Pilot Black vs Pelikan 4001 brilliant black - 1 month lightfastness test

[MarioR81]

From March 5th to April 5th, receiving sun light in the morning. It feels like Pelikan is less lightfast as it turned to a little brighter brown.

[LizEF]

Hmm.  I kinda like that brown shade of the Pelikan 4001 formerly Brilliant Black.

 

Thanks for sharing.  It's hard to tell - is the Pilot just faded, or did it also go a bit brown?

[MarioR81]

It got a bit brown, but more like a sepia dark. Now thinking about it, it could be because Pelikan was written with a Parker 51 M nib, considerably more ink there...

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, MarioR81 said:

It got a bit brown, but more like a sepia dark. Now thinking about it, it could be because Pelikan was written with a Parker 51 M nib, considerably more ink there...

Interesting.  Are you continuing the test to see how it goes after more sun?

[MarioR81]

18 hours ago, LizEF said:

Interesting.  Are you continuing the test to see how it goes after more sun?

 

Not for these samples, but I'm currently running a test on Koh-I-Noor document Inks (black and blue) that I should post shortly. I think overall 1 month of sun exposure is enough to simulate a couple years of "regular" UV exposure. And from results I've seen from other users very few FP inks really hold up against sun exposure over long periods. I noticed even the paper yellowed a bit.

[LizEF]

48 minutes ago, MarioR81 said:

I think overall 1 month of sun exposure is enough to simulate a couple years of "regular" UV exposure.

Ah!  You're doing what scientists call an "accelerated aging" study!    And you're right, it would be highly abnormal for someone to hang their journal or homework or completed crossword in the window. So yes, reasonable simulation.

 

Thanks again.  I do like these "accelerated aging studies".

[Rainbowpizza]

I would definitely like to see more of this, its very interesting.

[MarioR81]

Thanks!

[Nurmister]

This is great, thank you. I've used both inks for a number of years now, and note that Pilot black is noticeably more water-resistant and writes more deeply. I suspect these attributes are correlated with lightfastness: Pilot black seems to "bond" with the paper's fibers more securely.

 

Looking forward to the Koh-i-noor test, since that ink is even more inexpensive than these. However, my experience with these cheaper inks is that they can stain plastic -- like the clear plastic on ink windows!

[MarioR81]

On 4/10/2021 at 9:18 AM, Nurmister said:

This is great, thank you. I've used both inks for a number of years now, and note that Pilot black is noticeably more water-resistant and writes more deeply. I suspect these attributes are correlated with lightfastness: Pilot black seems to "bond" with the paper's fibers more securely.

 

Looking forward to the Koh-i-noor test, since that ink is even more inexpensive than these. However, my experience with these cheaper inks is that they can stain plastic -- like the clear plastic on ink windows!

 

Yes I have the same feeling about Pilot black. More water resistant and deep black. One thing I can say about Koh-I-Noor so far is that it doesn't seem to be nearly as black as Pilot or Pelikan, more like a very dark gray.

Just out of curiosity to you mind about plastic being stained because of demonstrators?

 

 

[Nurmister]

11 minutes ago, MarioR81 said:

 

Yes I have the same feeling about Pilot black. More water resistant and deep black. One thing I can say about Koh-I-Noor so far is that it doesn't seem to be nearly as black as Pilot or Pelikan, more like a very dark gray.

Just out of curiosity to you mind about plastic being stained because of demonstrators?

 

 

 

Yes, certain plastics, such as those found in cheaper pens (e.g. the bioplastics found in the popular Indian pens sold by fountainpenrevolution in TX) stain to yellow very easily with use of cheaper black ink. Even in more expensive pens, like the Montblanc 149, I've had ink windows and piston seals stain slightly. I've found Pilot inks to be fuss-free but still suitably permanent.

[Tasmith]

Thank you for sharing.  Looking forward to more tests!

[MarioR81]

Alright, some more tests. 1 Month light exposure test on Koh-I-Noor document ink, both blue and black. So far, so good.

Below also water test on koh-i-noor.  It seems pretty waterproof to me  specially if left the ink dry properly. Very little pigment rubbed off.

Water test on Hero 233 and Hero 234 (in the middle-right) paper. Hero seems water resistant not exactly waterproof. Currently running a lightfastness 1 month test but I suppose it would stand well, just like K-I-N document black and blue.

Below I did water test on Pilot ink. I'd say it is as water resistant as Hero 234 which is a carbon ink. So For a non-pigment ink I'd say after lightfastness and water test Pilot makes a pretty solid black ink.

[MarioR81]

Here is a lightfastness test I did a year ago with several pens and inks.  Very disappointed with Lamy ink that really disappeared on paper.

Below a small test with K-I-N document ink, Pilot and Hero 234 dried and used a stabilo marker. So far, so good.

 

Below Koh-I-Noor document black which looks more like a green dark grey rather than black like Hero 234, pilot or Pelikan 4001 brilliant black.

[MarioR81]

And lastly, comparison between the b lacks. Again, Koh-I-Noor looks more like a very dark grey rather than black. But, it's waterproof and lightfast

[amberleadavis]

Added to the TOD Topic O'Day thread with the other light fastness tests.

[Nurmister]

My conclusion from all of this is that Pilot, especially as a dye-based ink, punches way above its weight. That's a great thing, because it is well-behaved in many other ways, too. And is cheap! (You can get a 350 ml bottle for 25 USD on Ebay.)