Looking for the Blackest of Black ink .... Help

[Grendel]

Noodler's X-Feather and Bad Black Moccasin are "blacker" than the regular Black.

[snedwos]

Use a dip pen with indian ink. That'll be pretty black, especially if it's thick.

[peterpen53]

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]

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]

+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]

+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]

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]

Could someone outline the difference between Noodler's HoD and Noodler's Black?

[UK Mike]

Diamine Onyx Black is very very black. I wouldn't want to see a blacker black than this black.

[mdesimone]

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]

My choice:
1) Sailor Kiwaguro Nano Black
2) Platinum Carbon

[82-Greg]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Moved from Ink Reviews to General Inky Goodness.

[cybaea]

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]

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.

[Newjelan]

J. Herbin Perle Noir - and that's coming frome someone who's not partial to J. Herbin inks (except this one)

[CS388]

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.