Posts filed under Van Dieman's

Van Dieman's Birds of a Feather — Mandarin Duck Nape Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's a reason that ink makers look to nature — and particular birds — for inspiration when mixing and naming their inks. The most recent ink that I've tried that borrows a name from the avian kingdom is Van Dieman's Mandarin Duck Nape, which is one of six in their Birds of a Feather collection. The Mandarin Duck is a colorful creature with lots of interesting characteristics, but the namesake of this ink focuses on the back of the duck's head (the nape), which is a vibrant teal.

I'm no stranger to Van Dieman's, so my expectations were higher than average due to my past experience. Mandarin Duck Nape is no exception here, which means it performs well and is gorgeous on paper. Based on pictures I've seen, the green-leaning teal of this ink matches the duck's feathers really well. It's a fairly dark ink, and it really works best in a wide and wet nib. Smaller nibs just don't show off the best characteristics of this ink, and it just looks like a dark green ink. In the flex nib I'm using right now, there's a small amount of shading from dark teal to a medium green-teal color. In some areas, you can even see some red sheen on top of the dried ink.

While the shading is a great feature of this ink, the dry time certainly isn't. In my tests, it takes more than 30 seconds for the ink to dry to the point that it won't smear from light to moderate pressure. In areas where the ink is a bit thicker, it can take anywhere from 40 to 60 seconds to fully dry. This is something you should definitely take into consideration if you're left-handed or if you want to use this ink in a notebook that will be closed shortly after jotting down some notes. Depending on your writing grip, smearing is a guarantee if your hand trails after the pen. And if you close a notebook within a minute after writing with this ink, there will be ink deposits on the opposite page. This is definitely a slow drying ink!

One of the features that I really love about this ink is the red sheen that you can see on top of the dried ink. Unfortunately, this is really hard to see in normal writing. It shows up easily in small pools of ink, swatches, or large areas of scribbles. If only the sheen was just a little less shy, this would be a fantastic perk!

To my eye, and according to pictures, this ink is really close in color and behavior to Robert Oster's River of Fire. River of Fire is more on the green side of the teal spectrum, but it also has a strong red sheen that you can see in large deposits of dried ink. Mandarin Duck Nape has more blue when you compare the two, but they're definitely both on the green side of the teal spectrum.

Writing with Mandarin Duck Nape has been a real pleasure. It works well in my pens, doesn't feather or bleed, and looks great. The slow drying time is a major caveat, so consider that before purchasing this ink. In the right situation, this beautiful ink is a great choice. You can pick up a 30ml bottle for $17 or a 4ml sample vial for just $4.25. If you go for the sample vial, be sure to add a few more samples that look interesting!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on October 11, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Van Dieman's, Ink Reviews.

Pairings Party: Andhand Method Fountain Pen, Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing

You know a party is a success when you are pleasantly surprised throughout the event. That has been the case with the Andhand Method Fountain Pen, inked with Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing, over these past several weeks.

Andhand reached out to me earlier this year, offering up the Method for me to check out. I received the Brass model, with a #5 Medium Steel Schmidt nib, and I have to say that they made a metal barrel pen that fits my needs perfectly.

The key for me with brass pens is overall weight. They can’t be too heavy for me to write with comfortably for medium and long writing sessions. In conjunction with overall weight, the balance of that weight has to be managed correctly with the design of the pen. Many metal pen designs don’t consider the effect back-weighting has on the writing experience. The Method pen nails the balance - unposted, of course - making for a proper writing experience.

How did they accomplish this? This is a smaller barrel, closer to my favorite ystudio Brassing Fountain Pen than some of the bigger, bolder brass pens on the market. Big, heavy, brass pens certainly have their place, and their fans. My preferences lie in the smaller and lighter builds, and Andhand did a great job with that here.

Aside from being happy with the weight, balance, and overall feel of the Method, the cap design impressed me. The cut out facets add a nice visual touch to the design, but what I enjoyed even more was the snap cap. That’s right, no metal threads on the barrel to dig in to your fingers! The section is long enough to grip comfortably, with a slight taper down from the barrel seam to the nib.

Aside from Brass, the Method Fountain Pen comes in a ystudio-esque Black + Brass - both for £110 - and a Stainless Steel model for £130. The Stainless model checks in a few grams lighter, too: 48g vs 52g for the Brass.

