Rohrer & Klingner Königsblau (Royal blue)

[yazeh]

Rohrer & Klingner Königsblau (Royal blue)

 

Many thanks @Lithium466 for the sample. 

 

I’m not into royal blues, but if there would have one, this might have been a contender, had it any water resistance. The writing experience is senstational. Ink is wet, with excellent lubrication. It made the Pilot Kakuno Ef, sing, a rare feat for the scratchiest of all nibs. I  enjoyed a lot for drawing. If you're in for a good washable blue and  enjoyable writing experience this is for you. However, if you're looking for a bit more oomph, there are still many options, including one coming this weekend hopefully  

 

Chroma:

 

 

 

Writing Samples:

I try to find appropriate quotes, but more often than not, I don’t know if they are attributed or real. 

 

See how a drop of water obliterated the ink  

Photo:

 

Comparison:

The three first swatches look almost identical, but boy they cannot be more different

 

 

Water test:

Left side 10 seconds under running water. 

Art Work:

I continued with the "royal" theme  

King Ginger and Queen snap

For those interested @Lithium466 & @InesF  I mixed Königsblau with Star Ruby on the paper, to create the purple gown. . (Talens notebook)

Other inks used:

Pelikan Edelstein Star Ruby 

Sailor Kiwa-guro 

Noodler's Lexington Gray/ Apache Sunset/Polar Brown 

and a gold metallic pen.

 

 

·      Pens used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B), Osmiroid Copperplate 

·      What I liked: Tactile sensation, drawing with. 

·      What I did not like: As a writing colour and its fatal attraction to water.  

·       What some might not like: It’s wet, no water resistance. 

·      Shading: It won’t win any awards. 

·      Ghosting: Acceptable on cheap paper. Depends on the wetness of pen. 

·      Bleed through: A bit with Ef.

·      Flow Rate: Very wet

·      Lubrication: Nice

·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

·      Start-up:  Excellent. 

·      Saturation:  Rich

·      Shading Potential: Eh!

·      Sheen: A hint on Japanese paper. 

·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. 

·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

·      Staining (pen): No. 

·      Clogging: Did not notice.

·      Cleaning: Very easy

·      Water resistance: Non-existent!

·      Availability: 50 ml bottles. 

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier  

[Mercian]

Great review 😊

If I ever run out of ‘washable blue’ (#Unlikely) this one seems like a good candidate for a replacement 

 

And I love your depiction of King Ginger.
I initially assumed him to be ‘Tybalt’ (who was known to Reynard the Fox and to Shakespeare as ‘the Prince of Cats’).

 

The fact that ‘Royal Blues’/Königsblaus have only the same degree of water resistance as the Wicked Witch of the West is, of course, not a ‘bug’ - it’s a ‘feature’.

 

It is an intentional trait, which was designed-in, in order to assuage the fears of those who have to launder the clothes of schoolchildren.
Permanent inks are not a good mix with schoolchildren - unless of course one has an unlimited budget for new school clothes, and/or home furnishings.
😉

 

[RedPie]

Thank you, great review and drawings like always. It is an interesting and good looking blue but I am like you, it is not for me since it is washed away with water. 

[InesF]

Thank you, @yazeh, for this royal review of the Royal Blue ink!   

 

I'm really not any longer in the Royal Blue inks. My last intentional use was around 1975 (or so). I have to admit, from time to time I try one or the other. RB from Rohrer & Klingner was among them and, I'm fully with your impression, if any - then this! 👍

The comparably pale colour of Colorverse Quasar surprised me a bit. In my own experience, Quasar appears to the bare eye about tripple as intense as R&K or others are.

 

As always: your line and wash is gorgeous! 👍 And I love how mouse volunteered to share the water experience with cat! That's true friendship! 👍 

(so many thumbs-up!) 👍

 

Looking forward to the more intense blue ink you announced!

 

PS: The purple mixture looks great - it is an upgrade to both ingredient inks!   

[yazeh]

39 minutes ago, Mercian said:

Great review 😊

Thanks!

39 minutes ago, Mercian said:

If I ever run out of ‘washable blue’ (#Unlikely) this one seems like a good candidate for a replacement 

 

39 minutes ago, Mercian said:

And I love your depiction of King Ginger.

39 minutes ago, Mercian said:

I initially assumed him to be ‘Tybalt’ (who was known to Reynard the Fox and to Shakespeare as ‘the Prince of Cats’).

My Shakespearean knowledge is very shaky. Most of it from movie adaptions.   So, I doubt it. Thanks for introducing me, to Reynard the Fox, I must look it up  

39 minutes ago, Mercian said:

 

The fact that ‘Royal Blues’/Königsblaus have only the same degree of water resistance as the Wicked Witch of the West is, of course, not a ‘bug’ - it’s a ‘feature’.

It is an intentional trait, which was designed-in, in order to assuage the fears of those who have to launder the clothes of schoolchildren.
Permanent inks are not a good mix with schoolchildren - unless of course one has an unlimited budget for new school clothes, and/or home furnishings.
😉

I didn't know that was an R&K feature. Thanks for the info . Though even as an adult I have inkstands on a lot of T-shirt and the carpet, which I have to regularly clean  

 

[yazeh]

59 minutes ago, RedPie said:

Thank you, great review and drawings like always.

A pleasure  

59 minutes ago, RedPie said:

It is an interesting and good looking blue but I am like you, it is not for me since it is washed away with water. 

Great minds

 

[yazeh]

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @yazeh, for this royal review of the Royal Blue ink!   

