EFNIR: Graf von Faber-Castell Carbon Black

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Graf von Faber-Castell Carbon Black

This is review #304 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: This is a very nice, dark, neutral, smooth-flowing black ink.  As far as feel and behavior go, it may well be the best black ink I've used, even though I've rated others at "excellent" for lubrication, there's just something about this one that makes it pleasant to use.  Flows well, well lubricated, and yet writes a fine line? Don't ask me to explain it!

You have to go looking for the sheen (from this nib). I can't quite tell the color, maybe copper?  The microscope image was dull as rocks. Cleaning was surprisingly quick and easy.

This ink was gifted to me by a generous FPGeek.

Zoomed in photo (The nib must have caught a piece of cat hair or something to leave those little trails behind.)

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 "I" in "Ink:". 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 276µm. With 304 inks measured, the average line width is 297µm.) (Yep, coppery sheen.)

Water Test Results (In real life, I see hints of green in there, though I saw none going down the sink - looked more slightly purple.)

Other (As you can see, the void kitty is darker than the ink. :D)

Previous Review: Lamy Red.

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]

@LizEF Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! This is the cutest review of all  Such a handsome boy with a nice blue sheen 😻

Interesting ink, though long dry times  

I like the story twist and the mystery of the staff and Quin's father, but nothing compares to the last image

Thanks for making us feline lovers, so happy and purr-y   🙏

[Sailor Kenshin]

Holy squeakin' peckin' cliffhanger, Batman!   Sooo tempted by this black ink, even if it's got a long and inconvenient name.

 

(But then I looked at the dry time.  And realized I must have eleven black inks if you include cartridges.)

 

And then again it's not half as black as Void Kitteh.  So although I love the review, this black ink will not join my hordes of others.

 

@LizEF, huge thanks once again for the inky happiness.  And the story!  Can't wait for the next one. 

 

 

[LizEF]

40 minutes ago, yazeh said:

@LizEF Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! This is the cutest review of all  Such a handsome boy with a nice blue sheen 😻

Thanks!  He is a most handsome kitty. As you can see, Klaw was not amused when I disturbed his loaf for a photo.  He seems camera shy - declines to cooperate whenever the camera comes out...

 

42 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Interesting ink, though long dry times  

Yes, that was really the only disappointing bit - and I don't even like black.  But I didn't have any issues with it in my Rhodiarama, so this might be OK on papers other than Rhodia.  I see I neglected to mention that it's on the front of the sheet, too (not a good sign - that the eternal dry time was on the front rather than the back).

 

44 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I like the story twist and the mystery of the staff and Quin's father, but nothing compares to the last image

Thank you, thank you!

 

45 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for making us feline lovers, so happy and purr-y   🙏

You're most welcome!

[LizEF]

33 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Holy squeakin' peckin' cliffhanger, Batman!

 

34 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Sooo tempted by this black ink, even if it's got a long and inconvenient name.

"Graf von Faber-Castell" would make "Red" a long ink name, once they were tacked together.  Once I've used it once, I shorten it to "GvFC".

 

35 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

(But then I looked at the dry time.  And realized I must have eleven black inks if you include cartridges.)

Yeah, I knew that would overwhelm it's good points for you lefties.

 

35 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

And then again it's not half as black as Void Kitteh.

Even Chou Kuro isn't as black as Void Kitteh!

 

36 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

So although I love the review, this black ink will not join my hordes of others.

Can't blame you.  Even though I really enjoyed the ink, it won't be joining my hordes (as a bottle) either.

 

36 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF, huge thanks once again for the inky happiness.  And the story!  Can't wait for the next one. 

You're most welcome!  And thank you!

[yazeh]

4 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Thanks!  He is a most handsome kitty. As you can see, Klaw was not amused when I disturbed his loaf for a photo.  He seems camera shy - declines to cooperate whenever the camera comes out...

