For a nice Dark red from Diamine, take a look at Merlot.
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Brad "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain
I did have a look at Merlot, but it didn't really do it for me. From the various reviews I've seen, it can be a little pinky-purple depending on pen and paper, similar to Amaranth but darker. I did actually get a small bottle of Amaranth, and so far it's the only ink I've got where I wish I'd got something else instead. I'll probably end up mixing it.
Red Dragon and Syrah are favorites.
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KKay (April 24th, 2018)
I think I remember Jon Szanto once saying you only need one red: Diamine Red Dragon and one green: Diamine Sherwood Green. Maybe I dreamed it?
KKay (April 24th, 2018)
I already have the Sherwood Green, and agree that's a fine choice of ink I'm also a Teal user too, so I'm not strictly a one green person.
If I specifically had need of a red for editing of marking, then I'd happily go with the Dragon, as I want it for more general use, I think I need to move further to the end of the spectrum. I'm now torn between Oxblood and Deep Dark Red by Cult Pens, though Oxblood is ahead by a nose... with a ring through it.
Hmmm, have both inks and can agree that Red Dragon is a must have, but to be honest I do not like Sherwood Green.
Personal tastes are different.
I like Diamine OXBlood. It is so far my favourite red.
For a good true red, Diamine Classic Red.
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Brad "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain
"True" reds are what I'm trying to avoid. I don't have any functional need for one, and I'm aware that it's the one colour that people can get most perturbed about if they receive a letter written in that colour. If I got a "true" red, it would hardly ever get used and I'd never finish a converter, never mind a bottle. It would just end up drying up in pens and causing issues.
If truth be told, I don't really "need" any red at all, but was looking for one that I could use as a general ink, without unintended connotations. Oxblood and Deep Dark Red seem to fit the bill, whereas the others that I was considering, including Red Dragon, seem to be "too red" for general use, if that makes sense.
KKay (April 24th, 2018)
Oh, I misunderstood what you wanted then. I do like Diamine-Syrah, Diamine-Burgundy Rose, Sailor-Oku yama, KWZ-Maroon, Iroshizuku-Yama budo and KWZ-Flame Red as well. Note: These are not in order as to preference.
I got a sample of Diamine Oxblood today as a freebie with some drawing inks I ordered from Diamine. It doesn't look quite the colour that I was expecting in real life, but certainly a more versatile colour for me than a "true" red. I think this might just be the one.
I like Oxblood a lot, provided the pen using it isn't too wet. While I'm sure a lot of folks like it for it's shading, I personally think it runs too brown when it goes down very wet.
Browns are very popular these days, but not with me.
My current favorite "red that's not too red" is GvFC Garnet Red. This color is true to its name - very deep, dark garnet when applied liberally. Unfortunately, like most GvFC inks, it's not cheap.
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After spending a little more time with Oxblood, I've come to the conclusion that it's a very nice russet brown - a brown leaning slightly towards red, not a red leaning to brown.
I was sat there this evening thinking that this was the second failed attempt at a "not quite red", but at least the Oxblood will get more use than the Amaranth which was the first failed attempt. I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd have to find something to mix that with... hang on...
I opened up my X450, and the converter was just about half full with Oxblood. I grabbed a syringe, sucked up a little Amaranth, and injected it into the converter, then drew up all the ink and reinjected it a few times to mix it. The result is a lot nearer what I thought Oxblood would have looked like.
I need to spend more time with it, but this is looking promising...
In daylight, the blended ink does show some of the Amaranth traits coming through, but more subdued than Amaranth alone. I think I would be very happy using Oxblood neat, but mixing it also makes the Amaranth more usable (for me).
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Oxblood
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Oxblood and Amaranth. I'm liking this so far.
I'll see how I feel about this once I've worked my way through a full converter of it, but it is showing promise as a "not quite red" ink. It shades from the darker hues of Amaranth through to Oxblood, without Amaranth's vivid pink tendancies (which is what I find offputting about it).
Oxblood is considered to be very popular. It's easy to see why because it has many and interesting shades in it. Merlot is also nice but is more of a rustic brown than a deep red.
I have a red called Roasted red from beaufortink.co.uk which I love, well worth a look.
I do like the Oxblood (even though I consider it more brown than red), and am happy to have it as part of the array. The mixing was an attempt to make the Amaranth into something that I'd be happy to use, rather than an attempt to modify the Oxblood. I might try mixing it with Diamine Grape too.
Last edited by Wuddus; June 13th, 2018 at 01:07 PM.
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