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Anderson Pens' Oshkosh Denim is a discontinued ink, given to me graciously by a FPNr who had received a whole bottle thanks to the generosity of another FPN member. I enjoyed using this ink at first, when inking my trusty Lamy Safari for sketching, taking notes, etc. However, I forgot the pen for about 2 weeks, with the convertor half full. It refused to write even after priming. Finally, I just refilled the pen and it was still sluggish. It was a disappointment to put it mildly. The next day, I had the same startup problems but a little priming and the pen was writing well, afterwards. I won’t tell you how excruciating it was coaxing ink from the dry Osmiroid, but the pen is problematic and is only tamed by very wet and well lubricated inks. However, it gives an idea about the inks inherent behaviour. On the positive side for now it has behaved well in Pilot Kakuno. I know many rave about the shading of this ink, but for me it’s a blessing that the ink is unobtanium, as it's also slow to dry. I'm sure there are many better options available. Let's start by the intriguing chroma: Writing samples: I decided to take use quotes by indigenous leaders as I assume that chief Oshkosh gave his name to the cities and the denim brand. Rather well behaved on copy paper, despite what the scan wants you to believe: Photo: Comparison: Watertest: Decent water resistance under running water (10 seconds) The minima I let the wateriest to "cure" is 24 hours. And finally an art work: A tipi · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/1.1), Osmiroid Copperplate · What I liked: Only writing with a broad nib. · What I did not like: Flow issues. · What some might not like: Same as above, dryness. · Shading: Yes. · Ghosting: Not much. · Bleed through: Faint. · Flow Rate: Good when used, awful after two weeks. · Lubrication: Dry · Nib Dry-out: Yes · Start-up: Yes. · Saturation: Not bad. · Shading Potential: Good. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Not noticed. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): No · Clogging: I’m not so sure · Cleaning: Yes. · Water resistance: Ok · Availability: Unobtanium Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

Thorough coverage of a range of blue-blacks. Well worth the watch. English subs.

I have an old, pre-reformulation glass bottle of Diamine Blue-Black, and a pre-reformulation glass bottle of Diamine Onyx Black. Both of these inks were purchased around 2010 and have been used periodically since then, but not very often as I don't particularly like the purple undertone of the black, and the teal undertone of the blue-black. Recently, I have noticed that both inks are drying out in multiple different pens' feeds after they have been unused for a day or so. If the pen is shaken then some ink enters the feed and a dozen or so words can be squeezed out before the pen runs totally dry again. Even then, ink flow is much reduced and proper flow can only be restored by priming the feed. For many years these inks flowed perfectly. I wonder if perhaps the inks have thickened, so to speak, as air has evaporated. Or perhaps they have just chemically degraded. I have noticed that the blue black appears to have some small solids that are adhering to the inside of the glass, even through the ink itself looks perfectly liquid otherwise. Both have been stored in a dark and relatively humid closet with a stable environment. Does anyone else have experience of inks degrading over time like these Diamines? Is this, perhaps in part, why they were reformulated?

These inks continue to integrate themselves into my regular use. I'm not sure anyone in my family would have suggested I should grab a few more blue-blacks, but there's a few Birmingham inks that lean that way that are different enough from what's out there that I've found uses for them. Billy Eckstine Blues for Sale is one. This is a wet ink that I've wed to a couple of dry writers and hard-starters to good effect. Pardon the misspelling of the name in the images below... On Tomoe River it is highly variable depending on nib width, going from an all-but-black to a silvery blue-gray: It takes some time to dry on TRP and coated papers like Rhodia: And although shading is not its marquee feature, it does a little; on TRP: and on Rhodia: At the end of the day, this adds something to a fairly vast world of blue-black/dark-dark-blue inks, and the variability available with different nib widths makes it like two or three inks in one bottle; I'll be picking up a full bottle when my sample runs out.

I thought I'd share an ink mix which I am really enjoying at the moment (I hope this is the correct sub forum). I bought a bottle of Pelikan 4001 Turquoise because I wanted something different in my blue ink collection, however I found it to be un useable for my office work; far too light and bright. In my ink draw I had a bottle of Pelikan Blue Black to hand so I used an empty cleaned out Pelikan Edelstein bottle and combined measures of the two in order to make a fantastic ink which I can use in the office. This ink is within my personal boundaries of what is "office friendly", obviously everyone is different, but this works for me and I thought I would share. I've been using this for aprox. 2 months and I've had no clogging issues, and the mixed contents of the Edelstein bottle appears to be fine. Let me know your thoughts??? http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a633/MattRegan/Photo%2020-07-2015%2017%2001%2002_zpsp6swcjpb.jpg http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a633/MattRegan/Photo%2020-07-2015%2017%2027%2034_zpsp5lttj0p.jpg http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a633/MattRegan/Photo%2020-07-2015%2017%2027%2053_zpsptus3o5a.jpg http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a633/MattRegan/Photo%2020-07-2015%2017%2002%2003_zpstupsalbk.jpg

My quest for the perfect everyday use blue black ink continues... When I got (back) into fountain pens, the first ink I bought was a blue black, Hero 232 blue black. At the time I didn't know much about different types of ink, but later, while trying to figure out why my pen behaved badly, I found out this was an iron gall ink. I love the colour of this ink (so far my favourite of all blue blacks I tried), but it is just too finicky for everyday use. Then I bought some Waterman Mysterious blue, but it turns out this ink has fairly little to do with blue black. Grey teal would be a better description. Next was Sailor Jentle blue black (the regular one), this looked like a winner. The colour was quite close to the Hero 232, it works just fine in most of my pens (although my Twsbi 580AL w. 1.1 stub doesn't seem to play nice with it) and while not the cheapest (here in the Netherlands), still affordable enough for everyday use. I thought I had found my EDC ink... But... Then I got caught out in the rain, and ended up with all my paper (a Midori passport size notebook, a Rhodia Webbie and an Aurora A4 notepad) slightly damp. And none of my Sailor Jentle blue black inked pens would write. I switched to another ink (J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir) and my pens wrote like normal again. As i live in the Netherlands, where rain and high humidity aren't exactly uncommon, this 'damp paper'-behaviour is pretty much unacceptable for an everyday ink. What blue black ink to try next? I'd like a nicely saturated blue black, that is a quite dark blueish grey or greyish blue. Easy flowing, not afraid of damp paper, it doesn't have to be waterproof or quick drying, but those qualities are appreciated. And of course something that is for sale in the Netherlands (so not Noodlers )and not too expensive (< $25 per 50ml). I'm looking forward to your suggestions, pictures of sample writing are much appreciated.

I am looking for at black ink to use with my Lamy Safari. I have 2 nibs (fine and medium), both are very wet writers, I have tried with Diamine Jet Black and Onyx black. They both feather a lot with the Safari and Onyx Black takes up to a minute to dry. I am not trying to bash the two Diamine inks - they are wonderful in my Picasso pens, but they do not go well with my Safari. I have inked the Safari with Pelikan 4001 Blueblack and that is just perfect; clear outline and almost instant drying. So my question is, if the 4001 Brilliant Black is as dry as the Blueblack? Or if someone could recommend a good, black (DRY) alternative...