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View Full Version : Looking for the Blackest of Black ink .... Help



goldiesdad
May 20th, 2012, 07:55 AM
I have a few black inks ....

Aurora Black
Noodler's (Heart of Darkness) not sure this is exactly it's name ...

What other black inks do you use ... I WANT THAT BLACK BLACK

Thanks Tons

JustDaveyB
May 20th, 2012, 01:58 PM
I have a few black inks ....

Aurora Black
Noodler's (Heart of Darkness) not sure this is exactly it's name ...

What other black inks do you use ... I WANT THAT BLACK BLACK

Thanks Tons

Sailor Kiwa Gura Nano Black is the blackest black I own

goldiesdad
May 20th, 2012, 03:09 PM
Thanks I'm checking her out ...

Truppi327
May 20th, 2012, 06:05 PM
I have a few black inks ....

Aurora Black
Noodler's (Heart of Darkness) not sure this is exactly it's name ...

What other black inks do you use ... I WANT THAT BLACK BLACK

Thanks Tons

Noodler's standard BLACK ink is simply named Noodler's Black, also known commonly as Bulletproof Black because it is defined by Nathan as a bulletproof ink. Noodler's standard Black is plenty black for me.

Noodler's Heart of Darkness is an all together different black ink than Noodler's Black ink.

Noodler's also makes Polar Black, American Eel Black, Old Manhattan Black (FPH exclusive), Dark Matter, and Bad Black Mocassin. I think that's all of 'em.

I think I've read that Old Manhattan is the blackest black Nathan brews.

JustDaveyB
May 20th, 2012, 07:15 PM
Noodler's standard BLACK ink is simply named Noodler's Black, also known commonly as Bulletproof Black because it is defined by Nathan as a bulletproof ink. Noodler's standard Black is plenty black for me.

Noodler's Heart of Darkness is an all together different black ink than Noodler's Black ink.

Noodler's also makes Polar Black, American Eel Black, Old Manhattan Black (FPH exclusive), Dark Matter, and Bad Black Mocassin. I think that's all of 'em.

I think I've read that Old Manhattan is the blackest black Nathan brews.

Borealis Black and X-Feather are two more Noodler's Blacks

Bogon07
May 20th, 2012, 09:37 PM
You can probably cross Dark Matter off your list. While being a nicely nuanced black it is not all that intense a black, still I love it anyway and it has a great name and backstory.

gwgtaylor
May 20th, 2012, 11:11 PM
Pelikan 4001 brilliant black

goldiesdad
May 21st, 2012, 05:58 AM
Old Manhattan Black it is ... I'll give her a whirl ...

lovemy51
May 22nd, 2012, 11:44 AM
i know nothing blacker than PR Velvet and Ultra blacks. but they are not bullet proof. compared, noodlers black looks grey.

Jimmy James
May 23rd, 2012, 07:15 PM
PR has an Invincible black.

gumwater
May 23rd, 2012, 10:40 PM
+1 for Noodler's Black and Noodler's Black Eel as very black blacks.

PSmith
May 31st, 2012, 12:50 PM
Caran d'Ache Carbon is the blackest -and most expensive- black I have.

jotterius
May 31st, 2012, 01:25 PM
Noodler's X-feather

RoriRants
June 23rd, 2012, 10:02 PM
J. Herbin Pearle Noire is uber black also.

The Good Captain
June 24th, 2012, 08:57 AM
Another 'vote' for Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. If I have to use a black ink, it's this one.

82-Greg
June 24th, 2012, 12:19 PM
Pelikan 4001 Brillant Black.

KrazyIvan
June 24th, 2012, 11:16 PM
I have a sample of Pelikan Brilliant Black that I need to test out. Black ink disappoints me if it is not a solid blackest of black. Anything less is not very sith-like. :D

Pinkys.Brain
June 24th, 2012, 11:39 PM
I have a sample of Pelikan Brilliant Black that I need to test out. Black ink disappoints me if it is not a solid blackest of black. Anything less is not very sith-like. :D

The wetter the pen, the darker the Pelikan Brilliant Black. But that stands true for any black ink anyway...

dannzeman
June 29th, 2012, 11:01 PM
Once I discovered Heart of Darkness I quit looking. I love that ink. Even more than Aurora Black. :crazy_pilot:

dgator
June 30th, 2012, 10:48 AM
I just purchased Pelikan Brilliant black last week and inked my Pelikan 140. In my experience I find it to be similar to Noodler's Bulletproof black as far as darkness of color.

