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Inky Olympics - Blues

NeoTiger

By NeoTiger
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NeoTiger Vintage

NeoTiger

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Here today, we have the inky olympics with blue family inks. The contest is water resistance, the testing method is soaking in water. Who will survive? Who will fade away? Lets introduce the competitors...

 

 

Contestant number one is the current world champion of blue inks.... the infamous Noodler's Luxury Blue. It may not look too pretty, but it's without a doubt the strongest competitor in this competition. Next we have 3 inks from the Parker company, normal Quink Blue (Permanent), its cousin Quink Blue-Black, and it's distant cousin Penman Sapphire (the pretty-boy of the group).

 

The Waterman family throws in another popular contestant, the ever friendly Florida Blue. He's known to be bad at water resistance, but he's still a crowd favourite with other good properties. Next is a foreign competitor from Rohrer & Klingner, one that is trained in the ancient techniques of iron gall... will Salix have the abilities to defeat the current world champion?

 

Private Reserve has decided to send out a representative, and what a nice looking ink he is... everyone say hello to DC Supershow Blue. Diamine puts forward Prussian Blue, but everyone else mumbles something about him not looking blue enough to be in this competition at all. Two more competitors were invited to round out this competition, Pilot Blue and Sailor Blue-Black.

 

http://neotiger.orcon.net.nz/fountain/Blues1.jpg

 

All the contestants are nicely lined up... The referee checks his watch.... It is time to start the competition! All at once, the inks jump into the water.

 

http://neotiger.orcon.net.nz/fountain/Blues2.jpg

 

It looks like most of them are struggling to hold on. Private Reserve DCSS and Waterman Florida Blue appear to be fading the fastest, soon becoming disqualified. Only Luxury Blue and R&K Salix are holding on tightly.... who will win?

 

http://neotiger.orcon.net.nz/fountain/Blues3.jpg

 

Well we see that most of the blues have faded badly, with trace amounts of Prussian Blue and Sailor Blue-Black remaining, Pilot Blue a bit stronger. The photo actually exaggerates the situation a bit, some of the other inks were still barely visible to the naked eye, but very faint.

 

Looks like the result is a tie between Luxury Blue and Salix. One with new techniques from the Noodler's School, one with the ancient way of Iron Gall.

 

Conclusion: All blue inks suck, except those designed to be waterproof. Pilot doesn't suck as bad as the others.

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Lloyd Donor Pen

Lloyd

Posted
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the ancient way of Iron Gall.

 

Conclusion: All blue inks suck, except those designed to be waterproof. Pilot doesn't suck as bad as the others.

I love a scientific conclusion. :ltcapd:

 

Thanks, this is a very useful demonstration. I wish you could have included Levenger's Cobalt (which would fade as quickly as PR).

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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JohnS-MI Extremely Rare

JohnS-MI

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Conclusion: All blue inks suck, except those designed to be waterproof. Pilot doesn't suck as bad as the others.

 

Well, that's what happens when you combine swimming and running events. :)

 

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jmkeuning Antique

jmkeuning

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Excellent! Time for me to get some Noodler's Luxury Blue.

Fool: One who subverts convention or orthodoxy or varies from social conformity in order to reveal spiritual or moral truth.

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NeoTiger Vintage

NeoTiger

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Thanks for all the comments!

 

Yeah I would've liked to have included more colours, but I have limited stocks of blue inks. I mean, did I really need 10 different blue inks?

 

About the Luxury Blue, it does do perfectly in terms of water resistance and general bulletproofness, but the colour is not very appealing. Most describe it as a milky or chaulky blue.

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donwinn Antique

donwinn

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Conclusion: All blue inks suck, except those designed to be waterproof. Pilot doesn't suck as bad as the others.

 

Well, that's what happens when you combine swimming and running events. :)

What could you add to make it a triathlon? If an iron gall ink was included, as in this case <pun alert> it would truly be an iron man competition. /end pun alert. :embarrassed_smile:

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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encephalartos Extremely Rare

encephalartos

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Have you tried Swisher's Eternal Glacier (blue)? I found that I've got a bottle the

other day when making a big bunch of ink samples for some one.

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NeoTiger Vintage

NeoTiger

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Have you tried Swisher's Eternal Glacier (blue)? I found that I've got a bottle the

other day when making a big bunch of ink samples for some one.

 

Ahh no, I don't have Glacier Blue either. I would've liked to have included more colours in this test, but I already think that owning 10 blue inks is excessive :P.

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tuintu Mint

tuintu

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Subtle review :)

 

thanks.

Verba volant, scripta manet...

 

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.png http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5642/postcardde9.png

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karinh Extremely Rare

karinh

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Great review - funny and enlightening all at the same time! :)

 

I had my money on R&K Salix - it has survived the whole cup of hot tea torture test where everything else just melted and ran together so I knew it was a tough guy.

"Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light." - Groucho Marx

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