Noodler's Air-corp Blue-black

[rsq001]

Interesting ink color.

[saintsimon]

It works in my ultra-dry Stipula Suprema SE, so I have to like it.

[wykeite]

I love this ink along with Legal Lapis. Both great Blue blacks (bring on the pedants )

 

I've diluted this 50/50 with water and all it loses is some of it's lubricity, when I get an empty pen I am going to add a little glycerine and see how it performs.

 

Out of the bottle..........I love it.

 

Why AirCorp though? The RAF in WW2 used different inks in their log books to differentiate between night and day ops, green and red I think. Which also accounts for the caterpillars eyes .

Edited December 10, 2010 by wykeite

[saskia_madding]

How does this compare to Squetegue?

[psfred]

I find that it runs somewhat darker in my pens that the above photograph, more a bluish black that a blackish blue.

 

Squeteague is lighter and has no obvious black component (also isn't nearly as water resistant!) and won't be mistaken for AirCorps.

 

I find that it's really a cyan ink, very similar to Navajo Turquoise, mixed with bulletproof black. It only appears greenish to me alongside a purplish blue.

 

If you don't like the greenish color, get some Noodler's Blue black, or add a tiny bit or red ink -- this will move the blue color toward "true" blue and away from cyan.

 

Peter

[saskia_madding]

In all the pens I've used Squetegue in, it seems an almost black teal based colour, very similar to how the review looks. I checked the Goulet swab shop and it was extremely similar to the Air Corps there too.

[ThirdeYe]

Another comparison request... how does it compare to Zhivago? I know Zhivago is a dark green/black. I just ordered a bottle of the Zhivago and now I'm looking for a dark blue/black. If this is too green, I might pass and opt for the regular blue-black.

[Geoff V]

An interesting review, thank you.

 

I was surprised at your observation with regard to thew water resistance qualities of ACBB. Noodlers lists it as semi-bulletproof. Have you tested it's resistance to water and other 'hostile elements'? I'd love to know what results you obtain.

 

psfred - The flow of the pen is crucial with this Noodlers ink (Red-Black and Midnight Blue are similar in this respect). I prefer it dark, so I put it in a pen with a heavy flow. Paper is also crucial in this respect.

[UkeDan]

I'm happy this is reviewed: it's my favourite everyday work ink. I absolutely love it (mainly because I don't like traditional blue-blacks - especially modern Quink - and even worse, blacks). This is my go-to ink and it behaves well in all my pens, dry writers to wet ones, old and new.

 

When it's soaked (on paper), there's a sort of blue tint that washes away and a jet black remains, hence it's near bulletproof qualification. That's sufficient for me.

 

It's green-black quality differentiates it front the rest, makes it stand out.

Edited January 7, 2011 by UkeDan

[zwingtip]

Another comparison request... how does it compare to Zhivago? I know Zhivago is a dark green/black. I just ordered a bottle of the Zhivago and now I'm looking for a dark blue/black. If this is too green, I might pass and opt for the regular blue-black.

 

Not the OP, but in my experience, Aircorp is nothing like Zhivago. Aircorp has a very strongly visible turquoise component while Zhivago is just really dark green black. Then again, to my eye Aircorp only shows green tinges on certain paper.

[Mille]

I like Aircorps more than Prime of Commons because it does not have the green tone. Also it does not dry out as quickly over the night, and not even the weekend, in my P51 desk set. Unfortunately it is waterproof, for me, as I wanted it easily soluable in case of an accident at work.

[inky]

Thanks for the review, I had forgotten how much I liked this ink.

[Thornton]

It's not my favorite color, but it is extremely reliable and low maintenance, especially for a near-bulletproof ink. It's a great ink for someone's first foray into Noodler's.

[WendyNC]

Okay, one more I have to get. I've been wondering about this one. Thanks for the review.

[Robert Alan]

Another comparison request... how does it compare to Zhivago? I know Zhivago is a dark green/black. I just ordered a bottle of the Zhivago and now I'm looking for a dark blue/black. If this is too green, I might pass and opt for the regular blue-black.

 

I love Zhivago and I consider it to be a "black-green" color. Air Corps, to my eyes, is much more in the blue-black range. Call it greenish blue-black, I guess. It has a vintage-look to it. Noodler's blue-black is, pretty much, a definitive, deep blue-black, but, really, a black-blue, and one of my favorites.. I have a collection of blue-black inks and most are more blue than black. I tend to prefer those that are more on the black side.

/Robert

[WriterofGreatWorks]

This ink is very similar to Private Reserve Ebony Blue. I love them both!

[WendyNC]

This ink is very similar to Private Reserve Ebony Blue. I love them both!

 

Yep. To my eye, it's dark bluish green, emphasis on the green. I have found it to be a very well-behaved ink. I've been using it in a fairly wet stub and have been surprised at the range of papers on which it doesn't feather.

[floydee1]

In my job I prefer mostly inks on the black side, but if I want to stray towards a blue ink, Aircorp is as blue as I get when going about my professional business - it is visibly blue/black in my manifold f nib (Wahl Skyline) and for me its more green/black in a medium nib (Waterman Hemisphere).

 

It can pass as a black, even though it IS blue. I love the colour and also that I can get away with it at work.

 

F

[blackfox]

Interesting ink color.

IMVHO it's rather green-black than blue-black.

[lapis]

Much too green for me too. Legal Lapis is also too green IMO but less green. I wish they wouldn't call so many inks "blue" or "blue-black" without at least dropping a hint in the name somehow that there is a definite green component.

 

Mike