Pen: Lamy Al-Star, Broad Nib
Ink: Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No.16
Notes: Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron was one of the first inks I tried out when I got my first Safari. The ink introduced me to what a fountain pen ink could really be. The ink exhibits great shading properties, it’s practically bulletproof, and is a unique shade of blue. It’s borderline blue-black, but with the shading, there are lighter highlights that stand out, making this ink a pleasure to look at. Bad Blue Heron not only looks great, but it is an absolute pleasure to write with. This is probably the best flowing and the best lubricated ink I own. It’s a dream to write with in my Binderized Pilot Vanishing Point Medium Nib, and can be seen in that review. It is usually in at least one of my daily carry pens as well. The only “downside” to this ink is that with most of the pens I have tried it in, there is a considerable amount of nib creep. This bothers some people, but I don’t mind it. Other than that, there isn’t really anything else I can say that’s bad about this ink. If there was one ink I would recommend, it would be this one. The shade of blue is perfect for everyday writing, but the shading properties make it less boring than a normal blue. Definitely add this stuff to your next sample haul.
Enjoy the reivew, I really love this ink.
The Lamy broad nib + Noodler’s BBH = heaven. It lays down a nice, wet line with great shading.
make it shade.
This ink can practically be layered. It’s fun to draw with, it gets darker the more you use.
Pen: Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel – Broad
Review:
Moonview is part of Krishna’s RC line of inks which is their high sheen line. The 20mL glass bottle comes in a plain cardboard box, which for me is perfectly fine, especially considering the price. A deeply saturated blue ink Moonview often looks completely pink due to how much it sheens. The blue is so deep, a night sky or twilight blue, it often looks black when it comes out of the nib. Flow is quite wet however the ink does tend to dry in the nib after a surprisingly short time, so you really need to keep capping and un-capping your pen to prevent hard starts. That, or never stop writing! I had the cap of my pen sneak open a few times which then requires a bit of scribbling to get writing again. Not the end of the world, but you probably won’t want to put this in anything that doesn’t have a solid seal or cap. I love showing off this ink to people who are new, or even not into pens and ink, as it makes such an impact on the viewer. One thing to note with this ink and others I’ve seen in this super sheeny world is they tend to smudge, even weeks later, with any amount of moisture. I’ve finished reading letters and wondered how the heck I got blue on my hands, only to realize half of the letter has come along for a ride. Krishna’s Moonview performs only slightly better in this area .
Let’s talk sheen, as this is probably the main reason you are considering this ink. Colour wise, the sheen is pink, and on Tomoe River the pink is the dominant colour that comes across when reading. Feeds become very pretty to look at with a fair bit of pink hanging on there as well. My daily paper at work is fairly absorbent, and even it shows off the pink sheen, which almost no other ink I use can do. Moonview also dries fairly quickly to reveal the sheen, so you don’t have to wait too long to see the final result. I’m still blown away by how much and how readily this ink sheens.
Pros:
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