Easy To Flush Blues, Blue-Blacks

[ParkerDuofold]

Hello Everyone,

 

I could swear this question has been asked, but I couldn't find it. Anyways, now that I've stuck my head in the rabbit hole of vintage pens and I'm starting to enjoy my Sheaffer Imperial Deluxe with the TD filler, I'm looking for recommendations for easy to flush blues and blue-blacks.

 

I'm open to all brands and price ranges... as long as they are readily available here in The States. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

- Anthony

[cellmatrix]

Sheaffer blue black is a great low maintenance blue black. People might call it boring and it does not have the sizzling zing that some of these bright colored inks have. But its easy on the eyes, has nice shading and just exudes a vintage appearance. Plus, something about using sheaffer ink in a sheaffer pen just seems right.

[Joane]

I use mostly fairly common inks like Waterman, J. Herbin and Montblanc (at least they're commonly available here) because I find they have good flow and are easy on pens. I use them because I prefer a more fluid almost watery ink. I don't use syrupy or hi-pigment inks at all, not my writing style.

 

That said, with regard to flushing, given these same ink brands used across many pen brands, contemporary and vintage (Parker, Waterman, MB, Omas, Sheaffer, Aurora and others) I find that ease of flushing depends more on the pen's feed than the ink. For instance, it takes forever to completely flush a Waterman pen while Montblanc flushes out after just a few passes of water, with the other brands falling somewhere in between.

 

Not sure if this information is helpful but it adds another dimension to the elements of flushing.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

+1 for Sheaffer Skrip BlBk and Herbin Bleu Nuit.

 

To overcome the boring subtle aspect of SSBlBk, I often add a whisper of a simple aniline Blue-centric ink, such as Lamy Blue [Washable] or Diamine Denim or Aurora Blue.

(Somehow blending with Sheaffer Blue didn't jangle my bangles.)

 

Bye,

S1

Edited January 15, 2017 by Sandy1

[Olya]

The blue & blue-black inks that I have used and had no trouble with are J Herbin Eclat de Saphir & Bleu Nuit; Pilot Blue & Blue-Black; Sailor Jentle Blue; Diamine Asa Blue, Royal Blue, Blue-Black, Majestic Blue (had none of the trouble others mention with this ink), Sapphire Blue, Mediterranean Blue, Steel Blue; Parker Quink Permanent Blue & Blue-Black.

[Runnin_Ute]

One I know will work well in any of my pens vintage or modern and flush easily - even out of a Parker 51 aerometric filler is Waterman Serenity Blue. Another is Diamine Blue Black.

[ac12]

Just be aware that there is a HUGE range of colors/shades of blue-black. This was the frustrating part for me, as in the early days, all I saw were blue-black inks that looked a dull grayish, and that turned me off to the color. Now I see that there is a huge range of colors and shades to pick from.

 

Here is my list in alpha order:

- Parker: blue

- Pelikan: blue. Their blue-black is not easily available in the US.

- Pilot: blue, blue-black

- Sheaffer: blue, blue-black

- Waterman: blue, blue-black

 

Personally, I would start with Sheaffer blue and blue-black.

Get a bunch of samples and try them, as color taste is very personal.

[Erik Dalton]

J. Herbin Bleu Nuit. In a wet writing pen makes a suitable blue black and flushes out cleanly with just water. Won't harm the sac.

Waterman Serenity Blue is decently saturated, a nice blue, and is the easiest of all ink to flush out with just water and is safe on sacs and bladders.

[da vinci]

I don't have any vintage pensI use regularly, but I do worry about flushes and staining.

 

I don't pArticularly like the colours but MB Royal Blue and Lamy Blue are 2 inks that give me the least cause for concern.

 

Please do let us know what inks you choose and how they perform against your criteria.

[DavidCampen]

I love the color of MB Royal Blue and how smooth a nib feels when writing with it but it has no water resistance. I don't need a forgery proof ink but I won't write with an ink that will disappear with a simple water spill. Since I am using Parker fountain pens, I tried Parker Quink Blue Black. PQBB has water resistance but I don't care for the color or writing feel. I am now using Pilot Blue Black on Rhodia notebook paper and I love the color and feel.

[ParkerDuofold]

I love the color of MB Royal Blue and how smooth a nib feels when writing with it but it has no water resistance. I don't need a forgery proof ink but I won't write with an ink that will disappear with a simple water spill. Since I am using Parker fountain pens, I tried Parker Quink Blue Black. PQBB has water resistance but I don't care for the color or writing feel. I am now using Pilot Blue Black on Rhodia notebook paper and I love the color and feel.

Hello David,

 

Yes, I like Pilot blue-black, too; as do a lot of the contributors to this post.

 

I don't own it, but I've read where Mont Blanc Permanent Blue is a real nice color and easy to flush out... and water-proof. I plan to pick up a bottle of it someday.

 

- Anthony

[ParkerDuofold]

I don't have any vintage pensI use regularly, but I do worry about flushes and staining.

 

I don't pArticularly like the colours but MB Royal Blue and Lamy Blue are 2 inks that give me the least cause for concern.

 

Please do let us know what inks you choose and how they perform against your criteria.

Hello Da Vinci and everyone else,

 

Yes, I'll let you know how things go. I've decided I'm going to give J. Herbin Bleu Nuit, Pilot blue-black and Sheaffer blue-black a try and see which of the three I prefer.

 

Thanks everyone... I'll keep you posted.

 

One note; I do really like Pilot blue -black, it's been kind of my steady ink for my Custom 74, but I did notice it lightly stained my converter and feed.

 

- Anthony

[crescent2]

I'm following this thread with interest, as I'm looking for a blue ink that's not likely to stain the sac of my new Parker Super 21. (I don't mind a slight blue tint, but I'd like it to remain transparent if possible so I can see the ink level.) I don't want a blue-black, however. I want a true blue. Parker Quink has gotten a lot of recommendations in my thread, but on product pages the Blue looks kind of blah.

 

I'm thinking of trying either the Herbin Sapphire or Waterman Serenity. The Waterman has gotten several recommendations.

[ParkerDuofold]

...I'm thinking of trying either the Herbin Sapphire or Waterman Serenity. The Waterman has gotten several recommendations.

Hi Crescent,

 

It does seem that Waterman Serenity Blue is the fail-safe Gold Standard ink; the ink for all seasons.

 

- Anthony

[ink-syringe]

Not helpful, I know, but MB JFK cleans out really easily and completely.

[Olya]

I'm following this thread with interest, as I'm looking for a blue ink that's not likely to stain the sac of my new Parker Super 21. (I don't mind a slight blue tint, but I'd like it to remain transparent if possible so I can see the ink level.) I don't want a blue-black, however. I want a true blue. Parker Quink has gotten a lot of recommendations in my thread, but on product pages the Blue looks kind of blah.

 

I'm thinking of trying either the Herbin Sapphire or Waterman Serenity. The Waterman has gotten several recommendations.

 

Waternan Serenity Blue & P Quink Permanent Blue are very very similar, if not the same. Though I think it's become hard to obtain P Quink Permanent Blue in the US, so Waterman is a good alternative. I'd recommend J Herbin Eclat de Saphir however, as this one won't fade over time in a closed book, whereas some have experienced fading with Waterman after a few months, including myself.

[Lloyd]

I think a lot of people here have flushed BSB.

[Noihvo]

I think a lot of people here have flushed BSB.