Montblanc Blue/Black ink review!

[HenryLouis]

This is a great ink. Sorry, I didn't take pictures of the pretty bottle but a google search will reveal many pictures of it.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/IMG_3472.jpg

 

 

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/IMG_3473.jpg

 

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u18/Henrylouis16/IMG_3474.jpg

 

 

[meiers]

Thanks for the review: very detailed and thoughtful.

You mention a couple of points that I have noticed in my experience with MB blue/black

 

1. ink creep: the ink dries very quickly on the nib. That doesn't bother me because ink creep gives my MB 146 the dirty workhorse look I like.

2. dry time: the ink also dries quickly on paper (surprise, surprise) which means less smudging.

3. I like how the pen behaves differently in pens with different flows: you will notice different shadings as a result of variations in ink flow. Your review shows that very nicely.

 

I would like to add that the ink is quite waterproof. I have held text written in MB BB under warm running water for a minute and the ink stood up quite nicely to that punishing treatment.

 

It's a good idea to flush your pen once every three weeks in cold water (rinse it out nicely) when using iron-gall ink.

 

Nice review Henry.

Super cool signature, too!

 

Matt

 

 

[mturk]

As I am entirely "Bullet-proof ink phobic", this is my one and only "permanent" ink. 90% of my pens are vintage, not user-grade, and even though somebody's ink is Ph neutral, it attacked a couple of vintage parker 51 vacs with a vengeance. As long as I flush the MB after four refills, everything is fine, and you just can't beat that color! (I know - subjective.)

[Blade Runner]

I use it for any purpose, but it's my only ink for envelope addressing, check writing, document signing.

I also like this color. Pelikan BB is pretty close, but I don't know if it remains after wetting.

The ink insert I believe recommends flushing with water every 4 fills, but I let it go in my 149 for about a month or so, and no probs. I do use it at least a little daily.

[Signum1]

Excellent review, Henry. Thank you. $15 is pretty much the going price of quality ink, unless hyperinflation sets in like nib creeps, but that's a different story. lol

Edited December 15, 2009 by Signum1

[MarkTrain]

Henry,

 

You should know that Lamy Blue Black is nearly identical to MB Blue Black in almost all respects, but it only costs $7.50 a bottle. It also comes with a roll of pen wipes.

 

Mark

[CraigR]

Thanks Henry for the great review. I love the blue black inks, but haven't used this one in a long time. My next ink order will include a bottle of MB BB. /Craig

[kushbaby]

I ADORE this ink. Thanks for the review!

[ethernautrix]

I use it for any purpose, but it's my only ink for envelope addressing, check writing, document signing.

I also like this color. Pelikan BB is pretty close, but I don't know if it remains after wetting.

The ink insert I believe recommends flushing with water every 4 fills, but I let it go in my 149 for about a month or so, and no probs. I do use it at least a little daily.

 

As I've said elsewhere, I really like this ink when other people use it. I haven't been able to get the same darker color in my pens. Kevin (winedoc) brought a bunch of inks to give away at a recent Pen Posse, so I snatched up the Lamy Blue-Black (very ladylike and polite snatching up, btw), and I tried it in one pen, and it was washed out. I'll have to try it in the Stipula Vedo, I suppose; it's my wettest writer.

 

As for Pelikan BB, I thought that it was water resistant. Today, I tested the ink from my old bottle (bought earlier this year) and the new bottle (bought about a month, maybe two ago). The old PelBB was darker, and it is water-resistant; the new PelBB is lighter and not at all water-resistant. The new PelBB doesn't disappear completely, but it might as well, it gets so light.

 

The difference? I'd added some (a dollop or two?) of Noodler's Black. I'd forgotten that I'd done that, then I had a vague memory, and today's water test confirmed it. Where's that hand-upside-the-head slap emoticon? D'oh!

 

Henry, nice review. Thank you!

[Blade Runner]

I'm a fan of the unsaturated/vintage/weathered look and shading of MB BB. It says FP ink to me.

In general I prefer the character of unsaturated inks as opposed to inks with a uniform, saturated line.

Edited December 16, 2009 by jeen

[bphollin]

I also like this color. Pelikan BB is pretty close, but I don't know if it remains after wetting.

Thanks for answering the question I didn't even have to ask, Jeen.

 

The old PelBB was darker, and it is water-resistant; the new PelBB is lighter and not at all water-resistant.... The difference? I'd added some (a dollop or two?) of Noodler's Black. I'd forgotten that I'd done that, then I had a vague memory, and today's water test confirmed it.

Mmmm, that sounds like a good way to spend some Noodler's Black. Mind if I borrow the idea?!

[mvh]

I've got both MB BB and lamy's and they are not the same. I tried them in every pen I have. The MB is much darker. The lamy is far too light for me. i shaded the bottle, but it made no difference.

[HenryLouis]

I've got both MB BB and lamy's and they are not the same. I tried them in every pen I have. The MB is much darker. The lamy is far too light for me. i shaded the bottle, but it made no difference.

 

Yes, the salesperson at the store told me that so I just went for the MB...

 

I need a visconti or something that writes really wet so I can really take advantage of this ink, as i broke my lamy 2000

[jleeper]

I'm a fan of the unsaturated/vintage/weathered look and shading of MB BB. It says FP ink to me.

In general I prefer the character of unsaturated inks as opposed to inks with a uniform, saturated line.

 

Me, too. I really disklike a uniform line; I could get that with a gel pen (although probably not with as much color choice.)

 

I just got a bottle of the MB Blue-Black and it is THE color I've been looking for; none of the green I often see in non-iron gall Blue-Blacks.

 

I can't wait to get it into even more of my pens.

[Sandy1]

Hi all,

 

I've been using this ink for donkeys' years. A definite staple in the pens' ink diets. I have never found it to be a dry ink. Hmm. I fact, I've used it to temper the dryness in another i-g ink, R&K 'Salix', which is bone dry to the point of being dusty.

 

I run it most often in an MB149 B nib : fantastic combo. It takes a while to even scratch the surface of the potential of that combo, and I'm not a slow learner.

 

Oh, I've never felt the need to tweak the ink, and the only time I use it to tweak another ink is 'Salix' : 7 parts Salix + 1 part MB BlBk = 'SalixX'.

 

BR

S1

[mvh]

I've got both MB BB and lamy's and they are not the same. I tried them in every pen I have. The MB is much darker. The lamy is far too light for me. i shaded the bottle, but it made no difference.

 

Yes, the salesperson at the store told me that so I just went for the MB...

 

I need a visconti or something that writes really wet so I can really take advantage of this ink, as i broke my lamy 2000

 

Get a cheap F nib Parker 45. It's really wet and doesn't cost a lot. They can be had for $12 on Ebay.

[CS388]

 

It's 2019 and I've just opened my last bottle of BlueBlack.

 

I was lucky enough to buy a stash of it, from a jeweller's franchise which was closing down, at give-away prices!

Back in the early 2000's, irrc?

 

As others, I've found replacements, over the years - but, it's still one of the greats, imho.

Sorely missed.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

~ CS388:

 

That image is terrific!

Thank you for sparking happy memories of Montblanc Blue-Black.

It was one of my earliest Montblanc inks.

Tom K.