I ended up with a jar or Florida Blue and everything was as expected.

Now I have a hankering for something that looks a little more classic on paper, along the lines of a blue/black or a deep brown. Trouble is I don't seem to get much shading with my finer nibs (the Pel fine and the Aurora medium are almost the same) and the Sheaffer blue/black I tried ended up looking mostly like a washed out black. I tried some of that ink because the Sheaffer is supposed to be a little thinner, but my nibs are thin and wet enough to counteract that I guess. I am wondering if inks like Noodler's Eternal Brown or Legal Lapis are going to give me any shading with my pens. I don't like to use real medium of broad nibs because I write so small, though I may be getting one or Richard's 0.6mm stubs soon.

I guess what I am looking for a an ink that will give me a good vintage look from a skinny, wet nib.

Noodler's Blue-Black, with its two dyes (washable blue and cellulose-reactive black -- such mixed-power colors are carefully not guaranteed "fraudproof," but after a brief plain-water test the black component stays), did a little shading from my Lamy Safari EF and also does it now from my Cross ATX Medium. The shading of N's B-B from both pens is just right for me, not wild. The color and the shading say, "This is handwritten," with understated harmony. OK, I'm sounding like a wannabe oenophile .

I thought N's B-B would photocopy (black and white) as gray, but at the default contrast setting at my workplace it comes out as as if it had been Bic ballpoint black.

I like N's LL from afar. Maybe it will be the eventual replacement for my still-almost-full bottle of N's B-B. Can any lovers of N's LL tell us how it looks in a black-and-white photocopy at a copier's default contrast setting?

Classic brown? Lots of choices! From Pendemonium's digital samples, N's Eternal Brown looks like it doesn't shade at all, while N's Legal Lapis looks like it does shade. I haven't tried this, but hypothetically speaking I might like N's EB were blended with N's LL and just a touch of N's (or other brand's) washable, standard green.

Noodler's Blue Black is fantastic, and IMO it provides lots of interesting shades even in fine nibs. I used for the first time in my Aurora 1888 with medium nib, that writes more like a dry fine, and I really enjoyed the result. It just does not compare with Waterman's or Sheaffer's Blue Black, they are just washed out.

Noodler's Brown is also an excellent ink that, I think, will give you the result you are looking for.

Two votes for Noodler's stuff so far.

That is the kind of info I wanted to hear, that there are good inks that provide just enough shading, even in a fine nib, to look vintage and hand-written. This will be a good contrast to my very opaque black and opaque blue inks, they ar every bold on paper and I love them for forms and such, but hey I am a sucker for a vintage look now and then.

Keep the ideas coming, that is what this forum is great at.

I used to be a fan of Private Reserve Copper Burst, and suspect that I still do like it, but lately, Diamine Dark Brown and Noodler's Kiowa Pecan have surpassed it. Either of those in a needlepoint nib gives pretty lines, and the Kiowa Pecan gives subtle shading with wider nibs.

Pelikan B/B would be my vote for "Vintage-y" shading blue-black...

It changes color as you watch it dry...

For brown inks:
Pelikan Brilliant Brown
J. Herbin Lie de The & Cacao du Bresil
Diamine Sepia & Dark Brown
Noodler's Beaver, Kiowa Pecan, Standard Brown
Private Reserve Copperburst

They look different on different width nibs and on different papers.
I love the look of a brown ink on ivory-colored paper.

Other very nice browns are Herbin Café des Îsles, and the MB scented Season's Greetings ink (supposed to smell of chocolate, but honestly, it is licorice ), Noodler's Red Black, Visconti Sepia, Waterman Havana, MB Sepia and Noodler's Cocoa.

Warm regards, Wim

Okay, these are the browns that the local shop carries (Daly's www.dalyspenshop.com, very nice):

Private Reserve Copper Burst
Sheaffer Skrip Brown
Waterman Havanna Brown

Priced $6-8, no shipping (small gas expenditure)

My first choice would be Noodler's, but it is more expensive and by the time I pay shipping I'm getting close to twice the price. I think I'll start with one of the three I can get locally.

All three colors have devoted writers.

PR Copper Burst, from what I've read here and seen digitally, is on the reddish side, living up to its name. It's probably the most saturated of the three.

Skrip Brown, from my experience at a pen counter, seems to have the least red of the three, and it gives shading (which probably means it's on the less-saturated side).

Waterman Havana Brown is probably between the two in redness and saturation.

I don't know if you've tried any of the shop's colors yet, or if the shop allows it for lower-sales-volume colors. If you haven't yet but they allow it, take your own paper samples there to test the ink on (a piece of newsprint, your personal stationery or journal, the type of paper you write or mark on the most often at work, etc.).

Enjoy!

I am currently mixing Havana Brown + Copper Burst!

For a closer look click here.

Thanks, Bryan!

I might enjoy N's Eternal Brown mixed with some N's Black as suggested a year ago by 'tburke0' and/or N's Legal Lapis in order to darken it, counterbalance the redness and keep the result entirely cellulose-reactive and consistent in behavior on paper.

I just ordered a bottle of Noodler's Walnut because it's cheaper and I don't need 100% cellulose reactivity for brown ink.

Your excellent multi-brand, multi-color tests showed that N's Walnut does have a bit of N's Black. Noodler's doesn't guarantee bulletproofness for mixed-power colors, but your test and my own quick test of N's Blue-Black showed at least temporary tenaciousness by the black component in mixed-power colors.

Noodler's Walnut is also an excellant choice. It does loose the brown color when submerged in water over night, but the black remains.

If I would have had a pen inked with this color I would have included it in my recommendation. It's a very nice ink.

Bryan

OK, now that I've seen more samples while posting in a different thread, I have changed my mind. Waterman Havana Brown is less red to me than Sheaffer Skrip Brown is.