EFNIR: Aurora Blue Black

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Aurora Blue Black

This is review #350 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: This is a little more saturated than some blue-blacks. Going through my swatches, many were more grey, black, green, or purple than this one! After using it a few days, I've decided it's really more of a dark blue than a blue-black.

Sheen covers nearly the entire stroke, but the ink is so dark that you have to look for the sheen, so I rated it "medium" instead of "high". Shading is there, but the ink is so dark, you have to go looking for it - and you may find the sheen instead.

Dry time is an estimate based on the faster dry time in testing... The microscope slide was dullsville. Cleaning was easy with plain water, but will require a few extra flushes - it's quite concentrated.

Errata: "in" should be "ink" (I leave it to you to find where).

Zoomed in photo (A little too muted, a little too purple-leaning.)

Screenshot (A little too dark and de-saturated.)

Scan of Completed Review (This is closest to what I see.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Both are quite close to what my eyes see. The copy paper is a little under-saturated.)

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 289µm. With 350 inks measured, the average line width is 298µm.)

Sheen (The sheen is pink-ish.)

Previous Review: Tintenlabor New Iron Gall Ink 2 Purple / Black.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

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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!

[Sailor Kenshin]

I think I like this!  Groans and all.
 

 I'm a fan of blue-black ink, and have a lot of them (Montblanc, Sailor, Monteverde, Pelikan, Skrip, Taccia, Chesterton, Diamine, I know; shameful), though none are quite like Aurora

 

I believe the sheen shows in close-ups.  Even when not on Iroful.  
 

You ended your story with a real cliffhanger.  Awesome.  Thanks @LizEF, for the review and story.  Yay Tuesday!

[InkyProf]

Thank you! I have a bottle of this that I haven't cracked yet, intended for use in vintage pens, and this reassures me that I'm likely to enjoy it in one such pen or another. Some blue-blacks I've used have fallen short of what I wanted because they're too grey and washed-out (I'm thinking of Lamy, though I need to go back and try that again with a broader nib and a different set of expectations).  Some have been more saturated but also "too" black (Diamine 1864, although that "wait, is this black?" game can be fun). Some classics that are versatile and useful for vintage pens are also more like teal-blacks (Quink, Skrip). And then there's Bungubox 4B, which I love, but which is more expensive than Montblanc (!) and which I limit to modern pens.

 

Do you have any thoughts about how this compares to Edelstein Tanzanite?

[LizEF]

16 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I think I like this!  Groans and all.

  It's actually a really good ink.

 

17 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I'm a fan of blue-black ink, and have a lot of them (Montblanc, Sailor, Monteverde, Pelikan, Skrip, Taccia, Chesterton, Diamine, I know; shameful), though none are quite like Aurora

Exactly - this one's quite unique color-wise.

 

18 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I believe the sheen shows in close-ups.  Even when not on Iroful.

Well, certainly the dark areas would be sheen, if the light were at the right angle.

 

19 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

You ended your story with a real cliffhanger.  Awesome.

Thanks!   Easy to do when you only get 100 words per scene! 

 

19 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks @LizEF, for the review and story.  Yay Tuesday!

You're most welcome!

[TSherbs]

Thanks for the review. I wanted to like this ink when I sampled it cuz I love the black.

 

Alas, this ink left me cold because it is too blurple for me. And I don't like the blue, either...

[LizEF]

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Thank you!

You're very welcome!

 

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

I have a bottle of this that I haven't cracked yet, intended for use in vintage pens, and this reassures me that I'm likely to enjoy it in one such pen or another.

Yes, it's a well-behaved ink.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well it behaved on poor paper - this one will likely be recommended frequently for folks who use their FPs on office paper they can't control.

 

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Some blue-blacks I've used have fallen short of what I wanted because they're too grey and washed-out (I'm thinking of Lamy, though I need to go back and try that again with a broader nib and a different set of expectations).  Some have been more saturated but also "too" black (Diamine 1864, although that "wait, is this black?" game can be fun).

Yes, these are both annoying - not really blue-black, which should be dark, but not so dark you don't get shading and blue to look at!

