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yipe
September 14th, 2013, 07:00 PM
I've been enjoying the look of Blue-Black inks. They're appropriate for business writing, but they're also a bit unique. Currently I only have two, both only samples. I love De Atramentis Black Edition Blue-Black. I love that it looks like a very dark blue, not like a black with some blueishness. I also have the Noodler's Air Corps Blue Black. I loved the swab on Goulet pens, especially that it looked like the blue element had a lot of green to it. Unfortunately, with my pens, and my writing style, it pretty much just looks black.

So what blue-blacks do you like? Does it look mostly blue, or mostly black?

Do you know of any Blue-Blacks that are mostly blue, that have a bit of green to their blue?

I hope this makes sense to people.

carlos.q
September 14th, 2013, 08:47 PM
I also enjoy my blue blacks:

Montblanc Midnight blue
Pelikan 4001 Blue Black
Namiki Pilot Blue Black (this one is more of a dark blue)
R&K Salix (this one keeps its blue)

I also have 2 bottles of vintage Skrip Blue Black that has a nice greenish tint.

Right now I'm using "Salixx" (FPN Sandy1's mix of 7 parts Salix and 1 part Montblanc Midnight Blue)

Feardorcha
September 15th, 2013, 12:35 AM
I have a steadily growing collection of blue-black inks that so far consists of:

Diamine blue-black
Diamine Registrar's Ink (writes blue and dries dark)
Parker Quink blue-black (has a teal-like tint to it)
Waterman Mysterious Blue
And my current favourite: Waterman Serenity Blue (more of a dark blue but still very nice)

I'll post some swab samples if you're interested.

tannie
September 15th, 2013, 02:53 AM
I seem to have plenty of blue-blacks *cough*. My favourites:

- ESSri! (writes blue, dries black, like diamines)
- Diamine Registrar's Ink
- R&K Salix (because it stays blue)
- Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite (very smooth, not on the dry side like the above)

I also have Noodler's 54th Massachusetts and Bad Blue Heron (that one also stays blue but most sites seems to call it a blue-black…). I do also have and love Sailer Sei-boku Nano Blue-black, and like Bad Blue Heron it stays very blue so I have a hard time seeing it as a blue-black.

I also like Noodler's Navy but only have samples of that one. It looks a bit too much like what I already have and I want to branch out a little.

The Good Captain
September 15th, 2013, 03:21 AM
My list contains many of the above.
Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black
Diamine Blue-Black (old and R2 reformulated)
Montblanc Midnight Blue
ESSRI
R&K Salix
Pilot Blue-Black
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black
Monteverde Blue-Black
Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black
Noodler's Blue-Black
Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black
Parker Quink Blue-Black (with and without Solv-X and also the Super-Quink)
Waterman Blue-Black
Then there are the similar colours which aren't named quite the same.
Diamine Twilight
Diamine Indigo
J Herbin Bleu Nuit
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
FPN Noodler's Van Gogh Starry Night
And so it goes on.
BUT - to answer the original question, my favourite will always be Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black.

AndyT
September 15th, 2013, 05:40 AM
Waterman Blue Black (which is now Mysterious apparently) has been my default ink for years, mostly because it's vintage pen friendly and flows so well. My current bottle leans towards a greenish tint, but it does vary from time to time; it also exhibits a red sheen if you have a nice wet writing pen.

I also like Montblanc Midnight Blue and Rohrer und Klingner Salix, both of which are reasonably waterproof of course; a recently acquired sample of Akkerman Koninginne Nach-Blauw is impressive too. Blots Iron Gall Ink goes on an insipid grey, but dries to the most intense blue-black I've ever seen - that one is emphatically for dip pens only however.

manoeuver
September 15th, 2013, 07:39 AM
I like the Lamy and Noodler's 54th Mass.

jacksterp
September 15th, 2013, 07:57 AM
My current favorite is Montblanc Midnight Blue. It leans more to the blacker side of blue-black.

I also really enjoy 54th Mass. from Noodlers. Seems more of a middle of the road blue-black.

Also enjoy Waterman's Mysterious Blue. However, when dry, after some time, it lightens into a paler more blue than black.

All of the above comments are pen and nib dependent so YMMV.

Laura N
September 15th, 2013, 08:34 AM
The only one I like that hasn't already been mentioned is R&K Blau Schwarz, which was a limited edition.

dobemom
September 15th, 2013, 12:35 PM
The only blue-black I have is parker Quink and it's teal-ish really. I like it a lot, maybe because I used it as a kid when we were supposed to use blue ink in school and I didn't really like blue ink. I use it almost exclusively in a Parker 45, who's nib does it justice..

