Van Dieman's Inks In Oz

[saulyleeplans]

Has anyone heard or used these inks before? I ran across them accidentally and I'm curious, they are very cheap but I don't want to assume they aren't good quality though.

 

https://jinhaopensaustralia.com.au/collections/van-diemans-ink-the-original-14-colours-of-tasmania

[inkstainedruth]

Never heard of them. I took a quick peek at the link and the cobalt blue looks nice (I looked at the writing more than the swab on the photo with the swab card). Didn't really check out the other colors yet, though.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[WLSpec]

Hmmm... very interesting discovery. I haven't heard of these but the name Van Dieman rings a bell... I will keep an eye out.

 

According to the about page, the owners of this ink company also brought Jinhao to Australia. I will look into this. I'm intrigued.

[auslindamac]

Hi all from an Aussie,

 

Super quick post, in a rush. The Van Dieman's inks are a quality product made by a small company in Tasmania.

https://www.vandiemansink.com.au/

Haven't been using them for long, still working my slow but thoroughly enjoyable way through a number of stunning colours. It's not only me that enjoys them - my pens are lapping them up, too. Thus far have tried them in Super5, Visconti, Leonardo.... yet to try in Aurora, Platinum 3776 (that'd be the ROKKA that's due to arrive this month ) . Will have more to say on the subject when I have more time....sorry for lack of detail now. but there's some interesting reading at their website...

Edited July 5, 2019 by auslindamac

[AntiqueApprentice]

Hi

Forgive the late reply, please, but I have just joined the forum.

I have now tried 9 sample inks from VD Inks. I find the colours rich and interesting and the inks seem to flow smoother and wetter than most of the Robert Oster inks that I have used/sampled.

Colours tried were:

Azure Kingfisher - STUNNING!!

Black Tongue Spider Orchid

Devil's Kitchen

Tasmanian Vine Purple

Leatherwood Honey

Sun Spotted Orchid

Elizabeth's Violet Eyes

Oakwood Brown

Hollywood Diamonds are a Girls BFF

 

They are reasonably priced and well worth trying out. Pulp Addiction in Victoria sell sample vials and I can recommend the retailer and the inks even though I have no association with either.

Cheers

AA

[amberleadavis]

This was quite a find. I'd love to see reviews.

[Jamerelbe]

I think I read somewhere - forgive me if I have this wrong - that the Van Dieman's inks are actually made from Jinhao's range of inks. I believe the folks at Jinhao Pens Australia (who've now re-branded themselves) began experimenting with Jinhao inks, creating their own unique colours by mixing and matching - though it's possible they've branched out from there over time. It's certainly become an impressive-looking range - I might have to try some of their colours out in the near-ish future!

[avlisyar]

It looks like Pen Chalet is handling the entire line.

There are some really interesting colors.

[Ruth Feiertag]

Pen Chalet doesn’t seem to be offering samples of the Van Dieman’s inks Does anyone know a U.S. dealer who does?

 

Ruth

[avlisyar]

Pen Chalet doesn’t seem to be offering samples of the Van Dieman’s inks Does anyone know a U.S. dealer who does?

 

Ruth

Try this link:

 

https://www.penchalet.com/ink_refills/fountain_pen_ink/van_diemans_original_14_tasmania_sample_ink.html

[Ruth Feiertag]

Avlisyar,

 

Thank you! That page completely eluded me.

 

Much appreciated,

 

Ruth

[avlisyar]

Avlisyar,

 

Thank you! That page completely eluded me.

 

Much appreciated,

 

Ruth

You're welcome! I actually have four (4) samples on the way.

Should be here on Friday.

[Ruth Feiertag]

I hope you'll post a review. Which ones did you get? I haven't decided which ones I want yet, but maybe I can get some that are different than yours so we can trade notes.

 

Ruth

[AmandaW]

Did anyone try these inks?

[Ruth Feiertag]

Yes! I’ve been using the Bass Strait Cobalt and the Eucalyptus Regnans quite a bit and I like them both very much. The Cobalt is a deep blue with no sheen or shading that I detect, but is still satisfying. It is lighter in drier nibs.

 

The Eucalyptus is more complex, with interesting shading in medium-flow nibs. In my wet nibs, it tends to be a little less multi-tonal. I haven’t used in a dry nib.

The Azure Kingfisher really is, as Antique Apprentice notes, stunning. It shimmers like nothing I’ve seen. I’ve only used it in my high-flowing Additive pen, but it writes very smoothly, though it helps to tip it upside down once in a while while writing.

I’ve tried samples of four other inks. The Leatherwood Honey Amber is sort of a golden brown with noticeable shading. The West Coast Sunset, Styx Valley Forest Green, and Bay of Fires (red) are all a little flat and light for me, but are, like the other inks, smooth-flowing inks.

 

Ruth

[I-am-not-really-here]

Vanness now carries the inks as well, if you are hunting samples.

[austollie]

I like dark teal inks and Van Dieman's Blackened Seas hit the spot for me.  I obtained it online from Pulp Addiction.  I couldn't be happier with the performance of the ink.  It flows well in my Lamy Al Star F.  It provides good saturation, but still has a reasonable amount of shading.

 

The colour was exactly what I was hoping for.  It's dark enough to be used in a business setting (which is where I use it), whilst having a little bit of flair.  If you're bored with writing with black or blue (like I did for decades) and want something different that can still be used at work, this may be for you.

 

I also tried one of Van Dieman's shimmering inks.  That wasn't quite to my taste, but others may like it.

[amberleadavis]

I'd love to see some pictures of the inks in use.

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

5 minutes ago, amberleadavis said:

I'd love to see some pictures of the inks in use.

Sorry the lighting is not so good for inky pics today amberleadavis..but I'm using V.Dieman's 'Blackened Sea' also.

Now when I write with my ystudio Copper pen I get a slight blue/green mark on my hand.

Some would call it 'verdigris' (a greenish teal), and it's a tarnish stain that I like on my pen.

The 'Blackened Seas' is a response to that, the copper 'Patina' and verdigris. Not exact of course but a fun match.

I also use V.Dieman's 'Tiger Snake', Nutmeg, Saffron, Tassie Salmon and Eucalyptus Regnans. Some of these colours are 'special occasion inks'. Too bright for daily use!

My favourite match is my vintage Swan, Mabie Todd, 'Green Snakeskin' oblique medium nib, and V.Dieman's 'Tiger Snake' ink!! I swear they've used real venom!

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

I bought mine directly from V.Dieman's in Tasmania. They had a '50ml for 30ml' price special for Feb. so I got a few extra.