Blue Inks That "feel" Like Take-Sumi?

[birdplan]

Many of you have commented on the je-ne-sais-quoi aspects of Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ("Bamboo Charcoal") ink. I've been using it for about a year and couldn't agree more -- the "feeling" of writing with it is unique and incomparable. If you've used it, you know what I'm referring to. It has become my clear-favorite ink, even though I have always greatly preferred blue inks to black and dark-gray ones.

 

Has anyone found a blue (or even a blue-black) that shares this ink's qualities?

Edited October 3, 2019 by birdplan

[inkstainedruth]

Not so far. Even with some of the blues in the Iroshizuku line (I LOVE the color of Kon-peki, and feel that Tsuyu-kusa does not get the love around here that other inks in the line do).

But Take-sumi is just different. I've never run across an ink like it in any color, or from any brand. I really expect the line on the page to be three-dimensional, and actually tactile (I've had other "shading" blacks -- I'm looking at you, De Atramentis Albrecht Dürer/Anthracite, which is dry dry dry ) but NOTHING gives me that almost velvety look that Take-sumi does. And I have more blue and blue-black inks than almost any other color.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[WalterC]

You two are sorely tempting me to get take-sumi. I already have enough black ink and, like birdplan, I would prefer some shade of blue with the same tempting properties.

[Carrau]

Kobe Nagasawa (by Sailor) #51 – Kano-Cho Midnight, a really dark blue/black/?blurple. Both Take-sumi and this ink are really special in their tactile character. Check out the reviews by Visvamitra and Crahptacular I’ve linked below. I hope they help.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/300282-sailor-kobe-51-kano-cho-midnight/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/327128-kobe-nagasawa-by-sailor-51-kano-cho-midnight/

[UDog]

I agree: Take-Sumi is like no other.

 

I may give Kano-Cho a try soon.

[Honeybadgers]

You two are sorely tempting me to get take-sumi. I already have enough black ink and, like birdplan, I would prefer some shade of blue with the same tempting properties.

 

I don't get what you are all going on about. Take-sumi is just a simple, well behaved jet black ink. It's not the best black by any stretch, nor does it feel unique. For cheap paper I prefer pelikan 4001 black by a huge landslide as it doesn't feather, or noodlers X feather, and for nice, wet, pure black, I tend to reach for noodlers dark matter.

 

If you want something similar but blue, maybe diamine blue velvet. A very pure blue, glassy smooth flow, good color, good behavior.

 

I don't think take sumi feels unique to noodlers heart of darkness or noodlers dark matter or hero black or lamy obsidian. All of those inks are equally smooth.

 

I've been on a bit of a black ink kick lately, recently got take-sumi and pelikan 4001 black, and I think for everyday use, pelikan 4001 black is one of the very best. It shades a little, so if darker is needed, go noodlers X feather, but I like 4001's very dry feel and lightning quick dry times.

 

I'm going to ink up a pelikan 400 BB italic with take sumi and write on some tomoe river to see if I can figure out what y'all are talking about

 

Yep. It's just black. A nice black... but just black. If you want that "3d" effect in a black ink, you need india ink or carbon ink like sailor or platinum.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[inkstainedruth]

Haven't tried the Platinum Carbon, but if you mean the Sailor pigmented black ink, nope. Tried it (it was HORRIBLE in a Preppy set up as a rollerball by the way -- just completely cloggy). It may be fine in a regular fountain pen (and I REALLY like Sailor Souboku) -- but nope. Completely different experience from Take-sumi (for well behaved, waterproof black inks I reach for Noodler's Heart of Darkness; for blackety black, it's Noodler's Old Manhattan -- but I think part of the reason it's soooo black is because it tends to have some spreading issues. For a well-behaved black that is going into a really wet pen, I DO reach for 4001 Brilliant Black, though -- used it for a calligraphy project when I needed to make a template that was then taped to a light box, and then had edible wafer paper taped over it, and then text "traced" over onto the wafer paper with a brush and black paste food coloring); Brilliant Black *definitely* tamed the wetness of an M200 IM nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

I agree with Take Sumi feeling different and somehow tactile in a very pleasant way. It's possible some people don't notice the difference with it, but I definitely do. Normally I don't much care for black inks, and Take Sumi came to me unexpectedly as part of an ink trade. I had wanted Aurora Black for the insane lubrication it provides. Inked up Take Sumi to test it out and fell in love. I've since acquired a bottle of Aurora Black, but it just stands unused, whereas Take Sumi is usually loaded in a pen for quick notes. I absolutely love writing with it. Haven't yet found another ink like it.

P.S.: I've tried Platinum Carbon black and not a fan. Was difficult to clean out of a pen too. Also was not wowed by Sailor nano-pigment black that a lot of people like. Have tried a lot of other black inks, including by Noodler's on my search for a perfect black ink (for me).

Edited October 4, 2019 by Intensity

[ethernautrix]

Piling on the Take-sumi love. Also, J. Herbin Perle Noire, as I recall, is smoother than yer average black ink.

 

I also found the pigmented black inks too high maintenance for my taste. I liked them otherwise.

[silverlifter]

I use both Take-sumi and Aurora Black. Aurora Black is a medium PdAg nib for that glorious, rich glide and Take-sumi in a fine steel nib that somehow magically turns it into an almost Sailoresque writing experience.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Not so far. Even with some of the blues in the Iroshizuku line (I LOVE the color of Kon-peki, and feel that Tsuyu-kusa does not get the love around here that other inks in the line do).

But Take-sumi is just different. I've never run across an ink like it in any color, or from any brand. I really expect the line on the page to be three-dimensional, and actually tactile (I've had other "shading" blacks -- I'm looking at you, De Atramentis Albrecht Dürer/Anthracite, which is dry dry dry ) but NOTHING gives me that almost velvety look that Take-sumi does. And I have more blue and blue-black inks than almost any other color.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I will give Tsuyu-Kusa some love. Just had it in my Eco last week!