Ours is the same. The only way, I can get a good photo of her is with telephoto lens. She's quite fidgety  

4 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Yes, that was really the only disappointing bit - and I don't even like black.  But I didn't have any issues with it in my Rhodiarama, so this might be OK on papers other than Rhodia.  I see I neglected to mention that it's on the front of the sheet, too (not a good sign - that the eternal dry time was on the front rather than the back).

That means it's even worse on Japanese paper. In my experience is often 10/20 s more depending which paper. Though, I don't see why can't we use blotters, after all that's what they used it for  

[LizEF]

26 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Though, I don't see why can't we use blotters, after all that's what they used it for  

  I use blotting paper for bookmarks and couldn't care less how long ink takes to dry.  If I don't want to wait or watch it do so, I just close the book on it.  But I'm right-handed, so it's not a functional issue.  When writing letters, I try to use the inks with longer dry times on the reverse so I can set it aside to dry while I write sheet two (though sometimes I forget and have to wait).  (Non-FP people would read that and think we're crazy! )

[InesF]

Oh Void Kitty; Oh, pure Void Kitty! 😱

@LizEF, please! Please, @LizEF! Have you .... oh, no! Have you done the water test .... 😱? Void Kitty doesn't look amused, even if dried in less than 2 minutes.  

 

OK, I'm calming down now.

 

Always my special thanks to you, @LizEF, for taking the effort of reviewing such unfavorable inks, as those black liquids are! 

And as we can see, sometimes there are surprises found among those void-filled glass bottles.

 

Oh, my; Void Kitty! ...

 

I'm now really looking forward to learn about the connection (or correlation?) between the wood, the magical party and the sickness of Quins father. That's a quite complex story, will make a good movie ... 🤫  ... and keeps us at the fence!  👍

[LizEF]

37 minutes ago, InesF said:

...

Wait, is it Wednesday morning already!? 

 

38 minutes ago, InesF said:

Oh Void Kitty; Oh, pure Void Kitty! 😱

 

38 minutes ago, InesF said:

@LizEF, please! Please, @LizEF! Have you .... oh, no! Have you done the water test .... 😱? Void Kitty doesn't look amused, even if dried in less than 2 minutes.  

 

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

OK, I'm calming down now.

 

43 minutes ago, InesF said:

Always my special thanks to you, @LizEF, for taking the effort of reviewing such unfavorable inks, as those black liquids are! 

And as we can see, sometimes there are surprises found among those void-filled glass bottles.

 

Oh, my; Void Kitty! ...

You're most welcome!  As far as black inks go, I liked it - just not enough to buy some.

 

44 minutes ago, InesF said:

I'm now really looking forward to learn about the connection (or correlation?) between the wood, the magical party and the sickness of Quins father. That's a quite complex story, will make a good movie ... 🤫  ... and keeps us at the fence!  👍

Thank you!

[yazeh]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

  I use blotting paper for bookmarks and couldn't care less how long ink takes to dry.  If I don't want to wait or watch it do so, I just close the book on it.

 

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

  But I'm right-handed, so it's not a functional issue. 

I'm a lefty and I didn't know it was problem until I came on this forum  I always wonder how is it in countries where they right from right to left.

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

When writing letters, I try to use the inks with longer dry times on the reverse so I can set it aside to dry while I write sheet two (though sometimes I forget and have to wait).  (Non-FP people would read that and think we're crazy! )

I recently saw a 1960s film when the main character was supposed to send a telegram. He wrote the text with a dip pen, used the blotter etc... That was one of the best parts of the film. Connecting with things which were meaningful in another time  

[LizEF]

21 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I'm a lefty and I didn't know it was problem until I came on this forum

So nice when others introduce us to problems we never knew we had!

 

21 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I always wonder how is it in countries where they right from right to left.

Me too!

 

22 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I recently saw a 1960s film when the main character was supposed to send a telegram. He wrote the text with a dip pen, used the blotter etc... That was one of the best parts of the film. Connecting with things which were meaningful in another time  

Always makes me smile!  When I was binging on Poirot, I would sometimes be treated to him writing with a fountain pen.  The font (he used an italic nib) didn't seem like the 1930s to me, but then, it's not like I'd actually know.