Grendel
July 8th, 2012, 03:53 AM
Noodler's X-Feather and Bad Black Moccasin are "blacker" than the regular Black.

snedwos
July 8th, 2012, 07:26 AM
Use a dip pen with indian ink. That'll be pretty black, especially if it's thick.

peterpen53
July 8th, 2012, 10:49 AM
Did you ever try Omas Black? Probably the blackest black I know, but it remains sticky for a very long time.

Edit: I have also had good results with Visconti Black and Sheaffer Skrip Jet Black.

peterpen53
July 8th, 2012, 10:52 AM
i know nothing blacker than PR Velvet and Ultra blacks. but they are not bullet proof. compared, noodlers black looks grey.

Curious, I recently dismissed PR Velvet Black as grey-ish.

efj3
July 20th, 2012, 10:17 AM
+1 for the J. Herbin and +1 for the Sailor Nano Black.

The Nano black has a nice matte finish and it has an interesting smell.
The J. Herbin is just really, really, REALLY black.

tiffanyhenschel
July 20th, 2012, 07:41 PM
+1 for Old Manhattan Black. It is blacker and better behaved than the regular Bulletproof Black. Coming out of a broad nib in a wet flowing pen, the black almost glows.

FP_GaF
July 31st, 2012, 06:15 AM
I think I mentioned it before but my current vote is on Diamine Onyx Black. I have started a new "Quest for Black", though, because Onyx Black has a saturated red/purple component that I found to stain my cartridge converters quite a bit (I did not succeed to clean it off entirely, but haven't used bleach yet).

So may I add to this thread a question: When looking for the darkest of dark black inks (compared to which tar looks like a blinding white angel's wing) do you care about your pen (feed, ink window, etc.) being stained? Or are we more demanding by asking for darkness that is easy to clean at the same time?

pelahale
August 1st, 2012, 04:51 PM
Could someone outline the difference between Noodler's HoD and Noodler's Black?

UK Mike
January 13th, 2013, 01:14 PM
Diamine Onyx Black is very very black. I wouldn't want to see a blacker black than this black.

mdesimone
January 30th, 2013, 09:17 PM
Take a look at ink by Levenger - the colors are true/pure. I love their cobalt blue. But be careful, don't leave the ink in the pen for long periods. Levenger has a tendency to stain.

AoKiu
January 31st, 2013, 02:16 AM
My choice:
1) Sailor Kiwaguro Nano Black
2) Platinum Carbon

82-Greg
March 8th, 2013, 08:47 PM
Aurora Black is generally regarded as the blackest black. I prefer it over any other black, but I have to admit, that black is never my first choice of color.

snedwos
March 17th, 2013, 10:43 AM
My choice:
1) Sailor Kiwaguro Nano Black
2) Platinum Carbon

I found that Kiwa guro seems to fade when it dries. It still looks nice, just not as intensely black as I thought it would be.

cedargirl
March 18th, 2013, 12:18 AM
Here are the FP friendly blacks I use, listed in order of blackness:

a. Platinum Carbon Black
b. Noodlers' Black (bulletproof black)
c. Parker Quink Black

But the pen does make adifference. In a dryish medium nib, Quink black is just too lacking in blackness for me, but in a wettish fine nib its a nicer more saturated black.

jor412
March 18th, 2013, 08:59 AM
So may I add to this thread a question: When looking for the darkest of dark black inks (compared to which tar looks like a blinding white angel's wing) do you care about your pen (feed, ink window, etc.) being stained? Or are we more demanding by asking for darkness that is easy to clean at the same time?

I always want my inks easy to clean hehe except for at least one color which I use for signing checks and such. The only black I'm using right now is J. Herbin and it's definitely easy to clean. I'd say Herbin is quite black but the only other blacks I've tried are Quink and Waterman. I'd actually like to know how Herbin compares to Noodler's X-Father or Aurora Black or the other blacks with a truly black reputation. And also, yes, how they perform in terms of flow and such would be helpful.

dannzeman
April 22nd, 2013, 03:17 PM
Moved from Ink Reviews to General Inky Goodness.

cybaea
April 26th, 2013, 08:49 AM
Use a dip pen with indian ink. That'll be pretty black, especially if it's thick.

Or if you need a matt finish, use No 230 Black Actinic Ink. Indestructible. MnO2 based, which has been used as pigment for much more than 10,000 years (and that artwork is still fine). No natural substance I know beats carbon black for sheer blackness, but manganese dioxide is probably the next in the list. I thought Higgins Black Magic was black until I tried Actinic.

