Which is best Blue-Black? Noodlers vs Diamine
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2024
- APOLOGIES TO NOODLER - since making this video I have been advised to shake the bottle before use. And it makes a huge difference! See • Stunning Noodler's Ink... for more!
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Disclaimer - I have not been paid for making this video.
Cheers for now!
Mike
The Noodler’s Blue Black needs to be shaken before filling the pen to get the blacker blue. Thanks for the video.
Thanks, Rob - yes, a few people have pointed out my schoolboy error!
The new lighting is a big improvement indeed! The ink colours show up much better now. Many thanks.
Great to hear! Really glad you can see the difference!
Surprised with the colour, I remembered it more like the Diamine. Thank you as always!
My pleasure! I was expecting that. I've been advised to shake the ink bottle before reusing. I'll give that a try.
Thank you. Great. Better lighting too. RS. Canada
Thanks for watching!
I realise the video is more about the Noodler’s ink than the Diamine, but I must say the Diamine Blue-Black is a gorgeous colour.
I do agree. It's one of my most-used inks - a real favourite.
@@writerlywitterings my fave blue black too
Noodler’s Legal Blue is what I have in my vintage blue Mark Twain Conklin crescent filler
Always loved the look of the Mark Twain, although never quite able to justify the cost. Legal Blue looks an interesting one. I haven't tested that one (yet!)
I know there are dozens of blue black ink available, but for me Robert Oster Thunderstorm is a wonderful color.
I'll have to try that. I also love KWZ's Calm Before the Storm, which has a similar vibe!
i saw it yesterday and will order it !!!!
I tried a sample of Baystate Blue (should've been called Baystate Purple) imo
Yes, the problem is that the Noodler's Inks tend to be very sensitive, I'm told. Apparently they have to be really well-shaken before use. You may find the Bay State Blue improves after a shake up - the Blue Black was a really good colour, once I'd shaken the bottle and re-tested it (there was a big apology to Noodlers in the following video!)
Yeah, bsystate blue is not an ink I want to try but I adore all my other noodlers inks. They are all very well behaved!
I daren't use it except in my cheapest pens! On the other hand, I understand it can be diluted with distilled water to make a safer mix!
@@writerlywitterings I just don’t like the color. I’ve never been a fan of bay state blue but I do very much enjoy Noodlers 54th Massachusetts! That’s a blue-black you could appreciate!
I am blue black fan, and I think Pelikan Blue Black is a better blue black ink
I haven't tried that yet. I'll have to have a look.
I like Noodler's 54th Massachusetts which is more the blue-black I think you're looking for.
I'm going to have to get a bottle, clearly - you're the fourth to recommend it! Cheers!
With Noodler's ink, we should shake the bottle before filling the pen.
Yes, Daniel, I've actually got a new video tomorrow with other Noodlers - and a BIG apology to Noodlers!
My favorite blue black ink is TWSBI Blue Black. I love the color and it is water resistant.
Haven't tried that - I may have to take a look!
LOL! Yes, Baystate Blue is famous for its thuggery. Destroyer of paper and pens alike. And don't even start about clothing and furniture! In defense of Noodler's inks, Baystate is the only one I've found so far that is like that. I have the following so far: Black, Air Corps Blue-Black (truly blue-black by the way), Turquoise, Arctic Blue, Black Eel, Heart of Darkness (yes I've been searching for the perfect black). Their "eel" inks really do help with pens that hesitate to flow well despite all attempts to adjust them. Also, Air Corps Blue-Black is tied for my number one favorite ink that's not a shimmer or bright color. The other is Robert Oster Motor Oil.
Thanks for that, Mark. I'll have to have a look at Motor Oil. That sounds interesting! And the Air Corps Blue-Black, too.
@@writerlywitterings It sounds like you have quite a backlog of gifted and recommended pen stuff already, but if you haven't checked out Air Corps Blue-Black and you love blue-black ink, it might be worth it to you. Motor Oil from Oster is a very interesting brown, if you like dark browns, and although Oster inks seem a little bit pricey I gladly pay for this one.
For my part, I will be trying out some Diamine Blue-Black because I've always found the Diamines you recommend to be top tier stuff.
Another vote for the superb (but rather dry) Pelikan Blue Black. One of the very best. Please review it!
I find the Diamine too teal for a proper blue black. I don’t want any green in my blue blacks.
You might also like Lamy Blue Black but I’ve found it surprisingly pernickerty for a big brand blue black.
Sheaffer Blue Black is also interesting and quite vintage looking.