 

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Some classics that are versatile and useful for vintage pens are also more like teal-blacks (Quink, Skrip).

Yeah, don't like it when something called blue-black is actually teal / teal-black.  And I don't know what color Sheaffer Blue-Black was (the version I reviewed), but it was not blue or black or blue-black!

 

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

And then there's Bungubox 4B, which I love, but which is more expensive than Montblanc (!) and which I limit to modern pens.

I have a sample of this, but haven't reviewed (or even inked) it yet.

 

40 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Do you have any thoughts about how this compares to Edelstein Tanzanite?

Tanzanite is one of the comparison swatches at the start of the video. They're pretty close.

 

Tanzanite

• better shading
• better lubrication
• sheen was easier to see
• a little greyer (that is, less saturated)
• cooler color

Aurora

• darker from my EF nib, but not in the swatch; presumably because it's wetter
• warmer color
• better on poor paper

If I were picking between the two, I'd choose Tanzanite for the shading, lubrication, and color. Here's my review of Tanzanite:

HTH

[Sailor Kenshin]

42 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Thank you! I have a bottle of this that I haven't cracked yet, intended for use in vintage pens, and this reassures me that I'm likely to enjoy it in one such pen or another. Some blue-blacks I've used have fallen short of what I wanted because they're too grey and washed-out (I'm thinking of Lamy, though I need to go back and try that again with a broader nib and a different set of expectations).  Some have been more saturated but also "too" black (Diamine 1864, although that "wait, is this black?" game can be fun). Some classics that are versatile and useful for vintage pens are also more like teal-blacks (Quink, Skrip). And then there's Bungubox 4B, which I love, but which is more expensive than Montblanc (!) and which I limit to modern pens.

 

Do you have any thoughts about how this compares to Edelstein Tanzanite?

Ahh, you reminded me I also have Inkvent, Lamy and Parker.  Even more shameful.

[LizEF]

14 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

Thanks for the review.

You're most welcome!

 

15 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

I wanted to like this ink when I sampled it cuz I love the black.

 

Alas, this ink left me cold because it is too blurple for me. And I don't like the blue, either...

I've got a lot of blue-black / dark blues that are much more blurple than this one, but then, if you've sampled it, then you know in person what it looks like.  I wonder sometimes how much sheen, even when the lighting isn't at an angle to show it, impacts the color we perceive.

 

18 minutes ago, TSherbs said:

this ink left me cold because it is too blurple

Left you cold cuz it's too warm! Irony.

 

Anywho, I won't be buying a bottle of this.  There are better blue-blacks out there (for color, at least).  But I will be recommending it to folks who ask me for one that behaves well on poor paper.

[LizEF]

46 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

...too grey and washed-out (I'm thinking of Lamy, though I need to go back and try that again with a broader nib and a different set of expectations)...

My Pelikan m405, F redeemed my bottle of Lamy Blue-Black.  It's still not blue-black, but it gives such wonderful shading and is a pleasing enough color that I don't feel bad about having a bottle of it, and will use it up rather than dumping the ink for the bottle's sake...

[yazeh]

Great review @LizEF 

I'm guessing this ink is a navy, might as well.  

I'm impressed how well behaved it is on the absorbent paper. Does it ghost or bleed?When you say, sheen, I think over-saturated, wet, lubricated, and difficult to clean. However, this is behaving the other way, it's got average flow, below average lubrication and long dry time for an Efnir and makes a fine line and easy to clean.

 

I never know what to think of the Librarian, it's such a generic name. Maybe s/he needs the name, or a long abbreviation, the Loaded /Lucky /Leapfrog,/ Lame (figurative) Librarian.  Or Frisky (Flighty, Fesity) , (Roaring, rebel, rouge)  Little Librarian.  

 

Many inks shade, but one has to look for them. It happens also with very bright inks. Sometimes the scanner sees them better.

 

Boy, I'm in a mood today. Thanks for the review, I'd better sign out. 🙏

 

 

[InkyProf]

48 minutes ago, LizEF said:

I have a sample of this, but haven't reviewed (or even inked) it yet.

