Ink Review: Private Reserve Ebony Blue

Sorry for the lack of diversity with my ink reviews. I just really prefer blues and blue-blacks. Need to expand my portfolio!

Here's the seldom discussed Private Reserve Ebony Blue. Why is it not often talked about? No clue! It's a gorgeous, highly saturated green-black with outstanding shading characteristics. The scan surprised me and showed it true to it's name: a blue-black. In front of me, though, the ink is clearly a green-black and a really nice one at that.

Sorry for the occasional skipping. I was using my Levenger TW with a stub nib and trying to write quickly; something that this pen is not really well suited. I also apologize for the long-ish quote on such a small pad of paper. It's a quote from Frank Belknap Long, accompanying his friend H.P. Lovecraft to the pen store. Apparently, Lovecraft was incredibly particular about his personal pen. He would mull over several dozen examples of the same make and model, testing each one for it's ink flow, nib smoothness and how it felt in his hand before ever making a decision. He also supposedly only had one pen at a time, and his pens were worn to the point of being unusable by the time he decided it was time for a new one.

"It had to have just the right kind of ink flow, molding itself to his hand in such a way that he was never conscious of the slightest strain as he filled page after page with his often minute calligraphy. It also had to be a black Waterman; a pen of another color or make would've been unthinkable".

Click to expand...

As usual, click the photo here and be taken to my gallery page. When you get there, click this photo again and it will display an actual sized image that will give you a much better idea of this ink.

Whoa that sucker is dark can you still get the colour out of it with a very fine nib ?, or does it just show black on anything outside of a medium or bigger ?

I'd say it's definitely for medium or larger if you want to see anything other than dark black. The stub on the Levenger is considered a "medium", but is finer than most. The stub is what made me put this ink in it, though. It would and does look amazing in broader nibs, especially italics and stubs. I don't have any to show, but a quick search on the internet for other reviews of this ink will show you that.

I'll say it again, too: this ink is heavily saturated; along the lines of Noodler's. I imagine one could also dilute it a good bit and get more out of it, color wise.

In fact, I just might do that...