Majestic Blue

[Lloyd]

How difficult is it to flush this ink out of a pen?

[girlieg33k]

How difficult is it to flush this ink out of a pen?

I have it currently filled in a Waterman Hundred Year, and I'll know by this weekend. I also wanted to add this is a really dark blue with beautiful shading.

 

ETA: Navigating FPN on Opera mobile is like using a fountain pen on a bubble gum wrapper.

Edited March 18, 2009 by girlieg33k

[Will]

I have washed it out a couple of times. I don't remember too much about it but it was a little bit more hassle than some other inks - presumably because of the saturation.

[Idiopathos]

Diamine make my two working inks, 'Writing Equipment Society Imperial Blue' and 'Ultra Green', which I use every day and which are in at least 15 pens on my desk now.

 

Equally, Diamine also now make an ink I shall never use again: Majestic Blue. What a disaster. It does almost everything wrong.

 

Never mind. I'm very happy with my other Diamines.

[Chris]

Oh dear, what is wrong with it for you?

I imagine we would be intrigued to hear someone who does not like this ink and why; and I am also sure someone here would be happy to take it off your hands too.

 

Chris

[dickens]

I like this ink a great deal. I know, as someone pointed out, that a bit of water will solve the "red" sheen problem. The other problem I have is that the ink dries too quickly--I have problems taking notes with the ink because the nob dries up in an extremely short time. Would mixing a longer-drying ink help this, and if so, what would be good candidates? I wouldn't want to change the beautiful color and shading very much.

[Idiopathos]

Oh dear, what is wrong with it for you?

I imagine we would be intrigued to hear someone who does not like this ink and why; and I am also sure someone here would be happy to take it off your hands too.

 

Chris

 

I'm happy that others like it, not least because it's English ink and I'm patriotic. I'm sad that I don't like it for the same reasons.

 

My difficulties with Majestic Blue are:

 

1 The contrast between the two colours of the 'shading' is too great. 'Almost black' or ' less than mid-blue' is too wide a range in one ink and Majestic Blue offers little or no colour between. Indeed, the term 'shading' is inappropriate in this case.

2 It's very wet in my wet nibs.

3 I have much better blues.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chris]

Thank you.

I think this is why we love to have so much choice - what works for one as being plus points can be negatives for another.

One man's ink is another man's poison.

Chris

[LuckyR]

I bought some colours from Diamine including this one, Majestic Blue. I just tried it (Lamy Studio EF nib and Clairefontaine paper) and I can perfectly see some of those "reddish effects" like in Penman Sapphire. I know nobody cares about that but just in case...

I've noticed these reddish reflections, too. They are "available" with Sailor Blue and Private Reserve DC Electric Blue,too.

These true blues seem to cause reflections in the complementary colour.

 

 

Funny, when I saw the scanned (not photographed) picture it reminded me of scans of DC Electirc Blue. Is that accurate?

[girlieg33k]

Funny, when I saw the scanned (not photographed) picture it reminded me of scans of DC Electirc Blue. Is that accurate?

The colour is somewhat comparable (in certain pens, I think Majestic Blue is even darker than DC Electric Blue) -- but the shading properties are very different. PR Electric Blue does not shade much (if at all); on the other hand, Majestic Blue has incredible shading properties (in most pens that I've tried so far).

 

[Idiopathos]

Aarrgghh! Just left a negative imprint of an address on my teak desk when I turned the envelope over to write on the back. This Majestic Blue takes a long time to dry.

[tnmike1]

Aarrgghh! Just left a negative imprint of an address on my teak desk when I turned the envelope over to write on the back. This Majestic Blue takes a long time to dry.

 

 

0000 steel wool rubbed VERY lightly over the spot, then re oil the teak. May also have to use a LIGHT wipe of stain to match the teak.

 

GO very lightly because while teak is a hard wood, it is very oily and so gentleness is the word.

[TwilightFury]

No I don't think that its a cobalt blue. The scan makes it look more cobalt than it really is. Its a lovely dark blue. The saturated darker bits reflect the colour better than the light parts. Its odd that they have come out so light. It might have been better to use my camera.

 

Wonderful review! But alas, if it doesn't look cobalt-ey like your scan I don't think I'd enjoy it as much. Wonder if there is an ink that IS cobalt...

[Will]

Yes, it is a problem trying to get the colour onto a computer, the scan definitely was too cobalt like. The photo I did later on was a better fit - but it still is very difficult to get it right!

[Cursive Child]

I'm happy that others like it, not least because it's English ink and I'm patriotic. I'm sad that I don't like it for the same reasons.

 

My difficulties with Majestic Blue are:

 

1 The contrast between the two colours of the 'shading' is too great. 'Almost black' or ' less than mid-blue' is too wide a range in one ink and Majestic Blue offers little or no colour between. Indeed, the term 'shading' is inappropriate in this case.

2 It's very wet in my wet nibs.

3 I have much better blues.

 

Now, I'm curious about the Blues that you have that are much better.

Seriously, I am considering getting the Diamine Majestic Blue (don't like the long dry time, though which is why I don't like the Levenger Cobalt), and want to know if there are better inks I should think of. Looking for vibrant, darkish blues with good shading. The scan, though may be inaccurate, is what I'd love to have...

[Titivillus]

I bought some colours from Diamine including this one, Majestic Blue. I just tried it (Lamy Studio EF nib and Clairefontaine paper) and I can perfectly see some of those "reddish effects" like in Penman Sapphire. I know nobody cares about that but just in case...

I've noticed these reddish reflections, too. They are "available" with Sailor Blue and Private Reserve DC Electric Blue,too.

These true blues seem to cause reflections in the complementary colour.

 

 

I'll have to do some checking but I think the term for those highlights is brassing and lithio inks can give that as well.

 

K

[tawanda]

I have the Maj Blue and the Chocolate, and I have to say I aboslutely love them. Thye have the intensity of PR andNoodler's but are ot so problematic, although they are not as well behaved as the standard Diamines. My main concern is the drying time.

 

But I use very fine nibs so its not tooooo much of a problem, and I'm happy to put up with it for the effects. Usually in such fine nibs its almost impossible to get shading, or colour intensity, to compare with broader nibs.

 

I too long for a Maj Green, something along the lines of PR Avacado, which is divine but takes geologic time to dry. I've written an A4 page, fairly steadily, with Avacado, and by the time I've gotten to the bottom the top of the page is still wet!

[Lloyd]

Now, I'm curious about the Blues that you have that are much better.

Seriously, I am considering getting the Diamine Majestic Blue (don't like the long dry time, though which is why I don't like the Levenger Cobalt), and want to know if there are better inks I should think of. Looking for vibrant, darkish blues with good shading. The scan, though may be inaccurate, is what I'd love to have...

If you didn't know, you can usually water down very-saturated, slow drying inks yielding:

pros:

cheaper cost per ml

more shading

quicker drying

 

cons:

increased feathering

less intensity if too much water is used.

 

For an ink as saturated as Levenger Cobalt, I'd try as dilute a mix as 1:1 ink to water. You'll probably not even notice much of a change in the ink color as it is so saturated to start off with.

[xeth3r41x]

how much should this ink be diluted then in order to ensure quicker drying?

[sentraser165]

WHAT an ink! I have been looking for this type of color for a long time. Are there any other inks that have similar color/shading properties?