Pelikan 4001 Blue - Black

[The Good Captain]

Thanks for this information. I've got quite a bit of the old/original one left so will be OK for the time being!

[swafran]

lucky =)

[The Good Captain]

lucky =)

Bought it when I could - Here in UK Cult Pens.

[wastelanded]

Sigh, the Euro-police got to them as well. I'm surprised the EU hasn't outlawed fountain pens, due to the hazard of putting one's eye out.

 

The list of old inks that remain unchanged, already short, is now shorter.

[setriode]

I have noticed the tendency towards purple too. It is more like Edelstein Tanzanite now.

[Sandy1]

Oh my!

[naughty_word]

[carlos.q]

Oh my!

 

[naughty_word]

Isn't this the moment where you find a "perceived need" for an inky comparison?

[Sandy1]

Isn't this the moment where you find a "perceived need" for an inky comparison?

 

Hi,

 

Perhaps an 'inky intervention'?

 

Ah well, I've a fair cache of the prior iteration, so that'll be more of an 'on purpose' ink now rather than a stalwart in my casual carry pens.

 

I'm away from my ink pots, so I won't be doing a review or comparo in the foreseeable, but I am interested to learn what the new stuff brings to the party - let us have some confidence in the Pelikan ink boffins, and not be deliberately unkind to the newcomer.

 

Bye,

Ms Grumpy

[The Good Captain]

Sandy

Your propensity to overstatement, is always appreciated.

Personally, I'll just wait until I've run out of my stash of 4001 and then, having bought some of the 'new' stuff, comment accordingly.

Hey-ho.

And by stash; I mean four x 62.5ml.

The luxury of being in the UK. Well; one of them.

[cybaea]

[...]

As Pelikan BlBk and Waterman BlBk are not known to contain [significant amounts] of iron-gall*, [...]

- - - -

* See http://www.fountainp...47#entry2232647

 

From the Pelikan web site at http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_GB.CMS.displayCMS.205954./document-proof-ink (my highlight):

 

The least complicated ink which is still relatively light resistant, is the ink "4001 blue-black", our item no. 310 607. This ink contains iron gall [...]

[carlos.q]

From the Pelikan web site at http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_GB.CMS.displayCMS.205954./document-proof-ink (my highlight):

 

Thank you for the link! No wonder Pelikan BB is so water resistant. Edited July 5, 2015 by carlos.q

[arcadeflow]

I got a recent production 30 ml bottle of this (with the gray label with ink splash), and it shades extremely well, but it turns totally into an ugly shade of gray with poor readability after some time. I'm not sure if it's a matter of days or weeks, but I guess it is very quick. It's like the blue component is so volatile and only the small iron-gall part remains, alongside some ugly gray similar to Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun. The shading makes some parts get too light after this discoloration, so this ink is a mess.

 

I use Oxford 90 gsm paper which seems to be the same as Clairefontaine. Is it possible that this ink doesn't like water resistant paper like this? Pelikan claims this ink will change from blue to gray and some papers will make the ink change faster than others.

 

The color I get is similar to Phormula's top sample, but maybe a lot lighter.

 

Edit: I found something I wrote on very thin absorbant paper and it turned into that gray too, but darker and without any shading. It is a gray with a hint of blue hue, like the slate gray Pilot Prera pen and the Fuyu Syogun ink.

Edited July 7, 2015 by arcadeflow

[Sertorius]

A saga-like review. What a professional job. Humbling.

 

I'm on the look out for a nice blue black. It's a great colour as it can be used on white or cream paper so the versatility makes it a great workhorse in the office, without the glaring contrast of an outright black (which I don't think goes with cream anyway). Maybe I'll give this a try.

[The Good Captain]

As many will know; this is my favourite ink of all time.

[landrover]

My thanks to Sandy1 and The Good Captain for recommending Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black.

I have used fountain pens for more than 65 years, but unbelievably never used blue-blacks, frequently Quink Royal Blue Washable or Black previously.

This is now a favourite, particularly with its water resistance!

I wish Id used it in the University years, particularly for laboratory work.

Edited July 25, 2020 by landrover

[The Good Captain]

My thanks to Sandy1 and The Good Captain for recommending Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black.

