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carpedavid
September 3rd, 2010, 05:46 AM
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4952146927_66274a2b15.jpg

In addition to writing ink reviews, I love to cook. Over the years, I’ve compiled all of my favorite recipes into a Moleskine journal so that I have my very own recipe book. For a long while, I used a Sharpie pen, which has a high degree of water resistance. After my switch to fountain pens about a year ago, though, I recorded recipes in whatever fountain pen ink I had in a pen at the time – which, as I found out the hard way last week, generally have a very low degree of water resistance.

I was cooking with my book on the counter, when I dropped some water. Then, I looked down to find that my recipe for fresh salsa was now a delightfully fuzzy blob of Café des Isles. I may have discovered a new career painting abstract watercolors, but was a bit dismayed by the resulting illegibility of my recipes. Thus, I began a quest to try out waterproof inks.

Noodler’s Ink has a number of bulletproof inks, including the fantastic Kung Te-Cheng, but I was curious about the more traditional blue-black inks, so I started my search with Diamine Registrar’s Ink. It is a modern version of iron gall ink, which was the most common form of ink used in Europe from the 12th through the 19th centuries. When used on vellum or paper, it cannot be removed by rubbing or washing – only be scraping away a layer of the writing surface.

Traditional iron gall ink has one very specific caveat. It is produced by combining iron salts with tannic acid extracted from various vegetable sources (traditionally from oak galls, which are hard, brown spheres that grow on oak trees and house wasp larvae – for real – nature is weird), which means that it is not pH neutral. Over time, the acidic nature of the ink will gradually eat away at vellum and paper, and, more concerning, can contribute to the corrosion of any steel components on a fountain pen.

Diamine’s modern formula contains fairly low concentrations of the iron gall compounds, so it is safe for both paper and pen, though practicing appropriate pen hygiene – cleaning it thoroughly between fillings and emptying it before storing it for extended periods of time – is always a good idea.

The first thing I noticed is that when Registrar’s ink hits the paper, it is a lovely, light blue-grey with very low saturation - it's light enough that I was confused at first - it's more akin to a wash than an ink. The second thing I noticed, though, was an amazing transformation – as the ink dries, it turns a dark blue-grey and exhibits a phenomenal degree of shading. Then, a third surprise – over the next day as the iron in the ink oxidizes, it darkens even more to a true blue-black. On the bright white paper of Rhodia, the fully oxidized ink has the character of the sea at midnight – mysterious and deep. On off-white paper, like Moleskine, the blue tones are disguised and the ink appears almost completely black.

I noticed very little feathering on any of the papers I tested this with, from the feather-resistant Rhodia to cheap copy paper. Additionally, it is definitely waterproof, as advertised. Running it under water for over a minute resulted in no movement of the ink at all – not even a little feathering. Rubbing it while underwater resulted in very slightly tinted water, but I noticed no diminishing of the lines on the paper. I’m quite impressed.

This is a dry ink that does a good job of taming my very wet-writing Lamy Studio. This pen is normally a gusher, but I noticed very little show-through and no bleed-through even on the thin paper of a Moleskine cahier. It has a thin feel, though, and provides no lubrication, so the EF nib was a bit scratchier than I am used to. Drying time was fairly standard: 20 seconds on Rhodia and Moleskine, and 8 seconds on standard copy paper.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/4953092914_eecdd42ffe.jpg

Diamine Registrar’s Ink is sold in 30ml glass bottles and 100ml plastic refills. The glass bottle is functional and not much more. It has a simple label with the Diamine diamond logo on the front and a nice, secure lid. It’s the kind of bottle that one shoves in the drawer when one is finished with it.

I’m happy that I decided to investigate blue-black inks. Diamine Registrar’s ink has a magical character, and has a wide range of applications. As a permanent ink, it’s definitely business appropriate, and would make a good signature ink. It’s also interesting and well-behaved enough to use for daily writing and journaling. The only drawback is that it is more expensive than many standard inks – but for those who value permanence in their fountain pen ink, it’s a premium worth paying for.

Review notes: for the wide strokes, I used a Lamy 1.9mm steel calligraphy nib on a Lamy Joy pen. For the narrow strokes, I used a Lamy Studio with an EF gold nib. The paper is Rhodia 80gr bright, white paper.

Read all of my ink reviews at seize the dave (http://www.carpedavid.com).

jerry0503222
September 7th, 2011, 01:55 AM
Traditional iron gall ink has one very specific caveat. It is produced by combining iron salts with tannic acid extracted from various vegetable sources (traditionally from oak galls, which are hard, brown spheres that grow on oak trees and house wasp larvae – for real – nature is weird), which means that it is not pH neutral. Over time, the acidic nature of the ink will gradually eat away at vellum and paper, and, more concerning, can contribute to the corrosion of any steel components on a fountain pen.








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drgoretex
August 4th, 2012, 10:44 AM
Great review of a lovely ink. This is one of my favourites, a very well-behaved ink on the lousy cheap paper that I use at work. Lays down a cool blue-black line, slowly darkening over a few days, remaining a nice sober colour for serious business.

Ken

FredRydr
February 9th, 2017, 11:21 AM
I decided to compare two blue-black iron gall inks that I have: Diamine blue-black Registrar's ink and Montblanc old blue-black Permanent ink. I filled a pair of M400 pens fitted with 14C XF nibs. I agree with David's 7-year-old review (above) where he wrote that the Registrar's ink appears almost like a wash when it first hits the paper, at least compared to MB Permanent. I suspected subtle differences in the pens might be to blame, so I swapped throughly-flushed EF nib units between the filled barrels, and my suspicion was justified; one nib unit offered a more generous flow. Ironically, with the swap, the writing appeared more alike between the two inks. After the ink was allowed to oxidize and turn dark, I found that I was unable to declare a more desirable ink. I like a darker finish, and the winner was determined not by the ink formula, but rather by the nib that put down the most ink! That's what mattered in the end. Therefore, the ink contest is a draw (pun intended).