Thanks for that, Jason. I'll see what I can do with the Pelikan - I do love their inks!
Noodlers makes a great true blue black ink called 54th Massachussets.
Thanks for that!
Right, the Noodler’s has a blue green fade when shaken.
Thanks - I haven't seen the green side to it but I'll have another look.
I love Diamine Blue Black!! It’s everything I want a blue black to be.
Same here! One of my favourite stand-by inks.
Seems to be some inconsistencies with Noodler's blue black. Having seen a few reviews of the ink the colour seems to vary. Some show up bright like here, while others show up much darker, closer to the diamine colour.
Really odd, this. I had to apologise to Noodler's in my next video. Apparently the Blue Black has to be carefully shaken before filling the pen. The darker elements of the ink precipitate out. Two things strike me: first, I'd not like to fill my pen with a precipitate that could clog the feed; second, why the hell doesn't the manufacturer indicate that this one ink, unlike almost every other (except shimmering types) needs to be shaken before loading?
I don't know what you are doing, or if whoever sent the ink to you is having you on, but that is not Noodlers Blue Black. It should be a very rich dark color. It's permanent. It's exceptionally well behaved. I use it a lot, along with Noodlers Air Corps, which is my hands down favorite blue- black
Thanks for that - it was Noodler's Blue Black - but no one had told me beforehand that it's really important to shake the bottle before filling the pen! I had to make that apology in the following video!
The second one almost looks like a Royal Blue
My earlier response seems to have got lost! Anyway, the main thing I said was, you need to see the next video, where I have to apologise to Noodler's. I gave the Blue Black a bit of a shake, and suddenly it was a beautiful dark blue! Apologies for the confusion - I've never had to shake an ink that wasn't shimmering before!
I’m very jealous of your Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham (it’s a Canadian exclusive and I don’t see myself going to Canada anytime soon) test that one! :) It’s a rather lovely colour with a lot of red in it!
That's the old version of Plains of Abraham and very desirable. This will be the new formulation since Nathan couldn't get the same ingredients anymore from his suppliers so he had to change the formulation. It's still a gorgeous blue though.
I promise I'll get on to that next time!
I'm looking forward to it!
Noodler's take on blue-black, evidently, but not my idea of the color either. Diamine Blue-Black and Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite are two of my favorites. I've been using the Diamine for a long time. Great color and very well-behaved.
I avoided Noodler's for a long time, but have a few now that are pretty good. Antietam, Apache Sunset and Black Swan in Australian Roses. All are very nice colors and well-behaved. The Antietam, in particular, is one of my favorites and has been in one of my M800's for 4-5 years now. Cheers.
Ah, the next video included an apology - the Noodler's Blue Black needed to be shaken hard before filling the pen. I had no idea! When shaken, it's a good, deep blue black and very pleasing!
@@writerlywitterings Unusual for fountain pen inks. Shaking them is usually not advised. Looking forward to seeing how it looks in the new video.
@@JohnBarrow1961 It is my understanding that the "avoid shaking" advisory is a carryover from the days when iron gall inks were popular. The more you introduced air to those inks, the darker and duller they became. Most modern inks can handle shaking, although it is advised to swirl or rock the ink back and forth rather than shake. Bubbles remain a nuisance and some inks produce crystals as they dry, which can potentially "freeze" the cap to the bottle.
I dunno what they did in noodlers, but back in the day it was perfectly fine ink, now the feathering is unbearable...
I have to admit, I think it's just too strong for almost any paper. It could well be just that paper makers are a lot less careful in the way they make their products - always looking for cheaper options since most of it will go through a printer and not see a fountain pen? Either way, I'm much happier with Dominant Industry, Diamine, or one of the other larger ink makers.
Michael, I think it was a happy accident or even a masterful demonstration of subconscious brilliance that you initially referred to the bottle's informative sticker as its cover rather than its label. Whereas something's label can sometimes be merely an intangible moniker, like "the class clown" or "the village idiot", something's cover in this regard is almost certainly a physical aspect of its exterior. I see nothing wrong with continuing this pleasant usage and expanding it to other products as well. For example...
Q: Why do we boil water?
A: So that we need not judge a tea by its cover.
Thanks for the biggest laugh of the evening! I like that, especially (of course) with relation to tea! Thanks, Kaspers
Yes you are right not a true blue black. It seems it was a mistake. Maybe try Noodler's 54th Massachusetts and Air-Corp blue black.
Thanks, Javier - I will do that. Both have been highly recommended!