I have used fountain pens for more than 65 years, but unbelievably never used blue-blacks, frequently Quink Royal Blue Washable or Black previously.

This is now a favourite, particularly with its water resistance!

I wish Id used it in the University years, particularly for laboratory work.

Glad you like it!

[Glondus]

hi

pelikan 4001 blue black is my favorite ink for lamy2000 broad. it helps the wetness of the juicy nib, gets a good shading

i was afraid to use it due to some comments it is iron gall but looks like it is not iron gall.  i am still afraid

Edited March 7, 2022 by Glondus
removed the "not iron gall" comment

[Geert Jan]

Pelikan 4001 blue-black is an iron-gall ink, as stated on the Pelikan website. It's the third on the list after Scribtol (not suited for fountain pens) and Fount India (countains soot (pigment), but suitable for fountain pens as long as you don't let it dry out). It may not be as heavy on the IG content as e.g. ESSRI or Diamine Registrar Ink, but IG nevertheless.

 

"The least complicated ink which is still relatively light resistant, is the ink "4001 blue-black", our item no. 310 607. This ink contains iron gall, which makes it much more resistant than for example the ink shades 4001 royal blue or 4001 brilliant black, but due to the addition of special ingredients, you can still use this ink without qualm in piston or cartridge fountain pens. "

https://archive.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US_INTL.CMS.displayCMS.252360./document-proof-ink

[OCArt]

The Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black sold in the USA is NOT an iron gall ink. Evidently Pelikan (and some other IG makers) did not want to go through the trouble of certifying? verifying? authorizing the ink for sale in this country.  I had to smuggle my bottle in.

12 hours ago, Geert Jan said:

Pelikan 4001 blue-black is an iron-gall ink, as stated on the Pelikan website. [much snipped]

 

[Mercian]

Herebelow, I have quoted Sandy1’s original post in this review, and have restored her images within the quote box.

 

Please click on the ‘Expand’ link in order to see this review as it ought to look.

 

On 4/14/2011 at 12:56 AM, Sandy1 said:

Please take a moment to adjust your gear to accurately depict the Gray Scale below.

As the patches are neutral gray, that is what you should see.

 

Mac

http://www.wikihow.c...te-Your-Monitor

 

Wintel PC

http://www.calibrize.com/

Gray Scale.

 

* For convenient viewing of the images, you may wish to scroll to the menu at the very bottom of this window, then change the FPN Theme to 'IP.Board Mobile'.

 

～|～||～|～

 

* Ten to twelve days elapsed between preparing the written samples and scanning.

 

Figure 1.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

 

Figure 2.

NIB-ism ✑

Paper: HPJ1124.

Depicts nibs' down-stroke width and pens' relative wetness.

Pens: A-F: Somiko, 440+XF, Estie, PPP, Slimfold & Carene.

 

WRITTEN SAMPLES - Moby Dick

 

Row height is 8mm.

 

Figure 3.

Paper: HPJ1124.

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia.

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

Figure 6.

Paper: Royal - 25% rag.

Figure 7.

Paper: Staples 20 lb. multi use.

 

Figure 8.

Paper: HPJ124.

Inept hand + flex nib combo.

Figure 9.

Grocery List.

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

 

OTHER STUFF

 

Figure 10.

Smear/Dry Times.

Wet Tests.

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Yes.

A go-to ink?

• Without a doubt.
• When a reliable robust high-performance Blue-Black is required.

USE

 

Business:

(From the office of Ms Blue-Black.)

• PBlBk may be used for any business communication in all densities shown.
• For those working in a team / egalitarian organisation, one might seek a more convivial colour, such as a Dark Blue.
• For personal work product, I could use PBlBk without hesitation. (I am not always so convivial.)
• I do not consider PBlBk to have enough zip or zap for editing, mark-up, error correction, grading, etc.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Not an animated vibrant colour, PBlBk could be used as a transitional colour between Black and medium Blue.
• It is a subtle foil to dark (Blue) inks with a Cyan-Green aspect. e.g. Diamine Twilight Blue.

 

 

• Line quality is excellent, but only on smooth papers, so may be called upon when narrow tight lines are required. e.g. labels, crosshatching.

