Sailor Kiwa-Guro or aka Nano Pigment ink

[Signum1]

Ink Fans,

 

I'm back with some more inks to brag about for today. First up is the Kiwa-Guro ink from Sailor. Some call the Nano Pigment Ink. Yet others call it the carbon ink from Sailor. This is a very smooth ink to write with. Enjoy!

 

The Review

 

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5975/scannedimage8v.jpg

 

 

The Waterproof Test

 

Ran the ink under tap water for a minute and then soaked it in a pan of water for 30 minutes. Below is the dried paper for you to examine.

 

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/1359/scannedimage6o.jpg

[Ada]

Thank you for posting this. Very informative, and very nice handwriting.

[Tsujigiri]

Great review! Does nano-pigment mean that this ink is made differently from most inks?

[HDoug]

Thanks for posting this handwritten review! Your time and effort, along with your wonderful handwriting is greatly appreciated.

 

I bought a bottle of this along with Platinum Carbon Black hoping to compare them (but I haven't loaded Carbon Black yet). I believe these two new ink both use "nano" pigment particles which allow them to flow in fountain pens. They seem to be part of a "nano" trend. I put Kiwa Guro in a Lamy AL-Star and it seems to be performing very well. I like the flow and water resistance, although I haven't yet written enough with it to make any definitive statements.

 

Be sure to update us with any observations brought with use and the passage of time. I'll post any updates too.

 

Doug

[PaulT00]

  HDoug said:

Be sure to update us with any observations brought with use and the passage of time. I'll post any updates too.

 

I've been using Kiwaguro in my fine-nib PFM V for about 10 months now. It's not been flushed, just refilled several times, and the pen appears to love the stuff. Silky smooth to write with and, as yet, no signs of any misbehaviour.

 

I've also got it in a '51' vac, which it suits extremely well. I recently had the nose of the '51' apart for a good clean before re-sealing the hood (the pen went through a wash cycle at 40 degrees which unstuck the shellac!) and after 4 months filled with Kiwaguro the collector showed no signs of any clumping, clogging etc. It did take a while to rinse out all the ink, but the collector came up beautifully clean and transparent. Flow is excellent.

 

It's also loaded in a Sailor 1911 Classic with an EF nib, where its wetness and lubricity makes the writing experience superbly smooth for such a fine point. That one's only been loaded for about a month, but on the basis of the ink behaviour elsewhere I'm not anticipating any problems.

 

In short, it's a great ink. If the pen is kept capped, all three pens using this ink are instant starters and wet writers, even after a couple of weeks idle. The only thing to note is that if you leave the cap off for more than 30-45 seconds the next start will be slightly hard - which is slightly irritating, but tolerable. There does seem to be some nervousness in the community because Kiwaguro is a pigment-based ink, but I've had less trouble with it than I have with, for example, Diamine Teal which has dried out repeatedly in my '51' flighter's nib.

[Signum1]

  Tsujigiri said:

Great review! Does nano-pigment mean that this ink is made differently from most inks?

 

 

Tsujigiri,

 

Thanks for the compliments.

 

It just implies that the ink is made with tiny particles. Think of it like grains of sand at a small microscopic level. The concern most people have is that it "may/will" clog up your fountain pen. If you are using the Nano ink on a daily basis, then it shouldn't be of concern. Just make sure when you are not using this ink, or other carbon inks, to have the cap on the pen to prevent the ink from drying in the feed. The Kiwa-guro offers a different writing experience. It's a silky smooth experience with the nib gliding across the paper. An eBay seller stated, that some swear by it and other swear at it. I'm with the former group. haha....

 

For the rest of the folks chiming in on this thread, thanks for the kind words.

 

HDoug: I have recently acquired a bottle of Platinum Carbon Black, I haven't got around to reviewing it yet either. All I can say is that I'll have a review of the Platinum Carbon Black: soon.

 

PaulT00: Thanks for adding your thoughts about your eight month experience with the Nano ink from Sailor. Much appreciated.

[nico]

  Signum1 said:

HDoug: I have recently acquired a bottle of Platinum Carbon Black, I haven't got around to reviewing it yet either. All I can say is that I'll have a review of the Platinum Carbon Black: soon.

 

I have used this ink several times in various pens without any problem. It is really great ink. Btw, what drives us, obsessive people, to read a review on something we already have in the drawer? I do it all the time. Thank you for the review. We cannot wait for the Sailor / Platinum comparison.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Interesting... so it looks like it's kind of a sumi ink that's been adapted for fountain pen use. Neat to see how such an ink performs.

[publius]

I use Kiwaguro in a Sheaffer desk pen with a Triumph nib, so no worry about it drying out. I actually did have a problem of hard starting at one point, which surprised me because an open-nibbed Sheaffer in the same holder had no such problem. I solved it by flossing the nib, & I'm not at all certain that the gob of gunk from the slit was due to the Kiwaguro as opposed to some ink which had been in the pen before I got it.

[HenryLouis]

Great review. How lubricating is this ink compared to Noodlers black? does it retain its darkness on cheap paper? Noodler's black turns greyish...

Edited August 30, 2009 by HenryLouis

[Inka]

I did a review on this ink back in June here, after a friend had sent me a sample bottle to try.

It survived all washing methods I had thrown at it, including undiluted Clorox liquid bleach!

