Caran D'ache Old Blue

[Ipno Tizer]

I came across some of the older series (i.e pre Colours of the Earth) inks by Caran d'Ache in Sheffield (UK) earlier this year. In this review I will look at the Old Blue. I will review the Old Black at a later date.

 

 

 

Caran D'Ache Old Blue is a medium to dark blue with red undertones. It is similar to Diamine Imperial Blue but is darker and a little more muted than the latter with a less pronounced red tint. It is also a well saturated ink and, although not to the complete exclusion of shading, it does not shade strongly. It shows little variation in colour in relation to nib grade, with finer nib giving only a slightly lighter line. The colour does, on the other hand vary with the colour of the paper and to look it's best, this ink needs to be combined with beige or off white paper.

 

As regards to character, Old Blue stands out well and has an assertive edge. It's appearance is one of strength and confidence and so it would be an ink to consider for any communication that involves getting a point across in no uncertain terms. It is an ink that demands the reader's attention and probably therefore it might be less suited to relaxed communication or for love letters, where it's stridency would make lover appear more important than the loved one.

 

Performance wise CdAOld Blue is well behaved. It flows well and lubricates decently. Moreover it is resistant to bleed through on most papers. Predictably, though it shows through on Moleskine and some thinner papers. With a very wet pen I have been able to see some feathering using a 30x loupe but in all other cases I've seen none. So as far as feathering is concerned, for all practical purposes, it doesn't.

 

Cd'A Old Blue has very a slight degree of water resistance, with a faintly legible line after ten minutes under water:

 

 

Obviously, though, this degree of water resistance is unlikely to be of any practical benefit.

 

As far as I can tell, this ink is no longer generally available, at least in bottles. Init's day, it was supplied in the good old Herbin bottles we all know and love. Recently though, I have seen cartridges on sale in Nottingham that seem to be this same old 'standard' blue and the related black, so it may still be available in international standard cartridge format.

 

So there it is. Caran d'Ache Old Blue, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Regards.

Chris B.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the Review!

 

I'd looked at this ink some time ago, and found it was very good indeed; and as your Review confirms, it has stood the test of time quite well.

 

Not quite sure what you meant by, " ... the good old Herbin bottles we all know and love"; but I have a decidedly different relationship with those wee bottles, LINK.

 

It seemed very much the same as the 'Colors of the Earth' Blue, so may be a lower-cost alternative. Then again, it does not differ so much from the Sheaffer Skrip Blue either, so for fresh ink perhaps the SSBl?

 

Bye

S1

______

 

• Comparison: Cd'A 'Blue Sky' :: 'Blue' - https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/162857-comparison-caran-d-ache-blue-sky-caran-d-ache-blue/
• Comparison: Cd'A 'Blue Sky' :: Sheaffer Skrip 'Blue' - https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/162417-comparison-caran-d-ache-blue-sky-sheaffer-skrip-blue/

[Ipno Tizer]

Not quite sure what you meant by, " ... the good old Herbin bottles we all know and love"; but I have a decidedly different relationship with those wee bottles, LINK.

I suspect I may have disguised my veiled note of cynicism a little too well at this point.

 

Chris B.