Looking For A New Ig Ink

[jabberwock11]

I'm looking to add a new fountain pen friendly "iron gall" ink to my stable and would like some input. I regularly use Chesterfield Archival Vault ink (a rebrand of Diamine Registrar's ink) and have also used R&K Salix, old formula Lamy Blue-Black, as well as several true iron gall inks (with my dip pens only, obviously). I love the Chesterfield ink and I really like true iron gall inks, but I am looking to expand my horizons.

 

Right now I am debating between ESSRI, R&K Scabiosa, KWZ Gummiberry, and Platinum Blue-Black. Most of these inks are not available in samples and I do not plan to buy anything other than one of these inks (I already have more pen stuff than I really need), so I want to make the best choice possible right off the bat.

 

Here are my thoughts so far:

 

--Platinum Blue-Black intrigues me (partly because I JUST discovered that it is an iron gall based ink), but I don't know about the color. I really disliked the color of Salix and do not want to find myself with a similar colored ink. If the Platinum is a fairly dark or vivid blue, then I would be happy with it, but a muted blue will end up sitting in a desk drawer. The other issue is that this ink is more expensive than any of the other inks on my list, so it really needs to be great for me to give it a try. On the upside, the bottle has a reservoir in it, and I am a sucker for bottles with reservoirs.

 

--Scabiosa is priced well and is an interesting color, but it seems fairly muted...I'm a bit hesitant due to my dislike of Salix.

 

--ESSRI is well priced and seems like a fairly standard IG ink, but I'm not so sure that it is all that much different from Diamine Registrar's/Chesterfield Archival Vault ink.

 

--KWZ Gummiberry is a pretty cool looking ink, but it seems pretty close to Scabiosa in color. I have only found this ink for sale at Vanness pen shop, and the cost including shipping is a bit high.

 

So, I am having a hard time making a decision. I want an interesting IG ink that I can use on a regular basis. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[ink-syringe]

Platinum Blue Black goes on a nice saturated blue but then dries to a darker Blue Black (though still plenty of blue) and is somewhat dusty as well. It is a pretty old fashioned Blue-Black that leans more blue and is great for those of us who want an IG ink that is a little old fashioned but not just straight up charcoal black. But it dries somewhat to as dusty old fashioned looks that is lower chroma than one might have guessed seeing it wet. It is an outstanding ink (imo) and I like it very much, much more than the old MB Blue Black everyone is always yearning for.

 

It is pretty good flow but I find it likes to be used regularly otherwise the flow starts to slow down.

 

It is a pretty old fashioned IG and not like the new fangled "is this really IG? KWZ inks. It's a little dry. It darkens. It is pretty much your old school IG but more blue than most Ig B-BLK. Not as muted as the Diamine offerings abut not as punchy as the KWZ.

Edited January 4, 2016 by ink-syringe

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Should you wish to embark on an inky adventure, blending inks is an option:

> R&K inks can be intermingled, though doing so with their Sepia does require vigilance.

> My curiosity (aka perceived need) to invoke a greater Blue aspect for ESSRI lead to this Topic: http://ttp://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223337-essri-mixes/

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Bye,

S1

[Abner C. Kemp]

Sciabosa is a nice ink but it is exceedingly dry which means I almost never use my bottle. I think the KWZ inks are well worth a look, I own IG Orange and am very pleased with it's flow and behavior. It seems most everything I've read regarding the rest of the KWZ IG lineup has been overwhelmingly positive. I agree with you in that Platinum Blue-Black and ESSRI are quite similar to the IG inks you already own, which is perfectly fine, but if you want to branch out to another color I might pass on them.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Abner C. Kemp

[The Good Captain]

How about Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black? Even Pelikan's site says it's IG in part, or something. Probably my favourite ink of all.

