In the case of the sheer variety of colours obtainable, I don’t assume anybody gives extra ink colours than Diamine. A number of years in the past, somebody on Reddit talked about that they’d 311 completely different bottles of Diamine ink and the model comes out with dozens of latest colors yearly so the variety of colors in the marketplace has certainly gone up. Presently Godspot gives over 250 completely different Diamine inks so it doesn’t matter what you’re on the lookout for, Diamine seemingly has it obtainable of their lineup and Goldspot in all probability shares it. In the present day although, we’re speaking about probably the greatest promoting Diamine inks at Goldspot, Historic Copper.
I personal only a few of the Goldspot “Finest Vendor” fountain pen inks however that is one which I do have in my assortment. As a more moderen addition to my ink wall, I’m extremely excited to do that deep dive into a color that’s so liked by the fountain pen neighborhood.
Once we discuss inks although, one of the vital vital issues is testing the way it appears to be like on completely different papers. An ink will in all probability look barely completely different on each paper and relying on the paper, you might or could not see shading and sheening. I’m not a “paper individual”. I have a tendency to make use of the identical 3 papers consistently. I nonetheless appear to have collected fairly the assortment of papers in my studio so let’s check out how Historic Copper appears to be like on 8 completely different papers from a primary notepad to Tomoe River.
MUJI – Slim Pocket book
MUJI sources its papers from quite a lot of locations however these Japanese-made slim notebooks are a relentless in my studio so for me it was the primary place to swatch check Historic Copper.
I discovered that it went down very easily with no sheening and a few shading. I truly assume that is my favorite paper for seeing the shading as on many different papers, the sheening hides any shading. The ink appears to be like very very like dried blood crimson on this paper vs the darkish orangey brown color I might anticipate from a color named Historic Copper. I like any paper and ink combo that exhibits shading in writing and this paper delivers. Whereas it is not dramatic, there are delicate tonal variations and it’s considerably darker the place you finish a letter.
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Countless Regalia
With its 80 gsm paper, the Countless Regalia pocket book tends to be my go to for pen testing as a result of I like how easy it’s and the very mild coating on it.
I used to be truly shocked at how a lot this paper sheened, it sheened almost as a lot as Tomoe River however with a a lot shorter drying time. I actually loved the darker crimson tone Historic Copper had on the paper and it had the right combo of shade & sheen. The shading within the letters is great. In some locations the sheening overpowered all the things and the letters simply sheened however there’s some enjoyable shading in among the letters making it an excellent enjoyable paper to put in writing on with virtually any ink, particularly an ink that’s “fascinating” like Historic Copper.
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Pelikan Hub Paper
I discover this can be a adore it or hate it paper within the pen world. A few of us are obsessive about it and a few of us, me included, despise writing on it because of how coated it’s and the way it smudges even as soon as it appears dry.
General, I used to be truly actually shocked at how the ink regarded on this paper. I all the time consider this paper as one which ink actually sheens on however there was virtually no sheening to talk of. This paper has some actually enjoyable shading in letters making it an extremely fascinating paper & ink combo for writing. Historic Copper leans very crimson on this paper however you do have a touch of inexperienced sheen one thing that does make it appear very previous copper to me.
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Col-O-Ring
The Col-O-Ring Ink Testing Ebook’s 160 gsm paper makes this the heaviest weight paper on the listing. For me that is my go to swatching paper for all of my inks because it tends to fall pretty center of the pack and strike a very good stability between shading and sheening, usually.
I used to be shocked at how darkish the swatch of Historic Copper was on this paper. General, a lot of the swatch was simply sheen. I can even say that this paper & ink combo appeared dry however did smudge hours after the actual fact (observe the smudging). This is not unusual with extremely sheening inks however it may be annoying for those who write on something aside from free leaf. This swatch was very crimson leaning in the direction of the center however the edges have been very related in tone to MUJI paper.
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Rhodia Lined
I feel most individuals within the fountain pen world both have one among these notebooks on the go presently or have had one previously. In the case of “customary papers” it would not get far more customary than the 80gsm Rhodia paper.
Historic Copper regarded very flat on this paper. The ink had a touch of sheening on the border but in addition very minimal shading in contrast to the MUJI paper. I’ve heard folks describe this because the “vanilla paper” of the pen world and primarily based on the way it tends to not likely present any particular results however within reason priced for a day by day writing fountain pen pleasant paper. General, I feel Historic Copper regarded very orange undertoned on this paper.
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Traveler’s Journal – Midori (MD) Dot Paper
The Midori (MD) paper is one among my two “go-to” day by day writing papers and I like the darkish shading I get on it.
This is among the different paper’s that had minimal sheening. However, it did have a beautiful spectrum of shading from fairly pale and undersaturated to overly saturated and fantastically darkish. Within the writing, all the things dried to the identical crimson/brown tone however had no feathering to talk of, a difficulty typically with orange & brown inks on MD paper. This swatch someway reads as each darkish crimson and orange; it would not match with what I think about Historic Copper would appear like however I don’t thoughts it.
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Pilot Notepad
That is one other a type of papers that I’ve no data on. I randomly discovered them in a neighborhood pen store someday and purchased 4 of them. They really feel like a mixture of MD and Pelikan Paper and are all the time a pleasure to make use of in movies.
I feel the ink was the flattest on this paper and it was so completely flat in locations that I adored it. Historic Copper regarded very burnt orange on this paper and whereas I do love the color it’s a very completely different impact and color than we see on a lot of the different papers. Within the writing it continued to have the identical burnt orange look with no shading or sheening in sight.
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Tomoe River – 52g/m2
This paper has a large cult following. There appears to all the time be a dialog about previous Tomoe River vs new Tomoe River and folks have robust opinions. For this swatch, I used Spring 2024 Tomoe River. It would not bleed by like some 2025 (TRP) planners do.
The sheening on this paper is spectacular with Historic Copper, it’s a reminder of why folks adore it. I like the kind of natural shapes the sheening has within the bigger swatch, I simply want that that sheening carried over to the writing samples. I discover that after I write on Tomoe River paper it all the time feels flatish and my letters all the time are both darkish or mild with no tonal distinction because it dries.
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Finish Notes
I discover this ink leans very blue-red, verging on a brown in a lot of the swatches, in a number of you do get an orange undertone however it’s uncommon. As an alternative of reminding me of an aged copper penny, it virtually all the time jogs my memory of dried blood. I feel if I used to be on the lookout for a real copper ink for my assortment I might select one thing with a bit extra of an orange undertone, however this ink is unquestionably enjoyable if you’d like a darkish moody crimson to your assortment.
The ink dried pretty rapidly on any of the papers that I might anticipate it to (MUJI, MD, & Rhodia) which makes it excellent for somebody who writes on the go. Should you’re not involved about drying time, it was undoubtedly extra enjoyable on Countless Regalia or Tomoe River. I hope my little experiment conjures up you to select up both Diamine Historic Copper (or one other ink out of your assortment) and check out it on a bunch of various papers, you might benefit from the drama it provides to your web page.
In regards to the Writer
Alexandra Richardson is a Canadian watercolour and fountain pen content material creator. She may be discovered on Instagram and Youtube beneath @alexandrasartinsanity.