Diamine Ghost
Ink Review #25
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
This ink is part of the Inkvent Green Edition (2022)
Overview
The color/properties:
Something interesting that I noticed during my tests is that Diamine Ghost appears to be green as it comes out of the pen. Over time as the ink dries it will become a light and almost silvery purple-grey. At the bare minimum, this ink will shade between varying intensities of grey, but depending on the pen, you might notice colors that range anywhere from grey, to blue, to purple, and even brown. Wetter pens will generally bring out the darker color – you may even notice an intense black around the edges of letters in the right conditions. To bring out the more complex colors, you might have to experiment with wider nibs that will flow well enough to comfortably lay the ink down on the paper without causing a lot of pooling.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
Diamine Ghost performed well. I didn’t experience any noticeable bleeding or feathering on any of my test papers during my tests. Ghost had slightly above-average dry times. Most of the large nibs dried within the standard 20 seconds, but I found that periodically it would dry sooner.
Unsurprisingly there was virtually no water resistance at all, but I suspect if you’re using this ink, water resistance probably isn’t something you’re concerned with.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Diamine Ghost is mostly well-behaved. The flow and lubrication seemed adequate at first, but as I started testing the broad nib I noticed a substantial decline in the aforementioned flow. By the time I was testing the stub, the flow was even worse, and I would go as far as to say that it became a notably unpleasant writing experience. I suggest a much wetter nib if you want to enjoy this ink comfortably.
Unsurprisingly, cleaning was easy, and the ink washed away instantly.
Value/cost per ml:
As of writing, Diamine Ghost is purchasable for $17 for a 50ml bottle from US retailers, making this ink $0.34 per ml.
The bottle/packaging:
Diamine Ghost comes in the standard four-footed Diamine Inkvent bottle with a very festive green outer box signifying the edition, and showcasing the ornate bottle inside via a round window in the face of the box. The bottle is topped with a smooth silver cap similar to the gold ones found on standard Damine bottles. The silver foil label generally represents the color inside, and the bottle has a crisp and clear transparency. The footing makes the bottle bottom-wide, allowing for stability when filling, but much like the standard Diamine bottles, I don’t find that the opening is wide enough, and I prefer to fill from this bottle via a syringe or eyedropper.
Score: 63.5/70
Price per ml: 7/10
Performance in a pen: 7.5/10
Performance on paper: 10/10
Color saturation: 3/10
Sheening: 0/10
Shading: 9/10
Dry time: 8/10
Water resistance: 1/10
Ease of cleaning: 10/10
Bottle form: 5/5
Bottle function: 3/5
*Only 70 of the 100 available points are required for an outstanding score.My personal thoughts…
I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with the Inkvent Green Edition. It lacked the coherence of theme and color that I enjoyed in the previous sets. That’s not to say that I didn’t like any of them – I love Diamine Ghost, but not as a Christmas/Inkvent ink. Apart from Charles Dickens’ famous short story, A Christmas Carol, I don’t associate “ghosts” with Christmas time. I understand that, outside of the United States, Halloween isn’t celebrated with the same level of enthusiasm (if it’s celebrated at all), but for me and most Americans, “ghost” = Halloween.
Which is why Diamine Ghost has found a permanent place in my collection of fall inks. As a ghost-themed ink, it’s perfect: mysterious, pale, subtle, yet complex. It’s the kind of color that I imagine someone would use to paint a ghost. The color of misty mornings and spooky, foggy evenings.
And on that note, where’s my Spooktober: Haunted Edition calendar, Diamine?
Written in a Leuchtturm1917 notebook with a Franklin-Christoph Model 45 “Ghost” (fine)
More images/info:
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 7 nib units including a Needlepoint grind, EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub, and an Architect grind. All nibs tuned to perform at the same medium wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A 68gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook