Diamine Monboddo’s Hat: Ink Review

Overview

Some fountain pen inks become popular because they produce spectacular sheen or shimmering effects. Others earn their reputation through years of dependable performance, beautiful colour and an ability to make everyday writing just a little more enjoyable. Diamine Monboddo’s Hat firmly belongs in the latter category.

Created in 2019 as part of a collaboration between Diamine and the Fountain Pens UK Facebook group, Monboddo’s Hat takes its name from James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, an eighteenth-century Scottish judge and philosopher reputed to have worn a purple hat — though the name is also a nod to “Scribble Monboddo,” a stationery reviewer and purple-ink enthusiast within the FPUK group who helped drive the collaboration. Originally a limited release, its popularity pushed Diamine to fold it into the permanent standard collection.

At first glance, Monboddo’s Hat appears to be a straightforward dark purple. Spend a little time writing with it, however, and its subtle character begins to emerge — not through dramatic shading, but through a gold-to-olive sheen that surfaces on the right paper and pen combination. Balanced flow, excellent behaviour across a variety of pens and papers, and effortless maintenance make it one of those rare inks that feels equally at home in a daily writer’s notebook and a collector’s rotation.

Whether you’re exploring purple inks for the first time or searching for a dependable everyday alternative to blue and black, Monboddo’s Hat deserves serious consideration.

Colour

Monboddo’s Hat is a medium-to-dark purple with a distinctly reddish, slightly pinkish undertone — closer to an Imperial purple than the cooler, blue-leaning purples elsewhere in Diamine’s range. Depending on the nib and lighting, the ink can range from a vibrant reddish purple to an almost black-violet, giving handwriting an understated elegance.

Fresh writing appears slightly brighter before drying into a deeper, richer tone. This gradual transformation is one of the ink’s quiet pleasures and gives the finished page far more depth than many similarly saturated purple inks.

Unlike heavily saturated inks that often appear flat after drying, Monboddo’s Hat retains enough tonal variation to keep handwriting visually interesting without becoming distracting. The result is an ink that is expressive yet restrained, making it equally suitable for journals, personal correspondence and everyday note-taking.

A full swab reveals the ink’s remarkable tonal range. The lighter edges display a vibrant reddish violet, while heavier applications deepen into an almost black-purple. Large swabs are also where the ink’s real party trick shows up: independent testers describe a gold-to-olive sheen that can become dramatic enough to nearly obscure the purple underneath in the heaviest pooling. That sheen shows up most reliably on coated papers like Rhodia — one independent tester found it strong enough to resemble an olive-gold foil in pooled ink, with the purple barely visible underneath in places.

Writing Experience

One of Diamine’s greatest strengths is consistency, and Monboddo’s Hat exemplifies that reputation.

The ink offers a balanced flow that feels comfortable in virtually every pen tested. It starts reliably after periods of rest, writes smoothly without flooding the feed, and maintains an even ink supply during longer writing sessions.

With medium wetness and average lubrication, the writing experience feels controlled rather than overly saturated. Writers accustomed to extremely wet Japanese inks may find it slightly more restrained, while those moving from drier European inks will appreciate its predictability.

This balance makes Monboddo’s Hat an excellent choice for beginners, while still providing enough character to satisfy experienced fountain pen users.

Shading

Independent reviews are consistent on a point that runs opposite to first impressions: shading is actually rated low to moderate, not dramatic.

One well-known ink-testing site rated its shading as low, and another described it as subdued, noting there’s clear colour variation but not the kind of powerful, dramatic shading effect its dark base colour might suggest.

That’s not a knock on the ink — it still reads as clean and legible across long writing sessions — it’s simply not the main reason to reach for this ink.

Sheen & Shimmer

This is actually where Monboddo’s Hat earns its reputation. Diamine markets it directly as a high-sheening purple, and independent reviewers back that up.

In plain writing on some papers, the sheen stays subtle — one tester using a broad nib on Clairefontaine paper didn’t see much sheen in ordinary handwriting. But in pooled ink, on coated stock like Rhodia and Mnemosyne or even uncoated Apica, testers describe the sheen as bold enough to nearly hide the purple base entirely — an olive-gold effect with a striking, almost Victorian-Steampunk colour combination. Expect real pen-and-paper dependency: a fine, dry nib on matte paper will show far less sheen than a broad, wet nib on coated stock.

Likewise, the ink contains no shimmer particles, making it suitable for virtually any fountain pen without concerns about clogging or additional maintenance.

Dry Time

Dry time is one of the more inconsistent data points across independent reviews. One tester recorded a fast, reliable 10-15 seconds across multiple papers, while another found it ran anywhere from 15 to over 30 seconds depending on nib size, and a third described it as having a very long dry time with a wet, broad nib.

Because the ink also carries a sheen, residual hand moisture can cause smudging even after the ink otherwise looks dry, so it’s worth a little extra caution here compared to a flatter, non-sheening purple.

Paper Performance

Menorah Paper — Menorah paper produced some of the best overall results during testing. The surface allowed the ink’s rich purple tone to develop fully while showcasing excellent shading. Feathering was virtually nonexistent, and bleed-through remained minimal even with broader nibs. Dry times stayed comfortably within the expected range, making Menorah an excellent choice for journaling, correspondence and extended writing sessions.

B7TRN Paper — B7TRN paper presented the ink with a slightly different character. The smoother surface preserved crisp line definition while enhancing contrast between lighter and darker areas of each stroke. Shading remained highly visible, although colours appeared marginally cooler compared to Menorah paper. Even under heavier ink application, behaviour remained controlled, with no significant feathering observed during testing.

Water Resistance

Like most standard dye-based Diamine inks, Monboddo’s Hat offers very little water resistance. Running water quickly lifts much of the dye, leaving behind only faint traces of the original writing. While this limits its suitability for archival notes or important records, it also contributes to one of the ink’s greatest practical advantages — easy cleaning.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Despite its dark appearance, Monboddo’s Hat is refreshingly easy to clean. Routine flushing with water removes nearly all traces from converters, feeds and demonstrator pens. No staining was observed during testing, and the ink behaved exactly as expected from a conventional dye-based formulation.

Because it contains neither pigment nor iron gall components, it is considered safe for modern fountain pens as well as properly restored vintage pens.