Darkening Up Noodler's Liberty Elysium

[dvalliere]

Has anyone experimented with darkening Noodler's Liberty Elysium a smidgen? I'm new to fountain pens and have been trying a bunch of samples to find something ideal for me. My favorite so far is the Elysium but it's a smidge brighter than I'd like. I'm thinking of trying a mix of LE with just a touch of Noodler's Heart of Darkness (black). Has this or something similar been tried?

 

I apologize if this is redundant. I did search and didn't find what I was looking for.

 

Thanks!

[doggonecarl]

I haven't tried to darken Liberty Elysium. I like the pop. But if was to try, I'd use Noodler's Blue-Black or just Noodler's Black.

 

There are blues you can add that might reduce the "pop" of Elysium. A blue with a caulky look, such as Noodler's Upper Ganges Blue, might take an edge off the brightness.

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

Black ink will lower the Value (light - dark) and Chroma (vibrancy) of the ink to which it is added. Adding a darker Blue ink will only lower the Value, though the perceived Chroma may drop a bit.

 

The Topic Tips For a Beginning Mixer puts forward a range of suggestions for formulating a recipe that includes Black ink. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/255652-tips-for-a-beginning-mixer/?p=2821339

 

Even though I reckon whatever recipe you come up with (using those specific inks) should be safe for use in FPs, it would be a good thing to conduct some simple tests to ensure that is in fact the case. When asked to describe my results when I conjured Gal-Lexi, I mentioned my method for inspection. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/234049-noodlers-lexington-gray-galileo-manuscript-brown/?p=2517090

 

Please let us know how things progress.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited January 22, 2015 by Sandy1

[dvalliere]

Thanks for the input. I like the vibrancy of Elysium, just wish it were a little darker.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

As you want it darker yet vibrant, then I'd steer clear of Black ink in the recipe.

 

To keep some 'snap' in a dark Blue ink, to my eye there should be an Indigo - Spectral Violet aspect. Unfortunately that is not accurately portrayed on a computer display, which emulates them with Purple (Red+Blue).

 

Kindly consider using something along the line of Private Reserve Electric DC Blue or Diamine Sapphire.

 

As that course of action involves non-Noodler's inks and NLE is a member of Noodler's bulletproof family, it is more important to ensure the safety of the result.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited January 22, 2015 by Sandy1

[English]

I'd try a little Blue-Black if you have it. But as an alternative, have you checked out Noodler's Manhattan Blue? It may be a bit too dark for what your looking for but it seems like a darker Elysium to me and still has vibrant pop to it (Manhattan Blue is available from Fountain Pen Hospital only).

[Miz Black Crow]

Necroposting to add: I've added a little Old Manhattan Blackest Black to LE. No precipitate, stable mixture, slightly better shading, more waterproof. Creates a very nice blue that dips fairly dark in its shadiest moments, but I'm not sure how much I like it. My reason being: that brightness is part of what makes Liberty's Elysium, well, Liberty's Elysium. Something is gained by the mixing, but the ink's identity gets a little lost there too.

 

I used LE 3mL + 10 drops Old Manhattan to make the mix; I'm sure Heart of Darkness or the standard Black would behave about the same.

 

Best of luck (from a year in the future!)

[redl3grob]

I actually have mixed HoD and LE in the past, and I absolutely love the combination! I love it more than Blue/Blacks from Lamy, Aurora, Pilot, Diamine, Noodlers, Diamine Safari, and Noodlers Midnight Blue, all of which I have either sampled or have. The typical ratio I use is 2 parts LE to 1 part HoD.