Some Ink Tests

[Lithium466]

On 1/7/2025 at 11:54 AM, USG said:

Does anyone know the rate of deterioration of Platinum Blue-Black ink?  How long will a bottle last?

 

Various Musings:

Blue blacks from the other day

 

Musings from a Tomoe River-FP Sake 'Paper Paper' Notebook

 

Isn't this a nice color on  Tomoe River-FP paper

 

Fast writing with the flex pen

 

 

Same pen/ink on Cosmo Snow

 

 

Same pen/ink on Cosmo Snow

 

There's a difference in line width and color rendering.  Comparisons made with Medium Jinhao #8 nibs.

 

 

Shelf life of Platinum BB? Forever minus one day. Or until you open the bottle for the first time. More seriously...longer than Diamine registrar and ESSRi & co...shorter than some classic methyl/methylene blue like Waterman Serenity blue. 
Apparently contamination by minerals from improperly washed pens or washed with hard water can be a factor too.

 

I think my Platinum BB is around 3 years old (open), and the box was quite dusty when I got it (local store), so it might have stayed there for some time too. So far still good!

 

 

How disappointing that Antique Black is just black. Is it a sample you got?

[USG]

21 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

How disappointing that Antique Black is just black. Is it a sample you got?

 

Hi LTM

No such luck, I bought the farm.... 

 

I think It's actually a very dark brown, like Diamine Macassar and Sailor Doyou, both of which I haven't' found a use for.  I got the Doyou to clean out a stained Omas 360 demonstrator, but it didn't really do the job. 

Anyway, I'm going to try it in a few more pens, maybe it has a hidden talent haven't discovered yet.  🤷‍♂️

[Lithium466]

3 hours ago, USG said:

 

Hi LTM

No such luck, I bought the farm.... 

 

I think It's actually a very dark brown, like Diamine Macassar and Sailor Doyou, both of which I haven't' found a use for.  I got the Doyou to clean out a stained Omas 360 demonstrator, but it didn't really do the job. 

Anyway, I'm going to try it in a few more pens, maybe it has a hidden talent haven't discovered yet.  🤷‍♂️

That is unfortunate  I had thought that maybe you'd gotten an old sample which would have evaporated a bit, killing shading.

 

Actually, what you describe could be just my jam. I have R&K Ebony which sometimes shades (not for me) and sometimes becomes a very warm almost black, depending on paper. The darkening effect is too uncertain, and at the same time Doyou is sometimes "too much" so maybe that Antique Black...ah, how to split hair

[USG]

4 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

That is unfortunate  I had thought that maybe you'd gotten an old sample which would have evaporated a bit, killing shading.

 

Actually, what you describe could be just my jam. I have R&K Ebony which sometimes shades (not for me) and sometimes becomes a very warm almost black, depending on paper. The darkening effect is too uncertain, and at the same time Doyou is sometimes "too much" so maybe that Antique Black...ah, how to split hair

 

Here are some pics of the Teranishi Blue next to the Black.  I got the greatest effect from the Long Blade and FPR Architect nibs.  Excuse the cellphone pics, but you get the idea....

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the Blacks together:

 

And now close ups:

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Oh WOW!  I did NOT know that Macassar had sheen to it!  I always thought of it as just a very dark brown before now.  Guess I'll definitely have to put that ink back into rotation at some point, and try it on MUCH better paper than my original tests of it....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[USG]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Oh WOW!  I did NOT know that Macassar had sheen to it!  I always thought of it as just a very dark brown before now.  Guess I'll definitely have to put that ink back into rotation at some point, and try it on MUCH better paper than my original tests of it....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Surprisingly it has a silver sheen. 

[USG]

More pics on Teranishi Taisho Melancholic Blue.

It doesn't shade as well as Lady Emerald.

I didn't get the lighter colors I got with the dip pens when I loaded it into a Jinhao X 159<M>.  The sheen is not like Jack Frost sheen, it's subdued like Sailor Konagi sheen.  I don't know if you'd see much activity on ordinary paper. 

 

Very wet nib

 

Less wet nib

 

Dry nib

 

Reverse writing

 

Close up

 

On Tomoe River-S

 

Compared to Diamine Polar Glow: Similar colors but not as much glow.  Polar Glow will sheen on any paper.  I'm not sure about Melancholic Blue.

 

 

[Penguincollector]

  The first example with the wet Jinhao looks like it’s outlining. I like the base color, it’s very pretty.

[USG]

3 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  The first example with the wet Jinhao looks like it’s outlining. I like the base color, it’s very pretty.

‘Yes.  It will outline in very high concentrations but it’s not consistent, sometimes it pseudo-sheens, but not like a regular sheening ink likePolar Glow.  And its activity is paper specific.  It didn’t do much on Tomoe River-S.

 

Surprisingly the Antique Back had a quality in the close ups that I didn’t notice when I was writing.  (See above)  I’ll check that out further to see if it’s anything.