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Private Reserve - Midnight Blues


Sandy1

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Please take a moment to adjust the brightness & contrast of your monitor to accurately depict this Gray Scale.

As the patches are neutral gray, the colour on your monitor should also be neutral.

 

Figure 1.

Grey Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/FPN049.jpg

Figure 2.

Swabs: Waterman Florida Blue. Private Reserve Midnight Blue 300% to 20%.

Swatch: Drawn with Safari + 1.1i

Paper: HP1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN242.jpg

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Narrow Nibs:

To more accurately depict how narrow nibs are used, a 4mm row height is used for 2 rows: one written in mixed case, and the other printed in upper case. The third row is the normal 8mm height used for the wider nibs. It does look dreadful, but I hope it is useful.

 

Figure 3.

Paper: HP1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN243.jpg

 

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN244.jpg

 

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN245.jpg

 

Figure 6.

Paper: G Lalo Verge de France, blue.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN246.jpg

Figure 7.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp from a one-a-day cartoon calendar.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN247.jpg

 

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 8.

Wet samples, Smear / Dry Time.

Paper: HP1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN248.jpg

 

Figure 9.

Smear / Dry Time.

Paper: Glossy Magazine Stock.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/INK527.jpg

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

  • Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

  • Very possible.

A go-to ink?

  • If seeking a simple, solid, very dark blue, with reasonable manners, then PRMB may be for you.
  • As the diluted swabs show, this is not a Blue-Black ink.

USES:

 

Business:

  • Balances gravitas and a relaxed calm.
  • Retains an approachable air.

Illustrations / Graphics:

  • At densities shown, it is likely too dark to be used as a Dark Blue - it can be mistaken for Black - so indeed may be a substitute for Black.
  • High saturation, and lack of feathering & shading make this a candidate for uniform narrow tight lines.
  • Very short dry time encourages use for images that may be reworked on-the-fly; also if table-drafting aids (e.g. zee Curve Francais, Tea Square) are used, the ink is unlikely to smear.

Personal:

  • It is a tad too business-like, but could be used for general pro forma correspondence when the recipient may not deserve or appreciate Visconti Blue.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS:

 

Flow Rate:

  • Exuberant.
  • Even on the hard dry G Lalo VdF white paper, the Pilot 78G + F nib - which is the driest writer used, gave a worthy performance.

Nib Dry-out:

  • None noticed.

Start-up:

  • OK.

Lubrication:

  • Better than most.

Nib Creep:

  • None.

Staining:

  • Not seen.

Clogging:

  • Unknown; but being so saturated there may be longer-term problems, especially if pen is inked-up but not used for extended periods.
  • Wouldn't leave in a pen longer than is useful.

Bleed Through:

  • Not on any of the papers used, but watch out for lighter, lesser quality stock.

Show Though:

  • On the papers used, one could write on both sides.

Smell:

  • Blueberries! No joke!!
  • Not unpleasant or over-powering.

Hand oil sensitivity:

  • None noticed.

Archival:

  • Makes no such claim.

Water Resistance:

  • Better than many.
  • Lots of soluble dye, but after Soapy Soak, writing remains clear.

Smear / Dry Time Results:

  • Exceptional. Nearly instant on HP1124.
  • Caution: A calligrapher friend used this ink in a dip pen; the huge volumes of ink she laid down did not dry so quickly.

Smudge Test:

  • Some concerns were expressed about 'fully dry' times of the PR inks. So I drew some wee circles to be 'scrubbed' with my thumb: one circle every 5 minutes. They're not shown because after 5 minutes the ink was 'scrub-proof'.

Bulletproof:

  • Makes no such claim.

Clean Up:

  • Thorough with plain water.
  • So sloooooow.
  • Just be patient - warm milk, an oatmeal cookie & a blankie: nap time. (~_~)//

Mixing:

  • No stated prohibition / limitation / taboo.
  • I have no inclination to use it in a mix - mostly because of high saturation.
  • Once again, the high saturation may trigger the temptation to see what happens when diluted with water. (Will anyone admit to trying this?)

THE LOOK:

 

Saturation:

  • High. (No peekaboo close-up scans - so sorry.)

Shading:

  • Little apparent. (Imaginary)

Feathering:

  • Next to none.

