EFNIR: Rohrer & Klingner Königsblau

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Rohrer & Klingner Königsblau

This is review #278 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: This is that blue I don't like, but it's more saturated than many royal blues.  Cleaning was easy with plain water and fairly quick, but the ink is pretty concentrated, so expect an extra flush or two.

Beginning with this review, I'm recording whether the review was done on the front or back side of the page from my Rhodia #16 dot pad. The two sides appear to behave quite differently as far as dry time is concerned, and somewhat differently as far as line width. Eventually, I should have enough data to analyze this. For now, just know the two sides behave differently.

Errata: I missed the opening quote in front of "Spells, potions....

Zoomed in photo (Color seems less vibrant than what my eyes see, but not too far off.)

Screenshot (Not too bad, but too dark on top and too light on the bottom.)

Scan of Completed Review (Very close, but still not vibrant enough. Probably the closest to reality.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (The absorbent paper version is pretty close; the copy paper is less vibrant than what my eyes see and I don't see any of the splotchiness the image shows.)

Line width (The "I" in "Ink:". Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 290µm. With 278 inks measured, the average line width is 296µm.) (You can see some red sheen in there!)

Microscope image (100x. Color is pretty close. Reality may have been a bit brighter, but I couldn't make it any brighter without losing detail.)

Previous Review: Pelikan 4001 Turquoise.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[I-am-not-really-here]

Ah, a favorite crayon color back in the day.  But not in ink presently, guess it looks to close to a ballpoint.

 

Thank you for the review!

[InesF]

Thank you, @LizEF, for this Royal Blue review, for the story part and for the microscopy!

I love the blue appearance in the microscopy, the shapes are interesting and may (or may not) show the mineral parts of the ink.

I associate today's episode of the story like breathing in before something happens.  You are becoming a master of tension - week by week you increase my curiosity.

(may I ask you to release the next story part a bit earlier? I can't wait any longer ...   )

 

Me too, Royal Blue is not in my preferred colour zone. But, there is nothing wrong with having a Royal Blue as favourite. 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, I-am-not-really-here said:

Ah, a favorite crayon color back in the day.  But not in ink presently, guess it looks to close to a ballpoint.

Of all the royal blues I've reviewed, this one would be at or near the top of the list - its color really pops (especially on Iroful paper, where everything pops ).  This is more saturated and though my images probably show too much purple (depending on the screen), it's not overly purple...  Anywho, if you have to use this color, this ink is a good choice.

 

1 hour ago, I-am-not-really-here said:

Thank you for the review!

You're very welcome!

[yazeh]

Thank you @LizEF for such a fun review despite you playing "referee" recently  Like @InesF I really like the microscopic image, it's great to have some stained glass window in that colour. Loved the quote, I have a few plants that are my friends, so I don't feel like the odd one out

 

Coins, maps, Key-coins and lots of magic. Looking forward to see where the compass will take our friends next week

 

 

[LizEF]

22 minutes ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @LizEF, for this Royal Blue review, for the story part and for the microscopy!

You're most welcome!

 

23 minutes ago, InesF said:

I associate today's episode of the story like breathing in before something happens.  You are becoming a master of tension - week by week you increase my curiosity.

Thank you!

 

23 minutes ago, InesF said:

(may I ask you to release the next story part a bit earlier? I can't wait any longer ...   )

If you're serious, PM me.  But keep in mind, eventually you'll be caught up to where I am and have to go back to waiting a week.  I (probably) have to skip recording next week's review (not posting), and today's and the one following are as far as I've written (that's 5 more - 279 through 283).  Hopefully I'll get some inspiration because supervising the new kitten and Klaw is turning into a full-time job and I don't have a ton of time - inspiration is always faster than work, FYI.

 

[Unrelated: Klaw just arrived to lie between my arms while I type.  It's been too long since he did that - the kitten has caused quite the disturbance in our existence.  I am beyond happy. ]

 

33 minutes ago, InesF said:

Me too, Royal Blue is not in my preferred colour zone. But, there is nothing wrong with having a Royal Blue as favourite. 

Yep.  I'd say this, Visconti Blue, and Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao stand out as the best inks in this color space - of those I've tested - but not enough that I want to use them.  (Though Iroful was almost enough to change my mind with this ink - which was one of the first I used on Iroful. No idea how that paper works, but it's truly remarkable.)

