Blacks? What's The Big Deal

[jmccarty3]

If you need a lubricating black ink, I can recommend Noodler's Black Eel.

[Viseguy]

In my humble opinion, if you own one black ink it should be Noodler's Black. If you own more than one black ink, Noodler's Black should be one of them. I'll go further and say that if I owned one FP ink in total (fat chance ), it would be Noodler's Black.

 

Just over a decade ago, Noodler's Black revolutionized FP ink -- and breathed new life into the experience of writing with FPs, at least, writing with modern FPs; if irreplaceable vintage pens are your thing, you may wish to wait another 40 -- or 400 -- years before trying it. But, by any other measure, if you want to own an ink that has become a classic in its own time, get some Noodler's standard Black.

 

IMH O.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Viseguy

[Goudy]

I haven't tried all the blacks mentioned here, but Iroshizuku Take-sumi is currently my ink of choice for fussy vintage pens. Very smooth flowing. It seems to reduce skips and scratchiness. I also love the subtle shading properties on broader strokes, from intense black to slate grey.

[JimCouch]

Aurora Black - it is opaque and just plain BLACK no tinting or coloration. Aurora is also the smoothest nicest writing ink I have ever used!

[amk]

What's the black with the most sheen? I really love a shiny black. Don't like a dull one.

[Fabienne]

Sailor Nano Black has a very interesting sheen, it is obviously shiny but it reminds me of metal or quicksilver (which is an odd metal). It does not dry dead matte black like Noodler's Black or Old Manhattan. Nano is not velvety it is more a graphite look over a very black base kind of look. If you can get a sample, try it out. It's hard to explain, even for me.

 

My favorite black? Noodler's. As Viceguy said above, it does so many things well that it's the champ.

[graystranger]

What's the black with the most sheen? I really love a shiny black. Don't like a dull one.

Platinum Carbon Black looks like dried graphite (shiny polished graphite) under an eye loupe. I have not used it in a broad or stub nib yet, but it looks to me that it would have a lot of sheen with the right light angle. I can see some sheen with my eye from my Platinum F pen, but the line is so fine it is hard to see.

 

You can get a 2 ml sample from Goulet Pens for $1.25 to check it out. This is enough ink to fill most any piston pen. Here are two photos to show its sheen on Rhodia paper. Written with a Speed Ball C-3 calligraphy pen. I hope you can see the sheen. The first photo is a close up with the light angled. The second one is an overall straight on shot using the camera flash. The sheen is more visible with an LED lighted loupe, but I cannot photograph through the loupe. A ring light would probably show the sheen best.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2015 by graystranger

[vectorbundle]

I strongly recommend Noodler's Heart of Darkness. I've used it on a daily basis for years because: 1.It is extremely black, 2. It dries very very quickly, faster than any ink I've ever used (I'm left-handed so this is expecially important), and 3.It produces a well-defined, precise line (it doesn't feather). Full disclosure: I use a fine to extra-fine nib and write on Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper.

[KBeezie]

I like Noodler's Black Eel, and I usually use it in a very fine nib (something like a Western XXF), usually a little grey on the light side in a thicker nib, but still decently black. But being lubricated does decent in the very fine nibs, but it's still bulletproof, waterproof, eternal and forgery resistant, so I can have it on hand for just bout any documents.

 

Alternatively if I just wanted a well-behaved black that was affordable somewhat like Noodler's Black, and somewhat water-resistant I would use Waterman Black. Particularly in thicker nibs.

[Arkanabar]

It turns out that my coworker has the Ahab he fills with dilute HoD (25-40% water) adjusted to be pretty wet. He smeared some on an outguide a couple weeks ago. Odds are he didn't give it enough time to dry. I don't have the same problem with that ink from the Hero 616 I use for the same purpose, but it doesn't lay down nearly as much.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Arkanabar