Blue inks

[lefty928]

I voted for Visconti Blue -- had to try out my new bottle of Ottoman Azure and re-visit Florida Blue before voting. The color is dark and rich, with much more heft to it than the Florida Blue.

[Stephen-I-am]

I like Visconti Blue too. I came up with a waterproof version: 4 parts Visconti blue, 1 part Noodlers Iraqi Indigo, and one part Swishmix glacier. Looks pretty much like straight Visconti blue.

 

Stephen

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I like Visconti Blue too. I came up with a waterproof version: 4 parts Visconti blue, 1 part Noodlers Iraqi Indigo, and one part Swishmix glacier. Looks pretty much like straight Visconti blue.

So would that mean that just a 1:1 = Iraqi Indigo to Swishmix Glacier Blue mixture would look pretty much like Visconti Blue?

[spinwards]

I voted for Levenger Cobalt Blue. I really like the dark rich color with a hint toward purple/violet.

Odd...so did I and yet there is only a tally of one. Something's not right.

I also voted for the Levenger's Cobalt. Tally is up to 2.

It is a good thing it isn't running for mayor. :ph34r:

[Stephen-I-am]

I like Visconti Blue too. I came up with a waterproof version: 4 parts Visconti blue, 1 part Noodlers Iraqi Indigo, and one part Swishmix glacier. Looks pretty much like straight Visconti blue.

So would that mean that just a 1:1 = Iraqi Indigo to Swishmix Glacier Blue mixture would look pretty much like Visconti Blue?

Not really. There are 6 parts in all. With 4 parts Visconti blue, it's not surprising it still looks like Visconti blue. But you might enjoy the half glacier, half Iraqi indigo. It wouldn't be very saturated, but would be waterproof and flow well.

 

Stephen

[Chris C]

I picked Waterman Florida Blue because of its excellent writing characteristics. Fussy pens which don't work well with other types of ink will perform quite nicely with WFB. The color is nicely saturated, with a slight purplish cast.

 

Aurora blue is right up there with Waterman; excellent flow and a very rich color, but it has quite a violet shade.

 

Sailor Jentle Blue is pretty good; a more greyish cast. Reasonable writing characteristics, but not as good as the two mentioned above.

[kenny]

I like the the Waterman's Florida Blue as well. The color is just appealing to me. However, I would have to say that MB Royal Blue is my second favorite. Although the color is not as intense, I like it for work because it dries much faster than some of the more intense inks such as Levenger's Cobalt Blue (whose color I like, but because problematic at work due to smudging).

[RichardS]

Diamine Royal Blue, every time. It's such an excellent blue for everyday use. I'd vote for Ottoman Azure as a close second - wonderful colour, but a bit more temperemental than the the Diamine. And then Aurora Bluie - so rich!

[westlandmi]

Private Reserves DC Supershow Blue is my favorite blue ink, it is such a nice color. I have this in both of my fountain pens.

[_EL_]

Best blue ink... can this actually exist?

 

I tend to return to Waterman Florida blue for most pens, though I have an Omas that gets Omas (new) blue that I really love (quite dark.) Aurora blue is also very nice.

 

Can I have my vote back? I don't really have a favourite

 

 

E.

[OldGriz]

Mine is not listed...

Noodlers La Couleur Royale.... a deep rich blue with a hint of purple back-tone... at least in my pens....

Of course my bottle of Penman Sapphire is up there too... but as Richard states (and I learned because I DID NOT listen to him) it can be nasty in certain pens... It writes beautifully in my Parker Vacumatics, but does not do well at all in my Parker 51s...

MEA CULPA, MEA CULPA, MEA MAXIMA CULPA Richard...

[Maestro de Oscuridad]

S.T. Dupont Royal Blue was not included in the list, but it is a beautiful colour; the ink looks very nice on paper and works extremely well with my pen ... and I'm someone who isn't even a big fan of blue ink! But having said that, I do like it sometimes.

[bernardo]

You forgot to include the answer "I don't write in blue". Somehow, I find blue ink vulgar. My first bottle ever (a gift) was Skrip blue-black. I hated it. I always use deep black or sepia.

[Viseguy]

Somehow, I find blue ink vulgar.

Why vulgar? What associations with blue ink lead you to that conclusion? Just curious...

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I like Visconti Blue too. I came up with a waterproof version: 4 parts Visconti blue, 1 part Noodlers Iraqi Indigo, and one part Swishmix glacier. Looks pretty much like straight Visconti blue.

So would that mean that just a 1:1 = Iraqi Indigo to Swishmix Glacier Blue mixture would look pretty much like Visconti Blue?

Not really. There are 6 parts in all. With 4 parts Visconti blue, it's not surprising it still looks like Visconti blue. But you might enjoy the half glacier, half Iraqi indigo. It wouldn't be very saturated, but would be waterproof and flow well.

 

Stephen

Oh, okay, I get it now. Still that has to be somewhat like Visconti Blue if it mixes with it and doesn't change it much.

[bernardo]

Somehow, I find blue ink vulgar.

Why vulgar? What associations with blue ink lead you to that conclusion? Just curious...

I don't know, that's why I said "somehow". Maybe it's because everybody uses to write with that ugly BIC blue ballpoint pens, which are definitely vulgar, and make your handwriting look so.

[Viseguy]

Maybe it's because everybody uses to write with that ugly BIC blue ballpoint pens, which are definitely vulgar, and make your handwriting look so.

Ah, so. I've heard others say that BIC has put them off blue altogether. And I would agree that BIC blue is ugly. As a blue-ink fancier, one reason I prefer wet-writing nibs is that no one will mistake the writing for something that came out of a BIC.

Edited November 27, 2006 by Viseguy

[MikeLip]

I changed my mind - my new favorite is Noodlers Polar Blue. Not only is it as pretty as PR American Blue (although just a bit lighter) is bulletproof. Beautiful stuff, and dries almost instantly.

[fjf]

Is the polar blue chalky like the luxury blue?.

[Watermoon]

Changed my mind too (in fact, I had read the list too fast). I voted for Lamy Blue (which is like Waterman Florida Blue without the purplish shade). My favorite blue definitely is Ottoman Azure, the bottle is going down fast. Followed by Lamy Blue, in the "as is" inks.

 

But you can always mix your own, it's like music. I was a bit tired of Florida Blue, so I mixed it, 50-50, with Lamy Turquoise (I guess you could as well mix FB with South Seas Blue). The mixture is somewhere between PR Naples and Ottoman Azure, and I like it *a lot*. Subtle shades, evocative of the good life.