A Nice "bulletproof" Blue/blue Black

[Betweenthelines]

Hola. So it seems 2 out of 3 of my blues are very wet and prone to feathering, and overall not very versatile - these being Diamine Midnight and PR DC Supershow. My Iroshizuku Shin Kai works wonderfully in most situations, but it's boring to only have one functional blue.

 

So can ya'll recommend blues/blue blacks that are bulletproof similar to noodler's black, or at least as well behaved as Shin Kai? I am looking into more Iroshizuku inks, of course, but more affordable options would be nice as well.

[casualmerlinconstant]

Edelstein Topaz has some semblance of water Resistance and isn't badly behaved.

Noodler's has a whole range of bulletproof blues such as Bad Blue Heron, Luxury Blue, 54th massachusetts, Liberty Elysium.

54th massachusetts is probably your best bet for the blue-black

[scully012]

I'd second the vote for 54th Massachusetts. In my experience, it is quite well behaved on a variety of papers and though I wouldn't consider it a wet writer, it certainly flows well in my pens. I really like the subtle color as well, it's like a blue-black with some green in it, in my opinion it is a very attractive color on paper.

[cellmatrix]

Sailor sei boku would be my favorite in this category.

[xwingrox]

54th Mass is my choice for a bulletproof blue black. However, I do notice that 54th does feather a little / create a woolly line when writing on sub par paper. Noodler's Black is still the gold standard for that.

Edited April 25, 2014 by xwingrox

[DanF]

Henry Hudson Blue is a bulletproof Noodler's ink that is exclusive to The Fountain Pen Hospital. Pure blue black, no hint of green.

 

Dan

[fabri00]

Edelstein Topaz has some semblance of water Resistance and isn't badly behaved.

Noodler's has a whole range of bulletproof blues such as Bad Blue Heron, Luxury Blue, 54th massachusetts, Liberty Elysium.

54th massachusetts is probably your best bet for the blue-black

 

Luxury blue is an extremely light blue, and I'll not suggest it.

[Moose22]

54th mass doesn't look like a blue-black to me. It's too light. Sort of a steely blue. Good ink, flows wet, but not dark. If your current problem is "very wet" than 54th mass is NOT the solution as it is a flowy ink, though a lot better behaved than DC Supershow Blue.

 

I just tried Sei Boku and it's a bit darker than 54th Mass, has more controlled flow, and is a lovely color. I'm really impressed, though I'm only on my first fill of it.

 

Another that has fascinated me is a REAL blue black. Iron gall -- that'd be Registrar's ink. It's cheap at about 10 quid for 110ml, lays a not too wet line, goes down a medium blue and then turns black, and is archival. SUPER well behaved, too. The first change happens over about 5-10 seconds depending on the paper, then it keeps getting darker until it's nearly black. I consider it the navy blue suit of inks. Plus, I find the change from blue to black fascinating to watch.

 

 

(Sorry about the lighting. It's just an incandescent bulb, and I was reaching around the tripod to write at a weird angle to keep my hand out of the way of the camera and light)

Edited April 25, 2014 by Moose22

[doggonecarl]

Montblanc Midnight Blue. Though discontinued, bottles can still be found.

[David_W]

De Atramentis Document Ink blue or dark blue (which is more blue black) would be possibilities.

[Tas]

ESS Registrar's InkI and Akkermans' No 10.

 

My two favourite blue blacks, both in terms of colour and bulletproofness.

You'll not wash either of these away once dry.

 

Not much to choose from by way of colour but I feel the Akkerman's flows better and tastes nicer than the ESSRI

 

http://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_akkerman_10_swatch.jpghttp://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_essri_swatch.jpg

[DanF]

54th mass doesn't look like a blue-black to me. It's too light. Sort of a steely blue. Good ink, flows wet, but not dark. If your current problem is "very wet" than 54th mass is NOT the solution as it is a flowy ink, though a lot better behaved than DC Supershow Blue.

 

 

Did you shake your bottle before filling? All of the samples that I I've seen are very dark indeed. All of the bulletproof inks from Noodler's tend to settle in the bottle, and need to be shaken or stirred a bit before loading in a pen.

 

Dan

Edited April 25, 2014 by DanF

[nomadhacker]

If you want a similar ink to Noodler's 54th Mass that behaves even just a little better with even less spread/feathering tendency, look at Noodler's Blue-Black. It's classified as near-bulletproof, stands up to water and all that. Color is similar, maybe a little more saturated/brighter than 54th. Not quite as bulletproof but flow and behavior is excellent.

[flyingfox]

+1 for 54th Mass.

[dcwaites]

If you want waterproof only, there is Pilot Blue-Black.

If you want bulletproof as well (waterproof plus a whole lot of organic solvents) then any of the Noodler's inks mentioned above.

If you want a pigmented ink, then Sailor's Sei-Boku.

If you want an iron-gall ink, then Diamine's Registrar's ink, ESSRI (Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registry Ink) or Rohrer & Klingner Salix

 

The simplest and easiest ink to use would be the Pilot Blue Black. The bulletproof inks tend to bleed and feather and the pigmented and iron-gall inks need regular use and maintenance.

[Betweenthelines]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! Definitely helps to narrow down my choices.