Ink Review #1999: Van Dieman's Sailor's Delight

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Van Dieman’s Sailor’s Delight is from the Midnight Collection. My ink sample came from Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Sailor’s Delight is a deep red-orange. It’s a little bit more red than it is orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is less orange than it is on the Col-o-ring.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sailor’s Delight is similar to Van Deman’s Bay of Fires. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Blossom Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, the color’s too orange for me and there’s too much feathering and bleeding. I don’t like anything about this ink.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1998: Van Dieman's Bonfire Night

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Van Dieman’s Bonfire Night is from the Midnight Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Bonfire Night is a deep red-orange with gold shimmer.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has lots of shimmer.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Bonfire Night is closest to Diamine Rockin Rio. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Maraschino with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s too much feathering and bleeding, but it is a nice color.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1997: Van Dieman's West Coast Sunset Tangerine

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Van Dieman’s West Coast Sunset Tangerine is from the Colours of Tasmania Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

West Coast Sunset is a medium tangerine orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks almost red.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

West Coast is closest to PenBBS 154 Zhu Ziqing. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s too much feathering for me, but other than that it’s well behaved. There’s other oranges out there that are better than this one.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Days 11-15

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It’s time to take a look at the Diamine Inkvent 2022 Calendar, days 11-15. You can find the Inkvent Calendar for sale at a few different places, including Goldspot Pens. (It seems Arctic Blast and Pick Me Up got switched in my advent. By the time I realized it, the reviews were already done so I’m just gonna run with it.)

Swabs:

Left to right: Appletini, Memory Lane, Upon a Star, Three Kings and Arctic Blast.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry Time: 20-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Appletini had low shading. Memory Lane had medium shading and silver shimmer. Upon a Star had medium shading, medium red sheen and multicolored shimmer. Three Kings had medium shading. Arctic Blast had medium shading, medium pink sheen and blue shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as lots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Appletini is a little lighter than Robert Oster Citrus.

Memory Lane is darker than Robert Oster Violet Dreams.

Arctic Blast is darker than Diamine Cobalt Jazz. Upon a Star is darker than the rest of these blues.

Three Kings is a little darker than Kyo-no-oto Yamabuki-iro and lighter than Vinta La Paz.

All the inks had an average flow except Appletini, which had a dry flow.

Overall, I think Three Kings is my favorite out of the five. It has some nice shading and is a great yellow for fall.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1991: Van Dieman's Pinot Noir Wine Red

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Van Dieman’s Tasmanian Pinot Noir Wine Red is from the Colours of Tasmania Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Pinot Noir is a deep brown-red.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks almost pink.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Pinot Noir is closest to KWZ Maple Red. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Supernova Red with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, there’s too much bleeding and feathering for me. If you love the color then give the reformulation a try!

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1990: Van Dieman's Bass Strait Cobalt Blue

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Van Dieman’s Bass Strait Cobalt is from the Colours of Tasmania Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Bass Strait Cobalt is a classic medium blue.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is a bit darker.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Bass Strait Cobalt is closest to Ferris Wheel Press Jelly Bean Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Montegrappa Elmo with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s too much bleeding and feathering for me. I wish it was better behaved.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1989: Van Dieman's Cherry Blossom Dream

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Van Dieman’s Cherry Blossom Dream is from the Night Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Cherry Blossom Dream is a pale baby pink.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has just a little bit of shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Cherry Blossom is a little bit lighter than Birmingham Cranberry Nobel. Click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Coral with a broad nib on an Odyssey notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, I’m not in love with it. It’s generally well behaved, but it’s too dry for me.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

PenBBS Seasons 19 & 21

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Let’s take a look at five inks from PenBBS Seasons 19 & 21. I purchased my inks from Vanness Pens, but they are no longer carrying PenBBS inks, so I’m unsure where you can get some.

Swabs:

Left to right: POTUS, Blue Sky, Chengdu Red, Forgive Green and Still Waters.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry Time: 30-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: POTUS had medium shading. Blue Sky had medium shading and silver shimmer. Chengdu Red had low shading and low green sheen. Forgive Green had low shading and green shimmer. Still Waters had medium shading and gold shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as lots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

POTUS is similar to Monarca Arena Blanca

Blue Sky is more periwinkle than these other blue shimmer inks. Still Water is closest to Vinta Sodalite.

Chengdu Red is close to Diamine Tulip.

Forgive Green is less saturated than Diamine Neon Lime.

Chengdu Red had an average flow, all the rest had a dry flow.

Overall, I think Blue Sky is probably my favorite out of the five, but I’m not in love with any of them.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Days 6-10

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It’s time to take a look at the Diamine Inkvent 2022 Calendar, days 6-10. You can find the Inkvent Calendar for sale at a few different places, including Goldspot Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Ghost, Alpine, Jingle Berry, Cardinal and Dusted Truffle.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry Time: 40-70 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Ghost had medium shading. Alpine had low shading and silver shimmer. Jingle Berry had medium shading. Cardinal had low shading. Dusted Truffle had medium shading and silver shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as lots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Ghost is similar to Vinta Armada.

Alpine is lighter than Robert Oster Black ‘n Blue.

Jingle Berry is close to Ferris Wheel Press Double Raspberry.

Cardinal is a little lighter than Diamine Tulip.

Dusted Truffle isn’t close to any of the brown shimmer inks I have.

All the inks had an average flow.

Overall, I think Alpine and Dusted Truffle are my favorite out of the five since they are the most unique.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1978: Van Dieman's Bay of Fires

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Van Dieman’s Bay of Fires is from the Colours of Tasmania Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original version, not the reformulation).

The color:

Bay of Fires is a bright red, almost an orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has just a little bit of shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Bay of Fires is similar to Esterbrook Scarlet. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Maraschino with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I’m not a fan. The color is a bit too orange for me and there’s too much bleeding and feathering.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.