The Well-Appointed Desk

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!

Today is the tenth day of the first ever Inkmas and today’s offering is Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris. I have a little experience with French but not much with German so my first instinct was to think Verdigris would be a green-grey, vert gris. Totally wrong! It’s actually a blue-black. Yep. Jet Pens does not include swabs or samples with the R&K inks so I went on name alone when I selected it. Not that I mind a good blue-black (see the Inkmas Private Reserve Ebony Blue ink review for details), because I quite like them. But I was surprised that the name is 100% misleading.

I tested the ink with a very special pen I just received (more about that later this week) which sports a wider nib than I usually use so dry times were a tiny bit longer but not too bad. Its a deeply pigmented color so I did not see a lot of shading in the writing which gives a consistent look to the writing.

Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris is not a waterproof ink but it can withstand a bit of water without completely vanishing. In the swab, the Verdigris has a blue undertone with a tiny hint of violet but its very subtle.

I think this will be the last time I use the J. Herbin glass pen for my ink comparisons as its scratchy and inconsistent, ranging from super dry to bloopy with no warning.  Of the inks in my collection, The Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts and the Private Reserve Ebony Blue are the closest in color to the Verdigris though the 54th Massachusetts has a bit of a brownish undertone when dry and the Ebony Blue is a bit more turquoise with that unusual hint of burgundy when you get it in just the right light.

Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris is available in a 50ml for $12.

The samples above were written with a prototype Karas Kustoms INK fountain pen with a M 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 J. Herbin glass pen 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.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Today’s Inkmas offering is Diamine Red Dragon. It’s a dramatic red-brown. I say red-brown because it is not at all pinkish though there is a cast of a deep burgundy. It’s a good holiday red for sure but its also a solidly-spirited red ink, good for use all year long. Diamine inks have impressed me with how well they stand up on paper. Generally, Diamine inks seem less inclined to bleed than other inks though they may have a longer dry time. I notice this phenomena when using dip nibs particularly.

Once again, I forgot to do a water test but its not a water resistant or water proof ink so if that’s a concern, skip this ink.

You can see the range of hue in the swab above. Red Dragon can appear dark reddish brown down to a clear, bright red in the shaded areas. There’s some nice shading, if you like that kind of thing.

When compared with other inks in my collection, De Atramentis Oriental Red 35ml ($12.50) was probably the closest in color. R&K Morinda 50ml ($12) has more of an orange cast, Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo 50ml ($28) is much more of a purple and the others were all more of a burgundy/brown. (The bloops are a result of trying to use fountain pen inks with dip pens. Its not always a successful venture.)

Diamine Red Dragon is available in 80ml bottles for $12.50, quite a value.

The samples above were written with a Kaweco Art Sport with a B nib (review coming soon!) in theQuo Vadis Habana bright white, blank notebook. Dry times will vary depending on paper stock. Comparison samples were written using a J. Herbin glass pen 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.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.