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Noir Et Bleu - Franklin - Christoph


visvamitra

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Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you :)



http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg



Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and their designs.



Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid.



I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion.



If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know.



The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names)



  1. Blue 72
  2. Brown 732
  3. Classic Black
  4. Dark Chocolate
  5. Emerald 357
  6. Midnight Emerald
  7. Noir et Bleu
  8. Red 187

Noir et Bleu is supposed to be blue black but it leans strongly toward purple. I guess it may be considered as a nice nuance however I find the color flat and boring. It has no panache.




Ink splash




http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3104/IDzJ94.jpg



Drops of ink on kitchen towel



http://imageshack.com/a/img537/6899/7ONzVX.jpg



Waterproofness



http://imageshack.com/a/img913/1638/2qRppW.jpg



Software ID



http://imageshack.com/a/img540/5096/FHBYRg.jpg



Oxford, Kaweco Sport Classic, B



http://imageshack.com/a/img540/5044/CVyHF3.jpg



http://imageshack.com/a/img537/8211/S0ZvHu.jpg



http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4475/EnlvuC.jpg



Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B




http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5796/AQbGHD.jpg




http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8880/KDEwuD.jpg




http://imageshack.com/a/img909/979/CAH5dx.jpg



Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9




http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4968/3hnmjY.jpg

Edited by TheGreatRoe
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I kind of like it. I dig somber, dark colors. Thank you, as always.

 

There actually aren't too many blue blacks that lean purple. Most lean gray or teal.

Edited by J85909266

Fountain pens forever and forever a hundred years fountain pens, all day long forever, forever a hundred times, over and over Fountain Pen Network Adventures dot com!

 

- Joe

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Reminds me of old MBMB . . . :)

 

I so need a lottery win, one more on the list. Visvamitra, thank you (I think)

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Thanks for posting this review, I haven't tried any FC inks yet, though.

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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Hm... I think I'd like it better with more blue. When I use a black ink, I like a saturated black. I use blue-black to differentiate notes that I write (also, other colors), and this one wouldn't be different enough for me.

 

But another great review. Dziękuję!

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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I like this one, especially in the 1.9 stub and on cream paper. Still too expensive to buy in Australia though. Thanks for the review.

Edited by Venator
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I have this ink and find it interesting. It leans purple for sure, which differentiates it from my many other blue black inks. It also is one of the least water resistant inks I have--even a slight spill and there's trouble. I've only put it in one of my pens, a wet 1.1mm stub, and I found it very dry. So I like its somewhat unique color (at least unique among the inks I have), but wish that it were wetter, or more lubricated, and that it would have at least a touch of water resistance.

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A little reminiscent of Iro Shin-kai.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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I keep coming back to this one. I actually like it. How does it do with feathering on low quality Xerox paper?

Fountain pens forever and forever a hundred years fountain pens, all day long forever, forever a hundred times, over and over Fountain Pen Network Adventures dot com!

 

- Joe

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  • 1 month later...

Has anyone else noticed a strong odor from this ink? It's not stinky, but when I uncap my pen there is a distinct smell from the ink. It's not noticeable on paper though.

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  • 1 year later...

I actually like this color, because it has the purple tone to it. Somebody sent it to me as a sample, and I fell completely in love with it.

 

When I got my F-C pen, a bottle of this went in the order, along with the Tenebris Purpuratum. I might get some of the Dark Chocolate and Terra Firma as well.

 

And I don't as a rule like many brown inks.

 

Sure, the colors are rather restrained in this new F-C line, but when you're doing extended writing, sedate colors are actually preferable for reducing eye-strain. I love iro Kon-Peki to death (I know that's anathema to you), but my eyes get tired from looking at it after only a few paragraphs. With less assertive colors, I find that I can write pages without taking a break at all. So Noir et Bleu and its cousins in the F-C line remind me of the less assertive J Herbin colors in that regard, like Bleu Nuit, Lie de The or Poussiere de Lune.

Edited by Aquaria
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Has anyone else noticed a strong odor from this ink? It's not stinky, but when I uncap my pen there is a distinct smell from the ink. It's not noticeable on paper though.

Not uncommon.

 

Another ink brand with a strong odor is Sailor ink.

 

Some love the strong smell of certain inks, others do not, however, after a pen is filled with ink, one usually doesn't smell it outside of opening the bottle. Still, a wet nibbed pen can carry the smell when the pen is uncapped. I hope the olfactory experience doesn't deter you from some wonderful inks.

Edited by haruka337

Ink, a drug.

― Vladimir Nabokov, Bend Sinister

Instagram:
a.transient.life

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I actually like this color, because it has the purple tone to it. Somebody sent it to me as a sample, and I fell completely in love with it.

 

When I got my F-C pen, a bottle of this went in the order, along with the Tenebris Purpuratum. I might get some of the Dark Chocolate and Terra Firma as well.

 

And I don't as a rule like many brown inks.

 

Sure, the colors are rather restrained in this new F-C line, but when you're doing extended writing, sedate colors are actually preferable for reducing eye-strain. I love iro Kon-Peki to death (I know that's anathema to you), but my eyes get tired from looking at it after only a few paragraphs. With less assertive colors, I find that I can write pages without taking a break at all. So Noir et Bleu and its cousins in the F-C line remind me of the less assertive J Herbin colors in that regard, like Bleu Nuit, Lie de The or Poussiere de Lune.

I totally agree.

 

The colors may seem restrained, but it still maintains visual interest while being work appropriate.

 

My favorite F-C colors are Urushi Red (that rich hue--use it in a wet or broad nib) and Midnight Emerald--the latter (arguably) is on par with Sailor's most lubricant inks. I'm hard pressed to find a F-C I do not like.

 

Personally, I have not found most of these inks to be dry; quite the opposite. Most of the one's I've used have been right lubricant, the only one that didn't seem so (though, I would not call it dry) is Benjamin Franklin Green (2016 Philadelphia Pen Show L.E.).

 

Edited by haruka337

Ink, a drug.

― Vladimir Nabokov, Bend Sinister

Instagram:
a.transient.life

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