Sandy M.
September 15th, 2013, 01:28 PM
I love the blues, the blacks, and the blue-blacks! I'm not really much into all the fancy colors.
My only blue-black, and I love it, is Sheaffer's Skrip. It's the only ink I put in my 1936 Balance.
Thank you for all the suggestions. I hope the Dallas Pen Show next week may give opportunity to try some!

fncll
September 15th, 2013, 02:20 PM
Oddly, De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes--on anything other than white--has become my "blue-black" even though it isn't typically considered in that color range...

Robert
September 15th, 2013, 04:45 PM
Yipe asked: "Do you know of any Blue-Blacks that are mostly blue, that have a bit of green to their blue?"

Yep, Yipe, I do. Private Reserve Ebony Blue has a definite hint of green - - closer to a teal. I've been using it only the past few days, and so far I really, really like it.

yipe
September 15th, 2013, 08:58 PM
Yipe asked: "Do you know of any Blue-Blacks that are mostly blue, that have a bit of green to their blue?"

Yep, Yipe, I do. Private Reserve Ebony Blue has a definite hint of green - - closer to a teal. I've been using it only the past few days, and so far I really, really like it.

Thank you very much! This is one I'll definitely be picking up a sample of.

EDIT: In fact I just did!

Robert
September 16th, 2013, 06:39 AM
Thank you very much! This is one I'll definitely be picking up a sample of.

You are very welcome, Yipe. Do let us know how you like it (or don't) after you've had a chance to use it.

yipe
October 3rd, 2013, 02:05 PM
Thank you very much! This is one I'll definitely be picking up a sample of.

You are very welcome, Yipe. Do let us know how you like it (or don't) after you've had a chance to use it.

I got samples of two blue-blacks since I last posted, and have given them each some time in my Metropolitan and at least one other pen each.

Private Reserve Ebony Blue I ended up liking it quite a bit. Thank you so much for this recommendation Robert. It did seem to feather a tad more than De Atramentis Black Edition Black-Blue, on cheap paper, but neither exhibited any feathering on Rhodia or Clairefontaine Triomphe. The color was very, very similar to the De Atramentis ink. The Private Reserve seemed to have just a little bit more shading. It's also worth noting that Private Reserve is much less expensive. This might be my new favorite blue-black. Next time I hit up the Goulet's I'll be picking up a full bottle.

At the same time that I sampled the Private Reserve Ebony Blue, I also tried Diamine Twilight. This one ended up being a whole different "genre" of blue-black, one with a bit of gray and purple in it. Very well behaved. To my eye it gives a much more old-fashioned or vintage impression. I ordered a full bottle right away.

Having tried a (very) few blue-blacks I find my attentions turning to turqoise and brown.

cwent2
October 3rd, 2013, 02:11 PM
Diamine Majestic Blue

AndyT
October 3rd, 2013, 02:57 PM
In view of Montblanc's decision to take the iron gall out of Midnight Blue, when the last of my bottle is gone the replacement will be Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registrars' Ink. Happily, ESSRI is so wonderful that I consider it an upgrade.

The Good Captain
October 4th, 2013, 01:41 AM
I forgot to add Noodler's 'Prime of the Commons' to my earlier list.

Sailor Kenshin
October 4th, 2013, 03:19 PM
Love the BB inks. Levenger Empyrean is very dark denim with no shading; Diamine Denim similar but not as dark and shades a bit; Diamine Twilight and of course Waterman BB...so many others...what I have left of Pel BB seems to have changed in the bottle. Noodler's ACBB....

I'd like to try Organics Studios Blakwa.

spotted and speckled
October 4th, 2013, 07:43 PM
Parker Quink blue-black!

JazzDoc
October 4th, 2013, 10:11 PM
My favorite blue-black inks (in preferential order) - I have no tolerance for any teal in my BB's:

J.Herbin Blue Nuit
Pilot Blue-Black
Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite
Iroshizuku shin-kai
Private Reserve Midnight Blues
Diamine Prussian Blue
DeAtramentis Dark Blue
Diamine Denim
Sheaffer Skrip BB

cwent2
October 8th, 2013, 02:49 PM
My list contains many of the above.
Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black
Diamine Blue-Black (old and R2 reformulated)
Montblanc Midnight Blue
ESSRI
R&K Salix
Pilot Blue-Black
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black
Monteverde Blue-Black
Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black
Noodler's Blue-Black
Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black
Parker Quink Blue-Black (with and without Solv-X and also the Super-Quink)
Waterman Blue-Black
Then there are the similar colours which aren't named quite the same.
Diamine Twilight
Diamine Indigo
J Herbin Bleu Nuit
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
FPN Noodler's Van Gogh Starry Night
And so it goes on.
BUT - to answer the original question, my favourite will always be Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black.