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

  • Very consistent, considering the range of writers.

FIDELITY:

 

Is name appropriate?

  • I can live with it.
  • Ink is so saturated that there is only one Blue, and one will not 'get the blues' from using this ink; but one may well be humming along to the vocal stylings of the late Dinah Washington.

Are swatches accurate?

  • The labels on the bottle and the box sports a tiny swatch-like thingy, which is quite close to the colour & density of a 1-pass swab.
  • Designation as being 'fast dry' is valid.

SIMILAR COLOURS:

  • Please chime in.

PAPERS:

 

Lovely papers:

  • Crisp white paper.

Trip-wire Papers:

  • None apparent.
  • This could handle bottom tier dirty whites, such as pulp - see Figure 6.
  • Could make paper with optical brighteners say 'uncle'.

Tinted Papers:

  • The high saturation give this ink a pretty good chance at looking good on tinted papers. See Figure 6.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

  • No. It shows all it has to offer on the HP1124.
  • However, as the ink is so straightforward, a textured / heavy paper may easily enhance the overall effect of the document.

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

  • Bottle.
  • Volume not stated. (What's up with that?!) Assume 50ml.

Country of origin:

  • Not stated.

Container:

  • A slim broad-shouldered oval-esque glass bottle, 65mm tall.
  • The centred round opening is 23mm in diameter.
  • The text on the label & box is in English language only.
  • Single tank, no filling aids, no sediment collector. Tsk Tsk Tsk.
  • The hard black plastic screw cap has OK grippy bits, but is only 10mm high, so may not be so easy to grasp.
  • The cap is not child-proof.
  • The cap seal is the dreadful coated card stock. (>_<)
  • No HazMat warnings.

Box:

  • 58x70x41mm
  • Nicely coated.
  • Labeled on front of box c/w swatch.

Eco-Green:

  • All bits easily recyclable.

Availability:

  • Available from several online sources based in UK & North America.
  • In North America, it may be available from fine stationers & pen shops.
  • Other areas: Please chime in.

ETC:

 

Majik:

  • Not possible for this utilitarian Journeyman ink.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

  • From what we see in the written samples, I'd pick the Parker 45 + M nib on the HP1124.

Yickity Yackity:

  • I was expecting a colour with a little more violet over- under- tones.
  • When this pot's empty, it may well be replaced.
  • This ink is a simple attractive dark blue ink that is highly saturated, with reasonable manners. I feel that is a fine accomplishment, and cannot be belittled.
  • I feel the simplicity and straightforward character of the ink lends itself very well to shaped nibs that vary line-width whilst writing. Those who can manage a Crisp Italic nib may wish to give this ink a go.
  • Ah kushbaby, trop simple et direct pour être d'intérêt. Another ink that's not quite for you. So sorry. (Well, maybe a wee little sample.)

[]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[-+-v-+-]=[~]=[]

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

These pen+nib combos:

  • Pilot 78G + F g-p steel nib
  • *Eversharp Skyliner + 14K nib
  • Pilot C74 + Soft Fine Medium 14K nib
  • Parker 45 + F steel nib
  • Pelikan M200 + M200 series M g-p steel nib
  • Lamy Safari + 1.1i steel nib

For lines & labels:

  • Pilot Plumix + XF steel nib, inked with Visconti Bordeaux

On these papers:

  • HP 1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
  • Rhodia.
  • G Lalo 'Verge de France' white.
  • G Lalo 'Verge de France' bleu: only the *Skyliner, 45 & Safari.
  • Pulp: one-a-day cartoon calendar page - only the 78G.
  • Glossy Paper.

NOTES:

  • I use only papers, pens & nibs that are readily available, not too pricey and 'stock' - not customised.
    • If some pens/nibs are not currently produced, I'll use them if there are NOS or restored pieces readily available at OK prices.
    • As appropriate, I'll include an implement outside of those guidelines, which will be ID-ed as a *Dealer's Choice.

    [*]Figures were produced on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.

    • Originals scanned at 150 dpi & 24 bit colour to produce .jpg files.
    • The image was not adjusted other than cropping and straightening using iPhoto on a MacBook.

EDIT - Expletives deleted.

