Noodler's Blue-Black

[sonia_simone]

Sounds excellent, thanks!

 

I love having the forum so we can swap our experiences, it really has helped focus where I put my money and energy. (Mostly it seems to be focusing it right out of my checking account, d'oh!)

[southpaw]

Sonia, Tahitian Pearl is great stuff.

 

We all need to remember something in the waterproof discussion: there will likely ALWAYS be some amount that washes off, simply because most FPs lay down more ink than could chemically bond with the paper in the given space (line width). The excess dye will remain atop the ink which has already bonded with the paper. Remember, if ALL of the ink were to bond, then wet writing pens would likely have to bleed all the way through the paper and even spread out. The sought after characteristic is ink that remains permanently attached to the paper so that fraud is not possible. Whether some portion washes away or not is really not the issue PROVIDED there is the original writing left, clearly legible and unremovable, from the paper.

 

A similar albeit limited analogy would be sugar dissolving in water. Sure, sugar dissolves in water, but you can put so much sugar in the water that no more will dissolve. We don't say the sugar that doesn't dissolve is defective because it won't. The water is simply saturated. Similar phenomenon happens with the paper and ink (the paper being the water and the ink being the sugar).

 

HTH

 

Disclaimer: I have no dog in this hunt, just trying to keep things in perspective, and just my $0.01.

[sonia_simone]

Good point, southpaw.

 

I hadn't tried TP yet as it looks so much (squinting at my monitor, anyway) like Aircorps BB, and I tend to get ink at Pendemonium or my local art store. But I can see a use for something a little more bleedproof--especially envelopes in the rainy season!

 

I guess I just need a pen or two with really great ink flow so I can use up some ABB and justify the purchase of a new ink.

[southpaw]

Good point, southpaw.

 

I hadn't tried TP yet as it looks so much (squinting at my monitor, anyway) like Aircorps BB, and I tend to get ink at Pendemonium or my local art store. But I can see a use for something a little more bleedproof--especially envelopes in the rainy season!

 

I guess I just need a pen or two with really great ink flow so I can use up some ABB and justify the purchase of a new ink.

Aircorps is a green/blue-black, whereas Tahitian Pearl is a true blue-black and quite a bit darker than Noodler's Blue-Black.

[Roger]

Whether some  portion washes away or not is really not the issue PROVIDED there is the original writing left, clearly legible and unremovable, from the paper.

It is the issue for me, Michael. If the ink is labled "BP", I expect the resultant line, after torture testing to be virtually the same in color and density. If a readable, but barely, line is ok for you, fine, but different issues for different people.

 

Surface wash off is ok by me if the remaining ink has the color and density to look as it did before the rain and bleach came.

 

The same argument can be made for uv/fade/sun resistance. If, after 10 years, you can read it but it is noticeably more faint floats your boat, fine. If the ink is labled "BP", however, I want to see the same color and vividness as it had at the outset.

 

Of course you have a dog in this hunt. We all do! We each bring our standards, perception and tolerance to the chow bowl.

[sonia_simone]

Ah, thanks again southpaw. They look so similar on my monitor.

 

If they're that different then I just have to order some, right?

[southpaw]

It is the issue for me, Michael. If the ink is labled "BP", I expect the resultant line, after torture testing to be virtually the same in color and density. If a readable, but barely, line is ok for you, fine, but different issues for different people.

 

Surface wash off is ok by me if the remaining ink has the color and density to look as it did before the rain and bleach came.

 

The same argument can be made for uv/fade/sun resistance. If, after 10 years, you can read it but it is noticeably more faint floats your boat, fine. If the ink is labled "BP", however, I want to see the same color and vividness as it had at the outset.

 

Of course you have a dog in this hunt. We all do! We each bring our standards, perception and tolerance to the chow bowl.

I should have been a bit clearer. I didn't mean a barely legible line left. Excess ink washes off, but leaves a strong line left regardless of what you throw at it.

 

By "not having a dog in this hunt," I meant no business interest or affiliation with Noodlers ink. Just another way of says, "usual disclaimer."

 

Sorry for being vague.

[Roger]

Ah, thanks again southpaw.  They look so similar on my monitor.

 

If they're that different then I just have to order some, right?

Yeah, Sonia. Monitors are the pits for looking critically at inks for all their nuances. Even lab monitors that are precisely calibrated aren't as equal to the task as these eyes of ours. And, there's even variation in them.

 

You just have to see them in the flesh and make up your mind. I'm going to post a three ink comparison tomorrow and though the scans show differences, the subtlety is beyond the ken of my electronics.

[Roger]

Sorry for being vague.

You might have been a little vague, but I'm a big nitpicker!

[MartiniPundit]

I've been using the Noodler's Blue-Black in my Rotring 600 (EF) to do crosswords. Definitely better than the Levenger ink I had been using which caused lots of newsprint to gunk the nib after about half a puzzle. No longer have that problem and there's a nice blue tint to my puzzles now.

[krz]

Hi Krz,

 

I have been using Tahitian pearl a lot lately (picture of a sample here), and just received an ink trade with a note written in Noodlers blue-black.

 

Surprisingly, it can be hard to tell them apart. The blue black just has a bit more blue in it. Both inks are lovely, high contrast ink. Blue-black has good to very good so-so water resistance, whereas Tahitian pearl has flawless water resistance.

 

Stephen

 

[reappraised bb's water resistance after more time soaking]

Thanks for the info Stephen. I love the Tahitian Pearl Blue-Black, and I use a lot of the Aircorp Green/Blue-Black (thanks for the term Southpaw. It fits! ). I think I need to try the regular Blue-Black too as the Tahitian Pearl BB tends to fatten up my line, which is OK most of the time.

[sonia_simone]

Very snazzy!

[texaspenman]

When writing in Spencerian Script, I love the variation between the hairlines and the thicker shading. The hairlines almost look black, but have a subtle hint of blue to them. I think this effect is really quite classy!