[jabberwock11]

I thought about Pelikan Blue-Black, but it is no longer available in the US. A part of its formula was deemed to be toxic and it was banned. You can still get it if you try, but I don't want to get into an ink that I can not reliably stock up on. (I actually had a bottle of Pelikan Blue-Black in my cart on Amazon and when I went to buy it it had mysteriously changed from Blue-Black to Royal Blue.)

Edited January 5, 2016 by jabberwock11

[Sandy1]

I thought about Pelikan Blue-Black, but it is no longer available in the US. A part of its formula was deemed to be toxic and it was banned. You can still get it if you try, but I don't want to get into an ink that I can not reliably stock up on. (I actually had a bottle of Pelikan Blue-Black in my cart on Amazon and when I went to buy it it had mysteriously changed from Blue-Black to Royal Blue.)

 

Hi,

 

To put paid to misinformation about toxic ingredient/s in P4BlBk, please refer to earlier Topics. e.g. Post № 42 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/196276-pelikan-blue-black-discontinued-in-the-u-s/?p=1988365

 

Bye,

S1

[jabberwock11]

Well, that's good to know...I had wondered what ingredient could possibly be so bad that it would stop distribution of an ink. That's what I get for listening to hearsay information. Unfortunately the end result is the same: no Pelikan Blue-Black in the US.

[Masque]

Have you considered hunting down a bottle of Montblanc Midnight Blue? The discontinued iron gall formula was quite lovely.

[jabberwock11]

I looked around a bit for Montblanc Midnight Blue, partly for the ink and partly for the bottle, but I wasn't able to find it easily or consistently. I really want an ink that I will not have to jump through hoops to find, so the Montblanc is out.

 

The ESSRI, possibly with some blue or violet ink mixed in, is an interesting idea.

[ink-syringe]

I never got the hubbub on MB Midnight Blue or Pelikan IG. The Platinum Blue-Black is great and better than both of those imo. It goes on a middle blue and dries to a nice dark (if somewhat dusty) blue black that still has plenty of blue in it. It's a little dry but nothing like the Pelikan (like writing with sandy dishwater). Salix is ugly but Platinum Blblk is not. Platinum seems still widely available and currently made.

 

/unpopular_opinions

[akustyk]

The KWZ IG Gummiberry is indeed similar to Scabiosa, but, in my experience, has better flow. I am a big fan of KWZ inks. My current favorite is the IG Violet #3.

[OCArt]

ink-syringe, is Platinum Blue-Black the same as Pilot Blue-Black? I'm using the later and behaves like a IG ink.

(Please be careful when using the "inhalation aid" discussed in the ad below from eBay!)

[Masque]

I never got the hubbub on MB Midnight Blue or Pelikan IG. The Platinum Blue-Black is great and better than both of those imo. It goes on a middle blue and dries to a nice dark (if somewhat dusty) blue black that still has plenty of blue in it. It's a little dry but nothing like the Pelikan (like writing with sandy dishwater). Salix is ugly but Platinum Blblk is not. Platinum seems still widely available and currently made.

 

/unpopular_opinions

 

 

Is it not a true wonder to live at this time, when we have such choices and can each have our own favorites? Luxury.

 

I find the lubriciousness of the Montblanc IG Midnight Blue to be the selling factor for me. Color is good both fresh and aged, writes in any nib I've tried without any complains.

 

However, the availability may be a deal-breaker for those not already in possession of a lifetime supply.

[jabberwock11]

ink-syringe, is Platinum Blue-Black the same as Pilot Blue-Black? I'm using the later and behaves like a IG ink.

(Please be careful when using the "inhalation aid" discussed in the ad below from eBay!)

They are two different inks, but the Pilot seems like a very good non-iron gall ink. I thought that it might be an IG ink too, but this is denied by every source that I have found.

[tinta]

The Platinum's blue/black is a real sleeper among IG inks.

If I wouldn't have read through the info about inks, on the Platinum web-site, I wouldn't have discovered that their blue/black was a ferrogallic ink.

