Ink Suggestion (everyday black; dark, quick-drying)

[ThirstyTurtle]

Hey everyone! I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a fine nib that I carry with me everyday as my "everything" writing utensil. I just recently started carrying the pen for this purpose and have it inked with Noodlers X-Feather since I never know what sort of paper I'll be writing on. I'll confess that the main reason I got X-Feather is because it's CRAZY dark black and I really wanted that above all else at the time.

However, 80% of the time I'm writing on pretty FP-friendly paper and the X-Feather (not surprisingly) takes forever to dry (like 30+ seconds or more).

So, I would like some suggestions of a good all around black ink that is super dark and dries pretty quick.

Thank you!

[Chrissy]

I like J Herbin Pearl Black

[Laura N]

Yeah, my go-to black inks are J. Herbin Perle Noire and Aurora Black, which are both dark and seem to dry quickly for me. No idea whether they feather on cheap paper, but maybe you could try samples or check some reviews.

Another thought is that I've had great performance with Pilot Black ink cartridges in my Prera. I do carry that pen with me, so I use it on all sorts of paper, and I've never once had feathering. It's fairly dark, though maybe not Aurora Black dark. Also, I've never used the bottled ink, so I'm only assuming it is the same as what's in the cartridges.

[akapulko2020]

Hey everyone! I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a fine nib that I carry with me everyday as my "everything" writing utensil. I just recently started carrying the pen for this purpose and have it inked with Noodlers X-Feather since I never know what sort of paper I'll be writing on. I'll confess that the main reason I got X-Feather is because it's CRAZY dark black and I really wanted that above all else at the time.

However, 80% of the time I'm writing on pretty FP-friendly paper and the X-Feather (not surprisingly) takes forever to dry (like 30+ seconds or more).

So, I would like some suggestions of a good all around black ink that is super dark and dries pretty quick.

Thank you!
I'm waiting for a sample of X Feather to arrive and just realized reading your post that I should've looked into it's drying times before ordering. I hate slow drying inks [emoji26]

[Uncle Bud]

My go to ink for work is X-Feather, but for FP friendly paper I use Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and when I don't have that I use Noodler's Black, HOD is faster drying, but not by that much, and NB dries much quicker than X-Feather.

[Uncle Bud]

Hey everyone! I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a fine nib that I carry with me everyday as my "everything" writing utensil. I just recently started carrying the pen for this purpose and have it inked with Noodlers X-Feather since I never know what sort of paper I'll be writing on. I'll confess that the main reason I got X-Feather is because it's CRAZY dark black and I really wanted that above all else at the time.

However, 80% of the time I'm writing on pretty FP-friendly paper and the X-Feather (not surprisingly) takes forever to dry (like 30+ seconds or more).

So, I would like some suggestions of a good all around black ink that is super dark and dries pretty quick.

Thank you!
I'm waiting for a sample of X Feather to arrive and just realized reading your post that I should've looked into it's drying times before ordering. I hate slow drying inks [emoji26]

On cheaper paper dry times are actually quite good around 8 seconds, on good quality paper it can be a tad long. The good point though is its a difficult ink to get to feather, even on toilet paper it doesn't feather as much as you'd think, and I've heard it's great for calligraphy.

[akapulko2020]

I have less of a problem with drying times when writing in English, but my native Hebrew is written right to left which for a right handed writer presents challenges similar to a leftie writing in English.

Being able to write on cheap paper might just be worth it though.. :-)

[ThirstyTurtle]

I like J Herbin Pearl Black
I'll check it out!

Yeah, my go-to black inks are J. Herbin Perle Noire and Aurora Black, which are both dark and seem to dry quickly for me. No idea whether they feather on cheap paper, but maybe you could try samples or check some reviews.

Another thought is that I've had great performance with Pilot Black ink cartridges in my Prera. I do carry that pen with me, so I use it on all sorts of paper, and I've never once had feathering. It's fairly dark, though maybe not Aurora Black dark. Also, I've never used the bottled ink, so I'm only assuming it is the same as what's in the cartridges.
I'll check them both out!



