Ink Review: De Atramentis Hyacinth (Scented)

May 26, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

De Atramentis Hyacinth (scented) - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 30 seconds w/1.1 stub; about 15 for a F

Once again, De Atramentis has wowed me with another one of their inks. This time, it is 'Hyacinth,' which is from their line of scented fountain pen inks. It was included in the May 2015 Goulet Ink Drop, which was themed "Wake Up and Smell the Roses." An apt theme for this pollen-filled time of year.

Hyacinth is an amazingly bright and brilliant royal blue, that smells as if you've been walking through a flower shop filled with fresh flowers of the same name. The color is such a brilliant blue, that I believe it would be a very suitable replacement for the ever-controversial Noodler's Baystate Blue. The scent is very noticeable when writing and makes for a really pleasant experience. Unfortunately, once the ink has been on the paper for a short while, the scent slowly fades; so it's meant mainly for the enjoyment of the writer and not the recipient of the letter.

The ink behaves quite well, as I've seen with most all of the De Atramentis inks I've used thus far. This royal blue really pops off the page at you and even gives a bit of a red halo with heavier writing pens. It doesn't have a ton of shading, but there is some. Saturation is nice and high, which I really like, and the ink flows wet. Dry time with my Lamy 1.1 stub was fairly high at 30 seconds, though not terrible for a stub. For a regular F nib, it's about 15 seconds.

In comparison to other blue inks I have used (which are few currently), the closest in color is Lamy blue. Keep in mind though, that this ink is worlds over more saturated and bright than Lamy blue, but the shade is fairly close.

This ink has inspired me to try more of the De Atramentis scented inks - if you have any suggestions please hit me up via Twitter, the comments below or the contact form. I honestly just don't use a lot of blue inks, but if I were to use a blue that wasn't a blue-black, it would be something like Hyacinth. The ink just pops out at you which is nice to see, and De Atramentis' standard line of inks are very easily maintained. If you're interested in a bottle for yourself you can pick it up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.95.

Thanks for reading!
Lori

Ink Review: Diamine Registrar's Blue Black (Iron Gall)

May 19, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Diamine Registrar's Blue Black (Iron Gall)
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: medium to wet
Dry Time: 20 seconds

After trying out my two favorite iron gall inks, Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa and Salix, I figured it was time to try out Diamine Registrar's. I'd heard that Diamine Registrar's was a lot more harsh than either of the Rohrer & Klingner inks, so I decided I'd put it to the test.

Registrar's is a deep blue black color once it dries. One of the coolest things about iron gall inks is their tendency to change color slightly, usually darkening, once it oxidizes on the paper for a few days. This is a property of iron gall inks, and is what also gives them their permanent characteristics. Registrar's is no exception, however since the ink is already fairly dark, there wasn't a drastic change, though it was evident.

1. Registrar's after 5 days; 2. Registrar's fresh & dry; 3. Registrar's wet

You can also see the change in the ink splatter.

The general consensus with Diamine Registrar's ink is that it can be hard to clean, so I figured I would test that theory. After writing up my review, I left the ink in my pen and converter for about a month without touching it. I picked up the pen and was able to write with it, so it hadn't dried up; though the big test would be trying to clean it out. I emptied the ink out of the converter and immediately noticed that it had stained it (I couldn't capture a picture that showed it well unfortunately). I went ahead with my normal routine and cleaned it with water, and it didn't budge. So I grabbed my Goulet pen flush, filled the converter and let it sit overnight. The next day the staining was gone, to my surprise. I was impressed with how easily it came out, despite how long I'd left it sitting in there. Not sure if that's a bigger testament to the ink or the pen flush, but I'm inclined to say a little of both.

All in all, I really enjoyed using Diamine Registrar's. It behaves really well on most of my papers, even the cheaper stuff. No feather or bleedthrough was apparent, but dry time was a bit on the long side at 20 seconds. Like some iron gall inks, it does have a distinct smell that's quite a bit stronger than the Rohrer & Klingner inks. I didn't find it overwhelming with normal use. I don't know that I would pick up a bottle of Registrar's just because of it's tendency to stain converters, and lackluster color. I definitely prefer the R&K inks to this one, and I think Salix is close enough in color to be a suitable replacement. Nonetheless, it's still a good ink; so if you'd like to pick up a bottle, you can get 30mL for $16.95 or 100mL for $33.95.

Ink Review: Noodler's Army Green

May 17, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Noodler's Army Green
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: medium
Flow: moderate
Dry Time: 11 seconds

Apparently I'm on an olive green kick these days, because I've been using Diamine Safari, Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun, and Noodler's Army Green. I love all three inks, though I think I will still always return to Alt-Goldgrun as my favorite olive green. Army Green is still an awesome ink.

You may remember when Nathan Tardiff changed the color of Army Green to be a more kelly green color after some customer suggestion/complaints. Brian Goulet put out a video soliciting feedback on the new color. Like most people, I liked the old color better, and luckily enough people agreed that Nathan ultimately changed the color back.

Army Green is a very well-behaved ink that does not feather or bleed. It has a good amount of shading, even with an EF nib, and flows well like most other Noodler's inks. It's not as highly saturated as some of the other Noodler's inks, but it's not muted by any stretch. Dry time was 11 seconds, so not short, but not terrible either. Still may not be idea for some left handed writers, especially on ink resistant paper. All in all, a great ink with a unique color!

If you're interested in a bottle, you can pick one up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50.

Ink Review: Diamine Safari

May 14, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Diamine Safari (150th Anniversary Series)
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate
Saturation: moderate
Flow: medium
Dry Time: 12 seconds

I picked up Diamine Safari on a whim thinking I'd like to try a brownish colored ink. Based on the swab from Goulet's site, I thought it would be a sandy-brown, but as you can probably tell from the photo, it's closer to an olive green. I actually really like the color, as it reminds me of a cross between Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun and J. Herbin Vert Olive. I actually just picked up a sample of Noodler's Army Green, and I have a feeling it will end up being closest to that color. More on that in a future review!

Safari is an ink from Diamine's 150th Anniversary series. It's one of eight total inks in the series, which come in cool triangular shaped bottles that, when placed flush to one another, make a cool circle of ink bottles. Not a bad marketing ploy to get folks to buy all of the inks!

I was really pleased with Diamine Safari when I used it at work for a few days. I had worried it would be too light for practical use, but that isn't the case at all. It's a nice medium shade of olive green that has a good bit of shading. I did not see any feathering on my Rhodia pad and had no problems with bleedthrough or ghosting. Dry time was a bit on the long side at 12 seconds, so it may not be a great ink for some left-handers.

All in all I was glad that I picked up a sample of Diamine Safari to try out. I probably wouldn't get a full bottle, just because I have other green inks that I like better. If you like the color, I would definitely recommend it! You can pick up a 40mL bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $15.95.