Permanent or Semi Permanent Blue Blacks

[tawanda]

Hello All

 

I love using BB for writing my manuscript drafts, but Pel BB, my ink of choice because I love the greyish (non green) colour, runs horribly if I even breathe in it!

 

I'd like my scrawl to last a good few years and maybe my grandkids would like to read them in years to come, so...

 

Can anyone recommend a semi or permanent BB that is safe to use in FPs? The thought of Sailor Nano scares the life out of me, and I don't want to put anything in my precious pens that might render them useless in the future (again, I'm hoping to hand them down to the grandkids)

 

It doesnt have to be completely waterproof (eg dunked in the bath for three days) but for instance, I'd like it to stand something being spilled on it and wiped off straight away.

 

Any help gladly appreciated.

TTFN

[Nikhil]

Try any iron-gall blue-black. Lamy and Mont Blanc both make iron gall BB, and MB is a little darker. Also Diamine Registars ink is iron-gall. Noodler's Blue-Black is bulletproof (I think) and is the most permanent ink you can find.

[kps]

Pilot Blue is waterproof; I'm fairly sure the blue-black is as well, though I don't have any right now. Edit: here's a test.

 

Noodler's Warden series are permanent, of course.

Edited December 31, 2009 by kps

[Goodwhiskers]

The iron gall inks Nikhil suggested require a little "maintenance," but really not much. Just make sure of four things: an airtight cap seal, keeping the cap on and sealed except when the point is on the paper, writing at least a few times a week with that pen, and flushing the pen every couple of weeks.

 

The Sailor Nano inks require less maintenance than iron gall and are much more neutral chemically.

 

If you want a water-resistant, long-lasting, dye-based (i.e. no-maintenance), blue-black ink with no hint of green, kps gave the right suggestions.

Pilot BB is available in bottles in the USA from Jetpens, no affiliation with me.

Noodler's BB treats pens very well. It looks faintly greenish to some people under some lighting conditions, while never green at all to other people; a few drops of red or purple in the bottle will eliminate any chance of green perception by any readers.

Noodler's Warden inks should treat your pens well, too.

 

Platinum Blue-Black is really a medium-dark blue, but it behaves well in pens and on paper, and it resists water really well.

[gross]

I would suggest you try Pendemonium's exclusive Noodlers Legal Lapis. It is described as being an old-fashioned blue-black that dries permanent. It is refered to as "bulletproof" meaning it won't wash off, but remains permanent once dried on paper. It is recommended for legal documents. Check it out at Pendemonium: http://www.pendemonium.com/ and click on "inks and refills" (I am not affiliated in any way with Pendemonium).

 

Many of the other Noodlers inks mentioned are available from The Pear Tree Pen Company at: http://www.peartreepens.com/Ink-Refills-Accessories-s/5.htm (I am not affiliated in any way with The Pear Tree Pen Company).

 

I am also not affiliated in any way with Noodlers Inks.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[Silvermink]

Montblanc or Lamy Blue-Black, yeah.

[Ondina]

I would suggest you try Pendemonium's exclusive Noodlers Legal Lapis.

Is as greenish blue as it gets.

Montblanc or Lamy Blue-Black, yeah.

 

I would second those, if you like Pelikan BB color, as they are quite similar.

 

My own experience with Pelikan Blue Black is that is has a quite decent water resistance; while part of the pigment washes away, the black stays perfectly readable.

[tawanda]

Thanks for all the info guys. I guess I'm being a bit OCD about this but I don't consider iron-gall to be truly safe. I'm not great at remembering whether or not I've written with a certain pen for a few days, and if I get tkaen into hospital suddenly (it happens fairly regularly these days) I don't to have to start worrying about which pens have iron gall inks in them and issueing instructions to non-FP-lovers on how to take care of them while I'm away!

 

I also agree that Noodler' LL is very green. I can't get Warden's inks here in the UK very easily I believe. SO Pilot BB it will have to be, I think. I'm sure I read somewhere that Sailor BB is good for spills too. But not 100% on that one...

 

Odina - Yesterday I let one, just one, drip of water from a glass fall onto a sentence written with Pel BB and lost three words immediately! Having said that I do have the older stuff, the one where the box is black and yellow, so maybe the newer batches are better? Anyone care to compare, if you have both, that is?

[Ondina]

There are pens inked and soaked in iron gall inks since 1910 that are thriving on it; they are as safe as any other out there.

 

The boxes I use are blue with grey lines, so modern stuff it is.

Edited January 1, 2010 by Ondina

[holst035]

+1 for Platinum Blue-Black. Is not a specteculair ink but I'm starting to like it more and more.

