shimmering Seas.

 

I've tried different pens, but not getting a lot of shimmer (ad I did shake the bottle before filling).

 

However, after rubbing down a couple of spills, I notice the shimmer there more - so is there a possibility that the shimmer is being hampered by layers of ink, as the particles end up on the page, rather than on the surface, where they can be seen by the reader.

 

I was thinking that perhaps some blotting paper might help, or is the shimmer effect quite muted?

 

(I can see it, but I struggle)

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Hi Sandy.. in my experience the main factor to get the best of simmering inks is:

 

  • WET... WET... the WETTEST PEN in your arsenal

 

Broad nibs are great, but a good flow is just CRITICAL.

 

Shaking is important.

 

 

Hope you can show us samples of your writing...

 

 

 

C.

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Ditto what Cyber6 just said. These inks are finicky in that they clog easily. I used an insulin syringe to fill the pens, and these inks clogged the syringe. You need a pen that gushes out ink.

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

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I recently posted the same experience over on my blog. Broad nib and shaken bottle.

 

http://www.pentulant.com/2015/10/ink-review-diamine-purple-pazzazz.html

 

I'm looking forward to trying the others.

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I have Purple Pizzazz in a TWSBI 580AL medium nib and it is crazy shimmery. It also might depend on the paper. It shows up the best, so far, on Rhodia. I haven't tried Tomoe or regular paper yet.

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My setup:

 

- Jinhao X750

- Modified Jinhao X750 feed

- TWSBI Vac 700 Medium nib (Nemosine Singularity nib worked pretty well too)

- Hero "slide" converter (with the metal spring type agitator)

... Never underestimate the power of human stupidity ...

 

Keep track of the progress in my quest for a less terrible handwriting here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262105-handwriting-from-hell-a-quest-for-personal-improvement/?do=findComment&comment=2917072

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I think I've found a solution - I've used a Parker Frontier and seem to be getting better results with that, although at times the feed gets clogged and at times I end up writing a sentence in gold. It sorts itself out eventually (a couple of twists of the converter) usually forces the ink through..

 

In addition, part of the problem doesn't seem to be the ink, but the lighting. Under (my) eco-friendly bulbs, it seemed like the light simply isn't strong enough to show the shimmer.

 

I can see it under the neon lighting at work, and in broad daylight.

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I scored a 10-pack of samples, but so far I've used them only with the glass dip pen I got at the same time -- excellent results. I think I'm going to write my Parker Vector dry of the Stormy Grey that's in it now and put a shimmer in it. The nib is an italic stub, and it's nicely wet.

Until you ink a pen, it is merely a pretty stick. --UK Mike

 

My arsenal, in order of acquisition: Sailor 21 Pocket Pen M, Cross Solo M, Online Calligraphy, Monteverde Invincia F, Hero 359 M, Jinhao X450 M, Levenger True Writer M, Jinhao 159 M, Platinum Balance F, TWSBI Classic 1.1 stub, Platinum Preppy 0.3 F, 7 Pilot Varsity M disposables refillables, Speedball penholder, TWSBI 580 USA EF, Pilot MR, Noodler's Ahab 1.1 stub, another Preppy 0.3, Preppy EF 0.2, ASA Sniper F, Click Majestic F, Kaweco Sport M, Pilot Prera F, Baoer 79 M (fake Starwalker), Hero 616 M (fake Parker), Jinhao X750 Shimmering Sands M . . .

31 and counting :D

 

DaveBj

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Perhaps all of the pens I used for my reviews are wetter than I thought as I haven't experienced this problem with any of them.

 

I always gently agitate the pens before writing with them though.

 

My pens all had D. Shimmer inks inside their converters or cartridges for over a month while I went on holiday, then didn't write with them upon my immediate return. When I came to try them out, I agitated each one, uncapped it and wrote a couple of paragraphs with it. I didn't have one false start or skip. Every single pen just wrote like it had only just been filled.

 

In fact some of those pens have had the same fill of shimmer ink in them for several months, while I was doing their testing.

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I just cleaned out a frontier. What's happening is that the gold is accumulating at the bottom of the convertor, and the sediment - combined with the agitator is blocking the feed. Shaking and moving the plunger helps, but not always. So it seems like the design of the convertor might be contributing to the problem.

