EFNIR: Platinum Carbon Black

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Platinum Carbon Black

This is review #141 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Cleaning was surprisingly easy for a permanent ink.  It did want to cling a *little* to the inside of the converter and section, so plan on using a pen flush or swab, or on letting the next ink rinse it out.

I was surprised by the dry time.  In use, I didn't get the impression that it was taking a long time to dry, but then I also don't test whether inks are dry - I use a blotter sheet as a bookmark in my various notebooks, so I really don't think about it.  Still, in simply watching the ink, it seemed to dry reasonably quickly in my Rhodiarama journal as well as on other paper (TR and old HP Premium).

While I said the ink isn't the blackest black, that's really only discernible from the large swatches - in writing with this nib, it's as black as one could want.  Cleaning confirmed (by watching the diluted ink go down the drain) that the color is to the warm side (a brownish grey rather than a cool/blue grey when diluted).  As far as color in the images - if you see anything other than black, it's a flaw in the digital image or screen - the ink looks straight black to the naked eye.

Water Test Note: Under magnification, I could see that the newer writing samples in the water test feathered / fuzzed a bit.  I assume this is the effect of the water because it's worse on the "Written just now" text than on the "Platinum Carbon Black" written a full 4 days before.  But I didn't examine this page under magnification before the water test, so I can't be entirely certain whether there was any fuzz before the water test - this ink does seem to want to creep into the paper more than most of the inks I've tested (hence the wider line).  The paper for this test is lined Rhodia 80gsm.

Errata: Remove apostrophe from "it's attributes"!

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Additional images:
Close-up of water test results (top half):

Close-up of water test results (bottom half):

(I cannot explain why the USB microscope changed the color temperature between these two - the lighting didn't change at all.)

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap

Previous Review: Monteverde Azure Noir.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh?  Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

This is quite a blackity ink, and one I don't have.  I do have Pilot Namiki Black, which is also dark, but hardly ever use it.  Too wet, too feathery.  Even more feathery than Levenger Raven, which is made entirely of raven feathers.

 

I tend to stay clear of 'permanent' inks, and the Forever dry time on this one rules it out for me.

 

Thanks as always for your very detailed and entertaining reviews!   👍🏻

[mizgeorge]

Thanks (of course!) for another excellent, focussed review @LizEF

 

This is an ink I love, and use pretty much daily - it's my go-to drawing ink for FPs, though it does, for me, need a very, very fine nib to really shine. 

 

I've never noticed any real problem with dry time, but as I tend to be using it for things that have plenty of time to dry, and are generally put to one side for a while whilst I think about colour (or whether there should even be any involved), that hasn't often been an issue.

 

As for the fuzziness - I do notice it on copy paper, but it doesn't cause me any problems at all on watercolour paper, which if probably should. I'd be curious to hear how others find it for drawing.

[LizEF]

15 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

This is quite a blackity ink, and one I don't have.

Hmm.  You should try it, I mean, how often do you get to write with ink made from silk worms' happy tears?

 

16 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I do have Pilot Namiki Black, which is also dark, but hardly ever use it.

This ink is definitely blacker than Pilot's Namiki Black.

 

17 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Too wet, too feathery.

If you mean Platinum, then yes, especially if the spread is an issue for you, or you use lousy paper.  If you mean the Pilot ink, I haven't found this to be the case.

 

18 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Even more feathery than Levenger Raven, which is made entirely of raven feathers.

I'm surprised [insert animal protection group here] haven't ganged up on Levenger and flogged them out of business...   (I'm also surprised an ink made entirely of raven feathers flows at all.... Must be magic!)

 

19 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I tend to stay clear of 'permanent' inks, and the Forever dry time on this one rules it out for me.

Yeah, that kinda surprised me - the forever dry time.

 

20 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks as always for your very detailed and entertaining reviews!   👍🏻

You're welcome!  And thanks.

[LizEF]

10 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Thanks (of course!) for another excellent, focussed review @LizEF

You're very welcome!  And thank you.

 

11 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

This is an ink I love, and use pretty much daily - it's my go-to drawing ink for FPs, though it does, for me, need a very, very fine nib to really shine.

Ah, you and @Tas, with the happy silk worms.   Lots of people seem to like it for drawing.

 

12 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I've never noticed any real problem with dry time

Yeah, that's why I was surprised by it (see post-review comments).

 

13 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

As for the fuzziness - I do notice it on copy paper, but it doesn't cause me any problems at all on watercolour paper, which if probably should. I'd be curious to hear how others find it for drawing.

I'm not surprised it does well on WC paper.  I've seen multiple artists on YouTube use it on WC paper and it does fine there.  I suspect said paper is sized right for good ink behavior.  @arcfide's exceptional treatises on paper make me think it's the sizing and the nature of cotton paper - the ink goes in, but not out in feathers, like cotton writing paper...

[yazeh]

Thanks @LizEF for another fabulous review. So, now we have Geometric, Leafy. Is the enchanted object, Goatee

I'm not much into black inks. I once tried 4 Noodler's blacks... and I enjoyed Polar Black (  @mizgeorge). Ironically my most practical black ink, is a Jinhao Black cartridge, go figure

 

[LizEF]

36 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks @LizEF for another fabulous review.

You're welcome! And thank you!

