Can Anyone Recommend A Good Black Ink For School?

[zachary]

Hi all, I'm in need of a bit of advice. Id like to get a new black ink for writing with in school. The ink needs to have the following characteristics:

. A fast dry time

. A dark black colour

. not to prone to fading

. widely available in the uk

. some level of water resistance

. under £20 a bottle

. and (obvioulsy) fountain pen friendly (no pen clogging pigments!)

 

 

If anyone can think of an ink that fills most of those criteria it would be great if you could let me know a bit about it.

 

Many thanks

Zach

[Fabienne]

Waterman black (no water resist but will wash out of clothes if you spill it...that can be a good thing).

Diamine, they are English and always very good. Onyx Black is quick dry and does not feather on cheap paper. I think it is somewhat water resistant at least.

Aurora Black is universally adored by aficionados everywhere. Can come in a big bottle.

 

All 3 are not bank breakers

[ac12]

Not to question your desire for water resistance, but I am more concerned about getting it on my clothes, UGH. Permanent ink = inky clothes in the rag pile.

I did not have any issues with water on my paper, but depending on your situation you may, so that is your call.

 

I use Pelikan or Waterman black, all depending on the flow characteristic of the pen; Pelikan for wet pens, Waterman for dry pens.

[ztt2]

I use Sailor Jentle Black. It's well behaved in my experience and doesn't feather or bleed on the absolutely terrible paper they make us write our exams on.

[carlos.q]

Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black

[sandy101]

Parker Quink washable black - as ac12 says permanent black is not good for school clothes.

 

The Waterman and Pelikan inks are not terrible, but they are more expensive (in the UK) than Quink. The pens I have that don't like Waterman will take Pelikan.

 

House of Fraser (the pen concession) stocks Waterman, Pelikan & Quink bottles. WH Smith & John Lewis sell Quink & Waterman. Most other shops do cartridges only. WH Smith's cartridges look suspiciously like Pelikan 4001 colours.

 

On the few occasions I need permenant black ink I go for the uni-ball eye disposable roller-balls. They do a good job and don't leak all over the place. A box of five will cost about £6 and last a long time. The paper got totally soaked through and was starting to flake, but the ink remained perfectly legible.

[zachary]

I have quink but i find it tends to make almost all of my watermans write dry! The waterproofing is because im terrible with leaking water bottles and am fed up of ruining notes etc, i like the sound of the Diamine inks though

[Fabienne]

Oh, I have one more for you,Hero 234. It's a carbon black ink which is quite black and very waterproof. It is $4.50 USD (you do the maths....it's cheap) and I bet you can get it in the UK. I like it's lubeness but it's pretty thick stuff. I can't get it to make a thinner line, makes all lines look like MB BB lines. Also, if you are feeling frisky, Hero has: blue, blue-black (an iron gall and therefore waterproof), red and a "regular" black ink. At those prices you can have a whole ink wardrobe for school.

[sandy101]

My waterman pen works better with cartridges than with a converter for some reason.

 

A plastic/poly wallet might be a solution to leaking water bottles. You can get one for about £3-£6 in which you can stash your papers and then they will be protected from leaks.

[sharktm]

I use Noodlers dark mater, and have had no problems, I would also give Noodlers black a try. I think that both would fit the bill I don't know how available Noodlers ink is in the UK.

[zachary]

I have decided to order an array of waterman bottled inks to sample (brown, black, blue and purple- may of got a bit carried away) as they are very reasonable on amazon and it is a good point that permenat ink will ruin clothes. I was unable to find any hero inks in the uk unfortunatley, as for noodlers i will be getting my parents to pick up some when they go to American in the summer. The diamine colours are beautiful, i think i will go for there sherwood green at some point.

[Fabienne]

I think I detect the makings of a true ink maniac.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have decided to order an array of waterman bottled inks to sample (brown, black, blue and purple- may of got a bit carried away) as they are very reasonable on amazon and it is a good point that permenat ink will ruin clothes. I was unable to find any hero inks in the uk unfortunatley, as for noodlers i will be getting my parents to pick up some when they go to American in the summer. The diamine colours are beautiful, i think i will go for there sherwood green at some point.

Sherwood Green is a favorite of mine. It was my first Diamine ink. Since then? Blue Black, Steel Blue and Classic Red.

[WirsPlm]

eBay UK has the Hero ink, check out http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hero-Fountain-Pen-Ink-Carbon-Black-High-Quality-New-/370919732479?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item565c89f4ff (eBay is where most Chinese stuff is sold, unfortunately it's not often in pen shops), I like it quite a bit and if you put it in a pen with a fine nib it writes a fine line (I use Pilot F and EF nibs, it works great just a little bit dry in them, it's pretty wet in my M nib pens and is a bit smeary in those M pens). I would pick Noodler's over the Hero if you can get it, Noodler's black sounds like everything you're looking for, have you checked out Pure Pens in the UK, I think they have some stock.

Edited April 1, 2014 by WirsPlm

[OcalaFlGuy]

I use Noodlers dark mater, and have had no problems, I would also give ***Noodlers black*** a try. I think that both would fit the bill I don't know how available Noodlers ink is in the UK.

 

I was Shocked to see only this one vote. Make that 2.

 

In every What's The Best Black thread I've ever read, plain old Noodler's Black has rated A Best, if not The Best (all around) Black.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[fledermaus89]

Wow, I just checked out pure pens and I'm surprised they sell Noodler's ink for 12.50GBP there, when it's 12.50USD here... still a good deal considering the its size and features.

[nanahcub]

Another recomendation for Pelikan black (unless you want to be brave, and go slightly off the true black with Diamine Green Black - go on... you won't regret it)

[attika89]

J.Herbin Perle Noire is a very nice ink too.
Not the blackest (not a must for me), but has great flow, and some water resistance as well.
I have the Diamine Onyx, but I only use it for some sketching. For writing, I much prefer the Perle Noire.

Edited April 1, 2014 by attika89

[Stu L]

 

I was Shocked to see only this one vote. Make that 2.

 

In every What's The Best Black thread I've ever read, plain old Noodler's Black has rated A Best, if not The Best (all around) Black.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Bruce, its the availability in the UK that's kept recommendations off the list. There is 1 shop I know of that carries it, but stock is often patchy, the range isn't great and it works out more expensive here than in the states.

Annotong , as many rave about Noodlers.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Stu, the OP did state a price request of 20 Gbp. I cannot believe you cannot get a bottle of Noodler's shipped across the Atlantic for that.

 

I did consider the location, at the same time I thought of the gyrations and money spent people Here are doing to get Ackerman's ink.

 

Noodler's Black is a good enough black IMO to go to some effort to procure.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl