Sailor Ink: Blue Black

[Signum1]

What a wonderful Christmas gift I received from yours truly here. Forget the fancy ties and the box of chocolate for Christmas. For the record the roast prime ribs were better than the turkey.

 

As for JohnP, regarding your comment: "I can resist anything but temptation..." Where's your will power for delay gratification? lol Now onto the review. Folks tonight the guest of honour is from the Far East...Sailor Ink: Blue Black.

 

The Review

 

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5777/scannedimage4.jpg

 

The Water Test

 

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/637/img0533x.jpg

 

Companion from the Far East: Platinum Pigment Blue

 

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/595/img0534e.jpg

 

Portrait of Sailor Blue Black

 

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8161/img0535s.jpg

Edited December 27, 2009 by Signum1

[HenryLouis]

Nice shading!

[Goodwhiskers]

Thanks for the excellent sample!

[PJohnP]

As for JohnP, regarding your comment: "I can resist anything but temptation..." Where's your will power for delay gratification? lol

 

Signum :

 

 

Heh. It's ink !

 

I save my willpower for weightlifting when I'm adding another ten or twenty pounds at the bench-press, or when I'm confronted with going out snowshoeing on the weekend instead of writing a report that has to sent out before dawn Monday.

 

But ink ?

 

Why delay colour gratification ? ? ? :ltcapd:

 

 

 

 

John P.

 

 

P.S. Great review - I've really come to love this ink since I received it.

[Bill Smith]

Quick question, available in Toronto?

[Neill78]

Ah, can't wait till I'm off to Japan in the spring... what a fabulous looking ink.

 

I'm guessing the lack of silky smoothness is because it's not carbon-based, like Kiwaguro. Carbon in some forms (graphite, for example) is a natural lubricant.

[Signum1]

Signum :

 

 

Heh. It's ink !

 

I save my willpower for weightlifting when I'm adding another ten or twenty pounds at the bench-press, or when I'm confronted with going out snowshoeing on the weekend instead of writing a report that has to sent out before dawn Monday.

 

John P.

 

P.S. Great review - I've really come to love this ink since I received it.

 

Honestly, what's the odds of having a 300 pound of pure mean sitting on your chest? I think you better off with a squat where the @$$ touches the grass. As for the report thingy, delegate and read the executive summary from the subordinate, then sign-off on the report.

 

Thank you. By the way, did you notice any silky feeling with the Sailor Blue Black?

 

Quick question, available in Toronto?

 

Bill, sadly the ink is not available in Toronto. You have to order it directly from sellers in Japan.

 

Ah, can't wait till I'm off to Japan in the spring... what a fabulous looking ink.

 

I'm guessing the lack of silky smoothness is because it's not carbon-based, like Kiwaguro. Carbon in some forms (graphite, for example) is a natural lubricant.

 

Neil, I'm not a science expert, so when you get this ink perhaps you can come up with some evidences to support your opinion. It's a good colour. Pretty close to American Eel Blue as shown in the scan.

[WillSW]

I very much want one of these carbon inks, especially with the blue-black available. Which would you recommend, Sailor or Platinum (and I ask that regarding black as well)?

[Signum1]

I very much want one of these carbon inks, especially with the blue-black available. Which would you recommend, Sailor or Platinum (and I ask that regarding black as well)?

 

The Sailor carbon black has a very unique feel that I've not experience with the other carbon inks. The Sailor carbon ink has a nice silky feel as you write on paper. If it was about the best value for the money, I'll recommend the Platinum inks. 60cc is the equivalent to 60ml for the Platinum inks. The Sailor carbon inks are only 50ml. The Pigment Blue ink from Platinum jumps off the page. The Sailor Blue Black carbon ink is much darker in tone. It all depends on your preference. There should be enough information posted here for you to make a decision.

[PJohnP]

Honestly, what's the odds of having a 300 pound of pure mean sitting on your chest? I think you better off with a squat where the @$$ touches the grass. As for the report thingy, delegate and read the executive summary from the subordinate, then sign-off on the report.

 

Thank you. By the way, did you notice any silky feeling with the Sailor Blue Black?

 

Signum :

 

 

Chuckle. Well, in the coarse and harsh places that I go to for my work, there's a better than average chance that I'll need that strength !!! But hey, it's also rather handy for one hand snatches of the valises off the carousel at the airport as well... and my knees just don't like doing squats like they did at thirty.

 

 

I did find that the Sei boku is somewhat less lubricated than the Kiwaguro, but still has a quite fair measure of "smoothness". I've been using it in an M600 OS with a broad CI nib, as well as my Toledo with a Mottishaw broad CI nib, and found it more than passingly fun in those pens, with, pretty obviously, some delightful shading at that width of nib.

 

I'll agree that the Kiwaguro is a class of its own for "silkiness", but I'd personally say that the ink is well worth the differential price over some of the other black waterproofs/permanents that I've tried. My personal preference at the moment in black and blue-black is very highly in favour of the Sailor Nano ink line - I'd love to see a brilliant "Nano red" in the colour-line of Herbin Rouge Opéra or Skrip Slovenian Red !

 

I would like to try out the Platinum Blue Pigment ink sometime as a comparison with the Sei Boku, but for the moment, I'm awaiting Noodler's Bad Blue Heron and Bad Belted Kingfisher for some "playing" and testing this week. Pity that I'm not in TO anymore, or I'd offer to drop off some samples of those two inks for you to play with, but I'm about twenty years and a couple of thousand kilometers away from the Megacity...

 

 

 

John P.

[HDoug]

Thanks for yet another wonderful review -- this time of an ink that I have to get! A well behaved waterproof blue-black? Get out of my way! But first tell me where to get this ink (in the US). Anyone?

 

By the way, your handwriting/calligraphy really helps make this a truly wonderful post. Many thanks for your time and effort on this.

 

Doug

[Ed Ronax]

Thanks for sharing, lovely writing.

[drifting]

Your Seiboku looks so much darker than mine! Hmmm...

 

Ryan (wandering off to find a broader, wetter pen)

[tekkie]

A nice review. Thank you! I use the blue black cartridges in my mini Sapparo and they work great. I have never had clogging in the extra fine Sailor nib.

[georges zaslavsky]

superb color and superb review thanks for the heads up

[Ondina]

Many thanks for the wonderful review, this is an ink I've been wanting to test for long.

[PatientType]

Good review. I've got a bottle of this coming in the mail. I had no idea it was as waterproof as your test indicated but that is good news. I like to use a waterproof for letters so, when I address the thing, it doesn't arrive smeary if the weather in transit is not dry. The ink seems to really stand out nicely on the white paper.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I'd like to add that I found this ink does not play well with others. I strongly suggest that one's pen be scrupulously clean before inking up, and then cleaned completely after use. Cleaning after use can take a while: not just many flushes but also long (overnight) soaks. I did not find any of the usual cleaning stuff expedited the cleaning.

 

Those precautions should avoid the creation of scum, gunk, precipitates, etc. from forming within your pen.

 

Also, I found this to be the only ink I have used to have stained a glass eye dropper. So watch out for staining too.

 

YMMV considerably.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Hello again,

 

I also wanted to pass along a Dilution sample.

The water used is quite 'hard', and has a 25% cotton rag content, so you may not get the same densities.

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/FPN159.jpg

[Breck]

Your Seiboku looks so much darker than mine! Hmmm...

 

Ryan (wandering off to find a broader, wetter pen)

 

 

Same here. I've only tried it in my L2K so far, but I was fairly disappointed. Found it to be more of a dark turquoise than what I think of as a blue-black.

 

More trials are called for, obviously.

 

Great-looking review as always, Signum1.