review: diamine oxblood

A third Diamine ink in a row!

Now that it's week three of Diamine, I probably don't have to go over the brand again, right? Well, here's just some quick information: it's made in the UK, it comes in a smaller plastic bottle and a larger glass bottle, and it's relatively inexpensive. I think that covers all my bases!

Diamine Oxblood is a rich, dark red. It is pretty close to the color of blood!

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The ink has a little bit of water resistance. Most of the dye is washed away, but there's a bit of the ink left behind. You'll likely be able to salvage most of your handwriting, though this isn't an ink that I would put in a pen that goes out and about.

Diamine Oxblood, like other saturated red inks, takes quite a while to dry. In the above scan, you can see that it was getting pretty close at the 60 second mark. On Tomoe River, it takes a little longer: probably around 80 seconds.

As far as I can tell, there is little to no shading or sheen. It's a very rich, deep color.

In the natural light picture above, you can tell that the scan is really different, giving Diamine Oxblood more of a purple hue. This color is much more accurate; you can see that it's quite dark to the point that it seems almost black in the thinner lines of this pen.

I really only have one other red in my collection—Diamine Poppy Red—but it's so vastly different that I might as well not compare it. I forgot to compare Kyo no Oto Adzukiiro, but it's more purple rather than the dark brown-red that Oxblood is. Diamine Ancient Copper is more orange.

I've had this ink in a variety of pens, though I've found it to be a suitable match. Currently, I have it in my Kaweco Skyline Sport with a broad nib. It flows well and with little issues. I don't think I've ever had a problem with hard starts.

Other than the dry time, which is an issue with many deeper inks with reddish tones, I quite like Diamine Oxblood. It helps me expand my ink horizons from my usual turquoises and teals; I think darker colors are a nice way to try out something you may not be used to, because it seems closer to a "normal" writing color.

I think you may be able to get away with it in some business situations if you use a fine-nibbed pen, since the ink is dark enough to seem more like a red-black color. However, in broader nibs, the red tone will definitely show through, and you may get some questions as to why you're using a blood-colored ink...

Where to buy

• Goulet Pens: 80ml bottle, 30ml bottle / sample
• JetPens: 80ml bottle, 30ml bottle
• Pen Chalet: 80ml bottle, 30ml bottle
• Wonder Pens: 80ml bottle and sample