Is FPN Noodler's Van Gogh Starry Night really worth the hassle of the ordering process - or is Noodler's blue black just as good? or 54th mass for that matter?

The Good Captain
October 8th, 2013, 05:24 PM
My list contains many of the above.
Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black
Diamine Blue-Black (old and R2 reformulated)
Montblanc Midnight Blue
ESSRI
R&K Salix
Pilot Blue-Black
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black
Monteverde Blue-Black
Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black
Noodler's Blue-Black
Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black
Parker Quink Blue-Black (with and without Solv-X and also the Super-Quink)
Waterman Blue-Black
Then there are the similar colours which aren't named quite the same.
Diamine Twilight
Diamine Indigo
J Herbin Bleu Nuit
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
FPN Noodler's Van Gogh Starry Night
And so it goes on.
BUT - to answer the original question, my favourite will always be Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black.

Is FPN Noodler's Van Gogh Starry Night really worth the hassle of the ordering process - or is Noodler's blue black just as good? or 54th mass for that matter?
I ordered the Starry Night early on in the process and it's a nice ink. Likewise the 54th. But for a Brit, ordering any ink from the US is expensive, as I suppose it is for others ordering from UK/Europe.
For what they are, I can easily get the results I need with inks from here and I have to say, Diamine and 4001 will keep me quite happy for a long, long time.

cwent2
October 8th, 2013, 05:42 PM
I ordered the Starry Night early on in the process and it's a nice ink. Likewise the 54th. But for a Brit, ordering any ink from the US is expensive, as I suppose it is for others ordering from UK/Europe.
For what they are, I can easily get the results I need with inks from here and I have to say, Diamine and 4001 will keep me quite happy for a long, long time.

I have a sample of Starry Night - and I agree it is a nice ink - What I am looking for is an opinion as to whether or not it is worth the hassle of the ordering process seeing as it seems to be a back burner item at FPN and which other option/ink performs and looks the closest to starry night

Your thoughts

AndyT
October 9th, 2013, 01:36 AM
But for a Brit, ordering any ink from the US is expensive ...

Quite. One can hardly complain about the choices available, but the lack of Noodler's stock in the UK is a shame.

Furthermore, it seems like we get a lousy deal on Iroshizuku here, the best price I know of being the equivalent of $40 before postage. It may well turn out to be cheaper to import, but there's always the question of what kind of surcharge Customs might decide to slap on it. It's enough to put me off, anyway.

The Good Captain
October 9th, 2013, 01:50 AM
I ordered the Starry Night early on in the process and it's a nice ink. Likewise the 54th. But for a Brit, ordering any ink from the US is expensive, as I suppose it is for others ordering from UK/Europe.
For what they are, I can easily get the results I need with inks from here and I have to say, Diamine and 4001 will keep me quite happy for a long, long time.

I have a sample of Starry Night - and I agree it is a nice ink - What I am looking for is an opinion as to whether or not it is worth the hassle of the ordering process seeing as it seems to be a back burner item at FPN and which other option/ink performs and looks the closest to starry night

Your thoughts
Diamine Denim is reasonably close, especially in a fine nib. Also, Cult Pens/Diamine Deep Dark Blue. All the Noodler's I bought from the States have been in single bottle quantities. Probably not the most economic way but certainly below the Customs duty, VAT and Royal Mail handling charge threshold. Just the Starry Night from FPN and two bottles from Goulet's. My other handful came from Niche Pens here, when Ross still had and was able to get stock.

The Good Captain
October 9th, 2013, 01:53 AM
But for a Brit, ordering any ink from the US is expensive ...

Quite. One can hardly complain about the choices available, but the lack of Noodler's stock in the UK is a shame.

Furthermore, it seems like we get a lousy deal on Iroshizuku here, the best price I know of being the equivalent of $40 before postage. It may well turn out to be cheaper to import, but there's always the question of what kind of surcharge Customs might decide to slap on it. It's enough to put me off, anyway.
Buying the few Noodler's I have from the States, a bottle at a time, has never incurred any charges etc at all. I have one bottle of Iroshizuku and a friend brought that back from Japan. It cost me the same as it did him - £10! Certainly Write Here and The Writing Desk sell that ink here in the UK: worth a look.