[Mongoosey]

+1 on the Take-Sumi love:

• It has an excellent balance of flow and smoothness that seems to carry over dependably in any pen I put it in. And it looks sooooo good for a Black ink. And also it's very pen friendly IME.

+1 for Kobe #51 love;

• Kobe #51 has a little something extra with a velvety feel that's splendid to the point of being delectable.

I don't use either anymore, though lol, but that doesn't mean I don't recommend them!

 

It's just that neither are that great on less expensive paper, but most importantly their Water Resistance isn't too good and that's a must for me.

 

That's why, with regards to Black inks, I've honestly been honing around Noodler's Black and Sailor Kiwa-Guro, the latter having a velvety splendidness as well.

[Honeybadgers]

Haven't tried the Platinum Carbon, but if you mean the Sailor pigmented black ink, nope. Tried it (it was HORRIBLE in a Preppy set up as a rollerball by the way -- just completely cloggy). It may be fine in a regular fountain pen (and I REALLY like Sailor Souboku) -- but nope. Completely different experience from Take-sumi (for well behaved, waterproof black inks I reach for Noodler's Heart of Darkness; for blackety black, it's Noodler's Old Manhattan -- but I think part of the reason it's soooo black is because it tends to have some spreading issues. For a well-behaved black that is going into a really wet pen, I DO reach for 4001 Brilliant Black, though -- used it for a calligraphy project when I needed to make a template that was then taped to a light box, and then had edible wafer paper taped over it, and then text "traced" over onto the wafer paper with a brush and black paste food coloring); Brilliant Black *definitely* tamed the wetness of an M200 IM nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Ruth, you put a pigmented ink in a pen with a felt feed. Of course it clogged, lol.

 

Sailor and platinum carbon black are both very resistant to clogging in FP's, but do need to be cleaned every month or two. I wouldn't use them in pens that can't easily have the feed removed for occasional scrubbing though.

[inkstainedruth]

 

Ruth, you put a pigmented ink in a pen with a felt feed. Of course it clogged, lol.

 

Yeah, but that's the kind of thing I needed to know for the project I was doing at the time -- what inks worked well in rollerballs under less than ideal conditions (humid, outdoors) on cheap-@ss printer paper where people would be inking over pencil lines and then erasing the pencil, and using white-ut to clean up the inking mistakes. And taking into account that I had already spent years (maybe even a couple of decades at this point) weaning people off Pilot fine-line markers in favor of Uniball rollerballs which don't smear as badly.

And in a Preppy set up as a rollerball? The Sailor nano-black was an epic fail. You think that's bad? You should have seen some of the early files from nearly half a century ago -- artwork drawn in pencil, and colored in with crayons and glitter -- if at all. If there even WAS artwork....

The reason there is old artwork in the files at ALL is because some people sent in a paragraph long description of what they wanted. And the person in charge at the time said "Somebody draw this for me!" And the "description" in herald-ese (you want jargon, I can give you jargon!) turned out to be blazon-foo for the Wright Brothers airplane.... And the people who sent in the paperwork (the SCA group based down in Kitty Hawk, NC). They got told, "Uh, no. You can't have a 20th century artifact for your group's heraldry. Thank you for playing. Now try again using something MEDIEVAL for charges...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

Somewhat off topic, but I use Sailor Sou Boku (nano pigment) with an Aerometric P51 with no clogging issues. I wouldnt use Pilot Carbon Black in it due to that ink being clingy and somewhat difficult to wash out even out of converter and piston fillers in my experience. Different pigment inks can behave differently.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Intensity

[Honeybadgers]

 

Yeah, but that's the kind of thing I needed to know for the project I was doing at the time -- what inks worked well in rollerballs under less than ideal conditions (humid, outdoors) on cheap-(bleep) printer paper where people would be inking over pencil lines and then erasing the pencil, and using white-ut to clean up the inking mistakes. And taking into account that I had already spent years (maybe even a couple of decades at this point) weaning people off Pilot fine-line markers in favor of Uniball rollerballs which don't smear as badly.

And in a Preppy set up as a rollerball? The Sailor nano-black was an epic fail. You think that's bad? You should have seen some of the early files from nearly half a century ago -- artwork drawn in pencil, and colored in with crayons and glitter -- if at all. If there even WAS artwork....

The reason there is old artwork in the files at ALL is because some people sent in a paragraph long description of what they wanted. And the person in charge at the time said "Somebody draw this for me!" And the "description" in herald-ese (you want jargon, I can give you jargon!) turned out to be blazon-foo for the Wright Brothers airplane.... And the people who sent in the paperwork (the SCA group based down in Kitty Hawk, NC). They got told, "Uh, no. You can't have a 20th century artifact for your group's heraldry. Thank you for playing. Now try again using something MEDIEVAL for charges...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I killed my own J. Herbin refillable rollerball by not thoroughly cleaning out the baystate blue I tried in it (I cleaned it thoroughly but I don't think it's possible to COMPLETELY clean those refillable rollerballs.) Inked it with something else and it instantly died.

 

As a general rule, the refillable rollerballs are hypersensitive to inks, and should only be used with very very safe, easy inks like pelikan 4001, so they're not indicative of an ink's propensity to clog.

 

I would say give the ink another chance with a normal pen, because those rollerballs are just not designed to work with the more exotic FP inks. I'd wager iron gall would destroy them in short order too, but we use them all the time in FP's.

[birdplan]

My thanks to all of you who responded. I'll certainly be trying Sailor Kano-Cho and Diamine Blue Velvet -- probably each by the end of 2019 -- and eventually your other recommendations as well.