Until now I have been using Parker Quink black ink to fill up my fountain pens and I am really annoyed with the small hint of blue it has.
I want something pitch black. I have seen some black ink in the calligraphy ink section, it was India Ink.
Can that type of ink be used in fountain pens? If not, can you give me some suggestions.

edit: I have also seen some thing called "acrylic ink". What is that???

Pelikan manufactures an ink called "Fountain Ink" Fount India that is supposedly Indian ink and it states is safe for fountain pens. Other Indian inks, due to their intrinsic composition are not safe to use and are only meant to be employed with dip pens. As you know, Indian Inks are not only very color intense but also very resilient pigments.

If you're looking for a true black, Aurora Black is as dark as the night and Noodler's black (I've heard HOD is even blacker), or Sailor, and even Pelikan black are very satisfactory in my opinion.

I'm afraid that india ink is completely UNsafe for fountain pens. The bits of carbon will clog everything up, perhaps permanently. However, it will work with a dip pen. There are a few fountain pen safe india inks, but they are fairly difficult to come by, and they still are much more likely to block up. Not that it's going to be easy finding some in Qatar, but I'd look out for some Noodler's 'Heart of Darkness' - haven't used any myself, but I assume it does what it says on the tin. Failing that, there must be some other standard blacks better than Quink, which is very thin - I like the Pilot/Namiki stuff, but it hardly pitch black.

David.

What about this product? Pen & Ink No Shellac India Ink

So interesting, thanks for the info... so is not only Pelikan that offers a safe Indian ink...If is really safe... well that would be the answer to all my wishes concerning the permanence and durability of an ink, not to mention pitch black color.

Edited to add : And the price, hear me you big makers "I charge because I can"?

Yup yup. This is the one I was talking about in another thread. A couple people told me to stay away from it. I don't know. Anyone want to lend me their fountain pen to try? ;-)

Pelikan's or Aurora's blacks are both very black and both very safe.
I'm not sure that you can say that for any of Noofler's blacks.

Mike

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Noodlers black inks. Heart of Darkness and Borealis Black are as dark or darker than Aurora Black (according to people who have used both), and both are totally safe. I use them, and the original Noodler's bulletproof black in any and all of my pens, including the old ones.

Added: At the same time, looking at the label on the India Ink in question, I notice it has no shellac in it. You could probably try it with a cheaper pen to see if there are any problems.

And ... It's only $4.95 and it sounds like the bottle might be of such a design as to make filling fountain pens easier. You could always dump the ink, scrape the label, and decant one of your other inks from a less-convenient bottle to this one. $4.95 is a pretty hard price to beat for an inkwell that works with fountain pens.

I'm with Bill on this. Noodler's original bulletproof black has done well in every pen I have used it in from vintage to limited editions. I like Heart of Darkness best. Talk about rich black.

If you want absolute permanent rich black in your fountain pen, then go for Platinum's Carbon Black. Although it does have small particles of carbon in it, if you keep your pen cleaned between each filling, or every couple of fillings if you go through it fast, there should be no problems with it. I have never used anything but the carbon black in my Nakaya and have used it in a multitude of other pens. I do use Koh-i-nor Rapido-eze for cleaning my pens (all pens) which helps to eliminate any possibility of particle settling in the feed systems.

NO they charge the prices they do because ink IS NOT a big production item and they also need to recoup research costs that come with developing a new ink..
How many different formulas do you think they try before they actually end up with one that works as we want it to....
As for the ink mentioned, I would not try it because I have never heard of the company making it...... I prefer to stick to companies that I know are producing inks specifically made for fountain pens...

Bill and Disciples....

... okay, I'll buy that off you. I don't even have any Noodler's (because nobody sells them here), it's just that I have heard of 1-2-3 complaints and/or questions regarding Noodler's "safety", but I've never heard anything like that about the other two inks I mentioned.

Mike

I thought I read about a "nano carbon" ink, which I suppose from the name would look like India ink.