Students:

• Almost wonderful.
• PBlBk has a very readable appearance, so is a good pick for general notes.
• Having a high degree of water resistance, that which is written in PBlBk should endure all but the most reckless handling; and will withstand being laundered - even if the paper might not.
• Demonstrated excellent performance on all papers except the textured hard-surfaced G Lalo; so use of both sides of 'lowest bidder' copy paper is quite likely.
• For hand-written assignments, I would suggest a more animated 'bright bulb' Blue, more in the region of PR American Blue, Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Sailor Blue, etc.

 

Personal:

• A bit of care & consideration ...
• PBlBk can be used for distancing in personal correspondence; though some recipients may find it too business-like, hence off-putting. Yet if one generates a pale tone with sufficient shading, I believe the ink becomes considerably more personal.
• PBlBk suits pro forma writing to a T - if not pre-empted by another of the Forty-Aught-One cadre, the stealthy Royal Blue.
• Billets doux? Impossible - I don't care how nicely the shading ripples & flows.
• I find that I can use all but the driest writers & papers in my array with any size and shape of nib. The results have yet to be unacceptable, though some are clearly more to my taste (flavour of the day) than others.
• As PBlBk does demonstrate some shading with the narrow nibs, I am encouraged to spend more time writing with those nibs and this ink.

 

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• Dry.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not noticed.

Start-up:

• Prompt.
• Due to the dry nature of the ink, there is a temptation to 'nudge' the nib on the paper prior to writing. I find that unnecessary, but ...

Lubrication:

• Better than expected, but still no more than average.
• Quite acceptable on papers that have a smooth or toothy surface papers, even from the narrow nibs. But writing with an XF nib on the laid texture of G Lalo Verge de France was not very pleasurable.

Nib Creep:

• Not seen.

Staining:

• Not seen.

Clogging:

• Not seen.
• Seems unlikely.

Bleed- Show-Through:

• Not seen on papers used.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• Not seen on papers used.
• Line width increased slightly on absorbent paper, but line quality remained crisp.

Smear/Dry Time:

• HPJ1124: 15 - 20 seconds.
• Rhodia: 15 - 20 seconds.
• 20lb.: 10 - 15 seconds.

Water Resistance: ☂

• ④ on the 4S Scale:
  • All legible, can be easily read and/or have light staining from re-deposit of soluble ink.
  • Use as-is for work papers & internal use.
  • Adjustments to a scanner may drop-out the stain.

  [*]See also: Comparison & Wet Tests with Montblanc Midnight Blue & Noodler's Legal Lapis. http://www.fountainp...90#entry1701290

Smell:

• Rather like pasteboard - perhaps the box confers more scent than the ink itself!

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not seen.

Clean Up:

• Rapid and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• No prohibitions.
• I see no reason to mix into this ink, although a bit of surfactant may not be amiss.

Archival:

• Not claimed.

✍ Now that, dear readers, is yet another lovely performance profile. :clap1:

 

THE LOOK

 

Presence:

• Classic, yet not vintage.
• Stable, yet not fixed in place.
• Reminiscent of a business suit cut from heavy wool-silk with slightly narrow lapels.

Saturation:

• A bit on the low side.

Shading:

• Subtle, exquisite, persistent.
• Evident from all nib shapes and sizes used.
• With wet writers on absorbent papers, shading can be suppressed.

Variability:

• Pen+nib combos used:
  • A bit more than expected.
  • The wettest (narrow) nibs can increase the density to nearly submerge the colour.

  [*]Papers used:

  • A bit more than expected.
  • I did not expect the PPP on the G Lalo to fail completely; an iffy result was expected. There was a scintilla of temptation to increase pressure on the nib and slow my pace, but that would have given a 'fudged' result. I have nothing at stake, so I just depict what happens when a certain pen+paper+ink combo is used.

  [*]Malleability:

  • Quite useful.
  • If needing a daily writer ink for one pen, then a slightly wet writer should give the most even results across a wide range of papers.
  • PBlBk is sufficiently well-mannered that The Look can be changed considerably without encountering unacceptable performance.
  • The choice of pen and paper seem to have little effect on the perceived colour of the ink - certainly PBlBk is not a chameleon in the manner of Noodler's Apache Sunset, Caran d'Ache Saffron or the Sailor rikyu-cha. I would think that the twenty-four samples on six papers from seven pens should have detected at least a glimmer of that characteristic, although the materiél used is not exhaustive. I see a typical variation in density (light-dark) that comes with different writers and papers, in combination with variation from shading.