So odd! But as Noodler's inks are hand-batched .... there's some variability. I had a similar experience with Noodler's Blue Black, but for a different reason - mine seemed too 'black'. I often agitate Noodler's inks before using them, just in case there's been any separation of component pigments (likely unnecessary) especially after a frigid-frigid weather transit. The nice thing about Noodler's Blue-Black (vs Diamine - especially the 1864 version, a lovely color) is that it is water resistant. That is a serious plus for me.
Fair comment. I'm going to give the bottle a shake and see if that makes a difference. After all, it will have been frozen in transit, I guess. Thanks for the thoughts!
I treat Noodler's inks like shimmer inks. I give them a gentle rocking/swirling for a good 10-30 seconds prior to fills. With some of Noodler's inks you can see the separation of the dyes. This is true regardless of whether or not the ink has frozen.
The ink formally known as Noodler's Kiowa Pecan is gorgeous, but requires a bit of mixing even if your filled pen has been sitting around overnight! I roll the barrel of my pen prior to each use when I have that ink loaded.
Noodler's products really should come with instructions, but Nathan Tardiff is unapologetic with his creations. Noodler's products-inks or pens-are meant for tinkerers rather than people who expect consistent results straight out of the package. I'm a tinkerer who tries to appreciate what he has while he has it, so I enjoy the "3 inks in one bottle" perspective.
So here's a question for you: How do you think Noodler's "sapphire" blue-black top layer compares to other sapphire blues? I seem to recall from other videos that sapphire blue isn't your preferred color, but I would imagine you'd at least have thoughts on various sapphires' behavior on the page.
@@twitch7515I’m there with you. I find a certain charm in using small batch handcrafted inks. Even though there might be some color variations due to availability of pigments or dyes. The tinkering thing is also why I use Noodler’s pens exclusively for my artwork. Nathan (Noodler’s owner) says in one of his videos that Noodler’s pens are said to be the most “hackable” pens in the world. That’s a statement I cannot argue with. You can do all kinds of modifications to the nibs and feeds of Noodler’s pens to make them write however you like. I bought several extra feeds for my Ahab/Konrad pens and a bunch of the untipped nibs to cut and shape for various uses. The nibs are cheap at $1.50 USD and can be quickly and easily shaped with simple tools. A true tinkerers delight.
Noodler’s has the best names and bottle stickers… Heart of Darkness is a favourite.
It is a great label, certainly!
Don't judge Noodler's nu any one bottle of ink, or by any ten. As big as Noodler's is, it is also a one man operation, which should be impossible. But Noodler's doesn't just have many colors of ink, but also many kinds of ink. Baystate is one kind, the eel inks are another, on and on. Most of the inks are intentionally saturated to the point where you can add quite a bit of distilled water without changing the color, or making the ink too dry. Sometimes up to fifty percent. This is Nathan's way of giving added value.
I'm a huge fan of Noodler's ink because there's something for everyone. Noodler's standard colors, Noodler's Green, Noodler's Black, Noodler's Purple, etc., are fantastic.
I'm more of a green black and a red black fan than a blue black fan, and Noodler's makes the best of these I've seen.
I have nothing against Noodlers (my comments on Baystate Blue were for fun, although with a serious side since I've found it really hard on all papers), but this one did surprise me. I'm going to give it some more tests to see if I did something wrong, but the colour as shown here certainly wasn't a blue-black in my view!
looks like youre better off with noodlers navy.... as far as noddlers is concerneed
diamine is indeed a superior company..... i try to divert from them because i have alot of their colors...... I end up going back to them any way.
I had to apologise in the follow-up video - the Noodler's needed a shake. Once I did that, the colour was correct. Never had to shake a bottle before, apart from the odd shimmering ink!
Interesting - was it a different color from the dip pen? Also, it would be interesting to see how the bright Noodler's blue-black changes over time, but I'm not sure how long it takes for blue-black ink to generally turn. Could exposure to light make a difference, too?
HI, Johnny - no, the two were pretty much identical. The main difference was that the dip nib put down more ink so it looked darker while wet.All your suggestions are fair - but I have to admit, I prefer something like the Diamine which shows what you're getting immediately!
Definitely not a blue-black, curious!
I love Noodler's inks and Baystate Blue is one of my favourites: that bright, saturated blue is very attractive to my eyes!
I'm fascinated by blue-black but have difficult tastes, the ones I have are either too grey, too blue or too black... I still have to find the right one but at least I don't get bored!
Cheers, Mike!
