MB Oyster Grey and Midnight Blue

[Perdu]

I should really have a photo shot with this thread but I thought I'd share my opinion of these two inks.

MB serviced my 1993 149. They changed the lower barrel and seals, and replaced the feeder and nib and charged me $70 which I thought was very decent of them. They also threw in a bottle of Oyster Grey ink. I should mention they changed the nib because it had had so many problems although it was 16 years out of warranty and I didn't expect them to be so good about it. It's always a good feeling when a company stands behind their product like that.

I have used MB Blue/Black for years and years and Midnight Blue is not the same formula. It is more of a solid color than the shaded blue/black. It is more blue (although dries very dark) and has a definite purple tone - smudge it and you'll see the purple. It is still a ferro gallic ink and MB warn you it contains solids that can block the feed if the pen is not flushed out every three months. As I've used Blue Black for twenty years I know its good if you follow their instructions, but still on my older 146 I run Noodler's American Eel lubricating ink through the pen a couple of times a year and it does make a difference - this ink fixed a sticky pistol for me earlier this year. Lastly, Midnight Blue is a very wet ink in a MB, Oyster Grey, less so.

Oyster Grey is not a permanent ink. It is very light in color until it dries when it is considerable darker. It was just a little too light for me so I emptied my 146 of blue/black down the drain (did not wash it out) and then flushed and filled the pen in the 60ml Oyster Grey. That made a difference and I prefer it this little bit darker. I am very surprised at how much I like this ink. It has a lot of shading variation and is very legible, especially when dry.

The packaging on the new inks is so nice it seems a shame to throw it is the trash/bin. Very opulent looking.

Well, I hope my comments on the new inks are helpful to those who might be tempted to try them.