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GilsDesk
April 5th, 2012, 10:58 AM
Why is it so hard to find a really good blue-black / black-blue ink? I'm not talking about a "dark blue", but a really deep indigo-black sort of color that makes a person have a hard time telling if it's black or blue.

Are there any other fans of this color out there, and if so, what good ones have you found?

KrazyIvan
April 5th, 2012, 02:03 PM
Private Reserve Ebony Blue works for me. I have seen some scans of Noodler's AirCorp Blue Black that I really liked but my pens just could not get the shade I saw. I gave up on it as it was more like a plain black to my eye.

Bogon07
April 5th, 2012, 09:02 PM
The Goulet Pen Company has a swab shop comparison of blue-blacks which you may find helpful:
http://www.gouletpens.com/Swab_Shop_Blue_Black_s/816.htm

Noodler's AirCorp Blue Black is one of my favourite inks. It can vary according to the nib width and paper type from almost black to a blue-black with a slight greenish tinge.

KrazyIvan
April 5th, 2012, 09:49 PM
Good point on the Air Corp Blue Black Bogon. I did not have my italics nibs back then. I have to get another sample from the Goulet's.

bp!
April 6th, 2012, 07:47 AM
I think noodlers blue black fits the bill... sometimes it looks like a dark navy to me and sometimes black but when alongside noodler black you can always tell it isn't black.

GilsDesk
April 6th, 2012, 08:17 AM
In my best Pippin voice I must say: It comes in samples?! I'm getting some!

KrazyIvan
April 6th, 2012, 08:30 AM
In my best Pippin voice I must say: It comes in samples?! I'm getting some!

[Grey Poupon Guy Voice] But of course.[/Grey Poupon Guy Voice] Yes the Goulet's have literally hundreds of inks to sample. Well maybe at the very least 99 samples but I think it is a lot more than that. :)

jor412
April 6th, 2012, 10:21 AM
Private Reserve Ebony Blue works for me. I have seen some scans of Noodler's AirCorp Blue Black that I really liked but my pens just could not get the shade I saw. I gave up on it as it was more like a plain black to my eye.

I checked the Goulet swab of PR Ebony blue and it looks like the color has a sheen to it, or a hint of another color. It looks really interesting to use. Is that how it comes out? How wet is this ink?

Right now I'm using Lamy blue-black which is a dry iron gall ink. From what I've read, it's not entirely iron gall. It starts out like a standard blue and dries into a pale, greyish blue. The other blue black I'm interested in trying is Mont Blanc midnight blue which comes out a really dark blue-gray.

KrazyIvan
April 6th, 2012, 12:08 PM
I checked the Goulet swab of PR Ebony blue and it looks like the color has a sheen to it, or a hint of another color. It looks really interesting to use. Is that how it comes out? How wet is this ink?

Right now I'm using Lamy blue-black which is a dry iron gall ink. From what I've read, it's not entirely iron gall. It starts out like a standard blue and dries into a pale, greyish blue. The other blue black I'm interested in trying is Mont Blanc midnight blue which comes out a really dark blue-gray.

I have Lamy Blue Black. PR Ebony Blue is nothing like it. No sheen (I am wrong. I had never noticed it before but there is a reddish sheen I just noticed on the Kokuyo Notebook Review I just did). It is green leaning blue with lots of black. It depends on the nib too. Finer nibs/absorbent paper make it go more black while italics make it more blue with shading. Then the paper also affects the color. Here are some good representations of it as an italic on absorbent paper, it just went totaly black with some hints of blue:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6039/6852821732_bc140f51c9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6852821732/)
Testing the Japanese Sketch Book (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6852821732/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

Then on Rhodia Dot pad and the same pen (it's the bottom sample):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6790391146_3f3e1ca4f4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6790391146/)
TWSBI 1.1mm stub vs. Lamy 1.1mm stub (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/6790391146/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

klpeabody
April 7th, 2012, 09:08 PM
PR Ebony Blue might be a good fit for you, Gils. Also, consider Diamine Eclipse or Rohrer & Klingner Leipziger Schwartz.

Freddy
April 12th, 2012, 03:46 PM
You might want to consider Diamine Denim. This aptly named ink is my favorite blue-black.

DET
April 14th, 2012, 10:51 AM
I'm a big fan of Waterman Blue-Black, especially in a wet-writing pen. Comes across as almost black.

Ordinal
April 14th, 2012, 03:23 PM
I'm a big fan of Waterman Blue-Black, especially in a wet-writing pen. Comes across as almost black.