I'd suggest looking at Rohrer und Klingner's Eisen Gallus Tinte "Salix", which is a lovely blue-black tending towards the black (to my eye). Works really well for me in all pens.
@@writerlywitterings Oh yes, it's one of the inks I'd like to try at some point. And your advice will speed things up!
@@caterinarollo Thanks, Caterina - hope you like it!
@@writerlywitterings I think I will! Thank you, Mike!
I've had a bottle of Noodler's Blue-Black, which was considerably darker and also greener than this. (That bottle was one of my favorites while it lasted.) I've also seen variation in Kung Te-Cheng, Brexit and Prime of the Commons, where I've had more than one bottle of each. I didn't notice any variation between my bottles of El Lawrence, General of the Armies nor Walnut. I suspect it's just luck and random chance.
I think you are probably right, but one hint I've been given is that some Noodlers do need to be shaken before used. I'll try that with this one for next week's video. Thanks for the comment!
@@writerlywitterings Yes, shaking might help. Blue-Black seemed to me to have a black component that was permanent and could separate a from the non-permanent fraction of the ink though I only noticed this when cleaning pens where it had been sitting for too long.
Bottled wrong. Not the blue black I've seen. Don't be sad, it happens from time to time. I hope your new year is a very blessed year, Sir.
Thanks, Gristle, and yes, I think it may be mis-labelled. It's a small company, so it's not surprising, really, but I'm pretty sure that cannot be the right colour for a blue-black! Have a great weekend!
@@writerlywitterings Yes, Sir, definitely the wrong ink. Marilyn Darling just did a review of Diamine Deep Dark Blue today, at the end of the video, he compared it to several blues, in the blue black cards, the Noodler's blue black was was quite darker. So yes, definitely the wrong ink in that bottle they sent you. Still, it is a lovely blue! You have a great day as well!
Funny, my noodler's blue-black are more black, than blue. With most of my medium nibs, it gives a very black shade, with little discernable blue. To get any blue shading, I use it with my Muji Aluminium pen in fine nib. Perhaps it varies from batch to batch.
Thanks - do you usually shake the bottle? I've been advised to try that (although I don't like the idea of particles in suspension). I really do think it must be a faulty batch or something!
@@writerlywitterings Yeah, one of the ink videos suggested that I shake all bottles before I filled from them.
@@santoshjanakiraman8907 Thanks for that. I'll give it a go!
You might like Noodler's Air Corps Blue Black. Probably much closer to the Diamine.
I'm going to have to try it - so many people here have recommended it! Thanks for the comment, Lucy!
Air Corp is much greener. A green-heavy teal-black. I bought a sample of it when I was searching for a BB. I assumed I wouldn't like it but it is quite nice. It might be too green for some business environments so I'm not in any hurry to buy a full bottle... yet. Definitely a good suggestion though. A must try.
Aloha! I was looking forward to this comparison, until the Noodlers Blue-Black turned out to be a bright blue! I have a few bottles of Noodlers inks, so I don't hate the brand, but they do have variations from batch to batch, although I don't think that is the case with your particular bottle? A few years back, I was on the search for a solid blue-black, but I have come to realize that my quest was really for a darkish blue as most blue-black inks were too light for my taste. Only two came close: Fountain Pen Revolution Blue-Black and Diamine 150th Blue-Black, both on the darker side. Worst would have to be Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black - just way too light. Diamine Registrars Blue-Black is also nice as it darkens to almost a black as it's an iron gall ink. BTW, Noodlers also has a Air Corp Blue-Black, which is a more saturated ink than what you showed, but more of a green-black. Baystate Blue (and I guess the others in the Baystate line) are notorious for staining EVERYTHING, but a gorgeous blue color, best to be decided to just one pen that you don't mind staining - even a bleach-water mix can only clean so much! Very much looking forward to you reviewing the other Noodlers inks. Mahalo, Thomas
Aloha - or, as my family tend to say - Wotcha! One other you might like to look at is Rohrer und Klingner's Eisen Gallus Tinte "Salix", which is a lighter colour at first, but dries to a deep, dark blue like a dark blue-black. I love it.
@@writerlywitterings Mahalo Michael for the suggestion. I actually have a bottle of that ink, so I have tried it, but haven't used it recently or even looked at how the ink has darkened over time. Will need to check on that today and may even use it later today as my "ink of the day!" Thanks again for the reminder ....
@@kauaiphotography No problem, my friend. Have a great weekend!
Thank you. I'm trying to decide what colors to get. Noodlers Blue Black (and red black, and the "Dark Matter" which on my monitor looks like it may be a green black) are on my short list, along with a gray, and purple.
