Need Help. Blue Or Black Ink

[Bella87]

Hello! I am a newbie here. I would like to ask for some of your thoughts regarding ink that I could trust. I'll be taking my bar exams this November 2017 using my Parker 45 and Lamy Safari medium nib.

 

The only allowed inks are black, blue, or black-blue.

 

So far, I have tested Lamy Black and Lamy blue but I find their Blue looking pale and faded.

 

The other one I have tried is Quink Black and Blue. Both seemed okay.

 

Black, on the other hand, whether it is Lamy ink or Quink, looks best.

 

Personally, I prefer blue inks. It is just I can't find the right shade that will look best on my paper (exam type is essay for 8 hours). Also, some say Blue looks cool in the eyes when reading long written essays.

 

My concern may be petty, but it is really important to me and I hope someone can spare sometime for feedback. thanks!

[Checklist]

What shade of blue are you looking for? There's such a wide range that it's hard to recommend without narrowing it down.

 

That being said, I love the color of Diamine Denim; it really is the shade of new, dark jeans. It's also gentle for any pen, so there is not any risk there. It's not water resistant at all, but that shouldn't matter for your exam. It can take a little time to dry, particularly on nice paper, but I don't think your exam will be on that. Most other inks I've tried have been hit or miss (54th Mass is great, but its behavior and color varies significantly), feather, or take extra maintenance (R&K Salix iron gall). Based on your description and assuming you want a darker blue, Diamine Denim is a great choice.

[EMQG]

I'd suggest an iron gall ink for good performance on bad paper (I assume it's going to be cheap paper, right?)

 

Rorher and Klinger Salix, or any of the KVZ iron gall blues. I like the KVZ ones better, personally.

[LizEF]

Welcome, Bella87!

 

If it were me, I'd use a water-resistant ink - because I can't control whether the teacher sloshes something on the page.

 

And I think I'd use blue-black. You're right about a lot of the blues being rather pale, but the contrast between black and the white paper might cause more eye strain over time. Strictly my opinion, but I'd go down the middle with a nice, water-resistant blue-black. And the only inks I've used for any length of time in that category are Pilot Blue-Black, and Sailor Sei-Boku. (Though I have 4-5 more standing in line waiting for me to try them.)

 

If you're not worried about water-resistance, Diamine Denim is indeed a nice dark blue.

[MsRedpen]

I would agree with suggestions on blue-black or blue-gray, water resistant.

De Atramentis Fog Gray (somewhere also called blue gray) is also a document ink, with gentle blue-slightly-gray leaning tone, easy on the eyes.

 

Might be a good idea to start using the ink few weeks in advance from the exam, to see how it behaves, how do you like it, and to take your thoughts away from the ink colour once at the exam.

 

On the other hand, will 2 pens have the capacity for 8 hours essay?

 

You already know we will be anxiously waiting to congratulate you in November, and to hear what was your choice for the ink.

(no pressure...)

 

Welcome to the FPN!

Edited September 21, 2017 by MsRedpen

[LizEF]

You already know we will be anxiously waiting to congratulate you in November, and to hear what was your choice for the ink.

(no pressure...)

 

Hear, hear!

[Carrau]

I endorse Diamine Denim as well, remembering the potential problems with water resistance. I have a number of blues and blue-blacks. Although I enjoy many of them, I found myself coming back to Noodler's Blue-Black over and again. Now I keep a Lamy Safari inked with it all of the time: it's about as water resistant as can be, is forgery resistant, and has caused no issues with the Safari despite being continuously inked for 18 mos (with simple water flushes every other ink change). It gives a beautiful line with every nib I've used, from Fine to broad, and stubs 1.1-1.9, and it gives great contrast on every page. A couple other blues I like are Diamine Midnight, Diamine Oxford blue, Diamine Regency blue, and Diamine Blue Velvet (brighter than the others I've mentioned). Caran d'Ache Magnetic blue and Graf Von Faber Midnight Blue are some Blue-grey inks that write well, and I admire on the page. All of these, however, are not water resistant. If you need any explanation of the characteristics of Noodler's inks, I've attached a link that does this for you.

 

http://noodlersink.com/wp-content/uploads/NoodlersInkProperties.pdf

[Bella87]

I would agree with suggestions on blue-black or blue-gray, water resistant.

De Atramentis Fog Gray (somewhere also called blue gray) is also a document ink, with gentle blue-slightly-gray leaning tone, easy on the eyes.

 

Might be a good idea to start using the ink few weeks in advance from the exam, to see how it behaves, how do you like it, and to take your thoughts away from the ink colour once at the exam.

 

On the other hand, will 2 pens have the capacity for 8 hours essay?

 

You already know we will be anxiously waiting to congratulate you in November, and to hear what was your choice for the ink.

