Black Ink Suggestion For Fine Print Writing?

[prodo123]

Hello,

 

I use the black Platinum cartridge ink right now but it's running out fast (and expensive!). I'm also not really a fan of how light the color is and would like to try a different ink out.

• Works well with extra-fine nibs, need to be able to write kanji and small math notations
• Deep black, the darker the better
• Dries fast enough for general note taking
• Bonus points if water-resistant, but not necessary

I've heard good things about Noodler inks, but reading the reviews the bulletproof black dries really slowly. Would that affect how it works on EF nibs, or would another ink work better?

 

prodo123

[BlazeOrangeGuy]

Noodler's Black immediately came to mind. In an EF nib, the drying time will not bother you.

 

Noodler's Old Manhattan Black (available only from Fountain Pen Hospital) is another good choice.

 

Montblanc Permanent Black is also great, but more expensive. It also smears in my experience.

[BobR]

J. Herbin Perle Noire would also meet your requirements, and it's fairly water-resistant.

[dylim1]

Noodler's Heart of Darkness.

Montlblanc Mystery Black.

[sakayume]

I've been using Sailor Jentle Black recently (in a Sailor FM nib), and I'd say it is quite black. It seemed to have some water resistance too. The only thing is, it made my pen write wider than usual, so an EF nib might not be quite as EF with it?

[dasXFnib]

My Pilot Custom Original with EF nib is used daily to write in a small pocket-sized journal....

The ink I use is Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi....

NO bleed through, NO feathering....and as BLACK as an EF nib can lay down....

Just my $.02.....

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

Edited January 21, 2016 by dasXFnib

[prodo123]

Noodler's Heart of Darkness.

Montlblanc Mystery Black.

 

 

Noodler's Black immediately came to mind. In an EF nib, the drying time will not bother you.

 

Noodler's Old Manhattan Black (available only from Fountain Pen Hospital) is another good choice.

 

Montblanc Permanent Black is also great, but more expensive. It also smears in my experience.

 

J. Herbin Perle Noire would also meet your requirements, and it's fairly water-resistant.

 

 

Thanks guys, these look great! Pearle Noire and the Montblancs look nice, but too expensive for my taste. I also hear that HoD feathers more than BB, so of the two would BB be the better choice?

 

My Pilot Custom Original with EF nib is used daily to write in a small pocket-sized journal....

The ink I use is Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi....

NO bleed through, NO feathering....and as BLACK as an EF nib can lay down....

Just my $.02.....

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

 

 

I've been using Sailor Jentle Black recently (in a Sailor FM nib), and I'd say it is quite black. It seemed to have some water resistance too. The only thing is, it made my pen write wider than usual, so an EF nib might not be quite as EF with it?

 

Thanks for the suggestions, but the Take-sumi, while darker than the Platinum, still feels too light for my taste. As for the Jentle Black, I think you're right in that if it writes thicker, it might not be for me.

[Arkanabar]

I recently checked, and you can refill Platinum cartridges with a 3ml disposable pipette such as Goulet, Anderson, and many others sell.

 

We never got significant feathering with Heart of Darkness (Hero 616), and also never got the smudging we did with Noodler's Black (in an Ahab).

 

If I had it to do over again, I'd skip Borealis Black and buy Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. It's dark, and IMX, it doesn't fade and it remains legible when splashed or splattered with water. When the time comes, in a few years, to buy more black, I'll get samples of 4001 and Perle Noire, do a fade comparison test, try them both in Dad's "51", and make a decision (or two, or three).

[bone215]

My experience is limited to a 12 year old bottle of MB and a bottle of Aurora black. Both flawless for me in any pen I own.

You may experience something different, but, both of the above are fairly well respected inks.

Perhaps a gathering of a few samples and you run them on your papers to see how they work and which ink may give the feel your looking for.??

good luck

[D B Holtz]

For my latest math class, I used Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black in a TWSBI 580 EF. It's relatively inexpensive, dries quickly (I never had to hesitate to turn a page in my notebook), and is water resistant. It worked very well for me. From my previous experience, I would recommend against Noodler's Black--it just takes too long to dry, and I ended up with smeared notes and inky fingers.

 

Hope this helps,

 

DB

[mirosc]

Pearle Noire and the Montblancs look nice, but too expensive for my taste.

 

For Perle Noire:

look out for the 100ml bottle - much cheaper than the 30ml.

 

In my book it's the best behaving black ink and while I have 7 other black inks here they never get used anymore.

[DaveBj]

I'll throw Sailor Kiwa-Guro into the suggestion box. It's a Japanese manufactured ink, so I would imagine that a lot of kanji are written using it. It's very black, and much faster drying than the Noodler's inks that I use.

[vectorbundle]

I am a huge fan of Heart of Darkness: very black, very fast drying. Caveat: I use a fine nib and either Rhodia or Clairefontaine paper.

[sirgilbert357]

I'd second the suggestion of Pelikan 4001 black. Its water resistance was astounding when I tested it and it dries very fast.

 

I'd also recommend Noodler's Black. I haven't really had the "takes a long time to dry" experience of others, but it does take longer than the above Pelikan 4001. Drying time is affected by all kinds of variables, so its hard to just make broad sweeping statements about a particular ink...the best bet would be to get samples and if you are like me, dedicate an ink to a specific pen and tune the nib to the ink...

[haruka337]

I'll throw Sailor Kiwa-Guro into the suggestion box. It's a Japanese manufactured ink, so I would imagine that a lot of kanji are written using it. It's very black, and much faster drying...

+1 Word.

[AndyYNWA]

I'll throw Sailor Kiwa-Guro into the suggestion box. It's a Japanese manufactured ink, so I would imagine that a lot of kanji are written using it. It's very black, and much faster drying than the Noodler's inks that I use.

+1

 

Maybe also some of KWZI iron gall inks would work for you.

[Chumango]

Either Pelikan black or Noodler's black (plain black, the original).

 

Pelikan is a blacker black, and is *somewhat* water resistant.

 

Noodler's behaves a little better on cheap paper - less bleed through, and is water proof (except on very glossy stock, where it does not penetrate the fibers and can be rubbed off).

 

Both have reasonable dry times, the Pelikan a bit faster.

[ac12]

I use Waterman and Cross/Pelikan black, depending on how dry or wet the pen is.

 

Aurora black is another wet ink, though I have not tried it...yet.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ac12

[inkandseeds]

Having only tried a limited number of inks, my preferences for a fine point are Noodler's Black and Noodler's Heart of Darkness. I have had no drying problems, but i live at 7,000 feet in a dry climate and heat with wood in the winter which all aid in drying.

 

My ink order next month is for blacks, so i will be trying a new black or two.

[J85909266]

Noodler's Black if you want to be able to use it on any paper and want water resistance.

 

Aurora Black if you are using nice paper and don't care about water resist.

 

To me, Noodler's black is the most well balanced black out there.