Have you tried the Noodlers Black Swan in English Roses or their Black Swan in Australian Roses? Both are a reddish black on my monitor. If you have tried them, what is your opinion?
Sorry, these are the only four Noodler's inks I have tried. I might try to get some Black Swan to test, though. They sound interesting.
Both roses have a black component that are semi-permanent and provide some nice shading.
English Roses is a red that leans pink, especially if you don't mix the bottle prior to filling. Australian Roses is more of a raspberry/wine color. I'd argue that both are more into the rose pink spectrum than red, especially when compared to Noodler's Red-Black. English roses is rosy red if the pen is wet enough. Poor mixing and finer/drier nibs will bring out the pink. It is either a pinkish red or a reddish pink, saturated or pastel, depending on how you use it.
(As an aside: I consider Noodler's Red-Black to be a nice water resistant alternative to Diamine's Oxblood and it has the most utility of the three Noodler's inks mentioned here.)
English is the more professional of the two Roses. It could pass in the business world if you bring out the red in it. Both are saturated enough and provide enough contrast to use as a daily note-taking ink or correspondence ink without being garish or inducing headaches. Both inks handle dip pens just fine but expect feathering and showthrough on cheaper papers. English Roses has that "wooly" texture which appears in calligraphy/automatic pens. I don't have a sample of Australian Roses in a wide nib, sadly, and I don't recall if it has a wooly texture.
Both inks are fun and are wonderful options for springtime, love letters, or a touch of warmth to doodles. Both provide a lovely respite from your favorite inks but I'd suggest acquiring samples from a friend. Unless you love the colors I'd consider both inks to be "special occasion" inks. 3oz/88mL of each is enough to last me two or more lifetimes! I have a preference for Australian Roses because it pops off the page a bit more and because the English variety sometimes appears dangerously close to one of my least favorite colors: mauve. However, I reach for reds more than pinks, so I've used more English Roses than Australian.
That is not Noodler's blue black - what you have is something else ...
Sadly it is! It's Blue black from Noodlers. I discovered something about the ink last week - it'll be in tonight's video!
That looks like Baystate Blue...
Shockingly, it's only because I didn't shake the bottle! If you see the next video, after several people had shouted at me, it turned into a glorious blue black!
where can i get one of those pens? I like the refill technique
It is a TWSBI Go. They're very common now. I always have used Cult Pens, because they are just up the road from me, and always have been entirely reliable with their postage, but you can find them from loads of suppliers around the world.
I'm wondering if that was a mislabelled bottle. I've gone over many samples in nibs ranging from extra-fine to stub and none are anywhere near that lite. My samples are very close to the Diamine Blue Black. I got my Blue Black from Wonder Pens too but it could be a different batch.
I wonder too. It's far too light for a BB I think. I wasn't sure, but others have said the same after the video, so I reckon something went wrong. It's not darkened since the video, I have to say!
@@writerlywitterings Wonder why it shows up differently (more like blue-black) with the dip pen.
It wasn't a mislabeled bottle. Noodler's Blue-Black would be better labeled as Noodler's Blue & Black. It's a bright, highly-saturated medium-dark blue that quickly and smoothly shades to navy/almost black when properly mixed. Its brightness and touch of green prevents it from appearing as navy-colored as Diamine's Oxford Blue but it is more of a navy blue than Noodler's Navy, IMO. It is a gorgeous color but not the semi-saturated greyish dark blue that I think of when I think of "classic" blue-black.
which company that you order from ? you mentioned in your video that company decant some ink in vial to prevent issue in freezing . so which company you order from ?
Sorry, I can't help you. It was a gift from a Canadian viewer, and I don't have the shop's details. However, apparently if you buy from most Canadian outlets they do this to stop the ink bottles exploding at high altitude and in the cold.
did you mix the ink properly before using it? (I have had noodler inks that behaved differently if I didn't rock the bottle before filling my pen)
My favorite Blue-black is Pilot Iroshizuku Shin kai. I always carry a pen inked with it just in case something professional needs to be written.
Hi, Valerie, and no, I confess I didn't. But I don't expect to have to generally. I've never had an ink that required a shake before use. I'll give that a try and see what happens. Mind you, I'm not happy about an ink that could sediment out! Blocked nib and feed seems a high price to pay for a pretty colour!
Yeah... that Noodlers Blue Black is as much a blue black as Parker's Quink Blue Black is.
Absolutely - that's the nearer colour to my eye!
✨ P*R*O*M*O*S*M!!!
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