Good Wet Blue Inks?

[ink-syringe]

Blue Velvet is a very nice color indeed and a nice ink. Despite the fact that many Diamine blue inks are wet, and a few are amongst the wettest I have used (Midnight, Asa Blue) Blue Velvet is just sort of medium. Not a dry ink, but not a super wet ink either, at least by the standards of other Diamine blue inks.

 

Perhaps others can chime in and confirm or contradict this but I have Blue Velvet in my Pelikan 800, a pen I could not use Asa blue in. The flow was just out of control. ink everywhere. YMMV

 

 

perhaps the new Blue Velvet if it is as wet as the standard line up (I just really like the color).

[Philips]

When describing the various Diamine blue inks as 'wet', how do they compare with Waterman Florida Blue? Would you describe the Diamine blues as more or less 'wet' than Waterman Florida Blue?

[glorfindel]

When describing the various Diamine blue inks as 'wet', how do they compare with Waterman Florida Blue? Would you describe the Diamine blues as more or less 'wet' than Waterman Florida Blue?

 

It's probably going to be impossible to answer this question in general - Diamine inks are all over the place in terms of wetness and you'd have to compare to a specific Diamine ink to be precise. Watermans have more or less same consistency. Asa blue, in my experience, is wetter than Watermans. I'd say Diamine Florida blue is very close in terms of wetness. As is Mediterranean. Majestic blue, on the other hand, while very saturated, my run dry-ish (but not a dry ink by any means).

[estie1948]

Thank you one and all. I have used almost entirely black ink for so many years (anyone remember President Truman?). Black ink was required in my profession and I was glad for I preferred it due to some perversion. Just recently, I received a letter written in the most beautiful blue ink. I was smitten and had to at least get one or two blue inks. But which ones? I prefer wet inks, so this thread caught my eye. I must go to the ink reviews. I have a lot of reading to do. I know the perfect place to do it.

 

Thank you one and all.

 

-David (Estie).

[Sandy1]

When describing the various Diamine blue inks as 'wet', how do they compare with Waterman Florida Blue? Would you describe the Diamine blues as more or less 'wet' than Waterman Florida Blue?

 

Hi,

 

In very general terms, wet inks have a high rate of flow so deliver a larger volume of ink to the nib tip where, depending on variables of nib-to-paper ink transfer including tine spread (gap) and paper absorbency, more ink is delivered.

 

With a given pen+paper combo, the wetter inks will dye the paper to a greater extent than dry inks which causes less of the paper to show-through the ink.

 

I've posted a number of Reviews of Blue inks, including Waterman Serenity [ex-Florida Blue] which include a NIB-ism image that depicts each ink's line from an array of pens on a given paper. Should you have symptoms associated with insomnia, the OOTT series may be of interest https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/196998-one-of-the-ten-blue-inks/ which was continued in the 11 2 20 series https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/212759-11-2-20-blue-inks/

 

Clearly ink wetness is only one factor. I've encountered wet inks that completely fail when run with some pen+paper combos. (My Review of Pilot tsuki-yo includes more discussion @ Post 68 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/221159-pilot-iroshizuku-tsuki-yo/?p=2424828

 

Bye,

S1

Edited July 7, 2016 by Sandy1

[Philips]

Thank you Glorfindel and Sandy1, I appreciate the time taken to make your reples. I'll certainly try Diamine Asa Blue in the future Glorfindel. I'll also make time to read through your articles Sandy1. I love blues and I want to be able to make the most of my pens; pen, ink and paper combinations are interesting.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

Please let us know of your inky explorations.

 

Bye,

S1

[s_t_e_v_e]

I wholeheartedly recommend Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao. This one so far has been the best flowing saturated true blue ink I've used.

When I get a new pen I ink it up with an ink I think I would like to use in that pen (after the initial soap water cleaning ritual). If the pen starts acting up with poor flow and ink starvation (more with C/C fillers), I go to Waterman florida blue. Waterman florida blue (now called Serenity blue) usually fixes the problem as it is a wet and saturated ink. But if the waterman doesn't work either, the last ink I try is Iroshizuku Asa Gao. So far it has worked like a charm in all the pens I've tried.

 

Most people don't have a lot to complain about Iroshizuku inks in general. The only thing I've seen people talk about is the non-existent waterproofness and sometimes the color, which according to me is a gorgeous true blue with no violet tinge (Waterman blue leans more towards violet).

[ink-syringe]

Asa Gao is indeed sopping wet and a lovely all purpose medium blue.

 

Waterman Florida Blue is VERY wet and Saturated by 1980s standards.

 

Someone back in the day noticed that compared to Pelikan and Twink and Krisps and Quix Squibs (haha) and whatever it was rich and easy flowing. It was true then and so people kept repeating it. But in the ca. 30 years since a metric ton of newer much more saturated and wetter inks have come along and yet ...

 

Waterman Fl. Blue is a little above medium in wetness and saturated by 2016 standards.

[thekraitmusic]

Try Camlin Royal Blue or Brill Royal Blue

[Maurizio]

Asa Gao is indeed sopping wet and a lovely all purpose medium blue.

 

Waterman Florida Blue is VERY wet and Saturated by 1980s standards.

 

Someone back in the day noticed that compared to Pelikan and Twink and Krisps and Quix Squibs (haha) and whatever it was rich and easy flowing. It was true then and so people kept repeating it. But in the ca. 30 years since a metric ton of newer much more saturated and wetter inks have come along and yet ...

 

Waterman Fl. Blue is a little above medium in wetness and saturated by 2016 standards.

 

I like this comment and agree. I think it's long past time that Waterman Florida/Serenity Blue is considered either a wet or saturated ink when considered against what's available now.

[s_t_e_v_e]

Asa Gao is indeed sopping wet and a lovely all purpose medium blue.

 

Waterman Florida Blue is VERY wet and Saturated by 1980s standards.

 

Someone back in the day noticed that compared to Pelikan and Twink and Krisps and Quix Squibs (haha) and whatever it was rich and easy flowing. It was true then and so people kept repeating it. But in the ca. 30 years since a metric ton of newer much more saturated and wetter inks have come along and yet ...

 

Waterman Fl. Blue is a little above medium in wetness and saturated by 2016 standards.

 

 

Is Diamine Asa blue as wet as Iro Asa Gao or better?

I've tried Asa Gao in a Pelikan M200 and it was wet but usable. You mentioned that you we're unable to use Diamine Asa blue in your M800, So I'm curious how it compares to Asa Gao.

[ink-syringe]

Asa Blue was sopping wet the one time I used it.

 

I only tried it once or twice as I also happen to sort of hate that kind of greenish blue. I like Green. I like Blue but not that color.

 

I gave my bottle away. It just wasn't my thing. I tried it in my Lamy Safari as well and found it a little messy. I have a couple stingy pens I could have used it in but could not get on with the color so out it went. Threw it in with a pen sale.

 

I much prefer Midnight, which is also a very free flowing laxative ink. But yeah my experience, admittedly limited, with Asa Blue was that it ran like a river.

 

 

 

 

Is Diamine Asa blue as wet as Iro Asa Gao or better?

I've tried Asa Gao in a Pelikan M200 and it was wet but usable. You mentioned that you we're unable to use Diamine Asa blue in your M800, So I'm curious how it compares to Asa Gao.

[JefferyS]

Noodler's "Blue" is good as re wetness but a big drawback is that it takes ages to really dry out on paper.

 

Mike

And Noodler's Eel Blue as well.