(no pressure...)

 

Welcome to the FPN!

[Bella87]

Thank you in advance! I'll prolly look for catridges for easy refill.

 

I am actually practicing using my FP and inks. See how it performs on good or bad paper.

[Bella87]

I endorse Diamine Denim as well, remembering the potential problems with water resistance. I have a number of blues and blue-blacks. Although I enjoy many of them, I found myself coming back to Noodler's Blue-Black over and again. Now I keep a Lamy Safari inked with it all of the time: it's about as water resistant as can be, is forgery resistant, and has caused no issues with the Safari despite being continuously inked for 18 mos (with simple water flushes every other ink change). It gives a beautiful line with every nib I've used, from Fine to broad, and stubs 1.1-1.9, and it gives great contrast on every page. A couple other blues I like are Diamine Midnight, Diamine Oxford blue, Diamine Regency blue, and Diamine Blue Velvet (brighter than the others I've mentioned). Caran d'Ache Magnetic blue and Graf Von Faber Midnight Blue are some Blue-grey inks that write well, and I admire on the page. All of these, however, are not water resistant. If you need any explanation of the characteristics of Noodler's inks, I've attached a link that does this for you.

 

http://noodlersink.com/wp-content/uploads/NoodlersInkProperties.pdf

[Bella87]

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out and hopefully it will help me find the best ink to use.

 

I'll also scout where I can buy Diamine denim here in the Philippines since a lot of you recommend that ink. I also hope they carry cartridges.

[Bella87]

I'd suggest an iron gall ink for good performance on bad paper (I assume it's going to be cheap paper, right?)

 

Rorher and Klinger Salix, or any of the KVZ iron gall blues. I like the KVZ ones better, personally.

[Bella87]

I'm not sure with the quality of paper the examiners will provide. From what I heard, it's quite thick and glossy.

 

Another problem I have is I am a leftie. I tend to smear what I just wrote if I'm not careful. Any suggestions on quick dry inks?

[Bella87]

Welcome, Bella87!

 

If it were me, I'd use a water-resistant ink - because I can't control whether the teacher sloshes something on the page.

 

And I think I'd use blue-black. You're right about a lot of the blues being rather pale, but the contrast between black and the white paper might cause more eye strain over time. Strictly my opinion, but I'd go down the middle with a nice, water-resistant blue-black. And the only inks I've used for any length of time in that category are Pilot Blue-Black, and Sailor Sei-Boku. (Though I have 4-5 more standing in line waiting for me to try them.)

 

If you're not worried about water-resistance, Diamine Denim is indeed a nice dark blue.

[View from the Loft]

Thank you in advance! I'll prolly look for catridges for easy refill.

 

Unfortunately, if you use cartridges you are restricted to either Parker Quink or Aurora cartridges for your Parker (I would recommend the Aurora Black out of those options) and Lamy cartridges in your Lamy (my choice again is black). Both pen manufacturers use proprietary formats.

 

However, when I sat my professional exams, I had a bottle of ink on my desk and just refilled my pen as necessary.

[Bella87]

Thank you. Yes, I worry about my paper getting sloshed with any liquid.

 

You are right about black; that it might strain the eyes of our good old examiners. Considering the fact that they are going to check manually about 7,000+ booklets. Blue-black sounds like a good candidate for an ink.

 

I appreciate your suggestion!

[Bella87]

What shade of blue are you looking for? There's such a wide range that it's hard to recommend without narrowing it down.

 

That being said, I love the color of Diamine Denim; it really is the shade of new, dark jeans. It's also gentle for any pen, so there is not any risk there. It's not water resistant at all, but that shouldn't matter for your exam. It can take a little time to dry, particularly on nice paper, but I don't think your exam will be on that. Most other inks I've tried have been hit or miss (54th Mass is great, but its behavior and color varies significantly), feather, or take extra maintenance (R&K Salix iron gall). Based on your description and assuming you want a darker blue, Diamine Denim is a great choice.

[Bella87]

Yes, I am looking for a real solid blue. Something like royal blue? It must look professional on white paper thus I can't use too light, or almost sky blue colored ink.

 

I'll look for the ink you recommended. Thanks!

[Bella87]

Unfortunately, if you use cartridges you are restricted to either Parker Quink or Aurora cartridges for your Parker (I would recommend the Aurora Black out of those options) and Lamy cartridges in your Lamy (my choice again is black). Both pen manufacturers use proprietary formats.

 

However, when I sat my professional exams, I had a bottle of ink on my desk and just refilled my pen as necessary.

[Bella87]

I'm worried about the mess i might make in refilling from the actual bottle, hence the cartridge. Also, i'm afraid it will take a lot of time refilling.