Hey everyone! I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a fine nib that I carry with me everyday as my "everything" writing utensil. I just recently started carrying the pen for this purpose and have it inked with Noodlers X-Feather since I never know what sort of paper I'll be writing on. I'll confess that the main reason I got X-Feather is because it's CRAZY dark black and I really wanted that above all else at the time.

However, 80% of the time I'm writing on pretty FP-friendly paper and the X-Feather (not surprisingly) takes forever to dry (like 30+ seconds or more).

So, I would like some suggestions of a good all around black ink that is super dark and dries pretty quick.

Thank you!
I'm waiting for a sample of X Feather to arrive and just realized reading your post that I should've looked into it's drying times before ordering. I hate slow drying inks [emoji26]

Well it's okay on cheap paper but on nice paper it takes FOREVER IMO. That's a side effect of anti-feathering properties though, it is absorbed slower...

My go to ink for work is X-Feather, but for FP friendly paper I use Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and when I don't have that I use Noodler's Black, HOD is faster drying, but not by that much, and NB dries much quicker than X-Feather.
I've looked into HOD and Noodlers Black and seeing you say that HOD dries faster...I'll give that one a HARD look.


We'll thanks everyone! I'm off to read lots of reviews and probably order some samples :-)

I'll report back with my findings :-)

[Uncle Bud]

I have less of a problem with drying times when writing in English, but my native Hebrew is written right to left which for a right handed writer presents challenges similar to a leftie writing in English.

Being able to write on cheap paper might just be worth it though.. :-)

Yeah, I can understand how Hebrew may cause problems, have you tried Noodler's Bernanke Black, that is super fast drying around 2 seconds, but it's not as black, black as the others, and feathers on cheaper paper. Bernanke Q-Eternity is also a lovely blue/black with same dry times.

[Jon Szanto]

If you don't need waterproof, Aurora Black.
If you do, Noodler's Black.

Done.

[Uncle Bud]

If you don't need waterproof, Aurora Black.
If you do, Noodler's Black.

Done.

Or if you prefer Noodler's, Borealis Black. Very similar to Aurora, since I sense you like Noodler's.

[Laura N]

The good point though is its a difficult ink to get to feather, even on toilet paper it doesn't feather as much as you'd think, and I've heard it's great for calligraphy.

Can I ask when or why you ...?

No, never mind. Some things are best left to the imagination. :)

I love this forum, though!

[Uncle Bud]

N

The good point though is its a difficult ink to get to feather, even on toilet paper it doesn't feather as much as you'd think, and I've heard it's great for calligraphy.

Can I ask when or why you ...?

No, never mind. Some things are best left to the imagination. :)

I love this forum, though!

My work paper is the cheapest, most crappiest paper a company ever bought, and this didn't feather, not even slightly. So yes, I did actually try it on toilet paper, and yes it did feather, but nowhere near as much as you'd think. Try it, I promise you will be VERY surprised.

[Jon Szanto]

If you don't need waterproof, Aurora Black.
If you do, Noodler's Black.

Done.

Or if you prefer Noodler's, Borealis Black. Very similar to Aurora, since I sense you like Noodler's.

Actually, I mostly don't. Pretty strongly. I grudgingly use a couple of his inks because I like the way they work. If, and when, I find substitutes I'll drop support for this line of inks entirely.

[Laura N]

N

The good point though is its a difficult ink to get to feather, even on toilet paper it doesn't feather as much as you'd think, and I've heard it's great for calligraphy.

Can I ask when or why you ...?

No, never mind. Some things are best left to the imagination. :)

I love this forum, though!

My work paper is the cheapest, most crappiest paper a company ever bought, and this didn't feather, not even slightly. So yes, I did actually try it on toilet paper, and yes it did feather, but nowhere near as much as you'd think. Try it, I promise you will be VERY surprised.

