Ink Review #2031: Private Reserve Black Magic

Private Reserve Black Magic Blue is from the Standard collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Black Magic Blue is a deep blue with a violet undertone.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more purple than blue.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

• EF Pilot Vanishing Point

• F, M, B Pilot Ishime

• Vintage Mabie Todd Swan (flex nib)

• Rhodia Goalbook

• Taroko Enigma notebooks (68gsm TR)

• Leuchtturm A5

• Pen & Gear Paper from Walmart

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Black Magic has a slight violet undertone and these other blues don’t. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Cement with a broad nib on an Odyssey notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this color, I love the slight violet undertone, but there’s way too much feathering and bleeding for me.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.