Waterman FB wasn't doing that great in my 61 (it is a very old bottle and quite low on ink - time for a new one as the dregs in this bottle seem a bit, well, syrupy!) so I hunted down some Washable Blue. Gave the 61 a couple day soak, flush, flick/wick routine, nice and clean. Filled it with washable blue and, to be really honest, I was underwhelmed. Understand that my 61 has a true EF nib so it is not a gusher although it is pretty wet for such a fine nib. I've also been using PR American Blue and PR Midnight Blues in my "51"s, and a variety of either Waterman Florida Blue, South Seas Blue or Green in everything else, so I've been used to some pretty saturated colors.

From reviews I knew it wasn't going to jump off the page at me - but it sure does dry to a very pale color ... I'm not dissatisfied really, but definitely it is going to take a little getting used to as this ink was bought almost exclusively so I can use it in the 61...

That doesn't sound right at all. Washable Blue is no Levenger Cobalt, but I would never describe it as "very pale." Is it possible there's some water left in the pen? It takes a little while for a 61 to clear itself, so to speak. By the time you get through your third fill of Washable Blue, you should be getting a true color rather than something washed out.

I think that Bill is right, sounds like it is watered down to me, may take a couple of fills to get it all out.

When I got my first capillary 61 off fleabay, I flushed that beast for about a week before I tried it with Washable Blue, not only did it come out a bit watery for a while, but after a day or two it turned blue/black as it was still dissolving, the black ink that had dried out in it.

It is fine now, but I do leave it to dry out for about a week these days after I have flushed it.

Jim

Although I've yet to own a '61' with capillary filler, in my experience Diamine inks clean out so easily from FPs that I don't think using them in a capillary filler would be of any risk.

Just my 0.02 eurocents.

Washable Blue can also look faint if you have a fine nib and a dry-writing pen (I have two pens like this at the moment). But yeah, excess water will make it really faint...

I was thinking exactly the same. Its getting watered down.

- Mark

Thanks for the input! I let it dry for only a day after doing all the flicking I could and put it nib down with a paper towel to try to wick it away - no centrifuge or salad spinner (yet - the salad spinner definitely looks like something I'm adding on the horizon!). I suspect you're right as I gave it a really good flushing and soaking over several days. I don't think it is dry writing - the nib was worked on by one of our own to improve the flow and my initial fill with FB was quite nicely wet (for an EF nib at least).

I will persevere and report back when I've had a couple good fills.

Edited to add: Heck it's already darkening some as I've used it today ... I really understand why they had those centrifuges as it is a lot harder to get the water out of these pens than I thought...