AndyT
October 9th, 2013, 07:31 AM
Iroshizuku is £25 at The Writing Desk plus postage, anything up to £33 elsewhere. It's beyond me why this situation obtains in the UK, but so long as it does I'll give it a miss. On the other hand you've persuaded me that importing a bottle of Noodler's makes sense, so I'm obliged to you for that. :)

79spitfire
October 9th, 2013, 10:48 PM
Sheaffer Scrip Blue-Black, followed closely by the old MB Blue-black, and taking up the rear Pelikan Blue-Black.

It's good that I can at least still get the Sheaffer when I run out...

Pommel
October 10th, 2013, 11:45 PM
Pelikan blueblack, old Skrip, and currently Lamy. For some reason, I don't love MB blueblack anymore the way I used to do.

The Good Captain
October 11th, 2013, 01:58 AM
I don't rate the 'new' Montblanc Midnight Blue a whole lot, I'm afraid. It just doesn't seem to have much 'character' at all. I will use it, having bought a bottle to see, but my remaining 2 2/3 bottles of the original one will just get a bit less use. 4001 still has the edge in my opinion.

Pommel
October 11th, 2013, 11:20 AM
I meant the old blueblack, not the modern ink. I also meant the older pre-Slovenian Skrip.

Honey Mustard
October 11th, 2013, 01:58 PM
I just picked up a bunch of blue-black samples from isellpens and so far my absolute favorites are Organics Studio Manganate and Diamine Prussian Blue. They are both beautiful old fashioned looking blue blacks which is what I was looking for. Manganate also has wonderful performance on poor paper. I have to say I've been quite happily surprised with Organics Studio inks.

The Good Captain
October 12th, 2013, 01:45 AM
I meant the old blueblack, not the modern ink. I also meant the older pre-Slovenian Skrip.
I've still a few of the original Montblanc Blue-Black cartridges left but I suspect that they weren't the iron-gall formulation.

stevekolt
October 12th, 2013, 05:04 AM
Current order of preference for me:

Diamine Denim

Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo

Noodler's 54th Mass.

Parker Quink

AtomicLeo
October 12th, 2013, 11:00 AM
My favs:

De Artemis Wizard's Ink, which I think is a scented version of the Sherlock Holmes ink
Diamine Twightlight. Stunning. Wish it was waterproof
Lamy Blue Black.
Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher. More blue than other blue blacks. This is my go to work ink,

Pommel
October 12th, 2013, 01:07 PM
Btw, I heard that Pelikan blue-black is not exported to the USA anymore? Does anyone know why not?
It is still available here (Netherlands).

Pommel
October 17th, 2013, 11:41 PM
I have used Akkerman #10 ijzer-galnoten ink for a few days now. It is quickly becoming my favourite blue/black ink. It is an iron gall ink, like the discontinued Lamy and MB blue/black inks. They are problem-free with regular use, and basic pen maintenance.

yipe
October 19th, 2013, 02:30 PM
I finally broke down and ordered the full bottle of the De Atramentis Black Edition Black-Blue just now, having long been out of the sample I started with. That gives me two bottles of blue-black inks, the other being the Diamine Twilight I mentioned earlier in the thread. Since I only have four bottles of ink including those two, I think it's time to break away from the blue-blacks a bit. I explored turquoise some but didn't really find myself loving it. My new color obsession is brown.

ardgedee
October 19th, 2013, 02:50 PM
Btw, I heard that Pelikan blue-black is not exported to the USA anymore? Does anyone know why not?
It is still available here (Netherlands).

Apparently it contains at least one ingredient regulated as a toxic substance in the U.S. (http://www.inknouveau.com/2011/05/pelikan-blue-black-is.html) I've also seen somebody state that it's because of low sales in the U.S. but that doesn't make sense since Pelikan's other colors are available here, and blue-black ought to be otherwise be among the most popular of them.

JazzDoc
October 19th, 2013, 03:02 PM
I finally broke down and ordered the full bottle of the De Atramentis Black Edition Black-Blue just now, having long been out of the sample I started with. That gives me two bottles of blue-black inks, the other being the Diamine Twilight I mentioned earlier in the thread. Since I only have four bottles of ink including those two, I think it's time to break away from the blue-blacks a bit. I explored turquoise some but didn't really find myself loving it. My new color obsession is brown.

