Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Diamine Purple Bow Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Last year's Inkvent Calendar from Diamine was a huge hit, and this lovely hue was in pride of place as the December 24th offering. Yes, Purple Bow seems like the perfect color to top off all the gifts!

This is a deep, blue-toned purple that leans more toward violet than magenta, and even appears to be blue under some lighting. It has a ton of character, showing some shading, and a hearty amount of sheening. The sheen is a copper color that looks red at some angles and gold at others, and deliciously opulent at any angle.

In fine lines, it has a fast dry time, with minimal smudging at 15 seconds and none at all after 20. In bolder, wetter lines, it takes a very long time to dry, and even showed no change in smearing after 30 seconds. It's a well-lubricated ink with great flow.

It is not a water-resistant ink, but it did not wash away completely in a splash test, even when the water was wiped away instead of dabbed. Your work may survive a minor tea accident, but probably don't take it swimming.

Despite my rather extensive collection of purple ink samples, this one was not a duplicate for any of them. It's more blue than the other rich purples, but richer than my other blue purples. In tone and sheen, it was closest to De Atrementis Alexander Hamilton, but that one is far more rosy than this one. If you're a purple ink fan looking for a new purple with lots of character, this one is a big winner.

It comes in a wild glass bottle with concave sides and wee ball feet--it almost looks like a sea creature. I dig it. And it's only about $10 for a 50ml bottle via Stilo & Stile, which is such a good price I had to triple check it, because I thought that couldn't be right. All around, this one is too good to miss.

(The Pen Addict purchased this pen at full retail from Stilo & Stile.)

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Posted on July 30, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Diamine, Ink Reviews.

Diamine Inkvent Blue Edition Jack Frost Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Christmas in July when it's 105 in Abilene, Texas?! Who would've thought? Diamine, that's who. Remember the Inkvent Calendar from December? I remember it well, because I did mini-reviews of all 25 inks over 25 days (see the final day's summary here). In my original review of Jack Frost, I lamented that the 7ml bottle wouldn't last long. But Santa Claus is good, even in July, because Diamine decided to make all 25 Inkvent inks available in 50ml bottles.

Diamine Inkvent Blue Edition Jack Frost Ink

And oh what a bottle it is--thick glass, a unique shape with four feet, and a shiny cap. I realize ink bottles are mostly utilitarian, but I absolutely love it when manufacturers put their inks in bottles that you can display like china.

Diamine Jack Frost is a deep, midnight blue with silver shimmer and magenta sheen. Like Jack, this ink is magical and evokes moody winter sunsets viewed through ice crystals on your window.

Diamine Inkvent Blue Edition Jack Frost Ink Swab

On Rhodia paper, the sheen doesn't show up like it does on the Col-o-dex card, but the shimmer stands out. This ink flows well and looks great in all nib sizes. But, broad or flex nibs show off the sheen and shimmer the best. The ink is not waterproof.

Jack Frost is gorgeous, with lots of turquoise amidst the deep blue as demonstrated in the chromatography.

Diamine Inkvent Jack Frost Chromatography

This ink is fantastic when used with a ruling nib. The sheen outlines every letter and pools beautifully. The shimmer skates along the surface.

I drew a mandala with Jack Frost using Bank Paper and a fine nib. Although I was careful to shake the pen, the nib was too fine to display the shimmer. A tiny bit of sheen comes through. I think the blue stands on its own, even when sheen and shimmer are minimal.

You can probably tell that I am entranced with Diamine Jack Frost. The combination of a stellar blue color with both sheen and shimmer makes it special.

You can purchase this or any other Diamine Inkvent color from Stilo & Stile, 11,00€ (approximately $12.73) for 50ml.

(The Pen Addict purchased this ink at full retail from Stilo & Stile.)

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Posted on July 24, 2020 by Susan Pigott and filed under Diamine, Ink Reviews.

Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan Fountain Pen Ink Review

As a practitioner of the “Matchy Matchy” lifestyle, I am proud to say I have come up with a real winner here. It’s almost like the beautiful blue black of Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan was waiting to fulfill it’s destiny of flowing through the nib of the TWSBI 580 AL in Prussian Blue.

Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan Fountain Pen Ink

I like to have fun with product reviews, especially when the target is something as traditional as a blue black fountain pen ink. What Lennon Tool Bar is, and what they have made with this ink, is something special. Not in a drop everything and buy it kind of way, but more of a pure enjoyment when the color hits the page feeling. Especially when you are as big of a fan of this shade as me.

Based in Taiwan, Lennon Tool Bar began life as an indigo dyeing shop, which is a traditional, respected craft. When they decided to launch an in-house fountain pen ink lineup, their initial colors were based on the colors found in the indigo dyeing process they were familiar with.

Indio Tiegan represents when the dyeing process is freshly completed, and before it is first washed. It has some dark components, but shows a lightness in the shading that comes through on the page. It is a good middle ground compared to many of my favorites. For example, it’s darker than Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai, but lighter than Sailor Blue Black.

Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan Ink Writing

The ink flows wet from my 1.1 mm stub TWSBI Nib. I need to try it in finer nibs to get a great feel for it, but I think the wetness will show up anywhere. Given that, I’ve found it takes a bit longer to dry on the Clairefontaine Triomphe paper I used for the written review. Comparable to Rhodia, Indigo Tiegan is on the longer side of dry times, but not enough to cause any problems.

I’ll be the first to admit I am swayed by brand and product stories, especially ones coming out of the Asian market that I am so fond of. So it comes as no surprise that I love this ink. At $20 for a 30 ml bottle it’s not cheap, but I think it is a fair price considering the fact that this is a small company, and has to be imported.

The challenge now is to decide which Lennon Tool Bar ink will be next for me, and how it will compare to Indigo Tiegan, which has quickly become a favorite.

(The Pen Addict purchased this ink at full price from Shigure Inks.)

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