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thank you @LizEF for such a fun review despite you playing "referee" recently  

You're most welcome!

 

9 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Like @InesF I really like the microscopic image, it's great to have some stained glass window in that colour.

Oh, yes, that would look nice.

 

10 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Loved the quote, I have a few plants that are my friends, so I don't feel like the odd one out

Plants commit suicide when they see me coming.  I always follow the directions on houseplants, but can never keep them alive... The yard and its trees and bushes, those that have survived, will have to suffice.  One of these - a sub-alpine fir - is my best plant buddy.  I do my very best to take care of him - he's the only tree left from the original landscaping and I love the look of him.  He struggles - I think he's supposed to be at higher altitude (not that I'm at low altitude, but, ya know).

 

And even so, I love watching Bob Ross - he's so relaxing and encouraging.  He could convince just about anyone that they could accomplish just about anything.   Or at the very least, he'll lull you into your Sunday afternoon nap. 

 

14 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Coins, maps, Key-coins and lots of magic. Looking forward to see where the compass will take our friends next week

Thanks!

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

 

THAT blue. Must be the cause of all those groans.

I like this one, but I have sooo many of them. Although my royal blues do not sprout fully grown trees from a single crystal, sideways. I'd look blue, too, if I just shoved all that magical stuff out of the earth.  
 

Your micro line looks like a blue tree trunk.  Must be a close-up of The Sideways Tree.

I love my dogwoods. Almost cried when idiot tree murderers disguised as landscapers cut one of mine down in spite of warnings not to.

And I once had a maple tree that committed suicide.

@LizEF: Thanks once again for the Tuesday Treat!  I like where this is going.

 

 

[LizEF]

40 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

THAT blue. Must be the cause of all those groans.

Almost certainly!

 

41 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I like this one, but I have sooo many of them. Although my royal blues do not sprout fully grown trees from a single crystal, sideways. I'd look blue, too, if I just shoved all that magical stuff out of the earth.  

 

41 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Your micro line looks like a blue tree trunk.  Must be a close-up of The Sideways Tree.

Well, now that's firmly planted in my brain.  Heaven knows when it might re-emerge.  Perhaps after the story line for Quin's father is resolved we'll have a Sideways Tree adventure...

 

44 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I love my dogwoods. Almost cried when idiot tree murderers disguised as landscapers cut one of mine down in spite of warnings not to.

  I would have been livid!  My sub-alpine fir is the only tree from my original landscaping still surviving.  I stink at plant-care, but I try hard with him - really want him to survive!

 

45 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

And I once had a maple tree that committed suicide.

Huh.  Me too - a sunset maple.  Of course, pretty much all plants commit suicide when they see me coming...  I know more now than I did back then - pretty sure he didn't get enough water, but the landscaper never said to give him extra beyond what the sprinklers put out...

 

47 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF: Thanks once again for the Tuesday Treat!  I like where this is going.

You're very welcome!

[Lithium466]

As usual, thank you for your fantastic review! One day I will abandon the detached clinical examination of the technical review part only and read the story from the beginning, it is worth it 😊

 

Saturation and lubrication push this royal blue above many others (IMO), and almost managed to have me get over the school royal blue overdose. But then I looked at my writing sideways, after squinting my eyes a bit, and in a blink of an eye (my eyes are old and took some time to blink), it had faded to a generic, unenthusiastic blue. Called for support, Iroful came to the rescue and almost managed to reanimate the lines, but, like an old movie star that would have abused from (Iroful) plastic surgery, nobody was duped. It only looked good from distance, behind heavy Instagram filtering, and only the first hour, die-hard fans, remained. You know, those using these old pens with rubber or celluloid containers.

 

That ink is afraid of ink eradicators, and of any basic substance or paper. Like a methyl blue (and maybe methyl violet) drinking vampire, it's also kind of afraid of light (less than other blues like Pilot Blue though). That said, I have 30ish old writing written with methyl blue inks that is still readable, if in various states of fading.

It can be edulcorated with Diamine Poppy red to make a nice dark violet, that surprisingly isn't too prone to fade (which I was expecting) in a blink of an eye. It can be tinted with Pelikan Rose Quartz for a different shade of violet, and I don't know yet if it will fade. It can stay in an inkwell for months and months, dry up completely, be revived with gross tap water several times, and keep being useful to dip test nibs after adjusting or grinding. Is that ink almost intemporal, like Keith Richards?

