EFNIR: Diplomat Burgundy

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Diplomat Burgundy

This is review #342 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: I have absolutely nothing to compare to this ink, so I chose a pair of Diamine inks, just so you can see what it isn't. The color doesn't seem dark enough to be burgundy, but that could be the nib.

The color was also very hard to capture - even the video thumbnail isn't the greatest. Go by the scan, or just get a sample and see for yourself.

Shading is nice when it's there, but doesn't show up on all papers.  Perhaps the ink is wetter than I thought - based on the fat line...

Cleaning was easy with plain water but may need an extra flush or two - lots of dye.

Zoomed in photo (The camera made the ink brownish - it's not. I corrected as well as possible. Reality is redder, a little darker, less shading, and richer in color.)

Screenshot (A little undersaturated and a little too dark, but actually gives a good idea of what the whole sheet looks like.)

Scan of Completed Review (This is quite close to reality. I think the text is a smidge darker in real life.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (The color is wrong on both halves of the image.)

Line width (The "I" in "Ink:". 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 345µm. With 342 inks measured, the average line width is 298µm.) (The color is all wrong in this image.)

Microscope image (400x. The colors should be pastel, and without the hint of blue at the edges.)

Previous Review: Noodler's Golden Brown.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

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

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

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

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

This Diplomat ink looks burgundy, until you place it between other inks that really are burgundy.  I would appreciate the fast dry time, as many of my burgundy-ish inks dry slow.

 

The micro looks like someone shotgunned Big Bird (after laying him in a bath of pink lemonade)….🙀

 

I had a sample of Red Dragon and liked it, but I got impatient and dumped it in “Sailor's Red Mix™️.”  

 

You've done it again, @LizEF!  Introduced me to a good-looking ink, while continuing with Magic Story Tuesdays. Etthhri and Makhabesh, whale-watching, tickled me no end.   Thanks!

[InesF]

"Aaahhh, I see yellow disco crystals that do not look like whales" - unknown author of the present that tries to be creative with the quote.   

 

Thank you, @LizEF, for this non-IG ink review, for the relaxing story part (fresh air, movement without responsibility, and overall a good time) and for sharing the nice microscopy image with us! 

 

You are right, this is not a Bordeaux colour and only close to a burgundy. Maybe it's more like a Zweigelt or Pinot Rouge? It also reminds me to the colour of fresh red grapes (those which typically end up as Rosé wine ...). However, it is a nice colour.

 

It's the most busy time of the year in my job, therefore I especially like the a bit leaned-back intermezzo in the story. Thank you!  

Looking forward to next week Wednesday!

 

[LizEF]

26 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

This Diplomat ink looks burgundy, until you place it between other inks that really are burgundy.

A color called "burgundy" seems to be a popular color for velvet upholstery.  That's where my brain's idea of "burgundy" comes from, but it's a much darker shade than this...  When I googled, to see if my brain knew what it was talking about, I discovered that there's a wide range of colors that qualify as "burgundy" (which makes the name basically meaningless, but whatever).  So I let it go and continued with my review.

 

28 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I would appreciate the fast dry time, as many of my burgundy-ish inks dry slow.

Probably because they have a boat-load of dye packed into them.   Good news is, whether this color is burgundy or just "burgundy", I enjoyed it.

 

29 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I had a sample of Red Dragon and liked it, but I got impatient and dumped it in “Sailor's Red Mix™️.”  

As I recall, I like Sailor's Red Mix, but I also really liked Red Dragon (despite it not shading), so I have, um, mixed feelings about the poor dragon getting dunked and mixed...

 

31 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

You've done it again, @LizEF!  Introduced me to a good-looking ink, while continuing with Magic Story Tuesdays. Etthhri and Makhabesh, whale-watching, tickled me no end.

Thanks!

 

31 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks!

You're most welcome!

[LizEF]

31 minutes ago, InesF said:

"Aaahhh, I see yellow disco crystals that do not look like whales" - unknown author of the present that tries to be creative with the quote.   

  At least it wasn't a yellow whale after Ahab got done with it (ala @Sailor Kenshin's violent imaginations. )...

 

32 minutes ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @LizEF, for this non-IG ink review, for the relaxing story part (fresh air, movement without responsibility, and overall a good time) and for sharing the nice microscopy image with us! 

You're most welcome!

 

33 minutes ago, InesF said:

You are right, this is not a Bordeaux colour and only close to a burgundy. Maybe it's more like a Zweigelt or Pinot Rouge? It also reminds me to the colour of fresh red grapes (those which typically end up as Rosé wine ...). However, it is a nice colour.

I will have to take your word for it on the various wine comparisons.  But it is a nice color, and one I enjoyed while it was in the pen.

 

33 minutes ago, InesF said:

It's the most busy time of the year in my job, therefore I especially like the a bit leaned-back intermezzo in the story. Thank you!  

Glad to oblige!  We all need to relax now and then, even story adventurers.

 

34 minutes ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to next week Wednesday!