 

-30-



Edited by Sandy1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I've been around this joint for neigh on 3 years, and I can't remember ever seeing such an extensive ink review. Sandy1, you are a machine!

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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I have a bottle of the original Slow-dry P.R. Midnight Blue. Courtesy of Green Velvet ( thanks! ). Color looks the same, it's just not as well behaved. Thanks for the extra thorough review!

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

 

Do you use the bullet proof black?

"It ain't so much what people don't know that hurts as what they know that ain't so."

-Artemus Ward

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I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

 

Do you use the bullet proof black?

 

Yes, Noodler's Black (the standard black, the bulletproof black).

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

My fav blue is still the Platinum BlueBlack from you but, without a doubt, Sandy's reviews are amazing.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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Finally a review, and a superb one at that. I will be picking this one up ASAP.

Hi,

Glad you liked the Review.

As you can tell from the Review, I consider this to be a good solid dark blue, with just enough personality to make it interesting.

I did want to mention, if you're in an ink-buying mood, to also take a look at the Review I did of the Dupont Royal Blue (indexed under 'Dupont Blue'). Just to make your life a bit more interesting

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I've been around this joint for neigh on 3 years, and I can't remember ever seeing such an extensive ink review. Sandy1, you are a machine!

Oh - you should've seen the review of the Quink Red 'as posted'. Now that was OTT. And this one didn't even have the peekaboo close-ups.

I'm not a machine, just a lady with ink in my blood.

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

Hi,

So nice that you like the Review. It is one rrrreally nice ink.

And erhmm, I really don't know how to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: No Black FP ink in my shack. (A little too much sharing perhaps.)

:embarrassed_smile:

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I have a bottle of the original Slow-dry P.R. Midnight Blue. Courtesy of Green Velvet ( thanks! ). Color looks the same, it's just not as well behaved. Thanks for the extra thorough review!

Hi,

You're welcome!

 

Thanks for chiming in about the slow-dry. I'm glad they didn't mangle the colour in the reformulation.

 

PR has some other ink that may be reformulated as fast-dry. I think that would be a boon for the left handed over-writers. And those amogst us who can't twiddle our thumbs waiting for ink to dry. If it's not dry during the time it takes to have a sip of java, it's a bottleneck.

 

OBTW - as the colours are the same, perhaps you could mix the fast-dry with the slow-dry to speed things along. (?)

 

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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Very nice and complete review. I have the old slow dry version and I don't use it much because I have to be very careful being left-handed in using it. I have always liked the deep blue color but have just about given up on it because of the smearing. I might give this one a try though if I can find it.

PMS

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

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

Hi,

So nice that you like the Review. It is one rrrreally nice ink.

And erhmm, I really don't know how to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: No Black FP ink in my shack. (A little too much sharing perhaps.)

:embarrassed_smile:

Bye,

S1

 

Oh that's right. You don't like black inks. I love black inks, the variations. It's subtle, like shadows, like a movement detected from a corner of your eye. I like blues and other colors, too. Particularly.

 

But I really love the PR Midnight Blues, and I add the Noodler's Black to boost the water-resistance; otherwise, it's perfect as far as dark blue goes.

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

Hi,

So nice that you like the Review. It is one rrrreally nice ink.

And erhmm, I really don't know how to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: No Black FP ink in my shack. (A little too much sharing perhaps.)

:embarrassed_smile:

Bye,

S1

 

Oh that's right. You don't like black inks. I love black inks, the variations. It's subtle, like shadows, like a movement detected from a corner of your eye. I like blues and other colors, too. Particularly.

 

But I really love the PR Midnight Blues, and I add the Noodler's Black to boost the water-resistance; otherwise, it's perfect as far as dark blue goes.

Hi,

 

Hmm. Boosting the water resistance, but still keeping the essentials.

:hmm1:

Well, as the Wet Tests showed, there is a component in the ink that remains on the paper after Soapy Soak and Splatter. So, can the component/s in the ink that are water soluble be 'fixed'?

 

My own experiments had iffy results when trying to 'waterproof' an ink by adding a waterproof/resistant ink, such as the Noodler's Bullet Proofs, Sailor nano BlBk, and i-g inks. There was still lots of unbound pigment/dye.

 

So, how about the Pelikan BlBk?

