Platinum Blue Black Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Over the past several months, I've tried close to a dozen different blue black inks. While they are all incredibly similar in color, it's been interesting to see the more subtle differences appear on the page when using these inks. Just because they share the same name doesn't mean they are the same ink. For as many different versions of this inks that are available, there are an equal number of interpretations for what blue black really means.

The latest in this journey is Platinum Blue Black. Belonging to one of the big Japanese pen manufacturing brands, I'm surprised I didn't try this one sooner. Unexpectedly, the quality of this ink matches up with the quality of Platinum's fountain pens. It's a fantastic ink with plenty of character, and I'm actually surprised by a couple of the characteristics that I missed before trying this ink myself.

The first thing I noticed after testing this ink with a normal nib and letting the ink dry was that there's a slight amount of sheen even with normal use. I got out the swatches and layered the ink on thick to see exactly how much sheen would show up in a pool of dried ink. For an ink that doesn't tout any sheening properties in its marketing, this ink has a spectacular amount of red sheen that sits on top of any puddle. It's beautiful, and I wish I'd discovered this ink earlier. The sheen is even noticeable when writing with smaller nibs if the light hits the page just right.

Another thing I didn't realize about this ink until after I tried it is that it's an iron gall ink. Iron gall permanent inks aren't something I normally search out, but it's pretty cool that this seemingly standard "base level" ink boasts such a unique attribute. Iron gall inks aren't super common, and they're usually much more obvious about the fact that they're iron gall. In the case of Platinum blue black, they don't make it overly apparent, but I appreciate the extra robustness and permanence that this ink has after it dries on the page. This means it shouldn't fade over time and will even withstand water damage. In my experience with iron gall inks, the ink stays on the paper for as long as the paper is structurally sound. Definitely something to consider if you lean toward permanent inks. As with any iron gall inks, it's important to understand that these inks are more acidic than water-based fountain pen inks. This means your nib could develop some corrosion after a few weeks of this ink being in your pen. Not a big deal, but something to be mindful of. Be sure to clean out your pens if you don't plan on using them.

Along with the surprise iron gall and sheening aspects, I was also excited by how quickly it dries. With the 1.1mm stub nib I used in the writing sample, it takes about 10-15 seconds to fully dry, but it's usually between 5 and 10 seconds in a Platinum medium nib I've also been using. Overall, pretty quick times, especially on the Rhodia's coated paper.

I've really enjoyed using this blue black ink over the past few weeks. It has a classic navy blue hue, a decent amount of shading, and quick dry times. On top of that, it's a permanent ink. Really solid competitor in the blue black market, and definitely worth your attention.

If you're interested in Platinum's blue black offering, you can pick it up in their proprietary cartridge form (which only works in Platinum pens) or a 60ml bottle. The cartridges come in a ten pack and cost $7 a box, while the large bottle costs a flat $20. Both are a pretty good deal, but I lean toward the bottle since the cartridges only work with Platinum pens. This ink is good enough to enjoy in all pens!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Hippo Noto & Kiwi Inks V. 1: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I received an email several months ago from Hippo Noto (makers of the Hippo Noto Notebooks) about a collaboration with Kiwi Inks. The photos showed a sheeny, shimmery, purple-pink-green-blue ink that immediately ushered an audible "Wow!" from my lips. I ordered a bottle, but I didn't open it until this week.

What a wondrous unicorn ink this is! It isn't something you'd want to use in a sober office environment. Nope. This is an ink that says, "Hey y'all! Wahooooo! Let's party and eat cotton candy and ride carousels and chew grape bubble gum and dance in glitter!"

Of course, the wahoo factor depends on the paper you use. On my Col-o-dex card, the ink's properties are subdued. A deep purple predominates with lovely lime green sheen breaking through in the writing and splats. I must have forgotten to shake up the bottle thoroughly before I did my card, because only a little shimmer is showing.

On Rhodia white dot-grid paper, the ink is even more tame. Virtually no sheen is displayed (except in the swipes) and all you see is the purple. I did remember to shake before swabbing, so you can see the blue shimmer in the swab.

Chromatography shows the various base colors in the ink: lavender, pink, and magenta.

Midori MD Cotton paper and a fat ruling pen bring out the gorgeous green sheen in the ink. Clearly, you'll get the best results with broad nibs and paper that isn't too absorbent.

I wrote a longer writing sample in my MD Journal with a TWSBI stub nib. The ink flowed well and sheen shows up, especially in sunlight.

But the best paper to use in conjunction with Hippo Noto & Kiwi Inks V. 1 is Tomoe River Paper. On Tomoe, not only do you get the beautiful green sheen, but all the spectacular colors burst like fireworks in the splats and dribbles. This is definitely an ink you'll want to play with.

You can purchase Hippo Noto & Kiwi Inks V. 1 from the Hippo Noto website ($25.00 for 30ml). The third wave of this ink will ship at the end of January/early February. If you prefer even more wow you can opt for V. 2 which features rainbow shimmer!

(I purchased this ink with my own funds.)

Van Dieman's Ink Sample Review, Part 2

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Here are three more samples of Van Dieman's ink, all from their "Seasons" series. These three are not sparkly inks, so I was curious to see how they would differ from the ones I reviewed last week.

The first is Spring Native Cornflower, a bright blue. It was the best behaved of the bunch, with no feathering and a very reasonable dry time. The color is lovely, too, and it had some great shading properties. It does not have any water resistance, and washed completely away at the faintest hint of water. This was my favorite of this brand that I've tried so far. It's bright enough to be a fun ink, but still blue in a practical way. Chromatography shows a hint of lilac to its hue.

The second ink is Spring Butterfly, and this ink is perfect for if you want to whisper someone a note. It is almost unusably faint. It's a gorgeous, delicate, key-lime green, but I don't think I'd enjoy writing with it. It has a longer dry time, no water resistance, and doesn't appear to shade. Chromatography shows a balance of blue and yellow tones. It almost seems watered-down or undersaturated. I think it would make a lovely tone for illustration, but isn't great for fountain pen use.

The third color this week is Autumn Deciduous Beech. This is a lovely rich amber orange. I did experience some feathering with this color, but it also had the fastest dry time. It shows some pretty shading, and a slight touch of line is still visible after a water drip test. This color had a fun chromatography, with a defined split between bubblegum pink and bright yellow tones.

So far, all of the Van Dieman's inks have shown a lot of character in chromatography, and though I'm not loving all of them for writing purposes, they are a blast to review and play with. There are three more colors for next week, and I saved those three for last because I'm most intrigued by them. Here's to another week frolicking with inky fingers!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)