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Van Dieman's

Cradle Mountain Grey

Blacks & greys#786666

Tasmanian small-batch inks that bottle the island's seasons, wilderness and night skies.

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Specs

Color familyBlacks & greys
Approx. hex#786666
SheenNot typically noted

Paper & pairing

As a near-neutral tone, it reads as professional and safe for anything from journaling to signatures. This ink will behave predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Cheap, highly absorbent paper (standard copier paper) will dull any ink's saturation and can cause feathering or bleed-through with wetter nibs.

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About Van Dieman's

Van Dieman's Ink is a small-batch artisan ink maker based in Tasmania, Australia, named after Van Diemen's Land, the island's colonial-era name. The family-run company hand-blends fountain pen inks inspired by Tasmanian landscapes, wildlife and weather, organised into themed series such as Tassie Seasons, Wilderness and Night. It has become one of Australia's best-known boutique ink houses, with a large catalogue spanning standard, shimmering and sheening formulas.

Australia Founded 2016
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Storing and using the bottle

Bottled fountain pen ink has an effectively long shelf life when kept capped and out of direct sunlight: most inks remain usable for years. The main risk isn't the ink spoiling, it's a pen sitting inked and unused for weeks: that's what causes clogs, not the ink's age.

Frequently asked questions

What color family is Cradle Mountain Grey?
Cradle Mountain Grey falls into Inktend's blacks & greys family based on its typical swatch color.
Does Cradle Mountain Grey have sheen?
Cradle Mountain Grey is not typically noted for sheen. If you want that effect, browse similarly colored inks tagged with sheen in the ink library.
How should I store a bottle of Cradle Mountain Grey?
Years, easily, as long as it stays capped and out of direct sunlight. The thing that actually shortens an ink's usable life is sitting unused inside a pen, not sitting on a shelf.
What paper works best with Cradle Mountain Grey?
It behaves predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Stick to something reasonably absorbent-resistant, since cheap copier paper dulls saturation and can feather.

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Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.