Diluted Private Reserve D C Supershow Blue

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I've reviewed some Private Reserve inks that I thought were so saturated that they might be diluted.

 

So I took a small amount of the DC Supershow Blue, diluted it to 50% then let it rest while Brownian Motion Link did its thing.

 

I did not compare the diluted and undiluted inks. The purpose is to see if the diluted ink is basically OK.

 

I ran 3 samples: Waterman Florida Blue in the first column, the diluted PRDCSsB in the middle, and the Montblance BlueBlack on the right.

 

Also, I also did a simple down-stroke sample of each ink.

 

The same writer was used for all: the cheap and cheerful Waterman Phileas with a B nib - so more ink can be seen.

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Diluted%20Private%20Reserve%20DC%20Supershow%20Blue/INK629.jpg

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Diluted%20Private%20Reserve%20DC%20Supershow%20Blue/INK632-1.jpg

 

Link to the High Resolution Scan of the Down-Strokes.

Line_Link

 

I think diluting the PRDCSsB is OK.

Perhaps that dilution will open-up some shading, yet maintain the basic Look of the ink

 

Here's the link to the main Ink Review Ink_Review_Link

 

Bye,

S1

-30-

Edited July 5, 2010 by Sandy1

[jniforat]

great comparison. i am a fan of the darker, more vibrant blues, and i have both waterman florida blue and the private reserve dc supershow blue. i almost never use the florida blue, but the PR gets used quite a bit.

[penspouse]

I'm curious as to why you chose the 50% dilution verses something a little less diluting such as a 2 or 3 to one ratio of ink to water. I can difinitely see diluting to speed the drying time, though.

[RLTodd]

Looks like 1:2 would give something close to modern pen brand inks and 1:3 would give something closer to historical inks of the 1930-1960 era.

 

Over the years I have come to view Private Reserve and Noodlers as ink concentrates. :-)

[Sandy1]

I'm curious as to why you chose the 50% dilution verses something a little less diluting such as a 2 or 3 to one ratio of ink to water. I can difinitely see diluting to speed the drying time, though.

Hi,

 

I chose 50% 'out of thin air'. Sort of...

 

I like the American Blue quite a bit at 80%, and as the DC Supershow is darker than the AB, I decided to dilute it more.

Also, it is my approach to 'go too far, then come back' rather than 'creep up' on a target.

 

And, to a certain extent, it is experience and woman's intuition.

 

So even at 50% it holds up pretty well. That encourages someone to dilute it more, perhaps to 20% even. (!)

But at such dilutions, I start to think more about finding a lighter ink.

 

Also, with diluted ink, I think it would be prudent to do the smear / dry time test; wet tests; etc. before adopting such dilutions as a norm. I think it is very useful to make larger batches, 30 - 50 ml., not just the eyedropper test shown here.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Looks like 1:2 would give something close to modern pen brand inks and 1:3 would give something closer to historical inks of the 1930-1960 era.

 

Over the years I have come to view Private Reserve and Noodlers as ink concentrates. :-)

Hi,

 

For me, I still want to keep 'The Look' of the PR inks - especially the American Blue and the DCSs. I like their sizzle - they're not just going to bore one to tears. By adding some water, I was initially trying to open them up a bit, so a bit of shading could be seen. I think that at a certain point, the original ink is lost - it has become something else entirely. I do like to keep the character of the ink, unless of course one goes right in to mixing colours, which is a different topic.

 

Indeed, one can use some of these inks as 'concentrates', but I've used the PR Shoreline Gold, and would never touch that with water; well, not yet anyway. Mostly because the colour is just right, and the shading out of the bottle is pretty exceptional.

(Remind me to do an IR of that one, especially after the fiasco with the R&K Helianthus.)

 

Best Regards,

S1