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Organics Studio 'blue Merle' - Except That It's Not?!


Jamerelbe

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This is an ink I've been scratching my head over ever since I received a bottle of it several months ago - and having just re-inked a couple of pens with it, I figured it was time to 'go public' with my confusion.

 

This wasn't actually an ink that I chose to buy: it was sent to me (along with a couple of other inks) as a kind of apology / substitute for an ink I'd ordered online, and paid for, that my supplier didn't have in stock. I'd wanted Omas Blue - I received Noodler's Steel Blue, Noodler's General of the Armies, and this ink.

 

The first thing I noticed was that on the box, Organics Studio Blue Merle was described as "a medium saturation blue-black ink that is perfect for business and personal use". Except that in my Pilot Vanishing Point (with F nib), it came out a kind of nondescript grey.

 

I flushed the pen, and put this ink away - only pulling it out again last week, when I decided to try it in a pen with a broader nib. Nothing had changed, though: this ink *still* came out grey.

 

I have to confess, I'm now puzzled. A couple of posts on FPN suggest that an earlier formulation of this ink was more of a blue-grey - and/or that the ink is prone to discolour in the bottle over time. And the box *definitely* says it's meant to be blue-black. On the other hand, my online research into Australian blue merle Shepherd dogs (for whom this ink was named) suggest that their fur is actually a dappled grey rather than either blue or black.

 

This ink is now (I believe) discontinued - don't know if it'll be back. Not being mad keen on grey inks, I'm not sure I'll use it often - but it behaves pretty well in my pens. In any case, I thought it was worth sharing my observations and a couple of scans, given the fact that it's not been widely reviewed on FPN. So here is my written review:

 

post-108160-0-53001100-1441378439_thumb.jpg

 

 

And here's a close-up of the Q-tip swab:

 

post-108160-0-62403300-1441378456_thumb.jpg

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Ha, snap.

Mine used to be a lovely "vintage" steel blue but has since lost it's blueyness - see middle pic:

 

http://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_old_blue_merle.jpg

 

(I had a little moan about this here and feel your pain :( )

 

Mind you, I'm so over Blue Merle now that I've discovered Seitz-Kreuznach Navy Blue :wub:

Edited by Tas
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Good to know. Or not. I had really liked the sample of Blue Merle I got when it first came out because it *was* blue-grey, and just a little different from anything else I had. But if it's gone to just grey? Well, I like grey inks but don't really need another one, and this looks somewhat anemic and insipid.... :(

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Wow... this is quite unacceptable. If the ink was 10+ or even 5+ years... but a year old ink!!!.. :roller1:

 

I'll have to dig my Blue Merle and check.. :gaah:

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And those bottles are dark to keep out light. So in theory, it should be something else. And I agree with Cyber6 that it's not acceptable. Ink manufacturers whether boutique or not need to use ink/dyes that are reasonably lightfast and stable. Especially in the bottle.

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Wow, thanks for all the replies! I have no idea how long the bottle was in storage before my supplier passed it on to me, though I'm pretty sure he sampled it before deciding not to stock it. I'd just assumed it was *meant* to be grey, text on the box notwithstanding, since the Merle patches on Blue Merle Australian Shepherds are not blue but grey. A shame that's not the case - because what this means is the the ink is not well formulated.

 

I understand the ink manufacturer had taken a break from the business - then I *think* I read that he was maintaining a more limited range and supply? Be interested to know whether other inks in the range have had similar issues...

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.... I understand the ink manufacturer had taken a break from the business - then I *think* I read that he was maintaining a more limited range and supply? Be interested to know whether other inks in the range have had similar issues...

I think he realized that life is too short to ink bad Shepherd dogs.

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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... the Merle patches on Blue Merle Australian Shepherds are not blue but grey.

Our Blue Merle Sheltie is also gray and white.

 

Kind of a crazy name to call an ink, since it requires knowing a relatively obscure fur color. It's almost like Organics Studio wanted people to return it, especially with that description. It's blue black only if you're color blind.

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Ha, snap.

Mine used to be a lovely "vintage" steel blue but has since lost it's blueyness - see middle pic:

 

http://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_old_blue_merle.jpg

 

(I had a little moan about this here and feel your pain :( )

 

Mind you, I'm so over Blue Merle now that I've discovered Seitz-Kreuznach Navy Blue :wub:

 

 

Tas your drawings make me crack up.

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Tas your drawings make me crack up.

 

Thanks. I use them to break up the monotony of emails and to avoid doing what I should probably be doing . . . :mellow:

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Tas's excellent review almost made me pick up a bottle of this ink a year ago at the DC pen show. Now I'm glad I didn't...

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Recently, checked out my bottle of OS and realized it still looked the same a steely blue ink on paper. I guess it varies a bit.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

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  • 9 months later...

Oh, wow.... I just realized that my bottle of Blue Merle went to doggie heaven as well. I got it couple of years ago, at Philly Pen show.

 

I googled to see if anyone else experienced that, and sure enough...

 

Ah, well, see if I can mix it with any other color, I never use grey ink...

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  • 1 year later...

Has anyone been using Blue Merle recently? Is it still prone to turning grey in the bottle?

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I haven't been using mine since it turned grey a few years ago. I doubt that any bottle of it hasn't turned grey... unless of course it has been relaunched in the meantime....

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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I haven't been using mine since it turned grey a few years ago. I doubt that any bottle of it hasn't turned grey... unless of course it has been relaunched in the meantime....

I see it available on the website of one of the retailers. After the OS hiatus and return, I’m wondering if it has been reformulated. Anyone?

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I see it available on the website of one of the retailers. After the OS hiatus and return, I’m wondering if it has been reformulated. Anyone?

 

 

If I remember correctly (and I could be wrong).. the creator of OS.. (Tyler??).. never acknowledge that there was anything wrong with his inks. I personally own a great number of his colours and have seen several of them degrade to grey (Aristotle is another one, also Manganese), or grow mold in it... or just clump. He doesn't respond to feedback.

 

 

 

C.

fpn_1481652911__bauerinkslogo03.jpg
**** BauerInks.ca ****

**** MORE.... Robert Oster Signature INKS ****

**** NICK STEWART - KWZI INKs TEST ****

"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking,

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