There is also a CdA "colors of the earth" line called "Carbon". Does it live up to its name?

--John

The nano Carbon ink is Sailor's Kiwaguro Nano Carbon Ink. It is made by Sailor to be used in their fountain pens. I have used it both in my Sailor 1911M and my Parker 51 Special (EF). It has behaved flawlessly in both, and does not bleed or feather on even the worst of papers.

Available from vendors like engeika and ujuku in both cartridge and bottle. Sometimes the bottles appear in Kinokuniya.

Highly recommended.

India Ink cannot be used in fountain pens because it contains shellac along with the carbon particles and will cement up the insides.

Carbon / water ink is not good for most pens as the feeds are designed for Aniline Dye /water inks.

Some manufactures, like Platinum do make fountain pens with wider feeds that are designed with Carbon / Water inks in mind.

Pelikan Fount India is not India Ink. I do not know what it is, it may be a carbon ink or have more dye content. Pelikan says it is good for fountain pens and I have not heard of any problems here.

There are heavily dyed inks like Aurora and Noodlers, that my be tried if they are available. IMHO, this is about the heaviest dye load that can be run through the average fountain pen. It is also probably a good idea to water flush them after every couple of refills as dye CAN coat the feed channels. (Not saying it will.)


If a person wants very black ink, and the above two wont do it or are not available, they should probably go to a dip pen or a roller ball pen.

Best of luck............

And there is also Pen & Ink's India Ink which contains no shellac, at least according to their label.

Others have already weighed in on the dangers of using India Ink, it's fatal to fountain pens.

As for acrylic ink, if it's the stuff I know by that name from long ago it's also lethal to fountain pens. The stuff I'm somewhat familiar with has some fine plastic in it, which can easily clog the pen.

For a dark black I use the Noodler's inks.

You are right, however, it is not dangerous to use Pelikan's Fount India which is perfectly suitable for fountain pens.

This is the way I understand the situation.

No shellac, not India Ink and less permanent.

If it contains no shellac it is mislabled Carbon Ink and will behave accordingly.

As one of the "disciples", I most humbly apologize for not mentioning the Pelikan and Aurora inks, however the original question was asked about India ink and its suitability for fountain pens, thus, my writing yesterday was only as a comparison to the qualities of India Inks and not a comparison of all black inks.

Yes, Pelikan and Aurora are both very nice inks. Pelikan 4001 black was for many, many years my predominant black ink of choice. Aurora ink was gift in the late 90's and somehow it ended up in my desk drawer at work. Anytime I ran out of Pelikan at work I would fill up with the Aurora. However, I found the Aurora to be a little on the pale side and did not lay down a line as rich as the Pelikan. Had I not found Noodler's ink, I would probably still be using the two in the same way.

However, when comparing these inks to the density of India ink, there is no comparison. IMHO. India ink is the blackest of blacks and has a permanence beyond compare and while working well in technical drawing pens and dip pens, it is by no means an ink for a fountain pen. For myself, I find the closest ink to India that works without damaging fountain pens (if cleaning is regularly performed) is the Platinum Carbon Black. A safer, for fountain pen, ink would fall into the Noodler's line for it's richness and bulletproof/waterproof qualities, hence the reference to Heart of Darkness which to me appears to be the darkest pure black in the Noodler's line. (I have as yet to try all of them in personal use.)

Then there is the issue of pH factors. Aurora = 4.3, Pelikan=8.2, HOD=7.4. Aurora is acidic, Pelikan is slightly alkaline and Noodler's HOD is neutral.

Of course, these are just my personal preferences and do not dictate how others feel about the topic.

It is sad that you are not able to obtain Noodler's ink in your country especially when Germany has shared so many good things with the US and the world. I would most happily provide you (Mike only) with a couple drams of Heart of Darkness if you would be willing to pay for shipping!

Have wonderful Inky Day!
Kass