Favorite black ink?

[stevekolt]

I'm looking for a deep, deep, black ink. Not too crazy about Noodler's in general. The only black ink in my current collection is Montblanc Permanent Black. I would like to stay away from pigmented inks also. So what say you?

[dfo]

Noodler's does have some of the darkest blacks. I use their Dromgoole's exclusive Texas Black Bat as my document ink.

I would suggest J' Herbin Perle Noire or Aurora Black.

[Chrissy]

Many members will recommend Aurora Black as the blackest, but J.Herbin Perle Noire is also pretty black.

[Lady Onogaro]

I like Cross Black.

[fountainpagan]

I find Platinum to be quite black

[stevekolt]

Thanks for the replies folks. Lady Onogaro, I rarely see Cross inks recommended, but I will have to now take a look...

[stevekolt]

My Aurora Black was delivered today. Pleased with the ink, not so much with the interior plastic cap you have to wrestle with to be able to get to the ink though...

[dfo]

How does it compare to Montblanc Permanent Black?

[BayesianPrior]

I like Cross Black.

I also enjoy Cross black in the old Pelikan-style bottle - because I suspect it is the same ink as Pelikan black.

[FredRydr]

Many members will recommend Aurora Black as the blackest, but J.Herbin Perle Noire is also pretty black.

Yep! +1

[SIR]

Sailor Kiwa-Guro is always worth considering.

[wingwiper]

I'm looking for a deep, deep, black ink. Not too crazy about Noodler's in general. The only black ink in my current collection is Montblanc Permanent Black. I would like to stay away from pigmented inks also. So what say you?

Noodlers Ellis Island Black from Fountain Pen Hospital (Exclusive)

[FredRydr]

Aurora black has long had a place of honor for saturated black, and Aurora's formula makes for a well-behaved lubricated ink. I've tried many of the suggested alternatives in my vintage EF-nibbed fountain pens and I've found no advantage, e.g.: Nano Kiwaguro, Perle Noir, Platinum, old and new Montblanc, Pelikan and Visconti. I imagine that it's hard to improve on black* and remain suitable for fountain pens. For me, the next step from Aurora black would be an India ink and a dip pen.





*Black - The absence of or complete absorption of light.

[Frank]

++ on both Aurora Black and J. Herbin Perle Niore...

Frank

[stevekolt]

dfo, at this time the Aurora is definitely preferred over the MB Permmanent Black. Great flow, DEEP black...just what I was hoping for.

[FredRydr]

...For me, the next step from Aurora black would be an India ink and a dip pen.

I withdrawn that claim. I bought a bottle of India ink and started a letter on Rhodia white paper using my Leroy W. Churchill dip pen, which was kinda like painting with a sharp stick, a very wet sharp stick. I decided enough was enough, and to finish the letter, I switched to my BCHR Conklin 4NL crescent-filler with a flex EF nib, filled with Aurora black. The saturation of the Aurora black ink was darker than the India ink!

Go figure.

Fred

[stub]

++ on both Aurora Black and J. Herbin Perle Niore...

Frank

Frank = Frank++

Those are my 2 faves.


But I also use Lamy Black (gallery of the overlooked imo) in some pens where Aurora runs too heavy and dries too slow.

[Chrissy]

I like Cross Black.

I also enjoy Cross black in the old Pelikan-style bottle - because I suspect it is the same ink as Pelikan black.

I would put money on that being the case. I also have some older Faber-Castell inks that were issued in the same bottles

[Pterodactylus]

In general I don´t like black inks much.
When I use it, I prefer the R&K Leipziger Schwarz, not the blackest black but it plays with water very well when drawing with it.

Sometimes I use Montblanc Mystery Black, but there is not much to say about it, beside that it’s a black ink

Recently I bought a bottle Platinum Carbon ink mainly to test it for drawing purposes, but I didn’t tried it yet.

I also have a bottle Pelikan Fount India, which I also bought mainly to draw with, very black, water resistent but if you don´t let it dry quite a long time before a wash a black hue will be washed off (which I donˋt like).


Not for FP use (Brush and Dip Pens) I use Rohrer&Klingner Zeichentusche and Ausziehtusche.
Both are amazingly black, and I mean really blackest black, and 100% Waterproof as soon as they dried (fast).
The difference between them is that the Ausziehtusche has a high Schellack portion in it and they claim that it is even more opaque than their Zeichentusche, but the Zeichentusche is already deepest black.
If you searching for an really well behaved deep black black ink for dip pens these would be my recommendations.

[FredRydr]

...Not for FP use (Brush and Dip Pens) I use Rohrer&Klingner Zeichentusche and Ausziehtusche.
Both are amazingly black, and I mean really blackest black, and 100% Waterproof as soon as they dried (fast).
The difference between them is that the Ausziehtusche has a high Schellack portion in it and they claim that it is even more opaque than their Zeichentusche, but the Zeichentusche is already deepest black.
If you searching for an really well behaved deep black black ink for dip pens these would be my recommendations.

Thank you for this information. I don't know enough to make an informed decision about shellack in ink, but a search for a retailer in North America for Zeichentusche and Ausziehtusche suggests the former will have to come from across the pond. So Ausziehtusche with its shellack it'll have to be.

Interesting that, contrary to James Bond's preference, R&K recommends that their black drawing inks be stirred, not shaken.