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I use 1.1 and 1.5 italic nibs with Herbin. Wouldn't even consider something below broad. The broadest I have is a sheaffer intensity which is also river-wet. Will try it with diamine when I get it this week.

www.sophialibris.com , Academic Coaching and Consultancy

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I just cleaned out a frontier. What's happening is that the gold is accumulating at the bottom of the convertor, and the sediment - combined with the agitator is blocking the feed. Shaking and moving the plunger helps, but not always. So it seems like the design of the convertor might be contributing to the problem.

 

One of the pens I have had the same fill of D. Shimmer ink in for months is a Parker Sonnet Moonbeam with 18ct nib. It's converter is the deluxe twist version. That hasn't suffered from any clogging at all for me. Is your Parker converter different to mine?

 

One thing I do, is that even if I don't completely fill the converter with ink, I take the plunger right to the top as though it's full. That gives me a slightly bigger space to shake the ink.

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The problem with these inks is that there is no consistency.

The particles can't held in suspension by the ink.

They fell down rapidly.

So whenever you start you have a lot of particles, but already after a few words the particle dense goes rapidly down.

When you write a whole page with normal writing speed you won't get most of the time any particles in the second half of the page.

 

Even in a very very wet pen.

I use Blue Lightning in a 50s Montblanc 144 BB.

This pen is a real gusher, it lays down seas of ink, but even there this is the case.

You find several writing examples from me at the "Don't just tell us about the pen..." Thread.

 

Don't get me wrong, the colors and the idea are fantastic but they definitely lack consistancy.

 

The most consistent (at least better than the rest of my tries) results I got with Blue Pearl in a 1.5 Pilot Parallel Pen yet.

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One of the pens I have had the same fill of D. Shimmer ink in for months is a Parker Sonnet Moonbeam with 18ct nib. It's converter is the deluxe twist version. That hasn't suffered from any clogging at all for me. Is your Parker converter different to mine?

 

Yes, it is the slide convertor, which is a bit harder to move about, and there is a ball bearing in it. I have another one with a twist convertor, and it is much easier to manipulate.

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Update -- I put Brandy Dazzle in my Parker, and it looks boo-tee-full. The converter is a slide converter with a ball bearing inside, and the nib is the fine italic.

Until you ink a pen, it is merely a pretty stick. --UK Mike

 

My arsenal, in order of acquisition: Sailor 21 Pocket Pen M, Cross Solo M, Online Calligraphy, Monteverde Invincia F, Hero 359 M, Jinhao X450 M, Levenger True Writer M, Jinhao 159 M, Platinum Balance F, TWSBI Classic 1.1 stub, Platinum Preppy 0.3 F, 7 Pilot Varsity M disposables refillables, Speedball penholder, TWSBI 580 USA EF, Pilot MR, Noodler's Ahab 1.1 stub, another Preppy 0.3, Preppy EF 0.2, ASA Sniper F, Click Majestic F, Kaweco Sport M, Pilot Prera F, Baoer 79 M (fake Starwalker), Hero 616 M (fake Parker), Jinhao X750 Shimmering Sands M . . .

31 and counting :D

 

DaveBj

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I too find that the first few lines show the most shimmer, and it tails off from there until the pen sits for a while, whereupon it returns strongly for a few lines. There is still some present after that, but you have to look for it, it doesn't jump right out. I thought it would be good in dip pens, but found that disappointing. I did finally load up a Noodlers Konrad that had been sitting around unused for quite a while, and that works quite well, even with the relatively fine point on it. It is quite wet, which seems to be the main requirement. I'm glad to hear that most find it non clogging, I was hesitant to load it in any of my better pens until I heard that it was safe to do so.

"Life is like an analogy" -Anon-

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After using both Diamine and Herbin, I have to say that the shimmer performance is lame, at best. The particles only come out when they please although am using very wet nibs... Shaken or not, the difference is hardly worth the trouble.

I agree: no consistency in performance whatsoever. Disappointed.

www.sophialibris.com , Academic Coaching and Consultancy

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I actually prefer the more subtle shimmer and true glitter that you get after a few sentences (have tried Stormy Grey, Emerald de Chivor, and Magical Forest in FPs), rather than the insane shine that you get for the first few words (especially with Magical Forest) where there really is more silver than green put down in the ink. I really want a dye-based ink with glitter and sparkles in it, not a metal-based ink tinted in some colour.

"We are one."

 

– G'Kar, The Declaration of Principles

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I have some Blue Pearl. It looks best in my 2mm Parallel pen. I agitate the bottle a bit before I load the pen and I try to shake the pen a bit too before I write. It goes on nice and saturated and does indeed sparkle a bit. NIce shade of blue too. I like it but still think it is a bit gimmicky.

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