 

Marthijn

[HelzBelz]

It might be a bit too blue for you, but Sailor Blue is quite water resistant and gentle to pens (although it stained the sac of my aero 51, but it doesn't seem to stain anything else). It is a dark blue, more of a blue-black to my eyes. I'm told Sailor blue-black has similar properties.

 

Edited to add: Sailor Blue-Black is water-resistant too, according to this review.

Edited January 1, 2010 by HelzBelz

[Sandy1]

The iron gall inks Nikhil suggested require a little "maintenance," but really not much. Just make sure of four things: an airtight cap seal, keeping the cap on and sealed except when the point is on the paper, writing at least a few times a week with that pen, and flushing the pen every couple of weeks.

 

The Sailor Nano inks require less maintenance than iron gall and are much more neutral chemically.

...

Hello,

I have been working with the Sailor Nano BlBk for a while. It is the only ink that I have which has managed to stain a glass eye dropper, so I think it is not so 'neutral chemically'. (Just a niggle - adding info, not to be disparaging.) From my experience, if I were using the SNBlBk, I would treat my FPs in the same way as if they were inked-up with an i-g ink. ... Also, I have found that the ink is not BlBk, but a Dark Blue. ... Also, I found it to be very 'persistent' - cleaning requires long soak times & many many flushes.

Best Regards & Happy New Year,

Sandy1

[Goodwhiskers]

Hello,

I have been working with the Sailor Nano BlBk for a while. It is the only ink that I have which has managed to stain a glass eye dropper, so I think it is not so 'neutral chemically'. (Just a niggle - adding info, not to be disparaging.) From my experience, if I were using the SNBlBk, I would treat my FPs in the same way as if they were inked-up with an i-g ink. ... Also, I have found that the ink is not BlBk, but a Dark Blue. ... Also, I found it to be very 'persistent' - cleaning requires long soak times & many many flushes.

Best Regards & Happy New Year,

Sandy1

I stand corrected. The Sailor nano black (Kiwaguro) was reported as needing less maintenance than iron gall, so maybe the blue-black pigment particles are to blame.

[Jeff E]

Pelikan Blue Black is water resistant. I find that it dries to a grayish blue hue.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

In addition to the other suggestions you might try the Swisher Pens exclusive Tahitian Pearl, which I think of as more of a black/blue ink.

 

There's also Noodler's Navy ink, available at most places that sell Noodler's inks. AFAIK no one has reported greenishness from this ink. It really is a blue/black ink and it has Noodler's Black in it so the black component will withstand contact with water whether it's a drop spilled or that 3 day soak in the bathtub.

[Silvermink]

Thanks for all the info guys. I guess I'm being a bit OCD about this but I don't consider iron-gall to be truly safe. I'm not great at remembering whether or not I've written with a certain pen for a few days, and if I get tkaen into hospital suddenly (it happens fairly regularly these days) I don't to have to start worrying about which pens have iron gall inks in them and issueing instructions to non-FP-lovers on how to take care of them while I'm away!

 

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it, honestly. There are plenty of people around here who report having left iron gall inks in pens for months without any ill effect.

[Possum Hill]

Thanks for all the info guys. I guess I'm being a bit OCD about this but I don't consider iron-gall to be truly safe. I'm not great at remembering whether or not I've written with a certain pen for a few days, and if I get tkaen into hospital suddenly (it happens fairly regularly these days) I don't to have to start worrying about which pens have iron gall inks in them and issueing instructions to non-FP-lovers on how to take care of them while I'm away!

 

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it, honestly. There are plenty of people around here who report having left iron gall inks in pens for months without any ill effect.

While there may be a little more risk with iron gall ink, I expect that if you put it in a pen with a good inner cap it will be less troublesome than a "lower maintenance" ink in a pen without a good seal between section and inner cap.

 

When in doubt, get a Preppy.

[pen2paper]

Is Sailor BB "jentle" ink the same formula?

correction for spelling. jentle is on the box

Edited January 2, 2010 by pen2paper

[gross]

I also agree that Noodler' LL is very green. I can't get Warden's inks here in the UK very easily I believe. SO Pilot BB it will have to be, I think. I'm sure I read somewhere that Sailor BB is good for spills too. But not 100% on that one...

I believe you will be able to find all the Noodlers eternal inks you want in the UK at http://www.twdpens.com/showproduct.php?brand=Noodlers&range=Eternal%20bottled%20ink&cat=ink&subr=

 

If I am mistaken, I apologize.

[tawanda]

Most of the inks in that link are out of stock and have been for a little while. As is the Pilot or Sailor BB...sigh...