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Parker Quink Black - Aka Parker "wishy-Washy" Black


Sui-Generis

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Left hand paper: 90gsm Oxford Optik
Right hand paper: 80gsm Pukka

Dry time before water test: 12h
Test Pen: Jinhao x250 - 1.1mm Jinhao stub nib

 

Opinions:

I remember always hating this ink before I "got in" to fountain pens, and simply used a fountain pen to write with, but I couldn't remember why, so comes on to cracking into my bottle for the first time in probably 15-20 years (I left school in 1999 and promptly stopped "having" to write).

 

Ahh, yes, I remember now, the greyest excuse for black there is, that's why I hated it. But, perhaps with the extra knowledge and appreciation I have gained over the past two or so years of the fountain pen hobby offers some redeeming features for Quink "Wishy-Washy" black?

 

Well, firstly, it is very well behaved, as in it doesn't spread or feather even on the Pukka paper, which is fairly absorbent. Bleed is minimal even using the stub, 'tis a dry, dry ink! This may be to your like or dislike depending on how you like your pens to write and in what circumstance you find most of your scribbling taking place. Personally? The majority of my scribbles happen on extremely cheap & nasty copier paper, so I'm all about those dry inks at work.

 

Dry time is also excellent even on the Optik paper (which, IMHO, is way better than Rhodia...don't throw things at me!) which usually lets ink pool for some time (doing the water test on the Optik paper? The water droplet will just sit there for anywhere up to 30-40 minutes before drying/absorbing).

 

Now, this one surprised me. Which it shouldn't. But, there is some permanence to it. Yes I know it is called "PERMANENT Black", but somehow that slipped my mind. The black dye washes away almost instantly but the remaining, largely blue, ink is still very legible.

 

Looking at pricing you can be paying anywhere from £5 to £7 per 57ml bottle which is, pretty reasonable.

 

Summary
Being a bit of a sucker for dry inks, I am starting to re-appreciate Quink Black, I also have a penchant for permanence in my inks, because accidents can and do happen (often!). I would say that Quink Black is actually a pretty decent, reliable "everyday" ink if you are having to suffer "less-than-optimal" papers or have a gusher of a pen. Just wish there was more black in this black!

 

 

Edited by Sui-Generis

Arguing with people on the Internet is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good you are at chess, the pigeon will just knock the pieces over, s**t on the board and strut around like it's victorious.

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Look how blue that chroma is! Quink is my cheap black on cheap paper. I really like it and have another bottle in reserve.

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Excellent overview! I like Quink Black very much. Are there "blacker" blacks? Yes. But they don't work on every paper in every pen. This one does.

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Great review. Love your handwriting....

I have to say, I'm not a fan of wishy washy colours....Prefer them to be bold :)

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This is a very safe ink that looks darker in broader or wetter nibs. If you consider it as a very dark gray or graphite color you will very happy! ;)

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Tks for the review :)

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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Your review almost tempts me to let it near my fountain pens again 😄. This is my dip pen black and works wonderfully for that; the viscosity being so high for a fp ink.

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Great review. Love your handwriting....

I have to say, I'm not a fan of wishy washy colours....Prefer them to be bold :)

Why thank you kindly! I don't usually write in print any longer unless necessary (unfortunately, for my work, it all too often is), but I figured it would give the best showcase to the inks I'm cataloguing with all the stops & starts print 'provides'. There is a method to my madness! ...usually

Arguing with people on the Internet is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good you are at chess, the pigeon will just knock the pieces over, s**t on the board and strut around like it's victorious.

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Quink Black was the first bottled ink I ever used, and for a year or two was my "tester" ink when I got a new pen. I'm actually not that surprised by the chroma, because I have some vintage Quink Microfilm Black and that has a distinct blue undertone to it (as opposed to some vintage Skrip V-Black, which seemed to be quite grayish).

I don't know if either were diluted/reconstituted (although I've been told that vintage Skrip takes to that better).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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+1. Parker Quink Black is my tester ink whenever I finish restoring a vintage pen. No complications, no worries.

... was my "tester" ink when I got a new pen...

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Quink Black was my only ink for 2+ decades. It's a good ink, and behaves well on lower quality paper. I actually don't mind the appearance of the color. I went through a spell where I was looking for the blackest of black inks. But now I don't care about that.

 

To be fair, I mostly use Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black now, but I still have a soft spot for Parker.

Proud resident of the least visited state in the nation!

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Quink Black was my only ink for 2+ decades. It's a good ink, and behaves well on lower quality paper. I actually don't mind the appearance of the color. I went through a spell where I was looking for the blackest of black inks. But now I don't care about that.

 

To be fair, I mostly use Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black now, but I still have a soft spot for Parker.

 

Yup, me too - in my growing up years, the only inks I remember are Parker Quink Black, Blue, Washable Blue, and Blue-Black (= greenish-black), plus a bottle of Sheaffer Blue my mum kept on her desk. Quink inks are *still* among the easiest for me to source (the OfficeWorks chain of stores stock it) - but despite the 'soft spot' I have towards Quink I can't quite bring myself to buy a bottle. Maybe next time I'm in store - just so I can say I have it?

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I adore how this ink "splits" when washed over :)

It's not the blackest black by a long shot and it may not have any special properties but I'm pretty sure I'll always have a bottle in the drawer :)

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I love Parker's inks. They behave well, do their job well and come in large bottles for a very affordable price. They might not have any special properties, but being so well rounded may be the very special property of this ink.

 

Parker, Pelikan, Waterman and Lamy. I love the inks which you can fill to any pen without thinking twice and just write and enjoy the process.

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...Parker, Pelikan, Waterman and Lamy. I love the inks which you can fill to any pen without thinking twice and just write and enjoy the process.

 

You make a good point. I have several inks with which I have to hesitate and think, "Wait, which pen am I thinking of putting this in?" There is a downside to that.

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You make a good point. I have several inks with which I have to hesitate and think, "Wait, which pen am I thinking of putting this in?" There is a downside to that.

I totally agree. Some pen/ink combinations can be so worrisome. I recently returned to Quink black and always have a pen inked with it now.

 

Mike

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For the longest time, Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman inks were the only game in town. I still use Waterman inks a lot, and I still enjoy Quink BB and black. They just work.

No, they won't glow in the dark and they will freeze at -65 degrees C, and I'm pretty sure they won't survive a bleach apocalypse, but they are reliable.

Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy all the choices we have today, but there is still a place for these safe / solid / dependable inks.

I like the review. It sort of describes my own attitude regarding Quink black.

 

And I love the scent. If I really think of what fountain pen ink smells like, it's Waterman / Parker inks.

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