I am also a big fan of Waterman Blue Black but I must say that I have never thought of it as "almost black". "Almost turquoise", perhaps. I understand that the vintage stuff was a different colour.

lovemy51
May 22nd, 2012, 11:35 AM
how about Diamine Eclipse? i can't tell what it is!
see here from goulet's:
494

etoyoc
May 22nd, 2012, 03:03 PM
Although not quite black enough to be mistaken for black, I have been enjoying Badger and Blade Benevolent Badger Blue, which is an exclusive Noodlers ink sold by West Coast Shaving

John the Monkey
May 23rd, 2012, 03:51 AM
I like Waterman's blue-black quite a lot, although it's still fairly obviously a blue, it shades pretty dark. It's in the Ahab Executive even now.

Pelikan Blue-Black is quite a pleasant colour too, although it's more on the black/grey side of the spectrum than Waterman's.

jor412
May 23rd, 2012, 07:20 AM
I like Waterman blue-black when it first hits the page, but then it turns into a teal-ish color which doesn't quite work for me.

KrazyIvan
May 23rd, 2012, 09:11 AM
I like Waterman blue-black when it first hits the page, but then it turns into a teal-ish color which doesn't quite work for me.

I found that the paper you use determines if it is going to turn that teal color. My initial finding is that ink repelant paper (ie Rhodia/Clairefontaine) is going to keep it more of a true blue black while absorbent paper (copy paper/Moleskine) makes it turn the teal shade.

jor412
May 23rd, 2012, 09:31 AM
I see @ paper & Waterman BB. So far, the Lamy blue-black has given me the least problems on any kind of paper. For as long as I use it in a wet pen, it lays down a nice blue-black that fades on the blue-grey side and offers some shading as well.

GilsDesk
May 31st, 2012, 01:19 PM
I'm enjoying PR Midnight Blues at the moment, but my hunt continues...

DanielCoffey
May 31st, 2012, 01:53 PM
Diamine Eclipse is a black with a *very* slight hint of purple - sort of Anthracite but with something interesting in the background. I would advise having a look at Diamine Denim for sure.

DanielCoffey
June 1st, 2012, 06:46 AM
Here are a couple of pics for your comparison...

Diamine Denim...

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewDenimShade.jpg


Diamine Eclipse...

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewEclipseShade.jpg


Diamine Registrar's (Iron Gall, fountain pen safe)...

http://www.dcoffey.co.uk/images/fountainpennetwork/ReviewRegistrarsShade.jpg

ink mixer
June 3rd, 2012, 08:22 PM
Nice scans. I would also have to vote for Denim.

GilsDesk
June 5th, 2012, 08:45 AM
That Denim does look great! Must try some...

rapid_butterfly
June 6th, 2012, 04:31 PM
as a couple of posters have suggested - try an iron gall perhaps? Diamine Registrar's fits the color profile you mentioned, esp when it has had a day to dry - very hard to tell if blue or black (as you can see in Daniel Coffey's pic above, though to my eye it looks even darker in person). R and K Salix is lighter, but depending on the nib used, also can oxidize to a very dark blue (I like it because it is lighter / more blue in it).

januaryman
June 7th, 2012, 08:43 AM
Although not quite black enough to be mistaken for black, I have been enjoying Badger and Blade Benevolent Badger Blue, which is an exclusive Noodlers ink sold by West Coast Shaving
I keep going back, loading it in my shopping cart, then changing my mind. I have a very dark blue-black, and FOUR blues. Every time it asks me to pay, I back out. I think I have too many inks as is. But it IS tempting, based on writing samples I've seen.

klpeabody
June 15th, 2012, 04:09 PM
Diamine Eclipse is a black with a *very* slight hint of purple - sort of Anthracite but with something interesting in the background. I would advise having a look at Diamine Denim for sure.


I keep putting Diamine Denim in my shopping cart. Then taking it out. Then putting it back in, again. I still haven't pulled the trigger on it, but your scans may have convinced me to at least go with 30 ml. It really is a nice deep blue, which I'm always looking for. Thank you for all of your inky contributions. They are so helpful.

etoyoc
June 15th, 2012, 04:44 PM
I keep putting Diamine Denim in my shopping cart. Then taking it out. Then putting it back in, again. I still haven't pulled the trigger on it, but your scans may have convinced me to at least go with 30 ml. It really is a nice deep blue, which I'm always looking for. Thank you for all of your inky contributions. They are so helpful.

I had been doing the same thing. I just gave up and pulled the trigger.

Rollo the Cat
June 18th, 2012, 10:33 AM
Noodler's Fountain Pen Network van Gogh Starry Night. Has the color of the blue-black inks, performs great, has good water resistance, cleans up well. I like it.

When you say Indigo, I know what you mean. Dark. But I have an Indigo obsession. When I hear Indigo I think darkish blue, close to violet but still blue. definitely not greenish like many "blue-blacks".

ianmedium
June 18th, 2012, 12:08 PM
very much recommend Mont Blanc's iron gal blue black ink. I have used it for quite a while now and have never had an issue with clogging or any other issues associated with iron gal inks. It dries to a really dark blue black but with some shading.