EFNIR: Diamine Oxford Blue

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Diamine Oxford Blue

This is review #185 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Cleaning was easy, but not quick - it took 2-3x as many flushes to get it all out. Also, it revealed that I was wrong about it possibly leaning purple (that had to be the sheen) - when rinsing down the drain, it seemed slightly green if anything. Not to offend folks, but I'm not sure what all the hoopla is with this ink - it's a deep, rich blue. Fortunately, the camera picks up the color pretty well.  The text in the scan is a little too light. And the zoom shows the shading and bright blue too easily - my eyes can only see this if I put my nose to the paper or use magnification. From a normal reading distance, I can't see shading at all.

The line width measurement is one of the lines used for dry time.  Magnification is 100x.  The grid is 100x100µm.  The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each.  The line width for this ink is roughly 310µm. (For the curious, with 185 inks measured, the average line width is 293µm.)

The microscope camera software wouldn't pick up the image as sharply as I wanted, nor pick up the pink "halo" of the area in the upper right area of the image, so I also took a picture with my cell phone - not great, but it shows things the camera software missed - the pink is even easier to see with my eyes.  Anyway, interesting crystal-like structures.

Errata: "The" should be "They" in "The stood at an intersection..."

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Line width measured via microscope at 100x:

Microscope slide at 100x:

Microscope slide through eyepiece, taken with cell phone:

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Previous Review: Herbin Perle Noire.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh?  Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

43 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Not to offend folks, but I'm not sure what all the hoopla is with this ink - it's a deep, rich blue.

The hoopla is that it's a deep rich blue 😀

[LizEF]

31 minutes ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

The hoopla is that it's a deep rich blue 😀

More power to the lovers of deep, rich blues.

[yazeh]

Great job, @LizEF

This is the type of ink I like to look at on the screen but don't like writing with, if it makes any sense 

Love the microscopic images. Snowflakes in blue, dreamy

I hope Snek stays, now that his mission is almost complete, poor Makhabesh

 

[carlos.q]

How is the water resistance of this ink, if any?

[mizgeorge]

Thanks as ever @LizEF for another excellent review. It's so interesting to have a consistent review across the one nib size. 

 

I like Oxford Blue. It's one of those inks I happily offer to visiting pens who want a safe, dark blue that's not a blue/black. I don't use it that often myself, but I do like how it looks on cream paper in particular. I can't imagine not having a bottle of it around somewhere. 

 

I also hope the little snek hangs around (or slithers, or whatever little sneks do). He's very endearing.

[LizEF]

11 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great job, @LizEF

Thanks!

 

11 minutes ago, yazeh said:

This is the type of ink I like to look at on the screen but don't like writing with, if it makes any sense 

Yeah, makes sense.  I expect we all have such colors.

 

12 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Love the microscopic images. Snowflakes in blue, dreamy

Cool, right?  I find it odd that the microscope software can't seem to pick up the bits of hot pink (I think there's at least three inks that have had such specks, but the software won't render them).

 

13 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I hope Snek stays, now that his mission is almost complete, poor Makhabesh

  I have big plans for our little snek.

[LizEF]

11 minutes ago, carlos.q said:

How is the water resistance of this ink, if any?

Sorry - no idea.  I only test water resistance when I know the ink is advertised as having some.  I'm sure other reviews cover that - and that there are lots of other reviews - it's a very popular ink.  An Ink Guy indicates that a pale blue is left behind.

[LizEF]

10 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Thanks as ever @LizEF 

You're most welcome!

 

11 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

for another excellent review. It's so interesting to have a consistent review across the one nib size. 

Thanks!

 

11 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I also hope the little snek hangs around (or slithers, or whatever little sneks do). He's very endearing.

Thanks!  Essri will be around for quite a while - or more specifically, at this point, I haven't imagined so far ahead in the story that he separates from our heroes, so even I don't know if or when it will happen, just not soon - there's a lot for him still to do.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

42 minutes ago, carlos.q said:

How is the water resistance of this ink, if any?

If any, it's negligible.

There's barely anything readable left on the paper.

[lapis]

Love this ink. This type  of ink. Dark blues verging (also) into blue-blacks. Whether no shading or sheen, it's the red that thrills me here. Depending on the pen and the paper, the tinge of redness is what varies.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

If any, it's negligible.

There's barely anything readable left on the paper.

Thank you.

[LizEF]

13 minutes ago, lapis said:

Love this ink. This type  of ink. Dark blues verging (also) into blue-blacks. Whether no shading or sheen, it's the red that thrills me here. Depending on the pen and the paper, the tinge of redness is what varies.

In addition to the red sheen, there were little hot pink flecks at random in the ink on the microscope slide - the fact that they separated out from the blue might also mean that they show up more on some papers than others, that is, perhaps some papers will suck them under and others let them float to the top, so to speak, thus giving you that tinge of red.   Glad you enjoy it.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

16 minutes ago, lapis said:

Love this ink. This type  of ink. Dark blues verging (also) into blue-blacks. Whether no shading or sheen, it's the red that thrills me here. Depending on the pen and the paper, the tinge of redness is what varies.

I love these inks too! Pity that S.T Dupont Bleu Nuit you've talked about earlier was discontinued 😞. For me, it's not so much the sheen as the rich colour. Unfortunately most of these inks aren't water resistant, would have been really nice....

[lapis]

8 minutes ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

... Pity that S.T Dupont Bleu Nuit you've talked about earlier was discontinued....

Glad you remembered that ink! BTW it is/was discontinued (only) in bottle-form. It's still available in carts, and (FWIW) likely the ink I repeatedly keep on buying the most (whether cart or bottle).

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

It's unobtanium here. Will see if I can scrounge up for Scribo Blu Cosmico, which isn't unobtanium, but is expensive.

[ParramattaPaul]

I love Oxford Blue.  It is as Liz says, '...a deep, rich blue'.  That is one of the things I like about it.  I'm not into soft, subtle colours.  I want what I write to stand out boldly from the page.  It's other attribute in my mind is that it works with even the most finicky pens.

[LizEF]

3 minutes ago, ParramattaPaul said:

I want what I write to stand out boldly from the page. 

I recommend Akkerman Oranje Boven - it doesn't just stand out, it jumps out!

 

4 minutes ago, ParramattaPaul said:

It's other attribute in my mind is that it works with even the most finicky pens.

Yes, this is one thing about Diamine inks - they're generally very well-behaved.

[sansenri]

thank you for the review, very nice ink, one of my favourites when I want a dark blue that still looks blue

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, sansenri said:

thank you for the review, very nice ink, one of my favourites when I want a dark blue that still looks blue

You're most welcome.