   

Hi-Res Scans:

 

Somiko on HPJ1124

 

Estie on Rhodia

 

PPP on G Lalo

 

Carène on Royal

 

Waterman's BCHR 52 1/2 V + № 2 nib, on HPJ1124

 

FIDELITY

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Yes.

Are swatches accurate?

• Swatches on the bottle & box are reasonably accurate.
• On Pelikan.com, the colour is shown in a range of densities:
  • 

   

DIS-SIMILAR COLOURS

 

We have swabs of Parker Quink Blue Black [sic] and Skrip Blue Black interlaced with PBlBk at densities from three, two and one passes:

 

• Rows 1, 3 & 5: PBlBk.
• Rows 2, 4 & 6: Left, PQBlBk; Right, SSBlBk.
•  

COMPARISONS

• Quite recently there was a ripple of interest in some Blue-Black inks. To support ad hoc comparisons by the readers, I have endeavoured to provide consistency in the format of the Written Samples, scan specs, papers and several pens. Hopefully this will make separate Comparison Posts unnecessary, but if you really must see a particular aspect presented in the same scan, please do not hesitate to send a PM. (A three-way with Pelikan, Lamy & Montblanc inks was previously requested.)

 

☛ Please Note: The Sheaffer 440 used here was fitted with an

XF

nib.

 

SELF-COMPARISON - GENERAL

 

• PBlBk purchased in Europe, the Magrheb, and stateside over several years gave results that, for all intents and purposes, were visually equivalent and pulled no pranks.
• I think it unlikely that a bad batches occur: not only because Pelikan is likely to have good QA-QC, but that a bad batch would have been wide-spread and obvious, hence coming to the notice of FPN Members, such as SamCapote, who would have documented such an event in microscopic detail.
• Yet there are persistent reports & documentation of PBlBk with a Blue-Grey appearance. So it is not a legend such as the Loch Ness Monster or Yeti.
  • I can only speculate that the Blue-Gray depicted and discussed in some prior Reviews is a result of apparently random contamination or decay.
  • I suggest that upon encountering such ink, one should create & post a swab sample, seal the bottle, then contact Pelikan about sending it to them for examination.

   

SELF-COMPARISON - ELAPSED TIME

I was curious about the change of colour and density reported by some Members. As mentioned above, there is the pen giving the ink to the paper, whereupon some change occurs. There-after, do things become calm quite quickly? Or is it a tempestuous honeymoon?

 

hh:mm

 

00:00

 

00:15

 

00:53

 

03:44

 

35:05

Yes - calm indeed; boring beyond belief.

 

(The keystone partner for a major 3D IMAX film on ink drying withdrew at the last minute, citing 'artistic differences' - even though Morgan & Uma were already in rehearsal. So perhaps with the Cirque in Vegas, yes?)

PAPERS

 

Lovely papers:

• White.
• Pure crisp white - acres of the good stuff.
• Runs well on papers that are sufficiently absorbent; displayed shading on all papers used.
• PBlBk will wrestle dirty whites into submission.

Trip-wire Papers: ☠

• Papers with a hard textured surface.

Tinted Papers:

• Most reasonable tints.
• Seems OK to be used on warm tints into the rosy reds.
• Those tinted papers not suited to Blue.
• To compensate for the low-ish saturation of PBlBk, and minimise show-through, a wet writer may be preferred.
• If running samples, kindly delay final selection until the ink is stable on the page.

Pre-Printed Papers:

• Forms, etc.
  • Of course, but if the form is printed in Black ink, one might keep the density light enough to set it apart from the form text.

  [*]For charts & graphs:

  • Easily.
  • A welcome replacement for Black.

   

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Doubtful.
• Once again, paper is very much a matter of preference over performance.
• PBlBk remains quite attractive and very much itself within its performance envelope.

 

OTHER THAN INK

 

Presentation:

• 30ml bottle in a box.