🙏

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

I'm really not any longer in the Royal Blue inks. My last intentional use was around 1975 (or so). I have to admit, from time to time I try one or the other. RB from Rohrer & Klingner was among them and, I'm fully with your impression, if any - then this! 👍

Mine is the first. My extensive use of Royal blue dates from late 90s.  

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

The comparably pale colour of Colorverse Quasar surprised me a bit. In my own experience, Quasar appears to the bare eye about tripple as intense as R&K or others are.

This was one of my first swatch cards, so I might have laid less ink on the paper

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

 

As always: your line and wash is gorgeous! 👍 And I love how mouse volunteered to share the water experience with cat! That's true friendship! 👍 

(so many thumbs-up!) 👍

Thanks! Mousy is there to save the cat (from time to time)  

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to the more intense blue ink you announced!

It'll be this Saturday  

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

PS: The purple mixture looks great - it is an upgrade to both ingredient inks!   

Glad you liked it. I did this way before our conversation on the Star Ruby thread. I was kind of pleased with the result too

[LizEF]

As with you and @InesF, if I had to use this color, this ink (especially on Iroful) is the one I'd pick.  (Until / unless something better comes along - looking forward to the weekend.)  And now your Kakuno knows why.    The finer the nib, the more important all the other "ingredients" in writing.

 

Yawn-inducing chroma (all the ink's fault, not yours).  Hmm.  Those "middle" nibs make the ink much less desireable.  EF on Iroful shines.  I'm surprised the copy paper didn't suck more in and make it darker.

 

Good quotes.  Better trio of swatch kitties.   Fun royal dousing.  I'm sure it was for a good cause, like those dunk-tanks at the fair.

 

But most of all, love the royal drawing! Particularly the detail of the mouse-head pommel.

 

Thank you, @yazeh, for a thoroughly enjoyable review!

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks as usual for the comprehensive review.   I can pass on this one, although it's a pretty color, because I have a number of other, similar blue inks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

As with you and @InesF, if I had to use this color, this ink (especially on Iroful) is the one I'd pick. (Until / unless something better comes along - looking forward to the weekend.) 

It will. At least in my eyes, and it was quite a surprise  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

And now your Kakuno knows why.    The finer the nib, the more important all the other "ingredients" in writing.

So true  I wasn't into Ef, especially Japanese until you stated Efnir  Though now, I'm preferring more vintage pilot Ef. I really have been enjoying the Pilot F3A. It's not perfect but the nib is so much better than the Kakuno, plus it has a nice bounce.  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

Yawn-inducing chroma (all the ink's fault, not yours). 

🥱 

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Hmm.  Those "middle" nibs make the ink much less desireable.  EF on Iroful shines.  I'm surprised the copy paper didn't suck more in and make it darker.

I think maybe it's because the line spreads and thus dilutes itself  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

Good quotes.  Better trio of swatch kitties.   Fun royal dousing.  I'm sure it was for a good cause, like those dunk-tanks at the fair.

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

But most of all, love the royal drawing! Particularly the detail of the mouse-head pommel.

Glad you enjoyed  

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

 

Thank you, @yazeh, for a thoroughly enjoyable review!

A pleasure  

[yazeh]

11 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks as usual for the comprehensive review.  

Thank you for taking the time to comment  🙏

11 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

 

I can pass on this one, although it's a pretty color, because I have a number of other, similar blue inks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

We all have don't we? 

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I wasn't into Ef, especially Japanese until you stated Efnir  Though now, I'm preferring more vintage pilot Ef. I really have been enjoying the Pilot F3A. It's not perfect but the nib is so much better than the Kakuno, plus it has a nice bounce.  

They're not for everyone.  I'm glad you can enjoy some though - and I too like my nib to have some bounce.

[yazeh]

45 minutes ago, LizEF said:

They're not for everyone.  I'm glad you can enjoy some though - and I too like my nib to have some bounce.

I got into them, when I started sketching. Sometimes you need really fine lines

[LizEF]

18 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I got into them, when I started sketching. Sometimes you need really fine lines

I figured that was why.

[Baggins]

I bow to thee oh gracious KING.👑

Also very nice logo of InesF 👍

 

[yazeh]

12 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I'd gladly stand all of them if they were still with us.  Had a wonderful time at the first and only family reunion years ago.  

 

11 hours ago, LizEF said:

I figured that was why.

I have also noticed that my handwriting tends to go cursive when writing with it. Though the ink has to be really good  

[yazeh]

7 hours ago, Baggins said:

I bow to thee oh gracious KING.👑

🙏 🙏 🙏

[LizEF]

7 hours ago, yazeh said:

I have also noticed that my handwriting tends to go cursive when writing with it.

Some of my pens prefer cursive, while others prefer print.  It's most strange that an inanimate object has preferences!!

 

7 hours ago, yazeh said:

Though the ink has to be really good  

Yes, I find that cursive will reveal poor lubrication more than print.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Well let's see... I have the MV Malibu.  Not Rohrer and Klingon Royal Blue, so I can't add anything.

 

However, I have lots of OTHER Royal Blues, like Pelikan.  And other similar inks that lack Royal in the name, like MV, Quink and Lamy.

 

I do like this shade of blue.  

 

And I love King Kitteh!  Along with Queen Mousie.

 

In her college days, Mom had a kitteh named Tybalt.

 

@yazeh, thanks again for your inky diaries filled with fun.  Always look forward to them!  💝