This well behaved IG ink does not darken much as it oxidizes but its dark blue colour is easy on the eyes. A favourite!

I am on my second bottle since the beginning of 2015.

Edited January 6, 2016 by tinta

[RudyR]

The Platinum's blue/black is a real sleeper among IG inks.

If I wouldn't have read through the info about inks, on the Platinum web-site, I wouldn't have discovered that their blue/black was a ferrogallic ink.

This well behaved IG ink does not darken much as it oxidizes but its dark blue colour is easy on the eyes. A favourite!

I am on my second bottle since the beginning of 2015.

+1

 

Plus it has far better flow characteristics than all other Iron gall ink. Must be the special ink inhalation ingredient they added; ink inhalation is limited to pens only and it is not to be inhaled by any living being.

Edited January 7, 2016 by RudyR

[ink-syringe]

I have the Platinum and Pilot both and use both a lot. In fact I got the Platinum recently as we suddenly can't get the Pilot here anymore (replenished my Pilot last week on my honeymoon in Japan and got it in those wonderful 70ml bottles I like so much for pennies per ml. Iroshizuku is also way cheaper).

 

Both are excellent and the Pilot looks like an IG in how it darkens (and is a bit muted and dusty) but isn't an IG as far as I know. I have used the Pilot Blue-Black for a long time and it too is a very nice ink. Easily my most used BBK since moving here decades ago, but the Platinum is a total winner. I am not sure what took me so long to try it. I have both inks loaded in pens now and enjoy both very much. Along with MB JFK, my favorite BBKs.

 

Platium BBK likes to keep moving. Works best in a pen that gets used a lot. Flow is pretty good for an IG and the color is, imo, just right.

 

Sailor BBK is not bad. I am not quite sure what it is about it that keeps me from liking it as have and love more Sailor inks than any and it isn't even close. But I just seem to prefer the Pilot and Platinum.

[tinta]

+1

 

Plus it has far better flow characteristics than all other Iron gall ink. Must be the special ink inhalation ingredient they added; ink inhalation is limited to pens only and it is not to be inhaled by any living being.

Yeah, I wondered about that "inhalation" bit.

Do they actually mean: a converter or a piston-filler or a vac or a lever-filler or a button-filler or perhaps snorkel......... ?

A thing inside the pen that "inhales" ink?

 

But seriously, you are right on about the flow characteristics of Platinum b/b.

My nibs are all adjusted to be generous with ink (for using IGs), but two. Platinum b/b ink flows equally well in my "normally" adjusted nibs.

[jabberwock11]

The inhalation bit, I am assuming, is a wacky mistranslation referring to the ink reservoir that is in most 60ml bottles of Platinum ink.

 

So, I made a decision. I have decided that as well priced as ESSRI is (110ml for about $15, including shipping is awesome) it is too similar to Chesterfield Archival Vault ink, and I really want to try something different. Platinum Blue-Black may be a great IG ink, but it is just too expensive to buy without trying first. KWZ Gummiberry may be a great purple IG ink, but it suffers from the same high price as Platinum (the way too high shipping charged by Vanness is a contributing factor with this one). In the end, I went with the Scabiosa and a sample of Platinum Blue-Black.

 

The Scabiosa is different enough from my other IG inks that I will enjoy the new color, and the sample of Platinum Blue-Black will let me try out an ink that I am not entirely sure about before I go any further. I dislike having tons of ink running around, so I really take the addition of a new ink seriously. I am the kind of person that tries out several inks in a color, and then sticks with one ink out of the lot (one Blue, one black, etc.).

 

Thank you for all of the input. I probably would still have purchased the Scabiosa without this thread (it's well priced, IG, and purple...that's hard to ignore), but I might also have just written off the Platinum Blue-Black as an over priced blue. Your recommendations helped me to decide that the Platinum was at least worth a try. I look forward to playing with both inks in the very near future.