Diamine Registrar's

[bokaba]

Diamine Registrar's Blue Black (G-Nib on Rhodia dot pad)

 

 

Dry time: about 10 seconds on Rhodia in non-flex writing, otherwise, up to several minutes

 

Flow: relatively dry

 

Lubricated: no

 

Waterproof: yes, heavy iron gall, probably FP ink with highest IG content available

 

Saturation: low

 

Color: medium/dark blue, then oxidize to dark black, on par with most dark blacks on the market; thinner lines may remain blue for several hours or days

 

Value: on the more expensive side at a minimum of $12 for 30ml

 

Bottle: standard inkwell design (also comes in larger 100ml refills).

 

Notes: this ink feels very old fashioned and similar to dip pen inks except being slightly thinner.

[aurore]

Great review! And a fabulous penmanship!

Thank you.

[Jamerelbe]

Thanks for the review - I have a bottle of this ink, but rarely use it because of the qualities you mention: not very well lubricated, relatively dry flow. It definitely has a place in the arsenal of someone using fountain pens for professional purposes (the waterproofness is pretty impressive!) - but I've found the Blackstone Barrister inks (with their micropigment formulation) to be more pleasant to write with. I hear Sailor's nano-pigmented black is the same (can't remember its name) - writes great, refuses to shift from the page...

 

Do you use Registrar's ink much? Or is it for you (as for me) an ink you only put into a pen for a specific purpose or occasion?

[inkstainedruth]

The photo does not match my experience with Diamine Registrars. I tried a sample of it early on and it oxidized to a washy blue grey. Great shading, but not more good to be said beyond that. Oh, and it's one of the few inks I've found that works on Post-it Flags (the plasticky ones) but then didn't have any lightfastness.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bokaba]

To respond to a couple of comments, I really only have Registrar's to play around with as I am a fan of historic inks. My go-to permanent ink right now is Platinum Blue Black, which is also an iron gall, but doesn't perform like one.

 

Second, I think you may be having the gray issue because of the poor flow causes only a small amount of ink to be spread on the paper. The thicker, wetter the line is, the more likely it is to oxidize to a dark black (I had a similar experience with Salix).

[Tom Kellie]

~ bokaba:

 

Thank you for the review above.

The image of the handwriting sample is especially appreciated.

I also admire old-time inks.

Tom K.

[bokaba]

 

Here is a swatch I made showing the dark black/blue color compared to Salix and Quink