 

It's a fun one. I got some nice purple sheen from it even on paper that doesn't normally show much sheen (Midori) and with an EF nib (well, a Lamy EF, so a fine-ish medium).

 

51 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Tanzanite is one of the comparison swatches at the start of the video.

 

Oops. This is the part where I inadvertantly reveal that I didn't watch the video. I shall do so now.

 

45 minutes ago, LizEF said:

My Pelikan m405, F redeemed my bottle of Lamy Blue-Black.  It's still not blue-black, but it gives such wonderful shading and is a pleasing enough color that I don't feel bad about having a bottle of it

 

This is good news and confirms my suspicion that I need to try this again. I think I was still in the "no no I want SATURATION" mood that had sent me into the arms of Diamine 1864. Plus, I've just looked back at some writing I did with it (in that same Lamy EF) and it DOES have excellent shading, which I appreciate more now than I did then.

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

58 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Even more shameful

 

There is no shame in being an accumulator of blue-black ink! (I hope...)

 

[LizEF]

33 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

This is the part where I inadvertantly reveal that I didn't watch the video.

No worries!  I post it in text form for those who don't like watching videos.  Swatch cards are the only part that gets excluded.  Don't know why, but I never considered capturing a photo of the swatch cards...

 

35 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Thanks for the replies!

You're most welcome!

 

35 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

There is no shame in being an accumulator of blue-black ink! (I hope...)

Heaven forbid!  One cannot have too many blue-blacks, nor too many murky greens!  It is so written in the laws of Inkdom!

[LizEF]

42 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great review @LizEF 

Thanks!

 

42 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I'm guessing this ink is a navy, might as well.  

Definitely a dark blue.  Not sure what other qualities one needs to be called "navy", but this may match them.

 

43 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I'm impressed how well behaved it is on the absorbent paper. Does it ghost or bleed?When you say, sheen, I think over-saturated, wet, lubricated, and difficult to clean. However, this is behaving the other way, it's got average flow, below average lubrication and long dry time for an Efnir and makes a fine line and easy to clean.

So was I.  Not even a hint of bleeding.  Very little ghosting on the copy paper.  The absorbent paper has printing on the other side, so there's no ghosting to be seen through said printing, but that's not saying much.  In my experience, heavy-sheeners tend to be dry (too much dye stuffed in them to flow).  I wouldn't call this a super-sheener, just because sheening wasn't "in your face" - you have to angle the page to the light to see it.  Anywho, it just shows that every ink is unique!

 

48 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I never know what to think of the Librarian, it's such a generic name. Maybe s/he needs the name, or a long abbreviation, the Loaded /Lucky /Leapfrog,/ Lame (figurative) Librarian.  Or Frisky (Flighty, Fesity) , (Roaring, rebel, rouge)  Little Librarian.  

He has a name: Zenod Tus (inspiration). Revealed in Sheaffer Skrip Green and used in Jinhao Blue.  But Quin and the others tend to think of him as "the Librarian" (even though he's technically the Chief Librarian of the Wizardlands).

 

56 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Many inks shade, but one has to look for them. It happens also with very bright inks. Sometimes the scanner sees them better.

Scanners and cameras have a way of amplifying what our eyes miss (and refusing to capture what our eyes see).  And fluorescent lights have a way of creating blemishes that aren't there.

 

58 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Boy, I'm in a mood today. Thanks for the review, I'd better sign out. 🙏

Makhabesh is ready and willing to trade barbs!  You're most welcome!  Have a great day!

[yazeh]

17 minutes ago, LizEF said:

  In my experience, heavy-sheeners tend to be dry (too much dye stuffed in them to flow).  I wouldn't call this a super-sheener, just because sheening wasn't "in your face" -

Well the few Diamine's I tried were wet. Hence my assumption.

 

17 minutes ago, LizEF said:

He has a name: Zenod Tus (inspiration). Revealed in Sheaffer Skrip Green and used in Jinhao Blue.  But Quin and the others tend to think of him as "the Librarian" (even though he's technically the Chief Librarian of the Wizardlands).

