What ink to get? I really want a business/work suitable ink however I want a bit of flare. I have Noodlers Walnut and Noodlers Zhivago which fit this category well however they don't offer enough flare in my Fine nibs (which I tend to use most now).

I heard possibly Noodlers Blue-Black could possibly fit this criteria? Any opinions?

Any suggestions would be helpful (I tend towards Blacks but will consider anything).


TIA

Hi zxc,

if you want flare, I would try Noodler's Cayenne, or maybe PR Spearmint, or Swisher Maroon, or Swisher Intense Red, or even Noodler's Ottoman Rose. They work well in my fine nibs, and they really stand out.

Or did you mean flair?

Warm regards, Wim

I guess flare was the wrong word...a really really bad choice of words.

I want a conservative ink with a little bit extra...a little more oomph

I think Noodlers Zhivago and Walnut are good examples of this but they're not so compatible with a Fine nib.

Just curious ZXC, why is Noodler's Walnut not good with a fine nib? I was thinking about getting a bottle for use in my Duofold needle point nib. Guess I'd better re-think that. Is it the flow?

As far as the "business" ink you are looking for, how about Aurora Black? It flow's great and has a great professional look.

Mescoff

Hi zxc,

What about J. Herbin Café des Îles, a very rich dark, dark brown ink? Or MB Seasons's Greetings if you can still get it (a dark chocolate brown, with licorice smell )?

Just some ideas .

Warm regards, Wim

Wow, you really have to watch your spelling around here! Wim, you're turning me into a homonymophobe -- and I'm really quite broad-minded. Though I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain - yet. I'm also fine-minded and medium-minded, and stub-minded!

Anyway, to get to zxc's question... business-like, but with a little oomph -- one word: Noodler's Legal Lapis. Actually, that's three words, but you get the idea. It's unique, it's inimitable, it'll be noticed as unusual or individualistic or what-have-you -- but no one could ever fault it for being unbusinesslike. If you want something a tick more traditional (but still "eternal"), do the "Lapindigo" mix: equal parts Legal Lapis and Iraqi Indigo. It has more oomph than Blue-Black, IMHO. A certain je ne sais quoi, and plenty of savoir (af)faire. /:)

Oops...I have to admit I haven't actually tried Noodler's Walnut in a Fine only an Extra Fine.

I would wholeheartedly reccomend Noodler's Walnut as an ink however in a finer nib it does appear nearer to Black than in say a medium nib. Flow etc is fine.

I also have Aurora Black and love it. I just want something a little bit different than plain Black, Blue-Black or Blue.



Great idea! I'd totally forgotten about that :doh:

It is a really interesting colour I've wanted to try for ages!

Another possible ink is Noodler's Nightshade. It is supposed to be a very dark Burgundy, but is rather a dark Burgundy-Brown. It is clearly not black and is distinctive, and quite usable in a business environment. Because of it's darkness, it is well suited for fine nibs.

Noodler's Blue-Black came out well from my Lamy Safari extra fine, with shading too.

I switched N's B-B to my Cross ATX medium for smoother writing and improved penmanship. The ATX is wetter, which reduces the shading effect a bit and makes the color a bit darker. I now like N's B-B both ways.

It's much cheaper than Legal Lapis, but not as waterproof. Blue-Black's blue dye washes away while the black dye does stay; Noodler's doesn't guarantee B-B to be "bulletproof." If you want bulletproof, go with Legal Lapis, or "Lapindigo" (which of course requires buying two bottles at the higher price each).

I know that Legal Lapis and Iraqi Indigo are both exclusive to Pendemonium, a store in the USA.

I just noticed that N's B-B is not listed at either The Writing Desk or The Fountain Pen Ink Shop, the two UK Noodler's retailers I know of . Hmm, that might put a crimp on all of my suggestions.

Another vote here for Noodler's Blue Black.

I rarely use a nib that is finer than a medium, but when I do I am either proofreading (in that case my instrument of torture is a Sheaffer Imperial Cadmium Yellow equipped with my own mixture of Montblanc red and Sheaffer King's Gold) or my lovely Aurora 1888 LE with Noodler's Blue Black. It is an excellent ink with vintage look and lots of variation for a very dark ink.

I knew LL was only in the USA currently but I didn't know Blue-Black was...that's a shame. I might make an order through Pendemonium at a later date though shipping from America is always hassle.

I wonder if a UK retailer could be talked into ordering Noodler's Blue-Black for you (specially? in the next restocking order?), or even talked into stocking it regularly.

Diamine, one of your compatriots, is at a good price point (price per unit measure, that is). How about Diamine Blue-Black, Indigo or Prussian Blue? I've seen DPB on paper from a 0.6mm stub (a note from KCat with the paper pads I bought), and it had nice, subtle shading.

Diamine Registrar would shade nicely and be bulletproof too, but it's an iron gall ink, and I've heard conflicting opinions about the long-term effect of iron gall on fountain pens (some washable/stain-removable inks are reported to be least as acidic).

Wild brainstorm: could Diamine convince a pen maker to put a glass or ceramic nib on a metal-free fountain pen, and market the pen and the Registrar ink together ?

For those long, boring meetings, I like the MB, Sheaffer, or Pelikan Blue-Blacks. Those inks change color as they dry which adds a whole new dimension to the doodling I do to remain conscious...

"Wow, he's really into the ISO9001 specs. Look at all the notes he's taking..."


Tom

PR Sherwood looks nice out of a fine, as it is darkened. Lighter than Zhivago, but not "gaudy."

Another suggestion finally just occurred to me.

Mix your own blue-black.
Just call me "Mr. Speedy Bright" :doh: .

I don't know about the dye component(s) of any other B-Bs, but Noodler's B-B is a two-dye mix, just one of N's washable blues (I don't know which one) and N's Eternal Black.

There is a Pelikan-based, blue-black recipe in the opening message of this forum's pinned thread for ink-mix recipes.

Every brand's B-B is different, so why not make one to suit your taste exactly?

Thanks for the suggestions guys (especially GoodWhiskers )

I actually have Diamine Prussian Blue though I don't really like it all that much. I think I'm going to go for Diamine Grey as this looks like a nice work ink and possibly a mixing kit so I can use all my unused inks .

As regards to getting a UK distributor to ship the inks specially, I wouldn't bother. If I look in the right places I can get the inks for the same price including shipping from the US (apart from things like LL which have exclusivity etc) so I'd probably just do that. I've never actually ordered from the UK yet (but have 6+ Noodler's Bottles) but prefer UK speed...very impatient, need ink ASAP .