 

 

Side note about ballpoint pens. I remember, in my royal blue using days, ballpoints from the era weren't that shade of blue. Particularly Caran d'Ache Goliath blue refills were of a very pretty (slightly) green leaning blue (but also awfully dry feeling and blobby), and so were Reynolds blue and Pentel blue. I don't remember about Bic...maybe Bic was always that shade of blue. But Bic wasn't trendy so nobody cared about Bic  

Anyway, in my corner of world where Bic surprisingly wasn't what was used the most, there was no confusing between fountain pen royal blue and ballpoint blue...to be honest the ballpoint blobbyness was a dead giveaway anywy.
Nowadays CdA Goliath blue is less blobby but that generic shade of blue. Yuck. Gone is the beloved blue that I romantically pictured as "Geneva lake blue".

[LizEF]

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

As usual, thank you for your fantastic review!

You're most welcome!  And thank you.

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

One day I will abandon the detached clinical examination of the technical review part only and read the story from the beginning, it is worth it 😊

Thank you!

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Saturation and lubrication push this royal blue above many others (IMO), and almost managed to have me get over the school royal blue overdose. But then I looked at my writing sideways, after squinting my eyes a bit, and in a blink of an eye (my eyes are old and took some time to blink), it had faded to a generic, unenthusiastic blue. Called for support, Iroful came to the rescue and almost managed to reanimate the lines, but, like an old movie star that would have abused from (Iroful) plastic surgery, nobody was duped. It only looked good from distance, behind heavy Instagram filtering, and only the first hour, die-hard fans, remained. You know, those using these old pens with rubber or celluloid containers.

  You should do ink reviews!  Your writing about the ink is much more entertaining!

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

That ink is afraid of ink eradicators, and of any basic substance or paper. Like a methyl blue (and maybe methyl violet) drinking vampire, it's also kind of afraid of light (less than other blues like Pilot Blue though). That said, I have 30ish old writing written with methyl blue inks that is still readable, if in various states of fading.

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

edulcorated

OK, now you're just showing off!

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

It can be edulcorated with Diamine Poppy red to make a nice dark violet, that surprisingly isn't too prone to fade (which I was expecting) in a blink of an eye. It can be tinted with Pelikan Rose Quartz for a different shade of violet, and I don't know yet if it will fade. It can stay in an inkwell for months and months, dry up completely, be revived with gross tap water several times, and keep being useful to dip test nibs after adjusting or grinding. Is that ink almost intemporal, like Keith Richards?

(Keith Richards: )

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Side note about ballpoint pens. I remember, in my royal blue using days, ballpoints from the era weren't that shade of blue.

Yeah, I think technically, the dreaded Bic Stic doesn't make this color either.  Rollerballs come closer (and rollerballs are my pen of choice after fountain pens).  Yet the color still seems to make me go "ick, ballpoint blue".  A fabrication of my lying memory, I guess...

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

blobby

Possibly the worst part of ballpoints and gel pens.  Rollerballs aren't nearly so bad about this (if it ever happens - I can't remember).  "Fineliners" - aka mini markers - never do this as far as I know.

 

3 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Nowadays CdA Goliath blue is less blobby but that generic shade of blue. Yuck. Gone is the beloved blue that I romantically pictured as "Geneva lake blue".

I don't know why anyone believes in "evolution".  I'm pretty sure the proper term is "devolution".    Good things get worse and then get discontinued as companies increase profit margin by making their products undesirable...

 

Thank you, @Lithium466, for upping the quality and entertainment of my review!

[Lithium466]

I inked a Pelikan M400 with that R&K Königsblau, and it was a really good match (much better than Pelikan 4001 Royal blue, yuck), even better than Monteverde Malibu blue and Parker Quink Permanent blue. You will never have me admit I spent the weekend playing, err, doing scientific experiments with royal blue inks

The R&K works really well on Iroful, not so much on Oxford Optik, which is surprising. Thank you @LizEF for the walk down memory lane.

[LizEF]

31 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

I inked a Pelikan M400 with that R&K Königsblau, and it was a really good match

That would be very vibrant, indeed - wet pen, bright blue ink...

 

30 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

You will never have me admit I spent the weekend playing, err, doing scientific experiments with royal blue inks

 

31 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

The R&K works really well on Iroful, not so much on Oxford Optik, which is surprising. Thank you @LizEF for the walk down memory lane.

You're very welcome!