Blue Ink Help

[Wile E Coyote]

Last edited by stub; Today at 06:32 AM. Reason: monkeys

As long as they weren't flying you should be fine.

[Armstrong]

One thing you may want to consider for something as important as school notes is water resistance. Losing class notes because of a sudden shower could cause a serious headache. Two blues in this category I have used for extensive note taking are Noodler's Blue Heron and Noodler's Luxury Blue. Both are well behaved and have good flow. Blue Heron is a dark blue with a very slight green tint, just enough to add a hint of turquoise. Luxury Blue is a particular favorite of mine.

If you don't mind pushing the envelope a little, I have fallen in love with Noodler's Purple Martin (not water resistant). The tint of this ink seems to be very dependent on the paper/nib combination and has become a favorite because of it. It can vary from the color shown, to a dark blue with a purplish tint. I use HP Laser Jet paper, 24lb, 98% white for my study notes. This paper keeps the ink in a very saturated color so I tend to get the latter color with it and a medium nib. This paper is excellent for writing on both sides, and being very smooth under the nib. I just keep it loose until I get enough notes written then use a three hole punch with a lever type handle and punch them wholesale. Saves a ton of money on paper costs, it is an excellent FP paper and is heavy enough to stand up to use in a three ring binder.

[wangminze]

I use HP Laser Jet paper, 24lb, 98% white for my study notes. This paper keeps the ink in a very saturated color so I tend to get the latter color with it and a medium nib. This paper is excellent for writing on both sides, and being very smooth under the nib. I just keep it loose until I get enough notes written then use a three hole punch with a lever type handle and punch them wholesale. Saves a ton of money on paper costs, it is an excellent FP paper and is heavy enough to stand up to use in a three ring binder.

If I remember correctly, that is the same paper I use notes. It's ok in my opinion. The paper does make the colors saturated just like you mentioned. I see that you really enjoy Noodler's inks! The ones you suggested look very nice. I especially like the Luxury Blue.
The good thing about living in Arizona (lol) is not having to worry about getting things wet. Monsoon season seems to be rolling about but it's not too big of a deal. I'm not in college yet and my high school is all indoors thankfully!
（≧∇≦）

[wangminze]

One thing you may want to consider for something as important as school notes is water resistance. Losing class notes because of a sudden shower could cause a serious headache. Two blues in this category I have used for extensive note taking are Noodler's Blue Heron and Noodler's Luxury Blue. Both are well behaved and have good flow. Blue Heron is a dark blue with a very slight green tint, just enough to add a hint of turquoise. Luxury Blue is a particular favorite of mine.

I just said hours ago that water resistance wasn't important to me. I now take that back. The PR Electric DC Blue is relatively not water resistant and I didn't think I would have any problems with it until just a few minutes ago.
My hand sweats not excessively but more than normal. It's smearing my writing!!! I just shock my head at the paper when I saw it happen. Seriously. Does this happen to anyone else?
Now I'll need to consider a more water resistant ink (maybe the Luxury Blue).
Do you guys know how SBREBrown always writes with that plastic sheet under his hand? I'll need one of those too.
Seriously,

[mhosea]

With respect to the plastic sheet, I think even with water resistant inks it's necessary to watch where you touch until the ink has fully dried. The reason SBRE Brown likes the acetate sheet under his hand is to keep hand oil off the page. This is usually not a problem except with slick paper like Rhodia and Tomoe River. I suppose if your hand sweats a lot the page could be damp by the time you get to writing in a certain spot, and that will cause the ink to spread and feather more than it should.

Luxury Blue is too expensive, IMHO. I would choose Noodler's Revolution Blue (goldspot.com exclusive) instead. More info here.

[wangminze]

I read your review but I'm afraid it's staining ability may be malicious on my Pilot 92 demo. Also, the ink is definitely dries by the time I touch it. It's my wet hands that spread the ink. It's really annoy now that I've noticed it. It hasn't happened before as my other ink is pretty water resistant. I didn't know that that was what SBREBrown used it for. But I think I might able to make use of it. Just to keep my sweaty hands from warping the paper!

[Laura N]

It might be possible that what you need is not a water-resistant ink but one that simply dries faster, and dries completely without smearing.

I do not remember which specific Private Reserve ink you bought, but it's likely one of their beautiful but highly saturated blues. I have one blue Private Reserve like that, and mine is notorious for taking longer to dry and for smearing even when one thinks it's dry. That's one of the trade-offs of any kind of highly saturated ink, in my experience -- you get an amazing look but it's got some other qualities that impact on its use, too.

One of the things about more "boring" blue inks like Waterman, Pelikan, Pilot, etc., is that they tend to be good at the things that no one normally notices: they deal with bad paper, they dry quickly, they clean up easily. If you are taking a lot of notes in class or taking tests, that might be a situation to consider sacrificing a bolder, more striking look for something that works without muss or fuss. The gorgeous Private Reserve-type inks might be better suited for more leisurely situations, when you can take more time and use a blotter. JMHO and again I don't know your specific ink so I might be totally off there, and am just speaking generally.

[mhosea]

and mine is notorious for taking longer to dry and for smearing even when one thinks it's dry.

I've been studying this phenomenon opportunistically, though more with Noodler's than PR (as I only use one PR ink and have yet to observe the phenomenon with it). I believe at this point that the extra-long dry time (sometimes perhaps infinite) is due to a change that the ink undergoes in the feed of the pen. The last time I got a pen in a situation where it occurred, with an ink that had never done that to me before, BTW, it was easy demonstrate side-by-side that ink taken directly from the converter dried normally and could not be smeared (without adding moisture or rubbing it stupidly hard). Possibly there is some oxidation, or maybe it is evaporation alone to blame.

