Black Swan In North African Violets

[CatBookMom]

 

 

Maybe your nib is too fine? I need a flex pen or a 0.8 CI nib to appreciate the shading. The Black Swan inks cry out for a flex pen.

 

I think it's more that I don't have the right ratio of black to purple.

[crunchmaster]

I don't know why it works, because I don't understand this ink, but even using it in a Lamy italic nib didn't give much shading, just a dark purple. Only the Nib Creaper gave me shading. It didn't shade much in a Lamy 2000 either. I think it has something to do with the flow rate, because even without the Creaper's nib flexed, I could still see the shading on fine lines. Or perhaps it's the ebonite feed in the Creaper? That would be an interesting experiment, but I don't have other ebonite feeds to test with.

[pearlbeer]

Nice mix. Thanks.

[crunchmaster]

Update: It's been about 11 months since I first mixed these inks. I just cleaned and refilled the Nib Creaper and it's still writing very well. This is the same batch I first mixed, and even after sitting in my kitchen cabinet for all this time, it seems to have suffered no ill effects.

 

It does leave a coating on inner surfaces, both of the vial and the pen, but it can be easily wiped clean. I think the NAV by itself stains fairly well, and I think the HoD clings to the NAV, leaving black ink on the purple stains (my unscientific explanation). I think "gunk" might be too strong a word for it. It looks bad at first glance, but it's not hard or crusty, and it comes off with a paper towel or Q-tip.

 

I soaked the Nib Creaper and its feed and nib in soapy water overnight, then wiped the underside of the nib with a napkin to get the coating off, then refilled it from the vial of the first batch I mixed, and you can see how it's writing. I forgot how much I like this mix.

[JimB]

I need to find the container I used to mix up my batch. I have many bottles that I filled, thinking they needed no labels, since the cap, the bottle itself would tell me what I used it to hold. It's been a while, now my memory of this is gone from my head! How's that old saying go? - "The worst written note is better than the best memory?" Something like that. Hope I find that one bottle out of the 13 unmarked ones that I have in my desk drawer. Maybe the TWSBI bottle with the red cap? I don't remember!

Edited November 6, 2012 by januaryman

[crunchmaster]

Well, it tends to have a distinctive look in the bottle...

[dorothynotgale]

Hi! I'm new here, and I just wanted to say that this looks absolutely gorgeous. It may be the first thing I ever try to mix.

 

I've always liked the idea of the Black Swan inks - the incredible shading just for flex nibs - but the actual colors leave me cold. Too dusty-looking for my taste, or something. NAV, on the other hand, is one of my absolute go-tos, and the shocking black shading in these photos really makes me want to make some.

 

I 'm going to try with the black I have on hand (PR Velvet Black) just to see, before haring off to get a sample of HoD from Goulet. We'll see whether that works, or whether it just produces a purple-black.

[Ted A]

It is a fantastic color. I almost always have it inked. It does stain so I only use it in one pen, but you would know about the staining if you like the NAV. It is definitely worth it.

[dorothynotgale]

Update: No, PR Velvet Black doesn't cut it as a substitute for HoD. Still, it does make a deep but soft grayish-purple-black, like dusk in the desert right at the edge of true night, so maybe I'll write a page and do a post on it as a separate recipe.