But we should probably get back to fountain pens :) I do wonder if a Pilot Parallel would survive this ink…hmm, must try.

dowdyism
April 26th, 2013, 10:59 PM
If you can stand the dry time, Noodler's Borealis Black is the darkest I have used, even over Pelikan Brilliant Black. Aurora Black is probably second, but my super fine nibs enjoy Borealis more. Writing sample here (http://bit.ly/ZqKVs8).

Newjelan
April 27th, 2013, 04:02 AM
J. Herbin Perle Noir - and that's coming frome someone who's not partial to J. Herbin inks (except this one)

CS388
April 27th, 2013, 05:16 AM
Another vote, here, for Noodler's Old Manhattan.
Picked up a bottle from FPH on a visit to NYC - and yes, it's a pretty solid black. Rich and full.

Yet, I couldn't really see that much difference between it and Montblanc Black (the old one - possibly unavailable now?)
I tended to use the Montblanc more than the Noodler's, because I found that the Noodler's had more issues with bleed-through, when using poorer quality paper. Unfortunately, the newer Montblanc black (Mystery Black) seemed to bleed through worse than the Noodler's!

And I've always had a soft spot for Waterman's black, widely available. Nice and wet.
I should point out that my experience doesn't involve extensive testing and reviewing, just everyday use.

Enjoy.

nomadhacker
May 2nd, 2013, 03:01 PM
The important things for me about a black ink are:
1. Water resistance
2. good flow
3. Doesn't take forever to dry

Noodler's Black takes care of the first two, but takes a glacial age to dry. I tried Heart of Darkness and it dries quickly and I like the flow. It would be my go-to black. But it tends to spread a little too much on some papers (not talking cheap copy paper. Just my Leuchtturm journal). I like Dark Matter. It's well behaved and it's water resistant. Dry time is ok.

Was wondering about Old Manhattan Black as mentioned in this thread? Specifically does it dry quickly? How about behavior?

Any other suggestions?

ethernautrix
May 2nd, 2013, 05:54 PM
Many very good ink suggestions for blackest black.

I use Noodler's Black with a boost of Noodler's Old Manhattan Black. The OMB makes the Black blacker, and the Black is the least troublesome ink I've ever used.

carlos.q
May 2nd, 2013, 08:40 PM
Noodler's Black takes care of the first two, but takes a glacial age to dry.

Any other suggestions?
You can try diluting Noodlers Black with a bit of distilled water...

Marsilius
May 2nd, 2013, 09:11 PM
Pretty poetic thread.
How to define blackness?
Opacity?
Richness?
Trueness of color?
Texture?
Matte or Shine?
Depth?
Evil?
Absence of Light?
Inclusion of other colors?
"Twenty-three Ways of Looking at a Black Ink?" Or whatever that poem is called . . .

jor412
May 6th, 2013, 05:19 AM
Pretty poetic thread.
How to define blackness?
Opacity?
Richness?
Trueness of color?
Texture?
Matte or Shine?
Depth?
Evil?
Absence of Light?
Inclusion of other colors?
"Twenty-three Ways of Looking at a Black Ink?" Or whatever that poem is called . . .

13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens :)

Marsilius
May 6th, 2013, 09:53 AM
Pretty poetic thread.
How to define blackness?
Opacity?
Richness?
Trueness of color?
Texture?
Matte or Shine?
Depth?
Evil?
Absence of Light?
Inclusion of other colors?
"Twenty-three Ways of Looking at a Black Ink?" Or whatever that poem is called . . .

13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens :)
I always get that wrong. There MUST be at least ten more?

jor412
May 6th, 2013, 10:32 AM
Or maybe you're thinking about -

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
four and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie,
when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing
wasn't that a dainty dish to set before a king? etc. :)

Marsilius
May 6th, 2013, 12:56 PM
Or maybe you're thinking about -

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
four and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie,
when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing
wasn't that a dainty dish to set before a king? etc. :)

Excellent? That's 11 more!

UK Mike
May 7th, 2013, 04:10 PM
Having now tried Aurora Black, there is no doubt in my mind that Diamine Onyx Black is blacker. Makes the Aurora look dark grey. Really.

I am working my way through a few blacks - I have Diamine Jet Black and Visconti black - these seem equivalent to Aurora. Weird there are so many colours of black I know, but thats what you get with mixtures of dyes. I don't believe that Diamine have any claims for those inks to be water resistant however. Their waterproof blacks are something else again.

cwent2
May 7th, 2013, 08:41 PM
I have had good luck with Noodler's Borealis Black - seems to dry as well as Private Reserve Velvet black, but does not have any hint of grey. The only paper I have had drying problems with is parchment.