 

36 minutes ago, yazeh said:

So, now we have Geometric, Leafy. Is the enchanted object, Goatee

You'll just have to read and see...

 

37 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I'm not much into black inks. I once tried 4 Noodler's blacks... and I enjoyed Polar Black (  @mizgeorge). Ironically my most practical black ink, is a Jinhao Black cartridge, go figure

Me either!  I liked the texture of Sailor Jentle Black, but black ink makes me yawn, and I can't imagine buying any.

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, LizEF said:

Me either!  I liked the texture of Sailor Jentle Black, but black ink makes me yawn, and I can't imagine buying any.

Of all the black inks, I used, Noodler's Canadian Exclusive ink, Raven Black, was the most surprising with wide nibs. I had the fleeting feeling that the the ink was reflecting light,  akin to raven's wings in the light.... if it makes any sense.... and no the ink was made with dyes and not feathers

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Raven Black...and no the ink was made with dies and not feathers

D'oh!  You ruined my joke! Ah well, the shiny ink looked cool, I'm sure.

[A Smug Dill]

Thanks for the review!

 

8 hours ago, LizEF said:

While I said the ink isn't the blackest black, that's really only discernible from the large swatches - in writing with this nib, it's as black as one could want.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/281635-inky-t-o-d-color-swatches-black-please-post-your-pictures-and-tell-us-your-thoughts/?do=findComment&comment=4334711

 

 

8 hours ago, LizEF said:

I was surprised by the dry time.  In use, I didn't get the impression that it was taking a long time to dry, but then I also don't test whether inks are dry - I use a blotter sheet as a bookmark in my various notebooks, so I really don't think about it.

 

The pigment particles sitting atop the paper surface is apt to be rubbed off, i.e. dislodged by force applied to the particles themselves, when the binding agent in Platinum Carbon Black is wet, including when dried ink marks are rewetted — with a water brush, a drop of water, or even sufficient moisture on one's fingertip. On the other hand, ‘dabbing’ with a tissue or blotter sheet won't get any colour to come off the paper surface at all. 

 

[LizEF]

24 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

The pigment particles sitting atop the paper surface is apt to be rubbed off, i.e. dislodged by force applied to the particles themselves, when the binding agent in Platinum Carbon Black is wet, including when dried ink marks are rewetted — with a water brush, a drop of water, or even sufficient moisture on one's fingertip. On the other hand, ‘dabbing’ with a tissue or blotter sheet won't get any colour to come off the paper surface at all. 

Now that you repeat it, I'm remembering this.  So it's like the perfect ink for blotting up dripped, spilled, or splashed on water (the use case I'm testing), but care may be needed if you intend to brush over it.  And the paper probably plays a big role in the latter - a paper that absorbs the ink won't likely let go of it later, even when brushed over (which explains why it doesn't seem to be a problem when I watch YT sketch artists adding watercolor washes over it).

[yazeh]

If memory serves me right the classic carbon inks used by scribes in the Far and Middle East  could be easily erased by friction. Hence, in Europe the appeal of Iron Gall. Though, with enough humidity, the IG manuscripts could be destroyed. 

Hence the appeal of celluloid reactive inks. Though we don't know how, what will be their Achilles heel. 

In essence, we cannot accept our mortality and we want to leave trace, no matter what....

[InesF]

Thank you @LizEF for the review

and for the story!

 

Most reviewers of drawing ink recommend Platinum Carbon Black as 'the' standard. However, I never regret my choice using Sketchinks (Lotte, Lilly, ...)

 

So I will skip this Platinum and am looking forward to your next review and story! 😎

[LizEF]

32 minutes ago, InesF said:

Thank you @LizEF for the review

and for the story!

You're very welcome.

 

32 minutes ago, InesF said:

Most reviewers of drawing ink recommend Platinum Carbon Black as 'the' standard. However, I never regret my choice using Sketchinks (Lotte, Lilly, ...)

One of the YT artists I watch appears to have switched to the sketchINKs, too -before that, he seemed to prefer De Atramentis Document inks.

 

33 minutes ago, InesF said:

am looking forward to your next review and story! 😎

Thank you!

[Tas]

🥰🥰

[LizEF]

7 minutes ago, Tas said:

🥰🥰

[bluemagister]

I've been using carbon black for almost 15 years and it's one of my favorites.  It can be blended with Platinum Pigment Blue (just a few drops in the big 50ml bottle) to make a VERY nice, dark blue-black ink that can't be erased from paper with anything short of an orbital laser. 

 

The fact that it comes in carts that work well with the Carbon Desk Pen (for use at work) is a bonus.  Lovely review!

[LizEF]

17 minutes ago, bluemagister said:

It can be blended with Platinum Pigment Blue (just a few drops in the big 50ml bottle) to make a VERY nice, dark blue-black ink that can't be erased from paper with anything short of an orbital laser. 

Nice!  I like that idea.  Don't think I have any more Pigment Blue, but I may get a sample just to experiment!

 

17 minutes ago, bluemagister said:

Lovely review!

Thank you!

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, bluemagister said:

It can be blended with Platinum Pigment Blue (just a few drops in the big 50ml bottle)

 

I thought both Platinum Carbon Black and Platinum Pigment Blue inks are only sold in 60ml bottles (aside from ink cartridges)?

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

3 hours ago, bluemagister said:

VERY nice, dark blue-black ink

An image, please?