Alternative To Platinum's Blue Black

[khalameet]

Hello and happy new year!

 

I am again deeply in love with Platinum's blue black ink. I use it in a 3776 with the slip n seal cap.

The ink is just wonderful with it's rich blue tone, the shading and the slightly shimmery sheen. Understated but the most beautiful colour I have ever seen in an ink.

 

However, I am a little bit afraid to use this ink in my other more expensive pens. I have no doubts that the 3776 will hold up against it pretty well as Platinum supplies this ink with the pen and the slip n seal cap works absolutely flawlessly.

But my Custom 823 does not have this cap mechanism and even worse, it has the metal rod inside the barrel. True, this is stainless steel and the ink SHOULD not harm the material, but there are reports of iron gall damaging stainless steel nibs and I think better safe than sorry with a pen out of this price range.

 

The problem is, there might be no such ink as the Platinum BB. What I have tried so far:

- Pilot blue black

- Herbin Bleu Nuit

- Diamine blue black

- R&K Verdigris

- Montblanc Midnight Blue (the non-IG)

 

And of course, although both are IG:

- R&K Salix

- Pelikan blue black

 

But maybe there are other good suggestions? The ink should only have a slight water resistance (so that written text could be recovered).

What I absolutely hate about a blue black ink is when it shows the slightest hint of green or teal. The ink looks really dirty to my eyes when it does that.

[KLscribbler]

Also try Aurora Blue Black. It's a well-behaved dye based ink (no IG nor nano-pigment nor any other exotic chemistry...)

 

As befits your preferences, this ink doesn't have any hint of green or teal to it at all. It leans more towards blue-gray, and frankly looks a little like a classic IG ink (even though it's not). It is darker than Platinum Blue-Black, however, which may or may not be to your liking. There is just a little water resistance, not as good as Platinum Blue Black, however it's sufficient for documents to remain legible after being splashed.

[jmccarty3]

You might consider Sailor Souboku, although it is darker than Platinum Blue-Black. Pilot Blue-Black is a very safe ink, but is not as saturated as the Platinum or Sailor inks. I don't know if regular Sailor Jentle Blue-Black has any water resistance.

 

I would appreciate hearing if anyone has had problems using Platinum Blue-Black in a Pilot Custom 823. I would think it would be quite safe.

[inkstainedruth]

Not sure about its water resistance, but if you want a blue-black that doesn't lean teal, have a look at Iroshizuku Tanzanite. Or, if you can find a bottle anyplace for cheap, look at vintage Quink Microfilm Black (which is pretty waterproof, well-behaved and while technically black has a blue undertone to it).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[The Good Captain]

I would always suggest Pelikan's 4001 Blue-Black but I must try out this Platinum one, sometime soon.

[khalameet]

I would always suggest Pelikan's 4001 Blue-Black but I must try out this Platinum one, sometime soon.

It is a gorgeous ink. The shading capabilities are very similar to Salix in my 3776 with the broad nib. But it has a much more vivid colour. Some spots show a very rich, dark blue, other spots turn almost black.

Some spots appear to sheen slightly golden, but very faint. I really like this ink and have found nothing similar so far. Let's hope Platinum doesn't reformulate or cancel this ink. It is perfect the way it is.

 

Well, I guess this are features which I will only get from an IG. Maybe I should just use the 3776 more often.

Thank you for your suggestions, I will look into ShinKai and Aurora's blue black.

 

Edit: Just to add this note, since I bought my first 3776, which was supplied with a single cartridge of this ink, I started a journey for a similar ink because I had a problem with the IG content. But so far nothing compares. Pilot blue black seems to be similar in some way, but in direct comparison it looks pretty lifeless.

Edited January 2, 2019 by khalameet

[senzen]

Not sure about its water resistance, but if you want a blue-black that doesn't lean teal, have a look at Iroshizuku Tanzanite.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Edelstein Tanzanite??

[senzen]

I respect your preferences, but two similar inks in different pens? Live a little! You could go for another gorgeous blue that looks very different:

 

Kyo No Oto Aonibi.

Asa Gao.

Tsuyu Kusa.

Kon Peki.

 

I love Équinoxe 6 but it doesn't get along with just any pen.

 

From your list I do have Verdigris, it's awesome.

[XYZZY]

I am again deeply in love with Platinum's blue black ink. I use it in a 3776 with the slip n seal cap. ...

[snip]

 

But my Custom 823 does not have this cap mechanism and even worse, it has the metal rod inside the barrel.

