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Recommend me a good blue ink for my 3 FPs. . .

Hi Gents: Hope all is well with you & your families. As a FP noob. . . kindly recommend me a good blue ink for my 3 FPs. I currently have a Platinum Plaisir (1st FP), LAMY Safari, and recent Kaweco Classic Sport.

I have been using only the ink cartridges exclusively. I tried ordering a kawecoconverter but it is currently out of stock. I like the convenience of cartridges so if you can also recommend a good blue ink cartridge.

When I do decide to purchase a convertor. . . I will definitely need your help on how to place the ink in the convertor. Is it difficult to put ink in a convertor? I don't want to ruin my FP because I have never done it that is why I have been using cartridges.

On a side note. . . I can't wait to eventually try a convertor because this will be a new step in the FP world. I would love a sharp and vibrant colored blue. Thanks in advance for your expertise.

WARHAWK
 
You need three different blue inks for this situation. Noodler's Liberty's Elysium, for a good, bright, bold blue. A good blue of any shade from a maker that won't stain or clog (Montblanc, Waterman, Pilot, etc). And finally, one vintage blue or blue/black like Parker Quink or Shaeffer's Skrip Permanent Blue/Black (Currently my favorite, occupying 2 of my pens and one of my wife's).

Alternatively, you could check out the ink reviews in the wiki.
 
Currently my favorite blue is Private Reserve American Blue, but I also like the shading that I get from Noodler's Navy.
 
Check out Goulet's ink samples and see what you like. You can refill your cartridges with a syringe.
 
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Strange question to start with - but how much do you want to spend? Do you want to go for a few dollars for Noodler's type inks, or are we talking $30 for a bottle of Iroshizuku?
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
You say three pens? That means three blues. Pelikan Royal Blue, Diamine Denim and Diamine Sargasso Sea. I have done reviews for all three in the reference thread.
 
Check out Goulet's ink samples and see what you like. You can refill your cartridges with a syringe.

+1 to Goulet Samples and syringe to fill cartridges and converters (it's just cleaner that way).

For ideas, I like Noodlers Bernanke Blue (dries very quickly) and Noodlers Bad Belted Kingfisher (permanent). The first is a nice royal blue while the second is a blue-black.
 
Wow... thanks for all the helpful info. When all my cartridges run empty. . . I'm going to use this thread to help me in my quest for a vibrant blue ink. I do know that I don't want to spend more than $20 on ink. I didn't realized there was an ink wiki page ( I will definitely check that out).

I think my only problem when my cartridges are empty is when I use a converter. I know I can probably "youtube" for help on putting ink in a convertor. I hope it is not that difficult. Do you remember your very 1st time doing this? If so... was it difficult? was it messy? or was it easy?


WARHAWK
 
If you can shave yourself with a safety razor without requiring a blood transfusion, then you have the manual dexterity necessary to fill a converter. Basically, you turn the screw knob on the top of the converter counter-clockwise to move the piston down to the bottom (you'll be able to see this). Then you immerse the nib in the ink, holding it so it is totally submerged, and then turn the knob clockwise. The piston will move up, drawing up ink into the barrel of the converter (again, you'll see this clearly). You may want to repeat this process, expelling the ink (and any excess air) and filling it once again to get the maximum amount of ink into the converter. Once it's filled, wipe off any ink from the nib and section, screw the pen back together, and start writing. It takes longer to describe the process than it does to do it. There are several youtube videos showing how it's done, but they're hardly necessary.
 
Wow... thanks for all the helpful info. When all my cartridges run empty. . . I'm going to use this thread to help me in my quest for a vibrant blue ink. I do know that I don't want to spend more than $20 on ink. I didn't realized there was an ink wiki page ( I will definitely check that out).

I think my only problem when my cartridges are empty is when I use a converter. I know I can probably "youtube" for help on putting ink in a convertor. I hope it is not that difficult. Do you remember your very 1st time doing this? If so... was it difficult? was it messy? or was it easy?


WARHAWK

Simple process. Even I can do it. Insert converter in pen. Dunk nib in ink. Twist or pull converter. Wipe nib. Write.

Messy? Just be careful you don't knock the ink bottle over or spill any on the cat.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
Simple process. Even I can do it. Insert converter in pen. Dunk nib in ink. Twist or pull converter. Wipe nib. Write.

Messy? Just be careful you don't knock the ink bottle over or spill any on the cat.
If the pen is dry I would do three or empty/fill cycles to ensure the feed is flooded.
 
My favorite blue inks include Private Reserve Naples Blue, Noodlers Ottoman Azure, and Aurora Blue. Let us know how you do with the converter.
 
My favorite blue ink thus far has been Waterman Sernity blue formerly known as Florida blue. I use it in all my pens - P51, Safari, Hero as my go to blue.
 
My favorite blue ink thus far has been Waterman Sernity blue formerly known as Florida blue. I use it in all my pens - P51, Safari, Hero as my go to blue.

This is a great ink. I use it regularly to test a newly acquired vintage pen for nib smoothness, ink flow etc. It's totally trouble free.
 
Waterman Florida Blue was one of my first, and favorite, inks as well. I also liked their blue-black (forget the original name). I think I'll go track down some Serenity blue. I don't currently have any blue on hand that I like.
 
Noodler's Midnight Blue

Just put it in one of my pens today. I really enjoy it and the wife, who has no interest in my pens, really liked the color. I'd post a color swatch but I'm on my phone. Check it out on Goulet.
 
I enjoy Lamy Blue. It is a beautiful royal blue. It isn't expensive and the bottle comes with a free roll of blotter paper! In my experience, it plays well with all pens and flows freely without being overly wet.
 
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