Okay! So I have two black inks in use now. The first is Stipula Ebony Black in a very wet MB pen. It is an ink that feathers on newsprint, so I wouldn't consider it a non-feathering ink. Nonetheless, it hardly feathered at all on toilet paper (Seventh Generation recycled). It did, however, spread like the dickens! I've just learned what spread means, so I'm delighted to try that word out. Spread: when I put down the ink in a line, the line grew wider as I watched. The second black ink is Pilot black in a dry Pilot Prera with a fine nib. That's a pretty non-feathering ink, as i noted above. This one feathered just a tiny bit (hardly at all, really) and it spread much less.

My conclusion: toilet paper may be better for writing than we suppose. And a Pilot Prera is a good pen to use on it. :)

[ThirstyTurtle]

If you don't need waterproof, Aurora Black.
If you do, Noodler's Black.

Done.
Don't need waterproof so I'll check out Aurora. Is Noodler's just as good but ALSO waterproof?



I have less of a problem with drying times when writing in English, but my native Hebrew is written right to left which for a right handed writer presents challenges similar to a leftie writing in English.

Being able to write on cheap paper might just be worth it though.. :-)

Yeah, I can understand how Hebrew may cause problems, have you tried Noodler's Bernanke Black, that is super fast drying around 2 seconds, but it's not as black, black as the others, and feathers on cheaper paper. Bernanke Q-Eternity is also a lovely blue/black with same dry times.

I looked into Bernanke Black a bit and it's high on my list.



If you don't need waterproof, Aurora Black.
If you do, Noodler's Black.

Done.

Or if you prefer Noodler's, Borealis Black. Very similar to Aurora, since I sense you like Noodler's.

I'll check out Borealis as well.

[ThirstyTurtle]

N

The good point though is its a difficult ink to get to feather, even on toilet paper it doesn't feather as much as you'd think, and I've heard it's great for calligraphy.

Can I ask when or why you ...?

No, never mind. Some things are best left to the imagination. :)

I love this forum, though!

My work paper is the cheapest, most crappiest paper a company ever bought, and this didn't feather, not even slightly. So yes, I did actually try it on toilet paper, and yes it did feather, but nowhere near as much as you'd think. Try it, I promise you will be VERY surprised.

Okay! So I have two black inks in use now. The first is Stipula Ebony Black in a very wet MB pen. It is an ink that feathers on newsprint, so I wouldn't consider it a non-feathering ink. Nonetheless, it hardly feathered at all on toilet paper (Seventh Generation recycled). It did, however, spread like the dickens! I've just learned what spread means, so I'm delighted to try that word out. Spread: when I put down the ink in a line, the line grew wider as I watched. The second black ink is Pilot black in a dry Pilot Prera with a fine nib. That's a pretty non-feathering ink, as i noted above. This one feathered just a tiny bit (hardly at all, really) and it spread much less.

My conclusion: toilet paper may be better for writing than we suppose. And a Pilot Prera is a good pen to use on it. :)
I quite like the Pilot Black in my Varsity so maybe I'll check it out. It's certainly dark enough for my liking.

[Jon Szanto]

Don't need waterproof so I'll check out Aurora. Is Noodler's just as good but ALSO waterproof?

No. I only use Noodlers black for things like envelope addressing, postcards, etc, where the possibility of water damage to the writing can occur. Otherwise:


AURORA BLACK
IS THE ONLY TRULY
INCREDIBLE BLACK INK
EVER CREATED IN THE
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
FOR FOUNTAIN PENS
AND YOU WILL NEVER
NEED ANOTHER BLACK INK
UNLESS IT NEEDS TO
BE WATERPROOF.
FULL STOP.

[ThirstyTurtle]

Don't need waterproof so I'll check out Aurora. Is Noodler's just as good but ALSO waterproof?

