Today is one of those gray, winter days so I thought maybe I’d choose an ink that reflected the gray days for the eleventh day of Inkmas. Its called Diamine Graphite. I expected it to be a neutral grey-black. What I got instead was a very unusual grey-green. My first thought was that it reminded me of the wash water for Noodler’s Zhivago possibly.
Diamine Graphite has a ton of shading in a wide nib fountain pen but looks much darker when used with a crow quill dip nib. Even with the B nib on my Kaweco Art Sport, the ink was dry quickly which is a very nice trait considering the mess I made at the top of the page because the brush lettering wasn’t quite dry. Ah, the trouble with lefties!
Overall, I find a lot of interest in Graphite. Its not altogether grey but its not green either. It shades like crazy in my fountain pen but dips to a deep dark grey. Just like a gray winter day, there are still wonders and interest to be found.
I did compare Diamine Graphite to Noodler’s Zhivago 3oz/88ml ($12.50) and, at its full concentration, Zhivago is much more of a black than a grey but it was worth a shot. De Atramentis Silver Grey 35ml ($12.50) is close in overall color tone but Silver Grey is much more of a blue-grey than Graphite. I really couldn’t find a good ink match in my collection to Graphite so its definitely a unique ink.
Diamine Graphite is available in a 80ml bottle for $12.75.
The samples above were written with a Kaweco Art Sport with a B nib (review coming soon!) in the Quo Vadis Habana bright white, blank notebook. Dry times will vary depending on paper stock. Comparison samples were written using a steel dip nib with a bit of flex which causes some of the more liquidy inks, like De Atramentis, to run a bit. They are included for color comparison. Best efforts were made to achieve color accuracy but the limitations of camera, lighting and individual monitor calibrations may alter the final look. For best results, order a sample of the ink color you like best and try it before you invest in a whole bottle.
Shout out to Karen P. for sending me a sample of Diamine Graphite as well as the Diamine Salamander and De Atramentis Cement Gray. Much appreciated!
It’s a really interesting color, but really, I can’t get past how gorgeous your lettering with the crow quill is. Beautiful!
Aw, shucks! You are too kind.
You know, I am just seeing this post now. I can’t believe I missed this one. I really hope you enjoyed the samples. You did good justice to Diamine Graphite. I really like it for it’s grey-green qualities, and your review reflects that nicely. I like the comparison to DeAtramentis Sliver Gray, as I’ve been curious about that one. =)