Shout it from the Rooftops !

It is not often that you get a good news story which is ‘good’ without qualification.

In this case it can be described using a combination of the following key words & phrases – ‘manufacturer‘ – ‘global market leader‘ – ‘fashion led product range mixing timeless classics with urban chic‘ – highly competitive prices’ – ‘century old machinery working alongside the latest computer aided automation’

….. and the icing on the cake – ‘Made in Liverpool 🙂 !!

So, what are we making here in Liverpool ? The answer is Fountain Pen Ink. The company is Diamine and was founded in 1864 but it was not until the building of a new state of the art factory in 1925 that they started to become a global player. 

Fountain pen ink is an interesting niche product. There are countless brands who produce an amazing number of products given the relatively modest size of the global market. Although there are various types of ink, the large number of product variations is a result of a huge choice of colours. As alluded to above, this choice can be divided into two groups, Classic & Contemporary. Although probably many of the classic colours never change there is still a lot of variation with much development going on. As an example, I go through periods of attraction to various colours – at the end of last year (2022) it was grey and it took about five different shades of grey before I found the one I imagined I wanted. After a few months the novelty wore off and at the beginning of this year, black became the new grey. It is easy to think of black as a sort of binary colour – it’s either black or it isn’t but surprisingly it comes in many shades. 

The reason I have been thinking about Diamine is that a new pen arrived this morning and this one is always going to be full of just one colour (my#1 favourite) Royal Blue. I suspect this love of bright blue goes back to schooldays and bottles of Quink ink. I don’t understans this because by and large I hated a lot of aspects of my school and it’s barbaric cruel practices that had contined unchanged from one generation of schoolboys to the next over a period of more than a hundred years.

Anyway, for some reason, my education left me with a liking for Royal Blue Ink. As everyone probably knows, this a classic fountain pen ink colour and the choices are a bit bewildering. (Please bear with me as I have nearly finshed now !!. 

The market for fountain pen ink has a certain amount in common with that of the pens themselves. The manufacturers have developed products for all prices, Some specailiuse in exclive inks which are often sold in exquisite bottles with prices to match. I’m usually a bit of a cynic when it comes to products where form takes prority over function but I have to admit some bottles of ink are almost works of art. Trying to find that imaugined memory of fresh blue from choldhood usung these types on makers is the preserve of the super rich and like many people I suspect even if I wib some Euro million thing I could never waste monet like that. I could imagibe buying on vbottle but that’s all.

This is where Diamine comes into my life. They have found a way of making inks in a vast range of colours that are reliable & repeatable and most importantly, profitable to produce. They are wisely  also continually developing new ranges that come and go alongside their huge range of basic cokurs. Sometimes these new rangrs have theirvroots in traditional art where others might be inspired by the urban strret scene or colntemporay music clture, 

In order to keep cpts down I suspect Diamine might use ideas from students at art school etc. 

However it is done it is nice to have a locally produced producy thst is doing well.

Oh yes. I fotgot to mention what happened yoday that made me write this.

The postmab arrived soon after nine with a bulging envelope, This contained a new pen in blue colour with a lanyard loop so I can wear it alongside my reading glasses that live on an imitation nachor chaion made of silver which I wear round my neck. The is an old favourite and a bit unualy being a pump action TWSBI Go, not bad for £20 but the envelope also contined 5 bottles of ink in various subtle shades of Royal Blue – just over £10 for the lot !!