This ink is about as indestructible as any "bulletproof" inks I have ever tried, just too bad it took so long to dry, still smudged a bit after 30 seconds on cheap OfficeMax printer paper or I'd be using what I still have in a daily-carry pen.

While not as black as my Noodler's Borealis, I had no feathering with this ink, no bleed-through using cheap paper, while not exactly a "lubricating" ink it wrote smoothly for me despite seeming a bit on the dry side.

If you look closely to the middle-right on the page I wrote on you'll se the results of my intense wash-test, where I usually post these tests in a separate picture that time I placed it over the written review before scanning.

I love the way this ink looks in your review, especially where written using the Edison with a Broad Cursive Italic nib, very nice!

 

[Signum1]

  HenryLouis said:

Great review. How lubricating is this ink compared to Noodlers black? does it retain its darkness on cheap paper? Noodler's black turns greyish...

 

 

Henry,

 

With my broad and medium nibs Kiwa-guro stays black. What do you mean by lubricating? I don't see an issue with the converter drawing the Nano ink in. And it's butter smooth on paper. As for the cheap paper, I tried it on a cash register's receipt and no bleeding there. Yes, it did retain its darkness on the cash register's receipt.

 

 

Inka,

 

Thanks for doing the bleach test. Your ink reviews provide more coverage than mine. Thanks for taking the extra time in doing those additional tests.

 

Your cursive handwriting is very similar to my own cursive handwriting. I certainly wouldn't want you to be near my cheque book. I just signed a letter with the Nano ink today and this ink looks amazing under a Broad Cursive Italic nib.

[Mangrove]

  Tsujigiri said:

Great review! Does nano-pigment mean that this ink is made differently from most inks?

 

  Tsujigiri said:

Interesting... so it looks like it's kind of a sumi ink that's been adapted for fountain pen use.

 

Most of the (traditional) pigments are produced by grinding minerals into small particles. Carbon based pigments are not produced by grinding but burning and thus are "lighter" or have smaller particle size. I bet this ink is just an ordinary sumi-type-ink but without shellac and with better quality carbon pigments compared to other inks. The waterproofness is a by-product of the small particle size.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Martti Kujansuu

[HenryLouis]

  Signum1 said:

Henry,

 

With my broad and medium nibs Kiwa-guro stays black. What do you mean by lubricating? I don't see an issue with the converter drawing the Nano ink in. And it's butter smooth on paper. As for the cheap paper, I tried it on a cash register's receipt and no bleeding there. Yes, it did retain its darkness on the cash register's receipt.

 

Just how smooth nibs are with the ink. So I guess it's good. I'll have to wait until you try the platinum pigment ink. It looks nice, but I want to get the most absolute black ink possible.

 

What do you think of the Heart of Darkness? I can get it for the same price as sailor, and get more than twice the ink as sailor.

 

I'm just looking for ink to use at school.

[Neill78]

  HenryLouis said:

Just how smooth nibs are with the ink. So I guess it's good. I'll have to wait until you try the platinum pigment ink. It looks nice, but I want to get the most absolute black ink possible.

 

What do you think of the Heart of Darkness? I can get it for the same price as sailor, and get more than twice the ink as sailor.

 

I'm just looking for ink to use at school.

 

Kiwaguro is the most lubricating ink I've come across so far. It works on the cheapest of office papers (actually it dries faster on cheap paper). And manila folders. It works on thermal printed receipts too. The only paper I've got it to feather on is construction paper, which you should never write on with a fountain pen anyway... and the tissue paper I wipe the nib with after a fill.

 

It is pure black -- it is not a mix of colours, and you will not see any colour variation if you say, drip some water on it, or use a pen that has uneven flow. But it does have a sheen on some papers under some lights (just like Chinese/Japanese charcoal ink), and the black colour you get from carbon may not be as black as all black inks. It's even more permanent than bulletproof inks (see the bleach test). It's my favorite black ink and I think it is a great ink for school (I am using it to write my thesis notes).

 

That doesn't mean it will be your favorite ink. But it's pretty amazing stuff.

 

Neill

[bluemagister]

I use this extensively in cartridge form in my Sailor Recruit and Desk pens and the performance on the fine and extra fine (respectively) nibs is flawless. It flows well, doesn't clog nibs, doesn't feather on copy or notebook paper and it is almost indestructible. I pair this ink with black and red notebooks and it shines for detailed writing. The glossiness of the dried ink is actually kind of nice for me, as it resembles the gel pens I am also obsessed with and use daily.

 

I would call this ink "gel pen ink for fountain pens" and I love it love it love it. However, I've never tried converter usage from a bottle with it, so I can't comment on its performance there. All I can say is that I am willing to pay the price premium for the wondrous performance and when I go back to Japan, I plan to stock up with many, many boxes.

[Blackforest]

hello

 

i bought this ink as well and wonder if it's safe to use in my 60s Parker 51 Aremetric or in my future vintage Aurora 88s from the 50s...

 

regards:

christian

[dcwaites]

  On 1/18/2010 at 9:11 AM, Blackforest said:

hello

 

i bought this ink as well and wonder if it's safe to use in my 60s Parker 51 Aremetric or in my future vintage Aurora 88s from the 50s...

 

regards:

christian

 

I have used it in a 1940's Parker 51 with XXF nib with no problems. Just don't let it dry out in the pen (i.e. don't leave it for months unused ) and flush it out thoroughly when you are finished.

[Blackforest]

thanks david!

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review, thanks.