 

• No HazMat warnings.

Country of origin:

• Germany.

Container:

• A clear glass broad-shouldered bottle; with a maximum width of 57mm, capped height of 55mm, and 33mm deep. When ink level is low, the shape of the bottle allows it to be tipped to draw more of the remaining ink.
• The centred round opening is a roomy 24mm ∅.
• Single tank, no sediment collector. Tsk ... tsk.
• The bottle label does not include the word 'ink'.
• The hard plastic screw cap has adequate grip, and is a good height for an easy grip.
• The cap seal seems to be a bit of plastic foam.
• The cap is not child-proof.

Box:

• 57x60x36mm
• Lightly coated card stock.
• The box has five swatch-like dots on all but the bottom side.
• Ink name is written on those five sides in German and English languages; and once in eight languages. (Take note PR.)

Eco-Green:

• OK.
• All should be recyclable or benign.

Availability:

• Very high.
• Also available in the 62.5 ml size, which is scaled-up to 70x65x37mm with the same 24mm∅ opening; and cartridges.
• Seems ubiquitous as the Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue.
• Commonly available from stationers and pen shops, and has been seen hanging out in book stores, art supply shops, and retailers devoted to scrapbooking and arts & crafts.
• One may well support local B&M shops, hence avoiding the cost, carbon footprint, lag time, and exposure to risk of loss/damage associated with shipping.

 

ETC.

 

Majik:

• While capable of routine marvels, majik lies just beyond the grasp of PBlBk.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• The PPP on the HPJ1124 gets the nod.
• The cool white of the paper supports the coverage of the rounded Asian B nib.
• The density and width of the line combine to show-off the subtle shading of PBlBk.

Yickity Yackity:

• When you're out of PBlBk, you're out of ink.
• PBlBk does find its way into my off-duty carry pens for casual use, especially if water resistance may be beneficial. But it is totally unwelcome to tag along in my beach bag.
• While I am washing it out of a pen, I think it should be used more often; too often I realise another pen is still inked with PBlBk. Blonde enough?
• Ah kushbaby, why do I think you have open small bottle open, and a large one in reserve?

||.:..:...|...:..:.|.:..:...|...:..:.|::|.:..:...|...:..:.|.:..:...|...:..:.||

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. Pens are factory stock - not customised.

 

Pens:

 

• Written Samples:
  • Sailor Somiko + TIGP F nib.
  • Sheaffer 440 + steel XF nib.
  • Esterbrook J + steel 9668 M nib.
  • Platinum President Purist + 22K B nib.
  • Parker UK Slimfold + a bodacious 14K 5_ _8 nib.
  • Waterman Carene + 18K factory stub nib.
  • Cameo appearance by a daunting overachiever, the Waterman's BCHR 52 1/2 V + № 2 nib.

  [*]For lines & labels:

  • Noodler's Burgundy from Pilot 78G+F nib.

   

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Royal, 25% cotton rag.
• Staples 20lb. multi use.
• Pulp. One-a-Day Calendar page.

_________________________

 

IMAGES:

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 200 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• HiRes Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were not adjusted, so went straight to Photobouquet.

_________________________

 

Densitometer Readings (FWIW):

• Red 93
• Grn 104
• Blu 148
• Lum 110

_________________________

 

FINE PRINT

The accuracy and relevance of this Review depends in great part upon consistency and reliability of materiél used. Ink does not require labelling/notice to indicate (changes in) formulation, non-hazardous ingredients, batch ID, date of manufacture, etc.

As always, YMMV, not only from materials, methods, environment, etc., but also due to differences between the stuff in the bottle I used, and that in bottle/s you may have.

Also, I entrust readers to separate opinion from fact; to evaluate inferences and conclusions as to their merit; and to be amused by whatever tickles your fancy.

-30-

Tags: FPN Ink Review Pelikan Blue Black BlBk Sandy1

 

One slight caveat: because I am an impatient scapegrace fool, I forgot to rotate the  ‘NIB-ism’ and comparison-swab images one quarter-turn clockwise before I uploaded them here.
Which slapdash oversight has needlessly expanded the on-screen vertical ‘length’ of this review, and will cause readers to need to scroll more while reading.

 

My apologies 😔