Favorite Dark Blue Ink?

September 30, 2012

You might consider showing him how to refill cartridges with a blunt tipped syringe and capping them with hot glue.

If I were starting with fountain pens and somebody were trying to teach me that I would simply say "no, thanks" and switch back to rollerballs. I don't think that you should put a beginner through that kind of complicated hassle and tell him - in order to write with a mere, single pen - he needs a bottle, a cartridge, a syringe and a hot glue pistol, too. Oh, and quite some time of experimenting of how to do it right, not to speak of spilling and leaking and stained fingers.

A pen is for writing. The rest is for later when you've got him hooked on.

September 30, 2012

Hi,

Congratulations on the new pen & inks! :clap1:

The Pilot Blue ink is a great all-rounder: not too flashy, with an excellent performance profile.

While we do joke about 'inky fingers', please consider using gloves for inky tasks and/or a bar of hand soap with pumice particles to wash-up.

If you "probably need to use blue-black more", the Pilot Blue-Black is a fine introduction.

Yippie!

Bye,

S1

September 30, 2012

Hi,

Congratulations on the new pen & inks! :clap1:

The Pilot Blue ink is a great all-rounder: not too flashy, with an excellent performance profile.

While we do joke about 'inky fingers', please consider using gloves for inky tasks and/or a bar of hand soap with pumice particles to wash-up.

If you "probably need to use blue-black more", the Pilot Blue-Black is a fine introduction.

Yippie!

Bye,
S1

What's wrong with inky fingers? I wear mine with pride! Are we wimps?!! (wink) "USE GLOVES!!!" Must be very precious to even think of doing that!!

A bit of loose ink won't harm you. Best not to drink it though, or if you do, not more than one bottle a day! (Prefer whiskey myself ...)

Edited September 30, 2012 by silverfish

September 30, 2012

I think he think I'm "cute" when I'm fiddling with my pens and have ink all over my hands - but not cute enough to want inky hands himself! At least not for the moment. He does really like his VP, and he also bought a Rhodia notebook yesterday, so I think we have the makings of a convert. Will report as we have new developments!

September 30, 2012

I think he think I'm "cute" when I'm fiddling with my pens and have ink all over my hands - but not cute enough to want inky hands himself! At least not for the moment. He does really like his VP, and he also bought a Rhodia notebook yesterday, so I think we have the makings of a convert. Will report as we have new developments!

Cool!

I agree to let him take it slow. If you think it will help, in a few weeks you can tell him that some guy on FPN rarely gets ink on his fingers anymore when refilling. I don't "mess with pens" much, I just refill, with the occasional ear syringe flush. I'm sure gloves would help. The most I do, however, is wipe the rim of the bottle with a paper towel or rag.

Now, if I could just get my wife interested.

September 30, 2012

...but he doesn't like the black ink in the Pilot cartridge I had. He says it's watery.

Pilot inks are a bit "wet", but is it that what is bothering him, or did he not like the color black of Pilot Black? I personally _love_ Pilot Blue-Black (it's my daily ink)... But it is a wet ink (much like Waterman inks). As such, I don't use it on cheap copy paper at work. Works fine on any nicer paper, and doesn't seem so "watery" as a result.

If he wants to try out Pilot Blue Black, I may have some cartridges (have to look - haven't unpacked after a recent home move). I could send you one. Feel free to PM me if so.

Alternatively, there are darker blue blacks that are drier... How about something like Private Reserve Midnight Blues? It is a bit too saturated for me, but may do the trick for him? You can get these in cartridge form (though, not that fit a Pilot VP, of course).

There are some other options... May be best to look at the different ink swabs on the Goulet's site.

--Thomas

September 30, 2012

If it must be cartridges, a shout out for Kaweco Blue Black. Great big packets of shading.

I second that. It's a true blue black: not a navy or teal color, as some labeled blue black are -- just a staid, grayish medium-blue that shades to almost-black. It shades well, as you've mentioned, and also dries fast, flows well, and even has some decent water-resistance. The only downside is that it's only available in cartridges.

I also recommend Diamine Prussian Blue, which is available bottled and in cartridges. All of the above applies (maybe less shading and a touch drier) but it's a "truer," down-the-middle blue, whereas the Kaweco leans just a bit towards violet.

October 1, 2012

...but he doesn't like the black ink in the Pilot cartridge I had. He says it's watery.

Pilot inks are a bit "wet", but is it that what is bothering him, or did he not like the color black of Pilot Black? I personally _love_ Pilot Blue-Black (it's my daily ink)... But it is a wet ink (much like Waterman inks). As such, I don't use it on cheap copy paper at work. Works fine on any nicer paper, and doesn't seem so "watery"...

He claimed to think it was a watery color, but now he says I misheard him, and he was wanting dark blue, not black. I do have some Pilot blue/black cartridges on order (guess Dromgoole's didn't have them or he didn't think to ask for blue black). So he is already satisfied with the Pilot blue, and I think he will like the blue black when we get it, and he still loves his VP and doesn't want to mess with an ink bottle despite me showing him all the alluring colors in my collection.

October 1, 2012

So he is already satisfied with the Pilot blue, and I think he will like the blue black when we get it, and he still loves his VP and doesn't want to mess with an ink bottle despite me showing him all the alluring colors in my collection.

Great! I'm sure he'll like Pilot Blue Black. I tried it first in cartridge form. Then, I _had_ to have it in bottle form! Maybe he'll be convinced in time. Too bad Pilot only sells Blue and Black (Namiki brand) in the US. I usually order Pilot Blue Black (in bottles) either from Jetpens or in a larger bottle direct from Japan via one of the normal eBay sources.

Pilot BB and a VP was my first (and still, one of my favorite) combinations.