Thanks!

[inkstainedruth]

@LizEF Thanks as usual for the comprehensive review.  On my screen it does look redder than I think of "burgundy" being, but that might also be because at the moment I have a sample of Van Dieman's Bunches of Roses and inked up the (replacement) Dark Dusk Safari with it.  Still trying to decide if I like that ink enough to get a full bottle, given that I tend to not like burgundy all that much as a color (I want my reds to be RED, as in "fire engine" red, "red the color of my first car" red), but it does have some shading and (on some paper) really interesting (almost black!) "haloing" on the line strokes.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

20 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

@LizEF Thanks as usual for the comprehensive review.

You're most welcome!

 

21 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

On my screen it does look redder than I think of "burgundy" being, but that might also be because at the moment I have a sample of Van Dieman's Bunches of Roses and inked up the (replacement) Dark Dusk Safari with it.  Still trying to decide if I like that ink enough to get a full bottle, given that I tend to not like burgundy all that much as a color (I want my reds to be RED, as in "fire engine" red, "red the color of my first car" red), but it does have some shading and (on some paper) really interesting (almost black!) "haloing" on the line strokes.

Red tends to evoke strong feelings.

[yazeh]

Thank you for another excellent review of another "Octopus" ink @LizEF.   :thumbup:

Like @InesF found the storyline soothing, when our heroes connect with nature, instead of chasing bad guys. Now, only if the latter could do the same thing, there would be no conflict, but then we won't have any story, and such colourful characters.  

I had a chuckle at the line, "then joined Quin on the deck," thinking for a second maybe it was the whales who were doing the joining.  

The colour reminds me of Noodler's Red Rattler Red, a very pleasing one. 

The microscopic image has captured the impenetrable world of happy whales. 

 

Thanks for bringing magic on this Tuesday. 🙏

 

 

 

 

[LizEF]

22 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thank you for another excellent review of another "Octopus" ink @LizEF.

You're most welcome!  And thank you!

 

22 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Like @InesF found the storyline soothing, when our heroes connect with nature, instead of chasing bad guys. Now, only if the latter could do the same thing, there would be no conflict, but then we won't have any story, and such colourful characters.  

That is the problem with stories - conflict of some sort is mandatory...

 

25 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I had a chuckle at the line, "then joined Quin on the deck," thinking for a second maybe it was the whales who were doing the joining.  

 

26 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The colour reminds me of Noodler's Red Rattler Red, a very pleasing one. 

Haven't tried this one yet, but I will!

 

26 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The microscopic image has captured the impenetrable world of happy whales. 

Having a party, with a disco light!

 

27 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for bringing magic on this Tuesday. 🙏

Glad to!

[Mercian]

4 hours ago, LizEF said:

When I googled, to see if my brain knew what it was talking about, I discovered that there's a wide range of colors that qualify as "burgundy" (which makes the name basically meaningless, but whatever).

 

I have been attempting to refine my own definition of the correct colour of 'Burgundy' by working my way steadily through bottles of various liquids imported from France

 

But I agree with you that the name of this ink seems to be slightly inappropriate for the colour of the ink. And its apparent reluctance to provide shading makes me less likely to covet it.

 

That said, I am about to load my first fill of another ink whose colour is (broadly speaking) in this same range; and it is one that you made† me buy - R&K Alt-Bordeaux.

 

Your writing prompt makes me want to use it to write-out and then upload a quote from @Sandy1 's favourite book

 

† I distinctly remember that, when you reviewed it, you held a gun to my head and simply insisted that I buy it.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

I have been attempting to refine my own definition of the correct colour of 'Burgundy' by working my way steadily through bottles of various liquids imported from France

 

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

But I agree with you that the name of this ink seems to be slightly inappropriate for the colour of the ink. And its apparent reluctance to provide shading makes me less likely to covet it.

Iroful will make up for its reluctance.   I very much enjoyed the ink, but I confess, I probably won't buy any.  I'll just enjoy what's left of the sample.

 

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

That said, I am about to load my first fill of another ink whose colour is (broadly speaking) in this same range; and it is one that you made† me buy - R&K Alt-Bordeaux.

You're most welcome!   That's another great one.  Hard to choose.  The colors are different enough that you might need both...

 

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

† I distinctly remember that, when you reviewed it, you held a gun to my head and simply insisted that I buy it.

Except for me being in Utah and you in the UK, that might otherwise be plausible.   It's possible your memory was impacted by some off Bordeaux...

 

1 hour ago, Mercian said:

Your writing prompt makes me want to use it to write-out and then upload a quote from @Sandy1 's favourite book

Hmm.  I don't know Sandy1's favorite book.  Tell me more!  (Oh, Moby Dick, perhaps?)

[Mercian]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Hmm.  I don't know Sandy1's favorite book.  Tell me more!  (Oh, Moby Dick, perhaps?)