To return to the ink choice with the added constraint of waterproofness...

Most of the blues in Noodler's fully-bulletproof inks have a hint of teal color to them. Perhaps Bad Belted Kingfisher doesn't, but it has a component that will wash away, hence smear (though what is left behind looks pretty much unaltered). Something like Noodler's Liberty's Elysium is so far from being waterproof that it should not be mentioned if smearing is the main concern. Pilot (Namiki) Blue is a good choice for a conventional waterproof blue, though it is a little dull, IMHO. Sailor Sei Boku is a little bit teal-leaning, but it behaves well. DeAtramentis document blue is a bit dull and flat, but it is also going to be waterproof.

[Wile E Coyote]

This is going to sound counter-intuitive: Put some of the ink in a separate container (like a sample bottle) and add a few drops of distilled water. Sometimes diluting a saturated ink will help it dry faster.

[Armstrong]

Are you left handed? If so and you write with your hand over your work, then a plastic sheet or even a piece of cloth is a good idea. I had a similar problem myself when I was younger. For plastic you might cut a piece from a document holder for a 3 ring binder or maybe look around a hobby store. Another alternative would be to buy those old cloth work gloves. Not the canvas type though, the cotton Jersey type. Cut the fingers out about half way up the finger. You may want to keep the little finger in place though. This will keep the glove around the part of your hand in touch with the paper, but free you fingers for contact with the pen. Another option would be a thin leather glove, like a baseball batting glove. Here is a link for an example of what I am talking about in a Jersey glove. http://www.harborfreight.com/5-pair-...ves-66289.html

As far as an issue of ink drying. There isn't much can be done about that other than avoiding touching the written surface. Even Noodler's Bullet Proof ink will smear before it dries. It will smear if you get it wet. It begins to bond with the paper as soon as your write but it takes a week for the full process. I have tested it myself with water and household chemicals. Some of the ink will wash off, but plenty will remain bonded to the paper for legibility. Noodler's tends to be a highly saturated ink. Luxury Blue isn't as saturated though since it is more of a bright, medium blue. It is the combination of saturated colors and bullet proof bonding that draws me to Noodler's again and again. Also that paper you and I use does tend to be a slower drying paper. So, you might experiment with some other Laser Printer papers. Stay away from ink jet and multipurpose papers. Ink jet is highly absorbent and will feather badly. With multipurpose you will get varying results of lower quality than laser printer paper.+

[wangminze]

Thanks for the great suggestions. It's really just smearing after the ink has dried since my hands aren't. It's actually worse on lower quality paper as the ink doesn't bond well with the paper, I think. I just have to be careful if I want to jump around on a worksheet or else I'll be getting the paper wet and smearing the ink. I'll look into a Bullet Proof or something else if it gets too messy.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Are you left handed? If so and you write with your hand over your work, then a plastic sheet or even a piece of cloth is a good idea. I had a similar problem myself when I was younger. For plastic you might cut a piece from a document holder for a 3 ring binder or maybe look around a hobby store. Another alternative would be to buy those old cloth work gloves. Not the canvas type though, the cotton Jersey type. Cut the fingers out about half way up the finger. You may want to keep the little finger in place though. This will keep the glove around the part of your hand in touch with the paper, but free you fingers for contact with the pen. Another option would be a thin leather glove, like a baseball batting glove. Here is a link for an example of what I am talking about in a Jersey glove. http://www.harborfreight.com/5-pair-...ves-66289.html

As far as an issue of ink drying. There isn't much can be done about that other than avoiding touching the written surface. Even Noodler's Bullet Proof ink will smear before it dries. It will smear if you get it wet. It begins to bond with the paper as soon as your write but it takes a week for the full process. I have tested it myself with water and household chemicals. Some of the ink will wash off, but plenty will remain bonded to the paper for legibility. Noodler's tends to be a highly saturated ink. Luxury Blue isn't as saturated though since it is more of a bright, medium blue. It is the combination of saturated colors and bullet proof bonding that draws me to Noodler's again and again. Also that paper you and I use does tend to be a slower drying paper. So, you might experiment with some other Laser Printer papers. Stay away from ink jet and multipurpose papers. Ink jet is highly absorbent and will feather badly. With multipurpose you will get varying results of lower quality than laser printer paper.+

This southpaw hooker uses another piece of paper or a paper towel scrap. If the ink will smear, plastic may make it smear even more.

[Armstrong]

Good point!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Good point!

The cotton glove, though, is a great idea, and I used to use one in my India Ink sketching days.

[reprieve]

I highly, highly recommend Pilot Blue or Pilot Blue-black. They are both water-resistant inks, they clean up easily, they dry quickly, and they handle lower quality paper well. They may look boring at first, but in certain nibs, they shade beautifully and on certain papers there's even some red sheen. These are my go-to workhorse inks. They're easy to find and are inexpensive to boot.

[Marsilius]

My favorite blues that are not too green (since I like teal) are:
Sailor Shigure
Diamine Majestic Blue (though smudgy)
Aurora Blue (simple)

[carlos.q]

I highly, highly recommend Pilot Blue or Pilot Blue-black. They are both water-resistant inks, they clean up easily, they dry quickly, and they handle lower quality paper well. They may look boring at first, but in certain nibs, they shade beautifully and on certain papers there's even some red sheen. These are my go-to workhorse inks. They're easy to find and are inexpensive to boot.

I would also recommend these two very nice water resistant inks.

[wangminze]

I will definitely be getting one sooner or later. Thanks guys!