...

 

I wouldn't worry about the cap. Your 823 does have a cap liner. Lots of pens have cap liners--my $5 Preppy has a cap liner. Some designs are better than others, and I certainly appreciate the slip-n-seal cap in my 3776 too. But Platinum didn't invent the idea of keeping the nib sealed up when the cap is on the pen. Their slip-n-seal might be an incremental step forward, but it's not revolutionary.

[khalameet]

The Preppy even has the slip n seal.

But true, the inner cap should be able to prevent this and I think they work well on Pilot's pens.

 

Although I have to admit that pseudo88 is right. I should expand my inky tastes a little bit

[Arkanabar]

I don't think you have too much to worry about. I seem to recall that somebody around here has kept a Pilot Plumix inked with Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies' Registrar's Ink for the sole purpose of addressing letters for years, both without flushing and without incident. I can just about guarantee that ESSRI is a much harsher ink than any of Platinum's IG inks.

 

Not sure about its water resistance, but if you want a blue-black that doesn't lean teal, have a look at Iroshizuku Tanzanite. Or, if you can find a bottle anyplace for cheap, look at vintage Quink Microfilm Black (which is pretty waterproof, well-behaved and while technically black has a blue undertone to it).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I also am pretty sure that Tanzanite is from Pelikan's Edelstein line of inks.

[inkstainedruth]

 

Edelstein Tanzanite??

 

Yeah, sigh. That's what I mean. I was really fried when I was posting yesterday....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[The Good Captain]

I thought a few pictures of some of the 'blue-blacks' I've inked up at the moment might be appropriate, especially my usual sort of soak tests. As it happens my bottle of the Platinum arrived in the post this morning so I thought I'd get them up o here today.

As before, I use pretty awful 80/90gsm paper which was already cut into pads for me about a decade ago. This time, I left them soaking for 45 minutes instead of the normal 30, after a rinse under the tap at start and finish.

 

This is before the immersion:

 

 

And this is after:

 

 

Some of the 'old favourites' are there for comparison but I have to say, I'd forgotten how well the J Herbin ink behaved.

Hope these will be of use and I plan to order more of the Platinum ASAP - it is a lovely colour and the slight sheen can be seen even on this paper. It's inked in my Platinum #3776 Chartres Blue with M nib - I always wanted an ink to really suit it!

Edited January 7, 2019 by The Good Captain

[Carrau]

I I'd forgotten how well the J Herbin ink behaved.]

My Bleu Nuit always appears more blue than in most of the pics/scans here on FPN. Judging from my bottle alone, I’d never call it BB, but it almost always looks that way on posts here.

[khalameet]

Nice comparison.

Yes, I really like Bleu Nuit too and mine is quite water resistant. And definitely a blue black for me.

I don't know if this is a thing with Herbin inks, but maybe you got a bad batch?

 

Concerning the Platinum, this ink holds up really well against water. And being an IG it performs well on bad paper (which I have to use at work a lot).

[Noihvo]

[Intensity]

Birmingham Pen Company "Boiler Steam Blue Black" dye ink : interesting, complex color, great shading, reasonable water resistance (legible line remains).

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334625-birmingham-pen-co-pennsylvania-railroad-boiler-steam-blueblack-ink-review/

 

Sailor Souboku pigment ink : looks great, excellent water resistance. A full bottle of it is on my shopping list. Its more blue sibling Sei Boku used to be my favorite, but I think I like Souboku's color more. This one might be your cup of tea, as the color is more saturated than other more traditional blue-blacks. Sailor's pigment inks work well on any paper I've tried them on, if you're worried about feathering and bleed-through.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Intensity

[aardvarkbark]

Diamine Oxford Blue is very dark, almost a blue-black. It has a slight sheen and no hint of teal or green.

[jmccarty3]

I have tried a number of IG and nano blue-black inks, and have found most of them to be, in fine nibs at least, practically black. For a waterproof blue-black, I have yet to find anything superior to Platinum Blue-Black. There are all sorts of satisfactory blue-black inks out there, if water resistance is not required, or if you are using a broader nib.

[eharriett]

I’m just the opposite, I prefer that teal to my blue blacks.

 

However, two immediate suggestions came to mind, until you said you wanted some water resistance, then only one suggestion came to mind.

 

Noodler’s Ellis Island Blue Black. It’s one of the more pure blue blacks I’ve seen, and is also bullet proof. And I’ve used it quite successfully without it staining or damaging any of my pens, including vintage.