The UK based Diamine company, has been manufacturing fountain pen inks since 1864 using traditional methods and formulas for their production. I have recently tested 78 samples, which I’ll be posting over the coming days. Here is my fourth Diamine review of those 78 featuring 15 test swatches of the Brown and Orange fountain pen inks.

Inks tested: Macassar, Bach, Mozart, Strauss, Burnt Sienna, Dark Brown, Ochre, Warm Brown, Gerbera, Pumpkin, Blaze Orange, Peach Haze, Orange, Marigold and Yellow.

Another lovely batch of colours – they blend well, react with a neon gold to bleach and flow easily through a nib for great writing. Let’s start with the chromatics – of the browns it’s the Macassar that attracts my eye – a deep dark brown – which bleeds out to a grey when washed with water. BUT its those oranges that really zing! Pumpkin, Blaze Orange, Peach Haze and Orange bleed out to a yellow and all four do it differently. For you sheen freaks, Strauss has a metallic green sheen but Macassar, Bach, Ochre, Gerbera, Pumpkin and Blaze Orange are also good to go! For me though, Blaze Orange and Peach Haze will both need further investigation. Sadly, pinks and oranges are fugitive and subject to fading in sunlight. But just look at them! Beautiful!

Of note – there are over 100 colours in the Diamine fountain pen ink range plus more colours in the composers and flowers gift ranges – all of which are all supposedly unique. So what I’ve done, is classify batches by colour so you can see the gift inks next to the standards and you can judge for yourselves whether or not this is fact. With such a huge range, some colours are bound to appear similar, but from what I can see, those fine subtleties of difference are evident.

From a creative point of view, Diamine inks really do hit the mark – they blend with water and each other beautifully, they pretty much all react with bleach and they always look spectacular. There’s also chromatography, sheens and shimmers too. Combine this with their very affordable price point – what’s not to like?

I hope you enjoy the results as much as I have testing them. And by the way, there are many other Diamine reviews throughout this blog. If you’d like to know more about this about this project, please take a look at the Mission Statement.

All tests on Bockingford 200lb watercolour paper using a dip pen with titanium zebra G flex nib for the bleach work and a Noodler’s Ahab for the ink work.

Diamine samples sourced from Vijay at Stationery Shop stationeryshop.scotland@gmail.com.

Just for the record – I do this for myself, I receive no remuneration what-so-ever and I tell it exactly how I see it.