Blue Black Comparisons

[Jared]

I've been long in search for the perfect blue black ink, and have amassed quite a hoard of different brands, thanks to the KCat Ink Sample Exchange and Pear Tree Pen Ink Samples. I am still hoping to get samples of Noodler's Prime of the Commons and Noodler's Ellis Island. Please PM me if you can help.

 

This is part 1 in my comparison of blue blacks, applied with a small watercolor paintbrush on Clairefontaine ruled A4 paper. Labels are written in Noodler's Heart of Darkness ink. For more blue blacks, see part 2.

 

 

Part 1:

Waterman Blue Black

Diamine Blue Black

Diamine Prussian Blue

Private Reserve Sonic Blue

Pilot Blue Black

J.Herbin Bleu Nuit

Private Reserve Black Magic Blue

Sheaffer Blue Black (vintage)

Swishmix Tahitian Pearl

Air-Corps Blue Black

Noodler's Squeteague

Noodler's Navy (missing Blue Black)

Edited March 29, 2009 by Jared

[publius]

Doesn't this belong in the Ink Comparisons sub-area?

[Jared]

Doesn't this belong in the Ink Comparisons sub-area?

 

If so, I suspect that Admin will move it.

[katia]

Thanks Jared - This is extremely helpful. Do you have a favorite?

[Jared]

Thanks Jared - This is extremely helpful. Do you have a favorite?

 

I'm still searching, but so far I'm enjoying FPN Starry Night and R&K Verdigris. Although I've never tried it, I would say that ST Dupont Blue Black looks like it could be a favorite, if I could find some...

[saintsimon]

Thanks Jared - This is extremely helpful. Do you have a favorite?

 

I'm still searching, but so far I'm enjoying FPN Starry Night and R&K Verdigris. Although I've never tried it, I would say that ST Dupont Blue Black looks like it could be a favorite, if I could find some...

 

I don't know where girlieg33k bought her ST Dupont BB bottle, and if it was a red boxed (old style 40 ml) or a black boxed (current 50 ml) one (if that ever existed as BB), but none of my two "Bleu Nuit" bottles' contents are as dark on the paper as hers. I don't know if there is a problem with aging or inconsistent batches, because I have two red boxed ST Dupont BBs (one from the early-mid 90s and one found this February at a local dealer), but their colours are lighter than her sample and the latest bottle (which still might be quite old) has a rather unatractive petrol colour. My old '90s BB ink might have been darker back then but I have no reliable memory or reference for that. At least it is not of Petrol colour.

 

I noticed similar problems earlier (in the '90s or early this decade, I can't remember) when I bought the wrong size carts for my Montparnasse. The latter needs the old style proprietary Dupont carts, but Dupont already had introduced newer models for international carts. They were both red boxed, but the old style carts were made in France and had a nice colour BB, while the international size Dupont carts were made in Germany - and had again this Petrol colour instead of the darker blue of the old style carts.

Edited April 2, 2009 by saintsimon

[Gran]

Thanks very much for posting these. It does help.