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Thread: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

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    Default What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Herbien Perle Noir has been my go-to black for its darkness and shine, but I wonder every once in awhile if I am missing out on anything else.

    Are there any other inks that are both darker and have more sheen than Perle Noire?

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Darker: Aurora Black. It doesn't get any blacker.
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Noodler's Polar Black, quite shiny and very dark.....

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    I like Perle Noir (very wet) and Aurora for this, but they are not exactly "shiny."

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Sailor Kiwa Guro. Quite shiny.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Hi,

    black De Atramentis Document ink is colorless shining and dark, but tends to nib creed...

    Jens
    Schaumburg_Swan aka SchaumburgSwan
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/136145166@N02/albums

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Try pilot iroshizuku take sumi as a sample and see what you think. If you go for document (waterproof) inks be forewarned: they tend to be smeary and can clog nibs.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is apparently "glossy".
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is apparently "glossy".
    Looks like a good one, at least from what I see on-line.

    Polar Black is very dark, but I try to avoid Noodler's, truth be told. Everything that I have had from them just dripped and ran all over everything.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by markofp View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is apparently "glossy".
    Looks like a good one, at least from what I see on-line.

    Polar Black is very dark, but I try to avoid Noodler's, truth be told. Everything that I have had from them just dripped and ran all over everything.
    I understand what you say. As someone who uses mostly permanent inks, I' way past that Polar Black is quite viscous, and cushiony in my experience.
    Ironically, a few years ago, with a Jinhao pen purchase, I was gifted a pack of Jinhao black cartridges. Not bad at all... quite shiny

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Anytime someone asks about black ink, my first recommend is the comprehensive guide from Jet Pens:

    https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Bes...Pen-Inks/pt/20

    My experience suggests Platinum Carbon Black for a shiny look.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    So I tried some of these inks.

    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is certainly very dark with a little gloss, but this is the driest ink I have ever tried. Very hard to start and keep going, very little flow in a Pilot 823.

    Noodler's Polar Black is a very dark black, but like all Noodler's inks it just gushed over everything, it turned my TWSBI extra-fine into a medium somehow, and dripped into the cap.

    Sailor Kiwa Guro is very shiny, but dries into a gray.

    Aurora Black is a strong contender, again very black but more matte than shiny with a touch more feathering. I'm going to give this awhile.

    Thanks for the recommendations!

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by markofp View Post
    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is certainly very dark with a little gloss, but this is the driest ink I have ever tried. Very hard to start and keep going, very little flow in a Pilot 823.
    Ah, that's a shame. You might try it with a touch of surfactant, if that's the only drawback.
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Platinum Carbon Black dries shiny and very black. I thought it was comparable to Sailor Kiwa-guro (which I tried some years ago and liked, used up the sample that was given to me). I don't remember that SKG dried gray. Anyway, I'm currently using PCB and can attest that is shiny and super black. I can easily distinguish it from Noodler's Black (my favorite ink) on the same page. Both inks are used in pens with a Pilot PO nib (i.e., extra-fine) on Oxford Optik and Tomoe River notebooks.
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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Ah, that's a shame. You might try it with a touch of surfactant, if that's the only drawback.
    I kind of have a mental block about doing things like that. I guess I figure that for $35.00, it should work well for me straight out of the bottle without having to play boffin with it.

    I'm going to try Carbon Black soon.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by markofp View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Ah, that's a shame. You might try it with a touch of surfactant, if that's the only drawback.
    I kind of have a mental block about doing things like that. I guess I figure that for $35.00, it should work well for me straight out of the bottle without having to play boffin with it.

    I'm going to try Carbon Black soon.
    Fair enoughski. Must admit I sometimes do things the even more expensive way and look around for a pen that suits the ink I want to use!

    I use Carbon Black a lot and love its absolute stay-put quality, but somehow never think of it as shiny. Which is odd. Can't be a nib width thing, because ethernautrix's Pilot PO nib is hardly a double broad. I shall have to be more alert to its shininess in future.
    In the words of Paul Simon, you can call me Al.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by markofp View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by grainweevil View Post
    Ah, that's a shame. You might try it with a touch of surfactant, if that's the only drawback.
    I kind of have a mental block about doing things like that. I guess I figure that for $35.00, it should work well for me straight out of the bottle without having to play boffin with it.

    I'm going to try Carbon Black soon.
    Fair enoughski. Must admit I sometimes do things the even more expensive way and look around for a pen that suits the ink I want to use!

    I use Carbon Black a lot and love its absolute stay-put quality, but somehow never think of it as shiny. Which is odd. Can't be a nib width thing, because ethernautrix's Pilot PO nib is hardly a double broad. I shall have to be more alert to its shininess in future.
    Yeah, makes me want to try PCB again, too....

    Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

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    Senior Member ethernautrix's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    My caveat about PCB is that it's a slightly high maintenance ink. I tend to use it in pens with easily-removable nibs and feeds, for a thorough cleaning, because the ink leaves a residue. Then again... often I just let it ride and don't scrub the nib and feed (instead I try to follow PCB with a dark ink, just in case).

    I've been using PCB in a Moonman C2 fitted with a Pilot #10 PO nib for at least a month, maybe two or longer, and the trick is just to use the pen regularly (not necessarily everyday).

    The other thing about PCB, like many inks, is that the line is thicker, wider, just ever so noticeably. For me, it's okay with EF and PO nibs. But when I switch back to Noodler's Black, the line is finer, skinnier (thus, two "dailies" with POnibs: one with PCB and one with NB).
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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by markofp View Post
    So I tried some of these inks.

    Kyoto Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is certainly very dark with a little gloss, but this is the driest ink I have ever tried. Very hard to start and keep going, very little flow in a Pilot 823.

    Noodler's Polar Black is a very dark black, but like all Noodler's inks it just gushed over everything, it turned my TWSBI extra-fine into a medium somehow, and dripped into the cap.
    Sorry to hear that. What my experience has show with Waterproof inks (whether pigment/IG/ bulletproof), you need a pen with a terrific seal. I don't know how TWSBI's fare in this regard. I had mine in a Perkeo for quite a while. None of this happened. Plus it turned the scratchy fine nib, to soft bouncy nib. The writing experience was enhanced after I changed ink to less lubricated ink. It's a type of ink that chooses the pen and not vice versa.

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    Default Re: What's a good shiny, dark black ink?

    Quote Originally Posted by ethernautrix View Post
    My caveat about PCB is that it's a slightly high maintenance ink. I tend to use it in pens with easily-removable nibs and feeds, for a thorough cleaning, because the ink leaves a residue. Then again... often I just let it ride and don't scrub the nib and feed (instead I try to follow PCB with a dark ink, just in case).

    I've been using PCB in a Moonman C2 fitted with a Pilot #10 PO nib for at least a month, maybe two or longer, and the trick is just to use the pen regularly (not necessarily everyday).

    The other thing about PCB, like many inks, is that the line is thicker, wider, just ever so noticeably. For me, it's okay with EF and PO nibs. But when I switch back to Noodler's Black, the line is finer, skinnier (thus, two "dailies" with POnibs: one with PCB and one with NB).
    I just checked my sample sheet of black inks from over the years. My PCB lines actually have more grey in them than a bunch of others, including Lamy, JHerbin Perle Noir, Noodler's HOD, and Aurora....all of which were solid deep black.

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