Scan of six blue inks

[Eastward313]

I'm looking for a nice blue black ink (long story, see my thread). So, I've got several samples of blue inks floating around my desk. This started off as just a color swab sample for myself, so please excuse the messiness - thought this might be of use to someone. I squirted a couple of drops of each ink from a syringe onto the page and spread it around with some packing peanuts from my just arrived Midnight Blue . I saw from the ink review index that there were no samples of PR Sonic Blue or Noodler's Navy linked to.

 

Oh, almost forgot. The list of inks:

Noodler's Navy (Near-bulletproof)

Private Reserve Sonic Blue (I swabbed in samples of Prussian Blue and Midnight blue just so I could get a side by side of these three.)

Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue

Diamine Prussian Blue

Noodler's Blue-Black

PR Midnight Blue(s) (is it Blue or Blues?)

 

http://davidmigl.smugmug.com/photos/114903183-L.jpg

 

Link to the full-resolution original (3MB): http://davidmigl.smugmug.com/photos/114903183-O.jpg

 

Color corrected to match what I see.

 

Noodler's Navy was true to what I've heard - it leaned heavily toward a teal color. I would not think it was "navy" from just seeing it. Noodler's Blue-black also was somewhat more "tealish" than the other blues. Some have speculated that the cellulose reactive dyes needed for a Noodler's ink to be bulletproof prevent a "true blue" from being achieved. Such is only a guess, though, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

PR Sonic Blue and DI Prussian Blue were very very similar - Sonic Blue was a little darker and chalk bluer. Midnight Blue(s) (which one is it?) was more blue than either - it makes the two look like they have a hint of teal, although you would never think "teal" just by looking at them. I like the calm, laid back, deepish blue tone of these two - my preference as far as color currently goes to Sonic Blue by just a bit.

 

What can I say about DC Supershow blue that hasn't been said before? Saturated, vibrant, lively blue!

 

Thanks for looking,

David Migl

Edited December 5, 2006 by davidmigl

[Viseguy]

I have (or have had) all of these inks except Sonic Blue, and your scan looks quite accurate to me. Artistic, too! Maybe the original will end up at Sotheby's some day.

[fjf]

Interesting!. The navy looks like a greenish turquoise, and I didn't expect it to be so close to the noddlers blue-black. Have you tested the navy's waterproofness?. I ask you because there is some controversy about it around here; some people say it washes out completely.

 

Regards.

[FLZapped]

I have both Noodlers Navy and B-B...honestly, I cannot tell them apart with the written word. They are only slightly different than Legal Lapis, which is a bit duller, just a bit.

 

-Bruce

[sonia_simone]

Cool swatches!

 

I like the look of Noodler's Blue Black more than I would have expected. I like a good bit of green in a blue-black, contrary to what most people seem to like.

[london]

Cool swatches!

 

I like the look of Noodler's Blue Black more than I would have expected. I like a good bit of green in a blue-black, contrary to what most people seem to like.

I was just thinking that earlier. I was writing in a pad I haven't used in a while with a Parker 21 filled with Waterman Blue-Black (been sat in the pen a week)

 

I thought how pretty the colour and line was of my previous entry. Alas, I have no note of which pen it was and what colour. I'm sure it was the same WB Blue-Black, but it had a good green tint compared to the new writing sample that was very true dark blue.

 

I have a feeling I was using my (sadly dropped and now broken) Eversharp Skyline.

 

- Mark

 

And. Yes, cool swatches too. I like the messy freeform stuff, nice change from the norm. I intend shortly to start a journal for pens and ink, where I do just mess about and don't treat it too preciously.

[BobR]

Thanks for the scan, especially the large resolution. I had been wondering what Sonic Blue actually looked like as I could find no scan on FPN up to now. It is so similar to Prussian Blue. The big surprise for me is the PR Midnight Blues, I might have to treat myself to a bottle of that beautiful blue, I expected it to be darker, like Noodler's Midnight Blue (singular!).

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Interesting!.  The navy looks like a greenish turquoise, and I didn't expect it to be so close to the noddlers blue-black.  Have you tested the navy's waterproofness?.  I ask you because there is some controversy about it around here; some people say it washes out completely.

Noodler's Navy Blue is now called "near bulletproof." I've tested it and while the blue component goes away there's still some black left after soaking in water for some hours. So it's a mixture of a blue and some Noodler's Black, which is bulletproof.

 

Noodler's Navy Blue is a variant of blue/black ink. On the page it looks much bluer than Noodler's Blue/Black ink does.

 

There's a lot more green in the sample above than I see when I write with Navy Blue. The Noodler's Blue/Black is about as green as the above sample though. I consider Noodler's Blue/Black a classic looking blue/black ink similar to the Skrip Blue/Black of my youth. Navy Blue looks like a very dark blue to me.

[FLZapped]

Interesting!.  The navy looks like a greenish turquoise, and I didn't expect it to be so close to the noddlers blue-black.  Have you tested the navy's waterproofness?.  I ask you because there is some controversy about it around here; some people say it washes out completely.

Noodler's Navy Blue is now called "near bulletproof." I've tested it and while the blue component goes away there's still some black left after soaking in water for some hours. So it's a mixture of a blue and some Noodler's Black, which is bulletproof.

 

Noodler's Navy Blue is a variant of blue/black ink. On the page it looks much bluer than Noodler's Blue/Black ink does.

 

There's a lot more green in the sample above than I see when I write with Navy Blue. The Noodler's Blue/Black is about as green as the above sample though. I consider Noodler's Blue/Black a classic looking blue/black ink similar to the Skrip Blue/Black of my youth. Navy Blue looks like a very dark blue to me.

It does???? Wonder if someone put the wrong ink in one of my bottles. I can't tell the difference between Navy and BB with written text.

 

-Bruce

[Viseguy]

I can't tell the difference between Navy and BB with written text.

A lot depends on the nib and the paper, of course. But, IME, B-B is much closer to black than Navy is. In fact, B-B can be almost indistinguishable from black, whereas Navy is easily distinguishable from black. (Your experience may be different.) Navy is sort of a turquoise-y darkish blue. If you mix it 1:1 with La Couleur Royale, you get a nifty deep dark blue, not quite as dark as Midnight Blue, and without the greenish cast.

[Viseguy]

Cool swatches!

How'd he make 'em, I wonder? David?

[Arkanabar]

I squirted a couple of drops of each ink from a syringe onto the page and spread it around with some packing peanuts from my just arrived Midnight Blue .

Here you go, Vise Guy:

[Viseguy]

I squirted a couple of drops of each ink from a syringe onto the page and spread it around with some packing peanuts from my just arrived Midnight Blue .

Here you go, Vise Guy:

Aha! I'd missed that. Thanks!