Aurora Black - Semi-Waterproof

[Djehuty]

Curious to see whether I'd be letting myself in for water-related torments if I used Aurora Black instead of an officially waterproof ink, I did a few tests last night. It worked out rather well, as you can see here (please excuse the handwriting):

 

 

 

I also tried to rub the ink off with my thumb, but that had no effect at all.

 

I'm sure time and washing would eradicate the ink, and I doubt it would survive a really dedicated attempt to erase it with bleaches or solvents or what-have-you, but I think it's safe to say that Aurora Black will withstand an accidental soaking, or even a notebook dropped in a puddle and not noticed for a day or two.

 

EDIT: For those who can't read my handwriting (especially after it's gone a bit blurry), the top left is unsoaked, top right was soaked for one minute, bottom left was soaked for twenty minutes, and bottom right was soaked overnight. All were written on paper from an older Mead 5-Star notebook, from back when they were still made with the nicer paper.

Edited June 27, 2007 by Djehuty

[blueiris]

I just ordered the Aurora Black and am looking forward to it! I was hoping I'd be able to use it for addressing envelopes, so I am glad to read this water soak review. Thanks for taking the time to do these tests.

[mirror]

My thanks as well for doing the tests!

 

I guess the only concern that if not blotted might it smear enough to make the numbers illegible?

 

It does look like it will be fine to use for addresses.

[Djehuty]

After removing it from the water on the twenty-minute and overnight tests, I tried to smear the letters with my thumb, but it produced no effect at all. Both times I rubbed at the initial "This," and as you can see there's no greater smearing or smudging.

 

I just signed my name with this ink on a cheap piece of copy paper, gave it about thirty seconds to dry, then held it under running water and scrubbed at it with my thumb for another thirty seconds. It was still perfectly legible. In terms of smudge, it's about halfway between the one-minute and twenty-minute soaks, and it's a tad lighter than either, mainly because the paper was really cheap and I got little paper-particles on my thumb.

 

Whether this is sufficient water resistance for postal purposes is up to individual preference, of course, but I'll have no qualms about using it to address envelopes.

 

[mirror]

QUOTE (Djehuty @ Mar 20 2007, 10:47 PM)

Whether this is sufficient water resistance for postal purposes is up to individual preference, of course, but I'll have no qualms about using it to address envelopes.

 

Thanks again- this makes it a go for me!

[Chris]

Great test - thank you.

 

I have tried similar water tests on several inks - its easy to do at home - and find that many inks leave enough of a trace to remain legible even when soaked to the point where the paper almost disintegrates.

 

But, some inks simply wash away before your very eyes.

 

Because the effect does vary with the actual paper, you might want to try it yourself using your favourite inks. If nothing else, it may help you choose between two favourite inks when deciding which to use for temporary stuff and which needs to be a little more resilient.

 

Thanks again,

Chris

 

edit typos

Edited March 21, 2007 by Chris

[dwmatteson]

Excellent tests, Djehuty! I've done something similar with Aurora Black, Noodler's Eternal Black, and PR Ultra Black, but not nearly as extensive or demanding. I've been using Aurora Black to address postal envelopes since then, and I haven't yet had a problem.

 

Don

Edited March 21, 2007 by dwmatteson

[Latro21]

hooray, now i can buy aurora black with confidence in the future after i get some monaco red for mixing purposes [in case the noodlers black and monaco red dont mix well-i have already seen the gorgeous offspring of a aurora and monaco affair].

[Viseguy]

Respectably water-resistant. I'm impressed. Thanks for the demo, Djehuty!

[Djehuty]

You're all very welcome. I was glad to contribute something, instead of always asking the "what does this do and what was that snapping sound I heard when I pushed on it?" sort of questions.

 

[ARRI]

I would like to know if the aurora blue also has this kind of performance?

I love blue colours, but there is no waterproof blue ink available in Hong Kong.

[GregM]

Arri-

Are you able to get Namiki ink in Hong Kong? I believe Namiki Blue is waterproof.

[dwmatteson]

QUOTE (ARRI @ Apr 14 2007, 04:02 AM)

I would like to know if the aurora blue also has this kind of performance? I love blue colours, but there is no waterproof blue ink available in Hong Kong.

Aurora blue, unfortunately, does not share the water-resistant qualities of its black counterpart. It runs right off the paper.

 

I had the same hope as you, so I addressed some envelopes last month using Aurora blue. It was raining that day, and by the time I got to the office from the parking lot (carrying letters in hand), the return addresses had run off almost completely. I re-wrote the addresses with a permanent marker and made a note not to use Aurora blue for anything that might get wet.

 

Don

[ajha1970]

What is the time duration of writting? I think it would have taken 20-30 seconds,

than it get soaked in water.

what would happened if you write small sentence of few words and soak whitin 5 seconds?

Please revert to explain.