Or the R&K Salix?

Even the Pilot Blue (bottle) might show promise.

 

But not Black - eeewe. Makes me want to sneeze!

:sick:

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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Very nice and complete review. I have the old slow dry version and I don't use it much because I have to be very careful being left-handed in using it. I have always liked the deep blue color but have just about given up on it because of the smearing. I might give this one a try though if I can find it.

PMS

Hi,

 

I really think this ink is worth pursuing, especially if the not-so-fast drying version didn't dry fast enough to be practical.

 

It seems to me that Private Reserve is really onto something when they can reformulate an ink to speed the drying, yet keep the same colour and the good features of the prior ink.

 

And I didn't detect any problems in use: the feed and nib stayed 'willing'; and the ink on the nib stayed wet : just touch the paper and that's when the line starts - no 'hang time' while fresh ink is called upon.

 

I would like to know how this ink compares to the slow-to-dry formulation.

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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This is a fantastic review of my favorite blue ink! Well done, Sandy1!

 

I boost my PR MB with a dash of Noodler's Black, which bumps up the black just a skosh.

Hi,

So nice that you like the Review. It is one rrrreally nice ink.

And erhmm, I really don't know how to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: No Black FP ink in my shack. (A little too much sharing perhaps.)

:embarrassed_smile:

Bye,

S1

 

Oh that's right. You don't like black inks. I love black inks, the variations. It's subtle, like shadows, like a movement detected from a corner of your eye. I like blues and other colors, too. Particularly.

 

But I really love the PR Midnight Blues, and I add the Noodler's Black to boost the water-resistance; otherwise, it's perfect as far as dark blue goes.

Hi,

 

Hmm. Boosting the water resistance, but still keeping the essentials.

:hmm1:

Well, as the Wet Tests showed, there is a component in the ink that remains on the paper after Soapy Soak and Splatter. So, can the component/s in the ink that are water soluble be 'fixed'?

 

My own experiments had iffy results when trying to 'waterproof' an ink by adding a waterproof/resistant ink, such as the Noodler's Bullet Proofs, Sailor nano BlBk, and i-g inks. There was still lots of unbound pigment/dye.

 

So, how about the Pelikan BlBk?

Or the R&K Salix?

Even the Pilot Blue (bottle) might show promise.

 

But not Black - eeewe. Makes me want to sneeze!

:sick:

 

Bye,

S1

 

Hi,

 

I tried a quick mix with the Pelikan BlBk. It made the ink darker, as expected, but didn't reduce the amount of soluble dye.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/INK536.jpg

 

Then I tried Noodlers Whiteness of the Whale, but threw a precipitate. Bah! So it was a good thing I was wearing proper safety gear for mixing - that precipitate was totally unexpected. Yikes!! I wonder if it has to do with the 'Fast Dry' formulation, or if it just doesn't like that ink, or all Noodler's BPs??

 

Bye,

S1

Edited by Sandy1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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CAUTION-WARNING-CAUTION-WARNING-CAUTION-WARNING-CAUTION -WARNING

 

Hello,

 

I found that mixing this ink with Noodler's 'Whiteness of the Whale' created a precipitate.

 

I do not know if this caution should be extended to other Noodler's Bulletproof inks.

But please be aware of this identified risk, and mix with due diligence.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I took this snapshot this morning, didn't adjust it at all. I think it looks about right (the paper is whiter, but the paper is still on my desk at home).

 

I swabbed with Q-Tips, obviously went over the first swatch on the left (where the PRMB is darkest). I wanted to see how the NB boost affected the color. It's a skosh blacker, but hardly noticeable.

 

I'll run water over the swatches later, test for water-resistance.

 

Note: This is not the Fast-Dry PRMB but the regular PRMB.

 

Also, I'd guess the ratio of PRMB:NB is 20:1. I didn't take measurements, cos I'm a lousy scientist. Heh.

 

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_yfW7l9SmjkY/TCD7H-1RtAI/AAAAAAAAAT8/rFVV4VCXKpg/s800/IMG_3640.JPG

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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Hmmm. From the picture this looks about the same as Noodler's Midnight Blue. If anyone has both inks, would you care to share thoughts on how similar/different they are?

--Lyssa

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