EFNIR: Pilot Mixable Colour Black

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Pilot Mixable Colour Black

This is review #265 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Pilot cartridges are usually full up to the disk, with maybe a small bubble of air.  This cartridge was a bit low (like the other cartridges I got with a set of Parallel pens some years ago), so I topped it off with a little water. I don't think this impacted the testing significantly.

This is a very black black. On the microscope slide, once the ink was spread thin, I could see a bluish hue.  Like all the Mixable Colour inks, it's highly concentrated.  Cleaning was easy with plain water, but the dye is very concentrated, so you may need extra flushes.  The ink is black and the images all look black to me.

NOTE: Starting next week, I will be posting one hour later than I am right now.

Zoomed in photo

Screenshot

Scan of Completed Review

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper)

Line width (The "h" in Rhodia. Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 292µm. With 265 inks measured, the average line width is 296µm.) (Note the little bits of coppery sheen!)

Microscope image (400x. A crystalline entity...)

Microscope image (400x. Interesting rock formation...)

Microscope image (400x. Blood red fuzz balls.  (There was no sign of red to the naked eye either on the slide or when the ink was diluted.  I think this was just something to do with the slide.))

Previous Review: Nemosine Solar Storm 1859.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[yazeh]

Thanks for such an excellent review of a fuzzy/hairy ink  with cool microscopic images  @LizEF 

I love how you explore magical ways of healing in this mediative 3rd act. 

I had a chuckle when Quin implied that, Viscount E, a skeleton, was alive and his sons killed, equally skeletons, were killed by Marsell. Talk about existential paradox. Now I'm pondering  was Viscount E born human, then died/resurrected as Viscount E, or is he from a long line of illustrious skeletons. And if it's latter, I wonder how skeletons reproduce 

 

Thanks for making this boxing day Tuesday, so existential

 

 

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for such an excellent review of a fuzzy/hairy ink  with cool microscopic images  @LizEF 

You're very welcome!

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I love how you explore magical ways of healing in this mediative 3rd act. 

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I had a chuckle when Quin implied that, Viscount E, a skeleton, was alive and his sons killed, equally skeletons, were killed by Marsell. Talk about existential paradox. Now I'm pondering  was Viscount E born human, then died/resurrected as Viscount E, or is he from a long line of illustrious skeletons. And if it's latter, I wonder how skeletons reproduce 

All excellent questions.  You may recall from last time that we learned the Viscount is "animated by magic".  I don't remember if I said before, but way back in review 258, Platinum Red, while Marsell is working his magic, Quin hears "a great clattering of bones, as if all the skeletons were tumbling down the staircase."  Marsell's contamination of the Source had done enough damage that the skeletons lost their "animation" and really did collapse and tumble down the staircase.  Fortunately, it wasn't enough to "kill" the skeletons, so once Makhabesh and then Quin dumped in their vials, the skeletons regained their self control and resumed their pursuit of the intruders.   I imagine we might encounter skeletons again one day and can explore their origin and reproductive techniques... (Part of me is wondering if Marsell will come back as a skeletal "son" of Viscount E. )

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for making this boxing day Tuesday, so existential

Glad to do it!

[Sailor Kenshin]

A crystalline entity that is a ginormous uplooking statue of Apollo!  Not to mention Galaxy of Red Fuzzballs, and plasma clouds gathered round Apollo! 🙀

 

Pilot black inks confuse me.  I do not have the Mixable but the regular carts and a bottle of Pilot/Namiki Black.  They are all quite Blakity indeed.

 

 I have not noticed long dry times for either Pilot ink, but my mind may be tricking me.  😜 And now I will have to look for sheen, too.

 

Concentrate, Quin!  Visualithe Etthhri ath you know him!  🎉 Thave The Thnek!

 

At the moment I dare not contemplate Belief, but 

@LizEF, many thanks once again for another Tuesday Treat!  I love the reviews and the serial.  🥰

 

[LizEF]

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

A crystalline entity that is a ginormous uplooking statue of Apollo!  Not to mention Galaxy of Red Fuzzballs, and plasma clouds gathered round Apollo! 🙀

 

4 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Pilot black inks confuse me.  I do not have the Mixable but the regular carts and a bottle of Pilot/Namiki Black.  They are all quite Blakity indeed.

This one puts regular Pilot Black to shame - makes it look practically brown.  This is one of the darkest blacks I've seen - presumably because it's so concentrated.

 

5 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 I have not noticed long dry times for either Pilot ink, but my mind may be tricking me.  😜 And now I will have to look for sheen, too.