No. I only use Noodlers black for things like envelope addressing, postcards, etc, where the possibility of water damage to the writing can occur. Otherwise:


AURORA BLACK
IS THE ONLY TRULY
INCREDIBLE BLACK INK
EVER CREATED IN THE
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
FOR FOUNTAIN PENS
AND YOU WILL NEVER
NEED ANOTHER BLACK INK
UNLESS IT NEEDS TO
BE WATERPROOF.
FULL STOP.


This is INTENSE and I love it. I will, without a doubt, be getting a bottle or AT LEAST a sample.

Thank you!

[Jon Szanto]

Yeah, well, I'd order a sample to try, we're all a bit different. In light of what I wrote, my wife has said to me more than once "You know, sometimes I think you are living in another universe!"

[Cookies]

Aurora is my favorite black (Private Reserve Velvet Black is very close) but I don't find it particularly fast-drying. I think that's an issue with a lot of heavily saturated inks, they tend to take a bit longer.

I will +1 Perle Noire, and add on Diamine Eclipse.

[wangminze]

Though I only have one black ink, I think the Noodler's Heart of Darkness looks great from my Custom 92 fine.

[ThirstyTurtle]

Though I only have one black ink, I think the Noodler's Heart of Darkness looks great from my Custom 92 fine.
What kind of dying times do you get on good paper?

[wangminze]

Though I only have one black ink, I think the Noodler's Heart of Darkness looks great from my Custom 92 fine.
What kind of dying times do you get on good paper?
Clairefontaine Triomphe 90g
1869818699

[elaineb]

Don't need waterproof so I'll check out Aurora. Is Noodler's just as good but ALSO waterproof?

No. I only use Noodlers black for things like envelope addressing, postcards, etc, where the possibility of water damage to the writing can occur. Otherwise:


AURORA BLACK
IS THE ONLY TRULY
INCREDIBLE BLACK INK
EVER CREATED IN THE
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
FOR FOUNTAIN PENS
AND YOU WILL NEVER
NEED ANOTHER BLACK INK
UNLESS IT NEEDS TO
BE WATERPROOF.
FULL STOP.



So John, I think what you're saying -- and please correct me if I'm wrong here, because sometimes I don't always get the signals right -- is that you kind of like Aurora black?

P.S. Platinum Carbon Black: perfectly rock-solid waterproof, deep dark black, doesn't feather. De Atramentis Document Black: perfectly waterproof, not quite as black, dries decently quickly, a little more flow than the Platinum. Sailor Kira-gawa (sp? Their pigment black): deeply black, flows readily, not as water-resistant at the other two. The Platinum and Sailor inks are much cheaper ordered directly from Japan via Amazon or Ebay. (My latest bottle of Sailor black cost me $12 + shipping, and it's close to $30 on Jetpens.)

[ThirstyTurtle]

Though I only have one black ink, I think the Noodler's Heart of Darkness looks great from my Custom 92 fine.
What kind of dying times do you get on good paper?
Clairefontaine Triomphe 90g
1869818699
Thanks for that test! You've got me wanting to do a similar yest on my x-feather now so I have a baseline :-)

[ThirstyTurtle]

Well here's my test.
Pen: Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Fine
Ink: Noodler's X-Feather
Paper: Staples "Sustainable Earth" Notebook (sugarcane fiber)

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/06/e288d62ad2aab642e26d7285bd32d9ae.jpg

I would say that FULL dry time is 1 minute, although it's pretty darn close at 45 seconds. Some lines still smear like CRAZY at 30 seconds though. Based on this, the HOD is a marked improvement in dry time.

[Laura N]

Wow. That drying test of X-Feather is revealing. Especially because I use Staples Sustainable Earth paper, and I am under the impression that most of my inks dry more quickly on that paper. I see why you are looking for a different ink.