YMMV, etc.

Fred

Dreck
February 9th, 2017, 11:33 AM
I decided to compare two blue-black iron gall inks that I have: Diamine blue-black Registrar's ink and Montblanc old blue-black Permanent ink. I filled a pair of M400 pens fitted with 14C XF nibs. I agree with David's 7-year-old review (above) where he wrote that the Registrar's ink appears almost like a wash when it first hits the paper, at least compared to MB Permanent. I suspected subtle differences in the pens might be to blame, so I swapped throughly-flushed EF nib units between the filled barrels, and my suspicion was justified; one nib unit offered a more generous flow. Ironically, with the swap, the writing appeared more alike between the two inks. After the ink was allowed to oxidize and turn dark, I found that I was unable to declare a more desirable ink. I like a darker finish, and the winner was determined not by the ink formula, but rather by the nib that put down the most ink! That's what mattered in the end. Therefore, the ink contest is a draw (pun intended).

YMMV, etc.

Fred

Do you want a sample of ESSRI to compare to those two? Say the word & I'll send one. Then you could post pictures of the results...

Dreck
February 9th, 2017, 02:03 PM
Do you want a sample of ESSRI to compare to those two? Say the word & I'll send one. Then you could post pictures of the results...
Sounds good. What's ESSRI? PMing my mailing address.

Fred

Ecclesiastical Stationers Supply Registrar's Ink (http://http://www.registrarsink.co.uk/registrars_ink.html). It's the official ink for official church documents in the U.K. It's also less expensive to buy and have shipped from the UK to the US than it is to purchase a bottle of Diamine and have it mailed within the US :crazy:

FredRydr
February 9th, 2017, 08:19 PM
Ecclesiastical Stationers Supply Registrar's Ink. It's the official ink for official church documents in the U.K.
Oh! I guess my bride and I used a bit of it when we signed the registry book in the vestry of Rustington parish church (http://www.sspeterandpaul-rustington.org.uk/church-building/) exactly 43 years ago today.

Fred

Lloyd
February 10th, 2017, 08:50 AM
Congratulations, Fred!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

FredRydr
February 14th, 2017, 02:49 PM
Do you want a sample of ESSRI to compare to those two? Say the word & I'll send one. Then you could post pictures of the results...

Okay, the ESSRI sample arrived, and I did some comparison, if not in the depth of the professional reviewers. ;)

The three inks are iron gall:


- Montblanc permanent blue-black from the old bottle, in a Pelikan M400 with an EF nib.
- Diamine Registrar's blue-black, in a Pelikan M200 with an EF nib (from an M400).
- Ecclesiastical Stationers Supply Registrar's Ink sample courtesy of Dreck, in a Sheaffer's snorkel with EF nib.

Here ya go:

30127

The M400 nib is slightly more flexible than the other two nibs, but other than that, I think the ink comparison is made clear by the bottom three boxes. Montblanc permanent is washed out compared to the other two. ESSRI is more towards black. I kinda like Diamine's blue, but the ESSRI is impressive and I decided to buy a bottle of ESSRI for myself.

Thanks, Dreck!

Fred

Dreck
February 14th, 2017, 03:03 PM
My pleasure! Thanks for the quasi-scientific comparison :thumb:

niksch
February 16th, 2017, 10:24 PM
Mr Rydr, I suspect you are just biased against my favorite ink.

FredRydr
February 17th, 2017, 11:16 AM
Mr Rydr, I suspect you are just biased against my favorite ink.
Luckily, unlike another website we all know, here I can figuratively hit you upside the head with your favorite bottle of ink and I don't have to rely upon the intervention of an impetuous "moderator" to rescue my sensitive feelings.

Aside from that, Mr. Niksch, I'll see you in Baltimore!

Fred

Dreck
February 17th, 2017, 10:28 PM
Mr Rydr, I suspect you are just biased against my favorite ink.
Luckily, unlike another website we all know, here I can figuratively hit you upside the head with your favorite bottle of ink and I don't have to rely upon the intervention of an impetuous "moderator" to rescue my sensitive feelings.

Aside from that, Mr. Niksch, I'll see you in Baltimore!

Fred

What?!? No! We *need* strong moderation to make sure that people don't feel microagressed. Hurt feelings on the internet do real damage and have long-lasting ramifications

pw1224
February 20th, 2017, 01:06 AM
I have purchased samples of Diamine's Registrars Ink twice. Both times, the samples smelled very metallic -- almost rusty. The first sample ended up turning into sludge before I finished it. The second sample was such a dry ink I couldn't find a way to really use it. My preferred nib size is EF / F. Maybe the ink works better with broader nibs.

Dreck
February 20th, 2017, 07:08 AM
I have purchased samples of Diamine's Registrars Ink twice. Both times, the samples smelled very metallic -- almost rusty. The first sample ended up turning into sludge before I finished it. The second sample was such a dry ink I couldn't find a way to really use it. My preferred nib size is EF / F. Maybe the ink works better with broader nibs.

Well, it's iron gall, so it is going to smell metallic. I use F nibs with IG constantly, and without issues. Have you tried resetting the feed to the nib? As far as turning to sludge, I can't speak to that. It's never happened to me. I had a bottle of Noodler's 54th Mass develop chunks after a couple years, but not any of the iron galls.