Some 4:1 Waterman Mixes

[BayesianPrior]

Waterman inks have earned a reputation as 'safe' inks, fit for use in almost any fountain pen. At the same time, Waterman Florida (now Serenity) Blue is one of the standard colours used in writing samples by pen vendors and the colour should be familiar to most fountain pen users.

 

I have bottles of Waterman Florida Blue (pre-rebrand), Waterman Absolute Brown, and Waterman Intense Black. However, I find that I only use them when I am after a specifically 'safe' ink. The colours just don't excite me. Each one has some fault to my eye.

 

Waterman Florida Blue: Wonderful! Rich, intense, sapphire blue as it spreads across the page. Delicious shading. Low maintenance. Who could ask for more in a widely available (and economical) blue ink? Ah yes...but just wait...and that sapphire quickly fades to a washed out, chalky shadow of what it once was. A metaphor for life? Perhaps. What I want from an ink? Not at all.

 

Waterman Absolute Brown: Many people love it. I can't fault it as an ink...I just don't like red-browns. It's too red (pink in a dry nib).

 

Waterman Intense Black: This has been widely documented. You know it, and I know it - this ink isn't really black, so much as a very dark grey with hints of purple. Not fit for purpose as a black given the other options available, if you ask me.

 

And so, in an effort to find a colour that I like so that I can begin to use up these inks, I have mixed the three as below:

 

4:1 Waterman Florida Blue:Waterman Intense Black

A darker shade of blue which retains the shading qualities of its parents. I like it!

 

4:1 Waterman Florida Blue:Waterman Absolute Brown

I mixed a blue and a red-leaning brown and I got purple. Why am I surprised? I really shouldn't be, but I am. Apart from not being my colour of choice, this mix is like writing with sand. Imagine if J Herbin put their mind to making a dry ink.

 

4:1 Waterman Absolute Brown: Waterman Intense Black

A darker chocolately brown with muted red tones and good shading. This one shows promise and I will likely add some more black to my mix and see if a 2:1 blend can't impersonate Diamine Macassar.

 

 

 

P.S. The 'index' ink is Diamine Salamander.

 

 

[LizEF]

Nice - especially the first one. Several months ago, I mixed some Waterman Audacious Red and Inspired Blue and didn't much like the purple it gave me. Inspired Blue + Black yielded something like teal (the black has yellow in it, if you do a chromatography test). One day, I'll mix the red and green to see what kind of brown that gets me (I now only have Inspired Blue, Audacious Red, and Harmonious Green - gave the black away).

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Liz