Well, I really think it's the humidity.  I decided today that I need to note it every time I do dry times.  An ink that dried in under 5 seconds during testing (unknown humidity) took more than 30 seconds during the review at 33% humidity.  I think @InesF said 35% was the tipping point (but I've forgotten and don't want to go look right now).  Anywho, more testing of the theory will be done, but I'm thinking this specific paper is sensitive to the humidity...  In short: you may not have the dry time problems I do.

 

8 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Concentrate, Quin!  Visualithe Etthhri ath you know him!  🎉 Thave The Thnek!

 

8 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

At the moment I dare not contemplate Belief, but 

@LizEF, many thanks once again for another Tuesday Treat!  I love the reviews and the serial.  🥰

You're very welcome!  And thank you!

[yazeh]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

All excellent questions.  You may recall from last time that we learned the Viscount is "animated by magic".  I don't remember if I said before, but way back in review 258, Platinum Red, while Marsell is working his magic, Quin hears "a great clattering of bones, as if all the skeletons were tumbling down the staircase."  Marsell's contamination of the Source had done enough damage that the skeletons lost their "animation" and really did collapse and tumble down the staircase.  Fortunately, it wasn't enough to "kill" the skeletons, so once Makhabesh and then Quin dumped in their vials, the skeletons regained their self control and resumed their pursuit of the intruders.   I imagine we might encounter skeletons again one day and can explore their origin and reproductive techniques... (Part of me is wondering if Marsell will come back as a skeletal "son" of Viscount E. )

 

Magically animated skeletons by the source of life?  Now that's something I hope I don't see  

I was thinking that Viscount E would procreate by using his proverbial rib, but then there would be nothing left of him, as he has too many kids 

 

[LizEF]

10 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Magically animated skeletons by the source of life?

The Source of magic.

 

10 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I was thinking that Viscount E would procreate by using his proverbial rib, but then there would be nothing left of him, as he has too many kids 

I like it! Maybe his spare rib re-grows...

[yazeh]

14 hours ago, LizEF said:

 

I like it! Maybe his spare rib re-grows...

And hence a new story line emerged....About Quartus, aka Quart, (Quin's father) and the creation of Viscount E 

 

[LizEF]

4 hours ago, yazeh said:

And hence a new story line emerged....About Quartus, aka Quart, (Quin's father) and the creation of Viscount E 

[InesF]

Thank you, @LizEF, for taking the time and effort reviewing another black ink. Well, the ink is (almost) black, not enough off to making it interesting.

Totally different is the story. As already told and asked by others before, the magic tension is increasing to a never before experienced high. There are sparks coming out of my monitor while reading the story ... 

Will the reanimation spell turn Essri into a skeleton? 🤫

 

Always most interesting are the microscopy images. I love the crystallisation (the white spots) of ink components and the red tassels. Those ball shapes can form from some chemicals if the liquid was moved during drying - by hand in circles or by steady vibrations from the table, etc. However, they can also be colonies of ... whatever life forms can grow in mixable inks. 🦠

 

Looking forward to how this story may go on! 😋

 

[LizEF]

9 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @LizEF, for taking the time and effort reviewing another black ink. Well, the ink is (almost) black, not enough off to making it interesting.

You're most welcome!

 

9 hours ago, InesF said:

Totally different is the story. As already told and asked by others before, the magic tension is increasing to a never before experienced high. There are sparks coming out of my monitor while reading the story ... 

 

9 hours ago, InesF said:

Will the reanimation spell turn Essri into a skeleton? 🤫

Now that would be funny.  Brilliant idea has now been planted.  Heaven knows what my brain will come up with next.

 

9 hours ago, InesF said:

Always most interesting are the microscopy images. I love the crystallisation (the white spots) of ink components and the red tassels. Those ball shapes can form from some chemicals if the liquid was moved during drying - by hand in circles or by steady vibrations from the table, etc. However, they can also be colonies of ... whatever life forms can grow in mixable inks. 🦠

Thank you for the analysis.  I can't remember whether I had to move the cover slip around on this one - I sometimes do.  Though I don't think I ever move it in circles.  The slide does sit here on my desk, so I suppose it could be vibrated by me typing and Klaw coming and going (sometimes in a hurry).  Let's just pretend that there was nothing growing in there, OK.

 

9 hours ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to how this story may go on! 😋

Thank you!

[arcfide]

I always get unduly excited when you do a black ink review. 🙂 It seems that both the Pilot and the Platinum Mixable ink lines have a reputation for a dark black ink. 

[LizEF]

4 hours ago, arcfide said:

I always get unduly excited when you do a black ink review. 🙂

So you have something to look forward to - review #271 is a black ink.  It's in the pen now, so it'll be 5 weeks from tomorrow before it publishes.