 

To be fair, I don't know that it was actually her favourite book, but Mr. Melville's magnum opus was certainly the source of the writing samples in most of her reviews 

 

Plus, I recently bought a copy of a nice Penguin edition of it, so now have a hefty source of whale-lore readily to-hand.
Although it is not especially whale-related, I particularly enjoy the Deathless Wisdom that forms most of the latter half of Chapter 58, which bears the title Brit.

[LizEF]

24 minutes ago, Mercian said:

 

To be fair, I don't know that it was actually her favourite book, but Mr. Melville's magnum opus was certainly the source of the writing samples in most of her reviews 

 

Plus, I recently bought a copy of a nice Penguin edition of it, so now have a hefty source of whale-lore readily to-hand.
Although it is not especially whale-related, I particularly enjoy the Deathless Wisdom that forms most of the latter half of Chapter 58, which bears the title Brit.

I'm looking forward to some handwritten whale (-adjacent) quotes.

[Mercian]

16 hours ago, LizEF said:

I'm looking forward to some handwritten whale (-adjacent) quotes.

 

Here?

 

The process of scanning the quote should be a good 'learning opportunity' for me.
As would be trying to take a photograph of the quote...
(I got a new phone today, and its camera has far more settings and options than the one on my ancient-&-venerable phone did!)

[LizEF]

11 minutes ago, Mercian said:

 

Here?

 

The process of scanning the quote should be a good 'learning opportunity' for me.
As would be trying to take a photograph of the quote...
(I got a new phone today, and its camera has far more settings and options than the one on my ancient-&-venerable phone did!)

  Where else?

 

Learning is good for you!  Congrats on the new phone!  If you decide you don't like the camera app included, you could try Open Camera (at least, it's available for Android - don't know about iPhone).

[yazeh]

@LizEF I used open camera on my old phone. I couldn't see any difference in the end result, so I abandoned the idea... 

@Mercian the combination of photos and scans helps us see, approximately what you see. Though some colors refuse to see the nuances our eyes see or invent colours that are never there. As @LizEF says ( minus the cussing, they can go to Mars but not make a bloody universal camera.

 

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

@LizEF I used open camera on my old phone. I couldn't see any difference in the end result, so I abandoned the idea... 

Yeah, it totally depends on how good the built-in camera software is, and personal preference for the interface.

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

@Mercian the combination of photos and scans helps us see, approximately what you see. Though some colors refuse to see the nuances our eyes see or invent colours that are never there.

And if you need help making the paper look white, I'm happy to walk you through that in GIMP (it's really easy), or even to help you out by editing a photo / scan for you. (Scans don't usually need the whiteness adjusted, but sometimes they need the color adjusted.)

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

As @LizEF says ( minus the cussing, they can go to Mars but not make a bloody universal camera.

I'm telling you, there's just something wrong with the folks who are solving technical problems these days - they pick all the wrong problems!

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh Yeah, I ran into the opposite of that last year when we went up to a county park to see the Northern Lights in a place that didn't have a lot of ambient light from streetlights and such.  What I saw to the naked eye was sort of v-shaped areas coming up from the northern horizon that were just a bit lighter in shade to the rest of the sky.  But the photos my husband took on his phone?  You really saw the chroma.  

Such a disappointment from the time I saw the Northern Lights as a kid (I think I was in middle school) from our back deck one night (we lived about 50 miles north of NYC).  And there were these HUGE long streaks of red across the dome of the sky, like someone had taken a giant paintbrush to it.  No problems at ALL seeing the color that time....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

20 hours ago, LizEF said:

Yeah, it totally depends on how good the built-in camera software is, and personal preference for the interface.

I might test it again, in the new phone.

20 hours ago, LizEF said:

 

And if you need help making the paper look white, I'm happy to walk you through that in GIMP (it's really easy), or even to help you out by editing a photo / scan for you. (Scans don't usually need the whiteness adjusted, but sometimes they need the color adjusted.)

That would be helpful in colour correcting Midori. It looks like tobacco-tinged fingers and moustachios of heavy smokers.   

20 hours ago, LizEF said:

I'm telling you, there's just something wrong with the folks who are solving technical problems these days - they pick all the wrong problems!

They find better ways of killing each other, than saving lives.  

 

[yazeh]

19 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh Yeah, I ran into the opposite of that last year when we went up to a county park to see the Northern Lights in a place that didn't have a lot of ambient light from streetlights and such.  What I saw to the naked eye was sort of v-shaped areas coming up from the northern horizon that were just a bit lighter in shade to the rest of the sky.  But the photos my husband took on his phone?  You really saw the chroma.  

That must have been disconcerting. I have never seen the Northern lights, but then again, I'm more intrigued by plants, animals and inks.  

19 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Such a disappointment from the time I saw the Northern Lights as a kid (I think I was in middle school) from our back deck one night (we lived about 50 miles north of NYC).  And there were these HUGE long streaks of red across the dome of the sky, like someone had taken a giant paintbrush to it.  No problems at ALL seeing the color that time....

It must have been disappointing. Life seems to be a series of grieving, small, and large, after a point. At least we have the memories.