Ink 17: Noodler's Blue Black

This ink was almost perfect. In addition to my search for the perfect black ink I occasionally drift over to another wish, to find the perfect shade of blue-black ink. As this is completely a matter of aesthetics, one would expect the range of shades for this color to be all over the map. I have tried Waterman blue black and found it too much of a washed out blue and not enough black. Diamine blue black is better. I like the shade but it is still far too blue for my tastes.

So what am I looking for you ask? Something that is more black than blue. Something that you look at and immediately know it's not black, but have to look at for a bit longer to decide just what it is. "Hmm, yes, that's a very nice shade of blue black," you say to yourself. This is exactly how I would describe Noodler's blue black. I love the shade. It's dangerously close to perfection.

I loaded it up in a pen and while out, did a pen and ink drawing in the upper margin of my journal. Oh yes, this is nice. I think this is a keeper, I think to myself.

The next day I take it to a meeting with me and use it to make notes in my Moleskine. Now if you're not aware, Moleskine has a rather low quality paper. If you want an excellent journal I can recommend a Moleskine, IF and ONLY IF, you are willing to sacrifice paper quality. This is all to say for me it is a low water mark. If an ink works on Moleskine it will work every where I care about.

It failed! How you ask? It took forever, and I'm talking a good five minutes or more, to dry on the page. This is unacceptable. You can't let an ink sit that long and not expect it to get smeared.

Yeah, it was very sad, because I was so close. I still may keep it and use it, but knowing it won't work in my Moleskine? Well that's a bit of a show stopper.

But wait! It took a day to remember just why I was looking at blue black ink in the first place. It's not for my every day writing. Every day writing is black ink and my search for the perfect black ink has been well documented. No, if one is looking for blue black it is for something else. What you ask? Well two uses come to mind immediately, both well suited to this ink.

The first is as a signature pen. You know what a signature pen is right? The name is self explanatory, and every gentleman from eras past had one. It is the pen you signed your name with. It always held blue ink because that way you could tell which document was the original. Nice. I carry one, do you?

The second is equally as useful. It is for writing a note to a friend, thank you notes and so on. Your mom made you do that right? Mine too. A thank you note is always penned on nice stationary or an equally nice card. This ink is perfect for both these tasks.

Having realized this, I filled my Sailor 1911 with a music nib which makes a wonderful italic font and started to write my first note.