10 blue-blacks compared (+2 blue)

[Recursion]

Here are 10 blue-black(ish) inks and two “true” blue inks as a comparison. Just for the fun of it. 

 

I scanned the sheet and with that most of the inks don’t show their sheen (or it’s not that obvious in the scan) so here are some photos of the inks to showoff some sheen:

 

 

 

 

 

And for those of you who care about water resistance of inks, here are the inks after 15 seconds water bath:

[InesF]

Thank you @Recursion for this comparison!

To get the right blue or blue-black is not an easy task. Interesting, that Akkerman and Pelikan selectively lost their blue in the water while others lost intensity with next to no colour change. Maybe a cause of the iron-gall  part of those inks?

[JulieParadise]

Thank you for your interesting and extensive comparison.

 

A weak point for blue-blacks is their (often non-existant) lightfastness. Did you soak up all your swatches or is something left to place a sheet next to/on a window? 

 

If you do so, you'll be surprised how bad many of these inks fare until the end of February, even worse if you leave the sheet hanging for two or more months.

[Recursion]

12 minutes ago, InesF said:

Akkerman and Pelikan selectively lost their blue

Well, the Akkerman is an iron-gall ink, the Pelikan is not advertised as an iron-gall, but I guess it contains eighter a water resistend black or part iron-gall. But who knows?

[Recursion]

2 minutes ago, JulieParadise said:

Did you soak up all your swatches or is something left to place a sheet next to/on a window?

I just soaked the whole sheet for 15 seconds and then let it dry on the radiator, no direct sunlight exposure.

[A Smug Dill]

Thank you for the comparison.

 

2 hours ago, Recursion said:

the Pelikan is not advertised as an iron-gall, but I guess it contains eighter a water resistend black or part iron-gall. But who knows?

 

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

[Recursion]

7 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

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

That clears that right up! Thank you

[LizEF]

Thank you, @Recursion!  BB is my favorite color.  I keep thinking I really need to try Sailor BB, and now I wonder why I haven't tried Akkerman #7 - it looks like the color might be right up my alley, and if I can learn to spell Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indigo, then surely I can memorize K..... Blauw.  

[yazeh]

🙏

[Recursion]

19 minutes ago, LizEF said:

wonder why I haven't tried Akkerman #7

I can highly recommend it, I really love the colour and it’s a relatively dry writer too, perfect for extra fine nibs IMHO

 

the naming of the Akkerman inks is really fun 🤩 

[PithyProlix]

2 hours ago, LizEF said:

I keep thinking I really need to try Sailor BB

 

You really should - it has a beautiful grayish look that, to me, looks really sophisticated, if that means anything to you. Looks blue black even with a Japanese fine. Plus great all-around performance and a reasonable price. 

 

If I could only have one ink (😲) I would be happy with it. 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

 

You really should - it has a beautiful grayish look that, to me, looks really sophisticated, if that means anything to you. Looks blue black even with a Japanese fine. Plus great all-around performance and a reasonable price. 

 

If I could only have one ink (😲) I would be happy with it. 

Thanks!  I'll have to get a sample next time I order.

[axialix]

On 2/9/2022 at 1:41 PM, LizEF said:

Thanks!  I'll have to get a sample next time I order.

 

After using Sailor BB for the past couple months, it has become my favorite new ink of any color. The flow is perfect and it's a velvety writing experience.

[LizEF]

7 minutes ago, axialix said:

After using Sailor BB for the past couple months, it has become my favorite new ink of any color. The flow is perfect and it's a velvety writing experience.

And I can't believe I forgot to add this to my list, so I didn't get it in the samples I just got from Goulet!   I just now added it to my list, so I can't forget next time.

[LizEF]

On 3/3/2022 at 12:34 PM, LizEF said:

And I can't believe I forgot to add this to my list, so I didn't get it in the samples I just got from Goulet!   I just now added it to my list, so I can't forget next time.

Today I received a generous gift of some Sailor Blue Black, Colorverse Sea of Tranquillity, and Colorverse Redwood Forest, all in adorable Colorverse mini bottles!  Not sure my benefactor wants to be revealed, so I'll leave their name unmentioned, unless they wish to reply.  All three colors added to my poll.  Thank you, FPN friend!   I expect I'll be reviewing Sailor Blue Black sooner than later...