Tag: twsbi diamond 580

About this ink: Taccia Sora Sky Blue

Posted on by Lee S

Taccia are currently owned by Nakabayashi in Japan. They were founded in California, though. Taccia have several lines of ink, including the Ukiyo-e collection (complex colors with shading), the Roughna collection (supposedly for sketching), the Lipstick collection, and the Jeans collection. But I’m really in love with their standard inks, which are $14/40ml in the US and cheaper in Asia. I haven’t seen prices in other countries. I bought a sample from Anderson Pens (now closed) a year and a half ago.

Sora Sky Blue (or just Sora, which is Japanese for sky) is a vibrant and saturated turquoise. Similar colors I’ve tried include

  • Diamine Havasu Turquoise
  • Waterman Inspired Blue

It doesn’t shade, but also doesn’t change color or vibrancy after a long writing session. It keeps up well with my fast writing in a TWSBI Diamond 580. I have only three writing samples for now.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Clairefontaine Triomphe writing sample
Clairefontaine Triomphe

Lines are crisp.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Kokuyo Campus paper writing sample
Kokuyo Campus loose leaf

I am aware I need to photograph samples on flatter surfaces in the future (you can see the bending at the edges of the photographs distorting the letters). I took these photos on a music stand in a binder So I wouldn’t get my shadows all over them. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

Taccia Sora Sky Blue - TWSBI Diamond 580 M nib on Cosmo Air Light writing sample
Cosmo Air Light

The ink’s strength for me is its consistency. Sometimes I want an ink that remains one saturated color, and Sora is well-behaved. I’ll buy a bottle for my sky blue needs once I’ve finished this sample and my bottle of Havasu Turquoise.

About this ink: Tom’s Studio Juniper

Posted on by Lee S

Tom’s Studio is a relatively new British stationery brand. I am almost certain their inks are made by Diamine, as the ink bottles for Tom’s Studio are the same as for Diamine Shimmertastics. Tom’s Studio inks currently retail for $20/50ml bottle in the US. I assume they are cheaper in the UK/Europe, but I can’t currently find that price. I bought my bottle in person from Tiny Turns Paperie.

Juniper is a dark purple-black. Business purple, if you will. Comparable inks I’ve tried include:

  • Sailor Shikiori Shigure (more expensive in the US, cheaper in Asia)
  • Diamine Scribble Purple (cheaper, more sheen)
  • Dominant Industry Tanzanite (more blue undertones)

I tried Juniper in my TWSBI Diamond 580 M on Maruman loose leaf paper first, and the results were almost black. It got a little dry, I think because the feed can have a tough time keeping up with how fast I write and Maruman loose leaf isn’t very slick. You can also tell that the lines aren’t very crisp.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a TWSBI Diamond 580 on Maruman Loose Leaf

I prefer to see the color better, so I tried it in a Platinum Preppy M. Results were more to my liking on Maruman loose leaf, it’s a little lighter.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Maruman loose leaf paper

Kokuyo Campus is a little less toothy of a paper, so results continued to be brighter.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Kokyuo Campus paper

On Iroful you can see some gold sheen and it really brings out the purple. Additionally, the lines are much bigger. It dries a little slower on Iroful, so I smudged it a bit.

Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Sakae Technical Iroful paper
On Sakae TP Iroful
Writing Sample of Tom's Studio Juniper in a Platinum Preppy Medium on Clairefontaine Triomphe paper
On Clairefontaine Triomphe

I bought a bottle without knowing how dark the ink would look for my use cases. The ink doesn’t smear or feather and is well-behaved, if not crisp. Dry time was less than I expected on most paper. I think I’ll try Juniper in an AL-Star next. I don’t think I’d buy another bottle, but I’ll use this ink once in a while, especially if I’m writing on Iroful.