Try some Stipula Musk, then! Really nice green/brown with good shading and character.

cwent2
October 19th, 2013, 09:04 PM
Decided that FPN Van Gogh Starry Night was not worth the hassle, ordered Diamine Majestic Blue.

AndyT
October 20th, 2013, 02:48 AM
... ordered Diamine Majestic Blue.

I for one would be interested to hear what you make of it - rather an extraordinary ink all told.

cwent2
October 20th, 2013, 07:36 PM
... ordered Diamine Majestic Blue.

I for one would be interested to hear what you make of it - rather an extraordinary ink all told.

I received a sample of Diamine Majestic Blue and PFN Van Gogh Starry Night Blue - They were both close in color, at least to me on the paper I use, no bleed through and I did not see feathering in either ink except on the copy paper at work. I personally liked the Van Gogh a bit better in that is seems "crisper" if that makes sense. But the whole process of ordering from FPN seems extraordinarily difficult and lengthy.

The Diamine ink performs consistently the same in multiple pens and paper I used it on and I liked the color - did not change when dry - in color

I use both Noodlers and Diamine inks and the Van Gogh is a noodlers product. So in this case Diamine was my second choice.

AndyT
October 21st, 2013, 06:01 AM
Thanks for the reply. Some people - Brian Goulet is one - report terrible drying problems with this ink, like being able to smear it months after writing. I haven't experienced that, so maybe it's a climate thing. The main thing for me is that red "pixie dust" sheen which can be so pronounced it's distracting. Sometimes it's just the thing to make a personal note or letter a bit special, but it pretty much rules out Majestic Blue for any kind of formal communication. I do know what you mean about that slightly relaxed line quality, too. I love the stuff, but it doesn't see as much use as the more sober blue-blacks.

Newjelan
October 25th, 2013, 12:52 AM
I love Majestic Blue, haven't had any problems with drying or smearing and it's become my "go to" ink for work.

Pommel
October 25th, 2013, 03:57 AM
I'm in love with Akkerman #10 ;)

JazzDoc
October 25th, 2013, 06:03 AM
Thanks for the reply. Some people - Brian Goulet is one - report terrible drying problems with this ink, like being able to smear it months after writing. I haven't experienced that, so maybe it's a climate thing. The main thing for me is that red "pixie dust" sheen which can be so pronounced it's distracting. Sometimes it's just the thing to make a personal note or letter a bit special, but it pretty much rules out Majestic Blue for any kind of formal communication. I do know what you mean about that slightly relaxed line quality, too. I love the stuff, but it doesn't see as much use as the more sober blue-blacks.

I'm with you, Andy. Those "sheen" inks have never appealed to me. Same goes for Private Reserve's Electric DC Blue. Gimmicky to my eye.

Pommel
October 25th, 2013, 06:52 AM
For me, blue-black rules out a saturated ink color, to stay with the tradition. And smearing or a red sheen is totally out of the question for me with blue-black inks.

Pelikan is what comes to my mind first when thinking of a blue-black ink.

AndyT
October 25th, 2013, 08:33 AM
For me, blue-black rules out a saturated ink color, to stay with the tradition. And smearing or a red sheen is totally out of the question for me with blue-black inks.

Actually, I'd never thought of Majestic Blue as a blue-black, rather a dense dark blue. Or red, depending on the light ...

In fact my beloved Waterman Blue Black (Mysterious Blue) doesn't really qualify either, being too green and again having a red sheen. Not that that will ever stop me using it.

My idea of a real blue black is anything on the continuum between Salix and Montblanc Midnight blue - my liking for iron gall inks is showing here, but Pelikan is definitely slap bang in the middle of the right colour range. I also agree about keeping the saturation down for the classic look.

whych
October 25th, 2013, 06:08 PM
The Sheaffer Blue Black is also a darker blue black that is more water resistant than the Diamine inks.
For a blue black that starts out looking blue but changes after a few days to a blue black, try the Platinum blue black. It is also waterproof when properly dry.
For a blue black that doesn't bleed on cheap, poor quality paper, Lamy blue black is not bad.
Only problem is that it rather a washed out blue black, but it is pretty water resistant.

Pommel
October 26th, 2013, 06:32 AM
I wrote a brief article on water resistance of blue blacks with the intention to post it somewhere ...

yipe
October 26th, 2013, 09:41 AM
I wrote a brief article on water resistance of blue blacks with the intention to post it somewhere ...

We'd all love to see it, make a thread and post it. Or post in this thread if you want. I'd say make a new thread though to make your good information easier to find.