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De Atramentis Black Edition - Blue


yogalarva

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I think I got this ink sample a looooonnnggg time ago, back when I was still enrolled in Ink Drop. That was before I formed my huge fondness for blue-black inks, so it sat and waited for the right time. And now, I hardcore need a bottle of this ink my life.

 

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This is a dark ink. At first you might mistake it for black, but it’s not. It’s also unlike most other blue-black inks I’ve tried in that it does not dry to some grey-blue color. It stays vibrant and crisp and dark, which I like.

 

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As you can see, this ink almost looks like a teal-black, and I have heard that this is what can happen when you mix certain types of blue with black - you get something that can look green, but in fact it is just blue+black.

 

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I don’t know if this is the case with most De Atramentis inks since the only other one I’ve used is also a quite dark color, Alexander Hamilton (purple), but in both of these inks it appears the black component is quite waterproof, which makes this an ink that would be favorable to everyday writing. Especially since I found it had really good flow and no troubles on most paper, though it did feather a bit on index cards:

 

fpn_1418303544__tumblr_inline_ngf5fynf9c

 

Overall, I really like this ink and it’ll be on my short-list of things to buy once I am at my new job and getting decent paychecks. The only bummer for me is the price. While a bottle is not that expensive (roughly $13 here in the States), you don’t get that much ink, since they are 35 mL bottles. Granted, for me that’s fine since it would be a challenge to even finish a bottle that small in a reasonable amount of time, but if you are looking for an ink that can be chewed through on a daily basis, this might not be it for you. I bought a bottle of Noodler’s Air Corps Blue-Black because the colors looked similar, but they are different enough for me to justify buying this one as well. Be on the lookout for that review coming next week or the week after…

 

This ink was purchased with my own money and I am not being compensated for this review in any way. All opinions above are my own and you are free to disagree with them if you like.

 

Full page scan of the review:

 

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Fountain pen blog | Personal blog

 

Current collection: Pilot Vanishing Point, TWSBI Vac 700, Kaweco Al Sport, Lamy Safari, Nemosine Singularity

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Thanks for the review. The D'A inks are a little like that. I find once you get into the Blues they are quite green. This is a nice color though and your scans are great. Thanks again Y.

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nice review! and congrats on the new job..

"Writing is 1/3 nib width & flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink. In that order."Bo Bo Olson

"No one needs to rotate a pen while using an oblique, in fact, that's against the whole concept of an oblique, which is to give you shading without any special effort."Professor Propas, 24 December 2010

 

"IMHO, the only advantage of the 149 is increased girth if needed, increased gold if wanted and increased prestige if perceived. I have three, but hardly ever use them. After all, they hold the same amount of ink as a 146."FredRydr, 12 March 2015

 

"Surely half the pleasure of life is sardonic comment on the passing show."Sir Peter Strawson

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Great review thank you!

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 years later...

I picked up a sample of this just recently, and I'm absolutely going to get a bottle of it. I love this kind of dark teal, it's a very smooth ink, and it's got enough water resistance that I feel comfortable using it on a postcard without some kind of sealer. I've started becoming a real fan of De Atramentis of late; I had already fallen for Pigeon Blue, and now I've got this one as well. The only thing I don't love about the De Atramentis inks I've tried is that they have a tendency to bleed, but that's not an issue with Tomoe River, which is my paper of choice. Well, except for their Document Turquoise, which is the only ink I've ever seen that bleeds through Tomoe River.

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Too tealy for me. Just like Sei Boku. But the bottle is good because it is black. (As re light, the bottles don't come in a box unless you buy the ink directly from Dr. J. himself.)

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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  • 4 months later...

I'm celebrating the 150th anniversary of the postcard (introduced by the Austrian Postal Service on October 1st, 1869) by writing out a postcard every day for the month of October, and this ink (in my trusty Lamy Safari with a 1.1mm nib) has become my go-to. Enough water resistance for a postcard, great color, and I just like how it behaves. The postcards I'm using have a bit of a coating, which has caused issues with one or two inks I use; this ink has no problem at all. I got a sample of Noodler's Air Force Blue-black some time ago, and it didn't work well for me (most Noodler's inks don't, unfortunately); De Atramentis Black Edition Blue seems to be everything I'd hoped Air Force Blue-black would be: a sturdy teal-black with great flow and nice shading. I'm still working on the last of my sample; but I'm getting a full bottle real soon now.

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