Ready to look a little closer at Diamine Sherwood Green ink? It’s the first of 2 green inks we’re reviewing by request this month. We got a request to review more emerald green inks with sheening or shimmering properties, and it was the perfect time since these green fountain pen inks are great greens for Christmas time! Today’s ink review and giveaway features Diamine Sherwood Green, a brilliant green you kind of have to see to believe. So, now that you’ve seen it…read on for all the details that make the decision to buy or not to buy easier.

All About the Ink Maker: Diamine

If you’ve tried any of Diamine’s inks, you’re probably already a fan. It’s rare to come across someone who just hates Diamine inks. Diamine inks are known for great ink flow. The well regarded inks are made in the UK, and are available in a wide variety of colors. Diamine, founded in 1864, is prolific in its ink production with multiple ink series available:

• Diamine Regular Ink Series (including 35 ink colors and this week’s ink, Sherwood Green) – available in 30 ml. or 80. ml ink bottles
• Diamine Shimmering Ink Series (including 40 shimmering ink colors)
• Diamine Guitar Ink Series (including 5 ink colors)
• Diamine 150th Anniversary Ink Series (including 13 ink colors)

This Week’s Featured Ink: Diamine Sherwood Green Ink

Diamine Sherwood Green ink is not a new ink, it’s been around for a while. It reminds us of stories of Robin Hood dashing through Sherwood Forest, dark and menacing yet somehow simultaneously magical for those who sought refuge. Diamine Sherwood Green is very dark green – not black, but it is very dark on paper to the point of looking black from afar (depending on the amount of ink used, etc.) Diamine inks often have many great characteristics, and this week’s ink is no exception. (If you love this week’s ink, you probably want to check out our past reviews of other Diamine ink colors, too).

It’s Time: Diamine Sherwood Green Ink Review

This week we put Diamine Sherwood Green fountain pen ink through our standard ink review tests. Read on to see what we found out!

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

During this week’s review we used a French-made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen (with a tip comparable to a medium-fine fountain pen nib), and Rhodia dot pad paper.

Let’s Talk About the Diamine Ink Bottle:

Diamine ink company produces a few different shapes and sizes of ink bottles, and which bottle they use for the ink depends on the ink series. Diamine Sherwood Green is available in two sizes, 30 ml. and 80 ml. The 30 ml. ink bottle is particularly convenient for travel (this is the size used for this week’s ink review). Sherwood Green is one of Diamine’s regular series inks. Both Diamine regular series inks and Diamine Guitar Series inks come in the uniquely shaped 80 ml. glass ink bottle (as well as the small, plastic sample 30 ml. size). The 150th Anniversary inks come in a very distinctive triangle-shaped bottle, while the Diamine Shimmering inks come in a basic round “medicine” shaped ink bottle with a very small lid. Diamine uses simple, easy to read ink color labeling and packaging. Important Note: the 30 ml. Diamine ink bottle has a very small lid/opening, and may be cutting it close (or even be too small) to directly fill some larger fountain pens from the ink bottle.

How Much Does Diamine Ink Cost?

This week’s fountain pen ink comes at a very reasonable cost in both the 30 ml. and 80 ml. ink bottle sizes. Check for the latest discounted price at PenChalet.com.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

For the 1-dip test, we dip a J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen in the featured ink one time before putting the dip pen to Rhodia dot pad paper, and writing a sample. In the above review, you’ll see three writing samples in Diamine Sherwood Green (“S,” “X,” and scribble lines). Sherwood Green ink performed very well writing across the page easily on all three writing samples with ink to spare.

How Fast Does Diamine Sherwood Green Ink Dry?

Diamine Sherwood Green fountain pen ink showed a dry time of about 6-7 seconds, which is very reasonable and makes it easy to recommend for an everyday ink in the home or office.

Does Diamine Sherwood Green Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use on Rhodia paper, and very slight bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test (and only at the wettest point).

Was There Any Feathering While Using Sherwood Green Ink?

We saw no feathering during normal use. And only some slight feathering during the water test.

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?

For the water test, we let an ink sample dry for about 3 minutes before running a wet cotton swab over the sample. This week’s ink isn’t a waterproof ink, and we did see significant color smearing, but that’s completely normal for a dark ink. We also saw some light feathering, but the lines remained fairly legible with some fading and slight distortion.

Does the Fountain Pen Ink Have Good Shading Traits?

Sherwood Green ink showed lots of shading possibilities (dark green to lighter shades of forest green). It’s all about your nib and your penmanship.

Final Conclusion on this Week’s Featured Diamine Ink:

This week’s ink has a very economical price for an imported fountain pen ink. Made by a prolific and well-regarded company, Diamine Sherwood Green ink is made in the UK. The gorgeous dark green color flows well, is safe for fountain pens, and has a very fast dry time (especially for such a dark ink). Happy writing from the UK!

Enter to Win a Diamine Fountain Pen Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Diamine Sherwood Green fountain pen ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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