Black Is Black: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Does Coronas

Dr. Inkenstein is not particularly a black ink aficionado. Oh, sure, we are familiar with Lamy Black in carts. It's black. It works in my red Lamy Safari with a Fine nib. As I say, it's black. So, too, with Platinum black carts and the Preppy .03 and .02. They write black.

I recall buying my first bottle of used (beg pardon, 'previously owned') Montblanc ink on fleabay. Yay! I thought; I'm significant now! I own an ink bottle shaped like a shoe!


It was black. It wrote black. And so on and so forth, until I had acquired a couple more bottles of black ink, all of which wrote...black.


But then something interesting happened. Seeing a review of PR Velvet Black, and being impressed with the brilliant corona produced by dropping it on a paper towel, Dr. I did a series of paper towel chromas, with four bottled blacks. The results were not what I expected. The Levenger Raven Black was...black. 

The others were a surprise, and far more colorful. Now I wonder...is the Montblanc even a black? It sure writes like one. Waterman and Quink seemed very close in color components, but in daylight, and not scannage, Quink's corona was slightly more intense orange. Still, I don't think any of them were as much of a rainbow as the PR Velvet!  Which clearly will be coming to my ink shelf soon.

InkBlots: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Visits The Princess and the Peas

In keeping with the recent Ink-Testing theme, Dr. Inkenstein has lined up all available bottles of green ink, ignoring the many test tubes, uhm, sample vials in the Ink Storehouse.

Fifteen green inks? Really? That's too many. Isn't it? 

Some of these green inks look gray (Noodler's BGG, JH Vert Empire, MB Jonathan Swift). Some look brown (Stipula Musk, I'm talking to you!) and at least one looks like a highlighter ink. There are pea greens, spinach leaves, and evergreens.

Noodler's BGG is the only true waterproof ink I know. It also forms little indelible particles of varnish in the ink sac, and, if you're supremely lucky, also the feed. It is kept in a Hero 329. For ever. Even then, it gets cleaned out a lot. Another feature of BGG is that you can dilute it as much as 90 percent with water, and it will still be legible.

Apart from the Hero/BGG combo, the MB Irish Green is in a green Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop, M nib.
All other inks were dip-tested with a glass pen. The test paper is Rhodia ice.





It's tough to pick a favorite, even among the similar blue-ish-y-toned greens like Skrip, Waterman, JH Verte Reseda, and Levenger Gemstone. Oooo...I know...I need another green. From Iroshizuku, maybe.

Turquoise: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Asks, Which Sky's The Limit?

Dr. Iinkenstein is admittedly ink-fussy. This one is too thick. This one is too dry. But is there one that's 'just right?'

After complaining I was unable to tell one turquoise ink from another without a score card, I tested a few...well, all...of my turquoise inks. Although two of them, the Iroshizuku Ama-Iro and the Diamine Steel Blue, were mere sample vials.

All the tests except those two were done with a glass dip pen. The Steel Blue was loaded in a Dollar Demonstrator. And even though I have MORE than enough Turquoise inks,the Ama-Iro has such wonderful flow properties when tested in a Metro Retro that I may spring for a bottle.

The Pelikan swab looks much darker than it should because I took it from the cap, where it had partially dried, but it also displays the most sheen of any turquoise ink tested. Sparkle, even! 

The Souten seems bluest, the Steel Blue greenest. The Ku-Jaku is indescribable and undefinable.  The paper: Rhodia Ice.




Still can't decide on a favorite.

Signed,
Goldilocks