Oh boy. I think I got my librarians confused. Even after reading i couldn't figure out which one this was. Was it the "good person" who called them after a big meeting? Or was it the shifty one? Or was that the high wizard? Maybe it would help if you mention him as the Shifty or Wise Librarian, so we know who he is. What do you think Makhabesh?   

17 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Scanners and cameras have a way of amplifying what our eyes miss (and refusing to capture what our eyes see).  And fluorescent lights have a way of creating blemishes that aren't there.

If you like shading, scan your text and look at from your screen. You'll see amazing shading. 😛 

17 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Makhabesh is ready and willing to trade barbs! 

Well, I started the ball of barbs rolling. 🙀

17 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Have a great day!

That remains to be seen.  

[TSherbs]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

You're most welcome!

 

I've got a lot of blue-black / dark blues that are much more blurple than this one, but then, if you've sampled it, then you know in person what it looks like.  I wonder sometimes how much sheen, even when the lighting isn't at an angle to show it, impacts the color we perceive.

 

Left you cold cuz it's too warm! Irony.

 

Anywho, I won't be buying a bottle of this.  There are better blue-blacks out there (for color, at least).  But I will be recommending it to folks who ask me for one that behaves well on poor paper.

Good point about the sheen (which I don't want in a blu-blk). And yes, ironically, I prefer cooler blu-blks with obvious grey tones. Very dark saturated blue is not blu-blk, to me. And yes, I have sampled many over the years, and most have been unsatisfactory for one reason or another. 

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

Oh boy. I think I got my librarians confused. Even after reading i couldn't figure out which one this was. Was it the "good person" who called them after a big meeting? Or was it the shifty one? Or was that the high wizard? Maybe it would help if you mention him as the Shifty or Wise Librarian, so we know who he is. What do you think Makhabesh?   

There's only ever been one librarian in the story.  He's the one they found when they were sent on a mission through the Muirdoor to find the High Wizard, but the person they found turned out to be the Chief Librarian (though they didn't discover that until after they got back).  They never did find the High Wizard (he appears to have returned on his own - heaven knows where he was).

 

The High Wizard is a jerk.  The Chief Librarian is (so far as we can tell) a good guy.  He has a green squirrel working for him. He's friends with Wizardess Doctor Heilari and arranged for her and Laikni to go and see if they could heal Quin's father.  He (the librarian) appears to be running a sort of underground rebellion, trying to bring back the old, more inclusive, Council Magica, which those in power probably won't like much...

 

2 hours ago, yazeh said:

If you like shading, scan your text and look at from your screen. You'll see amazing shading. 😛 

Ha ha.   Or I could just use shading inks...

[yazeh]

@LizEF thanks for your patience. I think I got Heilari and ZEN-Lib-dude mixed up. I think my inner Makhabesh went for flight. 🙏🙏

 

[Glenn-SC]

7 hours ago, LizEF said:

After using it a few days, I've decided it's really more of a dark blue than a blue-black.

Please explain the difference between a “dark blue” and a “blue-black”?

[LizEF]

41 minutes ago, yazeh said:

@LizEF thanks for your patience.

No worries.  The format makes it hard to keep track.

 

41 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I think I got Heilari and ZEN-Lib-dude mixed up.

ZEE-nod TUSS  (FWIW.)

 

42 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I think my inner Makhabesh went for flight. 🙏🙏

[yazeh]

Context
In the early 19th century, when steel nibs began replacing quills, traditional iron gall inks were harshly acidic and could corrode the new “modern” nibs. Ink makers experimented with formula changes, and many began adding blue dyes such as indigo. While some claimed this slowed corrosion (a debatable point), the main benefit was that it made freshly written text immediately legible. Pure, homemade iron gall ink can look as pale as weak tea when first applied, darkening only as it oxidizes.

 

With the advent of fountain pens, iron gall inks were reformulated to be suitable for these new writing implements. As ink making progressed, manufacturers created the familiar blue-black colour many were used to, but without the fussiness of traditional iron gall inks.

 

Colour distinction

• Dark blue: A deep, saturated blue with no black content .

• Blue-black: A blend of blue and black. It's to imi

I’m sure more knowledgeable members can explain it better.