Given the all-Brass design and color of my Method, I had the run of the rainbow for my ink choice, so why did I choose a more muted shade in Van Dieman’s Mandarin Duck Wing? Because I like to test ink colors outside of my normal usage zone.

*Written on the* *Mitsubishi Bank Paper Notebook* *from The Paper Mind.*

Reddish-browns rank far down my list of color choices, but I have been more than happy with Mandarin Duck Wing. Impressed, even. For starters, the color is a little more brown than red, which I prefer, and the performance is outstanding. Flow has been perfect, no matter if I have been using the pen several times throughout the day, or a week between uses. That is a compliment to the cap design of the metal barrel pen, too, sealing the nib off well from the elements.

It shows off a bit of shading on most pages I’ve tested it on (Midori, Mitsubishi Bank, PLOTTER,) and has a medium dry time. There is no sheen present, and the ink is not waterproof. It bears repeating just how consistent the flow is. I will definitely be trying this ink in finer nibs to see if the performance is similar.

If you like metal pens that are properly sized and weighted, then you should check out the Method Fountain Pen from Andhand. I like the Brass one that they sent me well enough to consider ordering the Stainless Steel model, which is a favorite material of mine. And which Mandarin Duck part should you ink it up with? I went with the brownish-red Wing, but feel free to check out the classic blue Mandarin Duck Breast, or the bright green/teal of Mandarin Duck Nape. All bottles are $14.95 for 30 ml. Any combination of the above would make a great Pairings Party.

(Andhand provided this pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided this ink at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Andhand, Van Dieman's, Ink Reviews, Pen Reviews.

Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons Black Truffle Review

As winter is coming to a close, I figured a gloomy black ink would be a fitting ink choice as I anticipate the warmer and brighter weather. Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons series is a beautiful collection of inks that take their inspiration from the natural beauty of Tasmania, and Black Truffle is a dark brown that looks black in most light. I'm hoping that by the time I write all of this ink through my pen, spring will be here!

While I usually favor bright and cheery inks, there's definitely plenty of space for dark inks. It doesn't matter if you're required to use a dark ink in some situations, if a dark ink just works better in others, or if you just enjoy using it in any scenario — they should still be pretty and interesting. Black Truffle doesn't disappoint. When you first write with this ink, it looks a couple shades darker as a fairly mediocre black. But as the ink dries (which happens really quickly, by the way), the dark overtones give way to a dark brown hue that pops out in the thinner areas of the ink. It provides a perfect amount of color and shade variation to make it visually interesting on the page. If you're looking for a solid, rich black ink, this isn't the one for you. This black ink vacillates between brown-black and black depending on the thickness of the nib stroke, and that's why I've really been enjoying it.

Along with the mild shading, there's also a shine or black sheen in certain areas where the ink pools. It's hard to catch on camera, but it adds a little depth to the finished product. It's not enough sheen to steal the show, but it catches my eye every now and then when I'm not expecting it.

The lubrication of the ink is fantastic. The pens I've used with this ink have no trouble gliding across the paper. It starts quickly and feeds perfectly. I've had zero issues with the behavior of this ink in my pens, and that's what I've come to expect from Van Dieman's.

I can't see any feathering or bleeding from the ink either, which makes this an excellent performer for an all-around ink pick. It's done great in any combination of paper and nib I've thrown at it.

One of the things that shocked me about this ink was actually the dry time. I thought I was doing something wrong or getting distracted when I was doing the timed tests because I couldn't make the ink smudge after 10 seconds. I thought I was surely losing track of time somehow, even though I was using a watch to time it. Well, there's nothing wrong with my watch or my smudging technique — this ink just dries ridiculously fast. In my tests on Rhodia paper with a medium cursive italic nib, the ink was smudge-proof by 8 seconds. In some cases, it was dry by 5 seconds. In my tests, I haven't been able to get a smudge when I wait until the 10 second mark. It's just incredible.

While the color isn't something that really excites me, this is still a superb ink. The color is dark and somewhat ordinary, but it's still interesting due to the background hues and shading effect. It behaves well in pens and writes marvelously. Throw the super quick dry time in there and you've got a killer ink on your hands.

If you're in the market for a dark brown-black ink with a little character and a fast dry time, check out Van Dieman's Black Truffle. A 30ml bottle will set you back $13.95, but you can also pick up a small sample to try first.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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