[Chrissy]

It does seem a long drying time. :blink:

Is that a Fine nib I see in your PCH 92 now? :)

[wangminze]

You are very welcome.
What kind of paper is the Staples Sustainable Earth? I couldn't find any cheaper good paper so I bought the HP inkjet paper and copied lines into it[emoji13].
Anyways, if the X-Feather really does a good job on normal 75g paper, then I'd go with that just because then I wouldn't have to go through through the trouble of dealing with which paper to buy.
And yes Chrissy, both of us have the fine nib.

[ThirstyTurtle]

It does seem a long drying time. :blink:

Is that a Fine nib I see in your PCH 92 now? :)
Sure is! Arrived Monday like you said and I adore it! That's why I'm trying to find a good ink because I think this is my new favorite pen!

Did the medium nib arrive yet? Guess not yet...

[ThirstyTurtle]

Well GouletPens is low on black ink samples so I just ordered the following from AndersonPens:

Aurora Black
Noodler's Borealis
Noodler's Heart of Darkness

Can't wait to try them out! Thanks everyone!

[Chrissy]

It does seem a long drying time. :blink:

Is that a Fine nib I see in your PCH 92 now? :)
Sure is! Arrived Monday like you said and I adore it! That's why I'm trying to find a good ink because I think this is my new favorite pen!

Did the medium nib arrive yet? Guess not yet...

It arrived safe and sound, just after my post. Thank you. :)

[ThirstyTurtle]

It does seem a long drying time. :blink:

Is that a Fine nib I see in your PCH 92 now? :)
Sure is! Arrived Monday like you said and I adore it! That's why I'm trying to find a good ink because I think this is my new favorite pen!

Did the medium nib arrive yet? Guess not yet...

It arrived safe and sound, just after my post. Thank you. :)
Boy o boy! I was so worried after all of our postage discussion. Enjoy! The medium is smoother than the fine (to be expected) but the fine is the PERFECT WIDTH for me and it also feels great.

[ThirstyTurtle]

Ink samples have arrived! Too bad I left my pens at work over the weekend :-(

Tests and results coming on Monday!

[ThirstyTurtle]

Ink samples arrived today!

Here's a drying time comparison:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/11/8570a0737cb593613b22c8b512590fbe.jpg

Writing Comparison:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/11/6af5c19a82b6dd08dfc0686487b6cffe.jpg

Borealis Black:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/11/2588aba72d04b45f5814371daeb78058.jpg

Heart of Darkness:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/11/5c2b1443acc1cf7ef75f6c36601cdc9a.jpg

Aurora Black:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/11/a6560f16da95accabd019910d6ccc2a8.jpg

Heart of Darkness was the fastest drying, Borealis was the darkest, but Aurora is my favorite! Even on good FP-friendly paper, both Noodlers inks spread and feathered, you can see this quite clearly on a Post It note which is used in the yellow pics above. The Aurora kept the thinnest line and doesn't seem to spread or feather at all on good paper and only a little on cheaper paper. The drying time of the Aurora, while not excellent, is still much better than the X-Feather.

In summary, I'm going to order a bottle of Aurora Black.

Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions everyone!

[Jeph]

I agree. Aurora black is my favorite black as well.
I also find it more waterproof than Montblanc Permanent Black (also a good black) without any such claim to be found anywhere.

[ac12]

You might also get a bottle of Pelikan black.
I have both Waterman and Pelikan black inks. When I get a new pen, I match up the flow characteristic of the pen to the flow characteristic of the ink. Waterman is wet and goes into dry pens, and Pelikan is dry and goes into wet pens.
I think the Aurora is wetter than Waterman.

[Jerry000g]

For all papers, Noodlers black. For FP friendly paper, HOD. If you don't care if it washes away, Aurora.

[Laura N]

For all papers, Noodlers black. For FP friendly paper, HOD. If you don't care if it washes away, Aurora.

Aurora Black is actually pretty darn water resistant. Some of the dye washes away, but enough remains to be perfectly legible, even after soaking.

There are a lot of ordinary black inks that are the same way, to be honest.

[FredRydr]

And then there's Sailor Kiwagura Nano Very Black.

