Rotring ArtPen and Platinum Carbon Pen

[patv]

Not every ink works equally well with every pen. My favorite ink is waterproof Carbon Black made by Platinum, which is sometimes hard to find outside of Japan. I had thought the Platinum Carbon Pen made especially for this ink, which I first read about on Russ Stutler's site, sketching.cc, was equally difficult to find. Recently, I was delighted to find both pen and ink available on an Ebay store that can be found by searching Ebay.

Because Carbon Black Ink is pigmented rather than dye based, clogging is always a threat, and both the Platinum Carbon Pen, with its somewhat enlarged ink channel, and the Rotring ArtPen, with its easy to clean optional converter, neatly solve the clog problem. There is a thread in this forum describing how the entire ArtPen can be disassembled for cleaning. In fact, I've kept the ArtPen filled with the Carbon Ink for over a year and only flushed it with water once or twice. However, I make sure to write with the pen every few days so that the nib never dries out.

 

The two pens are very similar in size and in appearance. They both have converters for filling, slip caps that fit tightly to help keep the nibs from drying out between uses, and long slender barrels that provide a nice balance in the hand. The ArtPen offers a choice of an extra fine or a fine nib. The Platinum Carbon Pen has a recessed nib that is fine.

The illustration above shows the different line widths made by the three nibs. They are all quite firm, but write very smoothly and can be turned upside down to get a finer line. The watercolor washes were added over the black lines to show the waterproof quality of the black ink.

Image: 6" wide x 4" high, AquaBee Super Deluxe Sketchbook 93 lb. paper, Platinum Carbon Black Ink, Pens used as noted, Winsor Newton watercolor wash.

I like the smooth finish and the quality of my new Carbon Pen and hope others may find this comparison useful. Best wishes, Pat

Edited September 26, 2008 by patv

[patv]

The pens are about the same length. Either with cap is about 7" and without cap is 6.5". Neither cap can be posted. Patv

[JohnNicholas]

Informative review! I have been eyeing the Rotring pen for drawing for some time.

 

Thanks,

 

John

Edited October 3, 2008 by JohnNicholas

[Titivillus]

Neat to know that there is a pen designed for carbon ink!

 

Kurt

[MYU]

Very nice review and illustration, Pat. Thanks for your contribution!

 

What would you say are the qualities of the Platinum Carbon pen that would cause you to choose it over the Rotring ArtPen?

[jacob88huang]

Neither cap can be posted. Patv

Checked my three Rotring ArtPens (0.6, 1.1, 1.9) , all of them can be posted firmly. Maybe they're manufactured in different production lines? :hmm1:

[pmsalty]

Thanks for the review! Very informative!

PMS

[patv]

Neither cap can be posted. Patv

Checked my three Rotring ArtPens (0.6, 1.1, 1.9) , all of them can be posted firmly. Maybe they're manufactured in different production lines? :hmm1:

Jacob, You are absolutely right. The Rotring ArtPen caps can be posted and the pens then measure 6.75." Thanks for catching my error. The Carbon Pen cap will not stay on the pointed end.

 

Best wishes and thanks to all for your kind comments,

PatvkW

[bluemagister]

The Platinum Carbon is my favorite everyday pen and I write and write and write with it and it never quits. I really like desk pens because the thicker section is much easier to hold and use for extended periods of time. Knowing that it's also an excellent drawing ink is icing on an already sweet cake for me.

[ArtPen]

Thanks so much, Pat V!

 

I know this is a pretty old post, but having come into fountain pen drawing & sketching very recently, I am so happy to find it - I have a few of the Rotring Art Pens, and one Platinum Carbon Desk Pen, and your post was EXACTLY what I was looking for (ink info, sketch samples, etc.). THANK YOU!

 

Susan