Jump to content

Private Reserve American Blue

Fountainbass

By Fountainbass
in Ink Reviews

 Share

Recommended Posts

Fountainbass Vintage

Fountainbass

Posted
Posted

Yes, another review for PR American Blue! But I think this ink is worthy of as many reviews as possible. I tried to match the color of the ink on the scan to the actual color, and I think I matched it pretty decently, although the actual color is a bit more vivid than what appears here. So here we go!

 

http://www.billgrass.com/americanblue-1.jpg

http://www.billgrass.com/americanblue-2.jpg

 

Translation:

 

Review date: March 23, 2010

Pen: Parker Duofold Senior, ~1926 (fine nib)

Ink: Private Reserve American Blue

Paper: Clairefontaine

 

After I fell in love with Private Reserve Midnight Blues ink, I decided that I wanted to try a true blue ink rather than a blue/black ink. I did a lot of research on blue inks, and I decided to try Private Reserve American Blue. I'm glad I did!

 

This ink is a beautiful true blue color. I don't see any hints of purple, green, or any other colors. This ink dries relatively quickly for me (I'd say in about 5 seconds or less with a fine-nibbed pen). I know it's not a waterproof ink, but that doesn't matter to me. On this Clairefontaine paper, there's absolutely no feathering or bleedthrough. On regular 20-lb copy paper, there is a bit of feathering. This ink seems to stay the same color once it dries, and there's a touch of shading, especially in pens with wider nibs.

 

I also like the fact that this ink is very well behaved. In all of the pens I've used this ink in, I've never experienced drying, clogging, or any other problems.

 

In conclusion, this ink is another winner as far as I'm concerned! I still use my other inks occasionally, but Private Reserve American Blue is my current favorite. It's definitely an ink worthy of buying several bottles.

 

Pen comparison:

- Parker Duofold Senior, ~1926 (fine nib)

- Parker Duofold Junior, ~1930 (fine nib)

- Parker 51 Vacumatic, 1942 (medium/broad nib)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 21
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Fountainbass

    2

  • mateo44

    2

  • Blackforest

    1

  • mollzo

    1

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

mollzo Near Mint

mollzo

Posted
Posted

A very personal and detailed review - Thanks!!

 

- I'm going to get this one if my Diamine Majestic Blue is not a true keeper!

 

Morten

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ed Ronax Collectors Item

Ed Ronax

Posted
Posted

Nice review, thanks.

And how can this be, because he is the Kwisatz Haderach.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mateo44 Rare

mateo44

Posted
Posted

OK, I've spent this afternoon using this ink, and the more I use it the more I like it. It's hard for me to find something -- anything at all -- wrong with it. It is a fabulous color that leaps off the page while still retaining its dignity and professionalism. It dries plenty fast with little to no feathering. And, it seems to be very robust across a wide variety of paper quality. This is an all-around great ink! :thumbup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bwnewton Extremely Rare

bwnewton

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the excellent review!

 

This was my first bottle of blue ink. It is a very patriotic and stately color in my opinion. It behaves very well on CF and Rhodia paper in my experience. However, I wish it did not bleed-through on lesser quality paper. I keep it around and use it from time to time on good paper around Independence Day and for some letters. It's a good ink and a great shade of blue but I prefer less saturated inks. I am a bit partial to it because it's a Hoosier ink!

http://bartnewtonblog.blogspot.com/
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Juicyjones Extremely Rare

Juicyjones

Posted
Posted

Thanks for that review. I am also a big big PR Midnight Blues fan and this true blue looks great.

"If we faked going to the Moon, why did we fake it nine times?" -- Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4447835438_d7314170bf_o.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Joe in Seattle Antique

Joe in Seattle

Posted
Posted

Veeeery nice review; thanks

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fixedintime Mint

fixedintime

Posted
Posted

Tnx for the great review - this to me is one of my favorite blues. Well behaved and just the right saturation,and does not take forever to dry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LWB Near Mint

LWB

Posted
Posted

I've been wanting to try both the midnight and the american blues.....now you have convinced me to do so. Nice review.

A Fine Pen, a fine watch and new shoes to "boot"...ahhhh

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SamCapote Antique

SamCapote

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review. I love that one and DC Supershow Blue.

With the new FPN rules, now I REALLY don't know what to put in my signature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Goodwhiskers Collectors Item

Goodwhiskers

Posted
Posted

That image looks close to my experience of the color. I love the color. This ink does not resist water at all, which is good news to some people and bad news to others. It isn't for two-sided writing on unpredictable paper, so I haven't adopted it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
wheezur Rare

wheezur

Posted
Posted

Nice review of a very good color. Your scan is pretty close - good job on getting the color to match.

 

It is surprising how different the color looks from your "51" compared to the other pens. Probably due to the size of the nib, but still surprising.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pmsalty Vintage

pmsalty

Posted
Posted

I like this ink very much, however it does dry very slow and being a lefty I have to be very careful in using it!

PMS

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty -Thomas Jefferson

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lovemy51 Antique

lovemy51

Posted
Posted

Great ink. As good a blue as Visconti, imo.

i was just gonna ask this very thing. you answered it!!! thanx!

 

nice review, fountainbass!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
retpitar New

retpitar

Posted
Posted

This is one of the most beautiful blue inks in the world for fountain pens. Some inks are waterproof. Students should know that this one, unlike most blue fountain pen inks, cannot be chemically eradicated/erased by eradicators like the Pelikan Super-Pirat. The color is great, the flow is perfect in vintage pens, and SAFE for them.

digital camera memory cards
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33563
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26746
    5. jar
      jar
      26101

  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      Links to web pages or articles about Chinese typesetting, signwriting, etc.

      By Shanghai Knife Dude · Posted

      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o

  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More

  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...