The quest for the perfect blue ink

[MHBru]

@lukeap69 you raise an interesting point.  Altho I own a few dark blues that I enjoy (Asa Gao and Yonaga) sometimes the blue doesn't really show as much as I'd prefer. An extreme example is Akkerman dutch master 8 stormachtig blau.... I challenge you to find blue in anything written with that ink.  it might as well be black.  I like a distinctively blue ink vs hints of blue.

[lukeap69]

3 hours ago, MHBru said:

@lukeap69 you raise an interesting point.  Altho I own a few dark blues that I enjoy (Asa Gao and Yonaga) sometimes the blue doesn't really show as much as I'd prefer. An extreme example is Akkerman dutch master 8 stormachtig blau.... I challenge you to find blue in anything written with that ink.  it might as well be black.  I like a distinctively blue ink vs hints of blue.

@MHBru that makes sense. I also prefer my blue to be 'less black' although dark blue has its place in my arsenal.

[txomsy]

I tend to make a distinction between "intensely dark" blue and "black-blue". For me, something like OS Nitrogen produces an intense blue (albeit with sheen), but little to no hints of black.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

My two current favourites are Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai (virtually blue-black) and the blue-grey Montblanc Starwalker space blue. I’m finding Diamine presidential blue to be a bit of an enigmatic beast in some pens it enhances the wet nibs yet in the cross Calais it is really tamed and the nib makes it quite dry and pale. I don’t get it. Anyone else have inks with variable character dependant on the pen?

[txomsy]

Most of us, I would guess. The pen flow and nib point will affect the amount of ink delivered and therefore its ability to interact with the substrate (paper). For instance, common observation is that EF nibs are better for bad paper: the line will be fatter than EF, maybe look like an M or B, but tolerable. Ditto for shadowing: it shows better on thicker widths, etc.

[lukeap69]

2 hours ago, txomsy said:

Most of us, I would guess. The pen flow and nib point will affect the amount of ink delivered and therefore its ability to interact with the substrate (paper). For instance, common observation is that EF nibs are better for bad paper: the line will be fatter than EF, maybe look like an M or B, but tolerable. Ditto for shadowing: it shows better on thicker widths, etc.

I agree with this 💯%.

[chromantic]

MV Sapphire for blue, Stipula Dark Blue for blue/black and Stipula Light Blue for a bright, cheerful cerulean-type blue..

[Bigeddie]

For me:

MB Royal Blue

Sailor Jentle Blue

[2ouvenir]

Personally, I really like Iroshizuku Ama-iro and Sailor Souten. If I had to choose between the two, probably the Souten.

[Bo Bo Olson]

On another thread, Pelikan Topaz was brought up. I found a springy regular flex 200 Ruby Red, ...cleaned it and loaded it with Pelikan Edelstein Topaz...a nice lively shading ink.

I'd not been in blue in quite awhile, and it's worth loading.

[Jjanek73]

To bring out less-known brand and "promote my country" 😀, I Iove three special edition blues of Inkebara - "Foggy blue", "Sea blue" and "Evening blue". Great, extraordinary shading and nice design of bottles too. 

 

Janek

[Penguincollector]

 So I used inkswatch to get comparable inks to Monteverde Capri Blue and a few of the inks suggested  on this thread were also suggested by them.
 

[Mercian]

For additional info, from the wet nib/feed on my Pelikan M805 ‘F’, Edelstein Topaz comes out looking like this:

 

’tis a bright and ‘cheerful’ light cerulean blue, and from a pen as ‘wet’ as this one, and on the right paper, it can shade very prettily 🙂

[Mercian]

49 minutes ago, Jjanek73 said:

To bring out less-known brand and "promote my country" 😀, I Iove three special edition blues of Inkebara - "Foggy blue", "Sea blue" and "Evening blue". Great, extraordinary shading and nice design of bottles too. 

 

Janek

Pictures, sir!
We demand to see pictures! 😉

 

Please?

 

Slàinte,
M.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Penguin, that is a very nice selection of blues.

I'm glad Topaz can hang with them.

[Jjanek73]

10 hours ago, Mercian said:

Pictures, sir!
We demand to see pictures! 😉

 

Please?

 

Slàinte,
M.

Thank you for interest, Mercian! 😊

 

Right now I have not sample ready, but find reviews with samples:

 

https://bystalowka.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/inkebara-sea-blue/

https://bystalowka.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/inkebara-evening-blue/

https://bystalowka.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/inkebara-foggy-blue/

 

You can see bottle design also.

 

In my experience with right nib you can get more impressive shading, I try show something in the afternoon.

 

Best regards!

Janek

[Bo Bo Olson]

Just what I needed more good shading inks......Thank you very much....now to wait till it rains money.

There are so many good inks out in the last 7 or so years....and I have more inks than I'll ever use up.

[Jjanek73]

4 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

....and I have more inks than I'll ever use up.

Like Guns´n´Roses used to sing, You ain´t the First. And not even last, I think. 😃

[Penguincollector]

18 hours ago, Mercian said:

For additional info, from the wet nib/feed on my Pelikan M805 ‘F’, Edelstein Topaz comes out looking like this:

 

’tis a bright and ‘cheerful’ light cerulean blue, and from a pen as ‘wet’ as this one, and on the right paper, it can shade very prettily 🙂

 

17 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Penguin, that is a very nice selection of blues.

I'm glad Topaz can hang with them.

  I’m adding a Topaz to my Amazon cart, you enablers. On my screen, it’s very close to Sheaffer Peacock. I can’t believe it’s not in my collection already. 

[torstar]

On 2/25/2024 at 5:13 PM, lapis said:

I keep forgetting it... Noodler's "Blue". Yup, no adjectives or names alongside just "Blue". The only trouble is that it takes hours to dry.

 

Noodler's Blue

 

Last bottles of Penman Sapphire on the shelf, let's pretend it's overrated...

 

Herbin Eclat de Saphir

 

still test driving Platinum Pigment Ink blue

 

Should have enjoyed Baystate... i hear recent batches are less of a problem?