Fred

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pArIok2FheI/VWHKv1svHKI/AAAAAAAAH-A/E3cQDEGzRpE/s800/2015_05_24_08_57_31.jpg

[ceebert]

I should listen more.

Every review, every post I see, someone is carrying on about blacks. And always, someone along the way softly says “Aurora”. I should listen more.
I work in a home for two young men with Autism. Active, and loads of documentation. They give us copier paper to write on, at least until jute prices drop. My coworkers are ballpoint-wielding scrawlers with hands of ham, and every form has been handled dozens of times, and is occasionally smeared with cookies.
But I use fountain pens. I’m adaptable, and determined. Where would I get an italic gel-pen? I knew I could find the answer. But I should listen more.
So: Is that particular Noodler’s a wet-ish one, or more dry-throated? Did I add water to this batch? (i should label more, too) Kiwa Guro doesn’t feather, right out of the box. Win! But the Ballpoint Boys give us transfer, and that loses legibility points with the bosses. Plus, it’s great fun to clean from an eyedropper pen. I just had the Speedball, somewhere on this desk...
okay, okay. Aurora. wow.
A slobbery Lamy 2000 xf lays a neat, distinct line. On work paper. No feather. No bleed through. Everything is just fine.
A stingy Conklin stub never skips out, even in flamboyant signatures.
Cart-fill a Liliput, and I OWN this paperwork, in a hip-pocket friendly way.

Hat tip to Joe Szanto, who pushed me over the edge. I shoulda listened. Aurora. Yes. Do. Thank you and good night.

[FredRydr]

$&%&!! A few days ago, I filled my 1942 Sheaffer Triumph Vac-Fill XF nib with Sailor Kiwa-Guro black. (Years ago when people whispered about this unobtainium ink available only in Japan, I imported seven bottles directly from a Japanese retailer; six were snapped up by fellow FP fans.) Anyway, this stuff just would not start each time after I paused writing and laid the Triumph on my desk. I was getting frustrated by having to run a line on a scratch pad until flow resumed and then quickly shift the nib to my letter. Fed up, I emptied and thoroughly flushed the pen and refilled with my favorite black, Aurora black. Hallelujah! All is well.

I'm reminded again how ink plays a part in finding satisfaction when writing with a fountain pen.

[calamus]

I've not tried a huge number of black inks, but hands-down, my favorite so far is De Atramentis Document Black. It is not only bulletproof but bombproof, and lightfast. It dries quickly, doesn't feather much at all on most cheap paper, and if you draw outlines with it and then go over it with watercolors, it will not bleed or smear even a tiny bit, unlike most if not all of Noodler's "bulletproof" blacks sometimes do, as many artists have discovered much to their dismay. It's also a rich, dark, vivid black, quite beautiful.

[stub]

Pretty sure this person from 2015 has sorted their black ink needs.

& as much as I love Aurora Black, I did not find it especially 1. fast drying 2. ubiquitous 3. cheap. And the OP did ask for #1. No one ever recommends Lamy Black. I have no idea why. It is black enough, vintage safe, cheap, easy to find and dries a LOT faster than Aurora and comes in a wicked handy bottle.

Now I often use Aurora black, but beyond the long dry times, you may also know that it runs like the wind. If you have a very wet pen already you are NOT GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. Therefore you might need a more reasonably flowing conservative option.

Honestly, for everyday writing Lamy black is a very nice ink.


*interesting fact about Aurora Black is that not only is it vintage safe but it doesn't even stain Parker Pliglass,

[Chrissy]

I'm not a fan of black inks but I have J.Herbin Pearl Black and it suits all of my back ink requirements.

[azkid]

I just got Lamy black a couple months ago. It's been great in a couple finicky German pens. Worked fine in the Studio. Passable in my 51 but dry. I will try it in more pens later.

[Janeiac]

What about good old Parker Quink, assuming you don’t need waterproof permanence?