Platinum Carbon Ink Black

February 21, 2009

This is a suspension. It seems similar to India ink, but with little or no binder and perhaps smaller particles. It seems that the particles are too big to flow through paper fibers, and it therefore doesn't bleed or feather on normal paper. I don't notice anything special besides it being well behaved. Scan:

http://i44.tinypic.com/2aaes04.jpg

It is a pretty dark, neutral black. It isn't as dark as Pelikan Brilliant Black or Sailor Kiwaguro, and not nearly as dark as the pre-liquefied India ink 吳竹墨汁. It also lacks sheen of Kiwaguro when it is dry.

After water:

http://i41.tinypic.com/21csbjo.jpg

It remains intact after a rinse in warm water. Abrasion when wet will lighten it.

February 21, 2009

This is a suspension. It seems similar to India ink, but with little or no binder and perhaps smaller particles. It seems that the particles are too big to flow through paper fibers, and it therefore doesn't bleed or feather on normal paper. I don't notice anything special besides it being well behaved. Scan:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2aaes04.jpg
It is a pretty dark, neutral black. It isn't as dark as Pelikan Brilliant Black or Sailor Kiwaguro, and not nearly as dark as the pre-liquefied India ink 吳竹墨汁. It also lacks sheen of Kiwaguro when it is dry.

After water:
http://i41.tinypic.com/21csbjo.jpg
It remains intact after a rinse in warm water. Abrasion when wet will lighten it.

When I bought my first Nakaya fp in 2002 it came fitted with a cart of this Carbon black ink - now 'they' say it's not good for fps - I have many carts and even a bottle of the stuff - but am frightened to use it. What do you think?

February 21, 2009

If anything nasty happens, I'll post it.

February 23, 2009

I just received a bottle of this, and quickly loaded a Lamy Vista with medium nib. I was expecting a fairly dark ink, but even with the generous flow of this nib, I see a very dark gray rather than a black line. I also see some feathering on "bad" paper, though the behavior on better paper is very good. It dried quickly on all papers, and the best part: a 1 hour soak in warm tap water did nothing. I saw no pigment floating off, either, and a test with several highlighters shows no pigment transfer or smearing. It's too bad it's rather expensive, because it would be perfect for note-taking in class. I suppose a student with a fountain pen might have different sensibilities, but for me at that age, $19 bought a lot of food.

I've had no flow issues, but I tend to cap my pens when I'm not writing. I plan to use this ink only in pens that haven't shown drying or hard-starting issues, and ones than can be disassembled completely for cleaning. Overall, I'm very happy with this for the fast drying (I'm a lefty overwriter), lack of smearing, and excellent water resistance.

Chris, provided your Nakaya doesn't dry out when capped or show hard-starting issues, I'd be confident in using this ink in it. I'd certainly be more vigilant, and flush thoroughly between fills, but wouldn't fear the worst. I believe the binder in India ink is the real pen-killer - see Pelikan's Fount India for validation.

February 24, 2009

AIR, I read an ad a couple of years ago for a Platinum pen with a more open feed that was marketed especially for this ink. I think it was a Cartridge/Converter fp.

February 24, 2009

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!!!!!!!!!

Martok

December 15, 2009

I use the Platinum desk pen that's specially made for this ink. The Platinum rep told me that the channel in the feed is extra wide to keep the ink flowing smoothly and not clog things up. Of course, the desk pen uses cartridges, but they're big and last a long time in the EF nibbed pens.

This is my favorite, everyday, I'd-take-it-to-a-deserted-island ink.