Does your bottle of Diamine Sargasso Sea smell funny?

[awa54]

...because mine smells like mildew. It's about three years old, still 90%+ full and has only had ink drawn from it with a syringe (I mostly refill cartridges, rather than using converters and I don't think a lever or aerometric pen was ever filled from this bottle).

AFAIK, none of the other Diamine colors I own (20+) have a distinctive smell, which makes me think it's infected, but the bottle doesn't have any slime in the bottom or "floaters" that usually accompany infection by the various subspecies of SITB.

 

I hate to pour out a perfectly good bottle, but mold in the collector of a modern feed is a PITA to get rid of, so if this isn't normal for the color, I'll be 86ing it and making a Cult Pens order to replace it (as good an excuse as any to try a few more Diamine colors at the same time).

 

Thanks in advance for dragging out your bottle of Sargasso Sea to sniff it, your service is greatly appreciated!  

 

 

[Lithium466]

Mine smells the same, and so does my bottle of Poppy red (but less). It seems to be the smell of something Diamine uses in their acidic inks.

[awa54]

Interesting ...well if an ink was supposed to smell "fusty" then a storied British maker like Diamine would have to be the one to make it!

 

Thanks!

[Ron Z]

They were just trying to add to the realism of the Sargasso Sea.  Same color, same smell.

 

If an ink smells funny, it isn't funny, but likely contaminated.

[Estycollector]

What defines "funny"? Ink has an odor and contains organic ingredients. 

[awa54]

On 2/24/2024 at 3:32 PM, Estycollector said:

What defines "funny"? Ink has an odor and contains organic ingredients. 

 

as stated in the OP:

 

"...mine smells like mildew. "

 

By comparison, the bottle of Monteverde Olivine I had which featured a big mat of slimy sludge in the bottom of the bottle had a sulfurous 'rotten egg" smell and the Omas Sepia that went full SITB, had no noticeable odor.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, awa54 said:

"...mine smells like mildew. "

 

Mine did. It was a physically sickening smell that reminded me strongly of toxic blue-green algae infesting stale bodies of water inland at the height of summer. I left a fill of that ink in a Moonman 800 acrylic c/c-filled pen for some months, and that smell ended up getting into the material of the grip section; no matter what I did, I couldn't get rid of it, and every time I uncapped the pen that smell just hit me smack in the face, making that pen unusable. I ended up throwing the pen out.

[InesF]

On 2/24/2024 at 6:14 PM, awa54 said:

...because mine smells like mildew.

Usually, that's a good indicator emptying the ink into the drain. But, not for Sargasso Sea. That's the normal smell out of a freshly bought bottle.

btw.: Lamy Crystal Azurite has a similar smell - and a somehow similar colour.

 

You may check for mould by carefully opening a bottle (without shaking). If you see a swimming layer plus if the ink (which is not Sargasso Sea nor Azurite) has this mildew smell: pour it into the drain.

If there is no swimming layer, but suspicious smell, you may gently and slowly stir the ink with a tooth stick (or similar) reaching down to the bottom of the bottle. Carefully lift the stick (as if you like to lift a metal ring out of the liquid). If there are filamentous things adhering to the stick, no matter how many: pour the ink into the drain.

If all your tests are negativ, use the ink and put a sticker on the bottle with a reminder about the smell, a "no mould" and a date.

[Estycollector]

Found this on ink smell and compositions. Does Pen Ink Have a Smell? Sniffing Out the Truth (thefountainpenismightier.com)

[awa54]

Just to confirm the diagnosis; I found the 30ml bottle of Sargasso Sea I'd purchased before committing to a full 80ml, it also has the distinctive dank/mildew smell and has no gunk, goop or slime in the bottle.

 

 

The other SITB victim I've had was Herebin Eclat de Saphir, which I don't remember any strong odor from, but a layer of slimy goo was clearly visible in that bottle. 

[Penguincollector]

  I don’t have Sargasso Sea, but my Diamine Imperial Purple smells very fusty and always has. I think it’s just how some dyes or additives smell.