Noodler's Legal Blue

[PatientType]

I've rotated a bottle of Noodler's Legal Blue into use and I was surprised to encounter some disparity with the flow. Has anyone else run into this?

 

Using three pens, a Delta 365 (broad nib), a Pilot vanishing point (medium nib), and a Sheaffer Targa (fine nib) I got the following results.

 

Using the ink in the 365 is a struggle. It dries quickly and needs to be dipped in water to restart. That sometimes happens a couple of times in one writing session.

 

The ink is dryish in the VP. It takes a little prompting to start up when the pen hasn't been used for a day.

 

On the other hand it runs wet and normal in the Sheaffer Targa.

 

I've heard that some ink & pen combinations are better than others but I'm a little surprised by the range of usability of this bottle of ink. Maybe the flow is sufficient for a fine line but is less forgiving in a broad?

 

All three pens have been used with a variety of other inks with no issues. I'm just curious if anyone else has run into flow issues with this particular color. I'm kind of thinking of retiring the ink and moving to Hudson Blue or another Noodler's choice rather than having to deal with a finicky ink. On the other hand ... batches can vary and I like the color of the ink. My Noodler's inks (and I have a lot of 'em) seem to be wettish, smooth inks.

 

Thoughts?

[traderdude01]

So far I've used LL in a medium VP, a fine VP, and a myu, and haven't had any problems. The flow has been fine, if not a bit on the wetter side.

 

Of course, YMMV.

[mstone]

Assuming LL means Legal Lapis, that's a different ink than Legal Blue. In any case, diluting with water often helps flow issues in the bulletproof inks. Try anywhere from 1:5 to 1:3 (water:ink). Easiest way if using a converter or a piston where you can get a good idea of the fill level is to just suck in some water before filling the rest of the way with ink.

[traderdude01]

Whoops! My mistake :embarrassed_smile:

[PatientType]

Assuming LL means Legal Lapis, that's a different ink than Legal Blue. In any case, diluting with water often helps flow issues in the bulletproof inks. Try anywhere from 1:5 to 1:3 (water:ink). Easiest way if using a converter or a piston where you can get a good idea of the fill level is to just suck in some water before filling the rest of the way with ink.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give that a try. The ink is so saturated that a small amount of water wouldn't have much effect on the ink color.

[torstar]

Assuming LL means Legal Lapis, that's a different ink than Legal Blue. In any case, diluting with water often helps flow issues in the bulletproof inks. Try anywhere from 1:5 to 1:3 (water:ink). Easiest way if using a converter or a piston where you can get a good idea of the fill level is to just suck in some water before filling the rest of the way with ink.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give that a try. The ink is so saturated that a small amount of water wouldn't have much effect on the ink color.

 

 

 

Dilution is a great way to enhance the hobby.

[desdedez]

I have used Legal Blue (and Legal Lapis) on my Pelikan M605 Fine nib. Flow is perfect. No issues so far.

[RLTodd]

None of my pens that I have tried work well with Legal Lapis.

 

None of they paper I use works well with LL, usually feathering problems.

 

I probably have combinations that work, but not in what I use on a day to day basis.

 

I may try dilution with some of my combinations.

 

I never expect every ink to work with every pen on every surface (if I did I would never use a fountain pen and always use a ball point pen).

Edited September 17, 2011 by RLTodd