BLINK - THE BLACKEST BLACK INK

[Kgbenson]

Has anyone tried to run this through a fountain pen?

 

It is insanely black.  But I suspect it it too thick,

 

Keith

[Mr.Rene]

That ink is a kind of acrylic ink...it does not fit a classic fountain pen...maybe some technical fountain pen for drawing, dip pens or something like that. In fact BLINK looks terrible thick.....

Best regards.

[Bristol24]

7 hours ago, Kgbenson said:

Has anyone tried to run this through a fountain pen?

 

It is insanely black.  But I suspect it it too thick,

 

Keith

Using an ink not specifically intended for use in a fountain pen is asking for trouble.  I recommend not trying it.

 

Cliff

[Inkysloth]

On 9/18/2022 at 9:01 PM, Kgbenson said:

Has anyone tried to run this through a fountain pen?

 

It is insanely black.  But I suspect it it too thick,

 

Keith

It isn’t just that it’s too thick, it’s a pigment ink with an acrylic binder made for brush / dip pen use. The pigment will be larger than that of fountain pen pigment inks so will be prone to clogging, and the acrylic binder will gum up the feed. Basically it’s completely unsuitable for fountain pen use.

[Kgbenson]

I suspected as much.  An FP friendly ink that black would be awesome though.  One can dream.

[wallylynn]

I wonder how it compares to old Manhattan black. Heart of darkness is already darker than much of the printer toners.

[XYZZY]

My understanding is that the super-black paints are special because of their pigments.  Maybe somebody can get some of the pigment and then make an FP ink from it? 

[inkstainedruth]

10 hours ago, wallylynn said:

I wonder how it compares to old Manhattan black. Heart of darkness is already darker than much of the printer toners.

I'm now curious as well.  I have a bottle of Old Manhattan, but don't use it much (part of the reason it is soooo black on the page is that it spreads -- so the lines will be thicker than what you'd expect from a given nib and feed).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dipper]

I wonder what our varied reasons are for being drawn to the blackest blacks?

 

YouTube videos of 3D objects painted with a black that makes the object look like a hole in space do seem "awesome" in the literal sense of the word.

 

I have seen an art installation that was simply a deep hole in the wall coated matt black, but that was about 20 years ago - before ultra-black paints were developed. Using dustings of fine carbon powder instead, the installation almost worked.

 

I use black inks a lot. But for drawing and sketching I don't value the darkest-dark-black so much. What is more important is the uniformity of the black tone over the page, and uniformity where lines pass over previously inked areas. An excellent ink for that feature is Sailor Kiwaguro. That is a more graphite-dark-grey than a deep black. One, two or more layers overlaid all show exactly the same tone. Spoilt by the fact that it keeps clogging my fountain pens though.

 

So for ease of maintenance I use dark black dye-based inks mostly. Currently enjoying a new bottle of Diamine Onyx Black.

 

But for handwriting of more than a paragraph or two I find dark black ink handwritten text somewhat trying on the eyes. If writing a lot of text I often dilute my arty-black inks so they give a softer more restful effect on the page. Shades of grey ..... mmmm.

 

 

[lapis]

FWIW (yes, two oldies):

 

  

  1. Aurora

  2. Herbin Perle Noire

  3. Montblanc Mystery Black

  4. Noodler's Black

  5. Noodler's Heart of Darkness

  6. Noodler's Old Manhattan

  7. Pelikan Black 4001

  8. Private Reserve Invincible Black

  9. Sailor Kiwa-Guro

10. Visconti

11. Montblanc Ultra Black

12. Montblanc Permanent Black

 

• Aurora and Perle Noire are the most "famous" of all blacks.
• Aurora, Perle Noire, MB's Permanent Black and Ultra Black, Noodler's Black and Old Manhattan, Pelikan's Black 4001, Kiwa-Guro, and Visconti all look good to me.
• Sure, there are other faves of other members here but IMO those inks don't belong to the best blacks, e.g. the way I see it, Noodler's HOD is too brown, PR's Invincible Black too green, and MB's Mystery Black too blue. The blackest blacks (har, har) are Kiwa-Guro and MB's Permanent Black.
• The problem with "best" -- especially for black inks -- is that it'll all boil down to your own personal experience. MB being MB (as regards their pens) means that they will (or at least should) all handle and/or tolerate all decent inks, and all of those above-mentioned inks are decent. But your decision of the optics and judgement of maintenance remains up to you.
• Try out a sample of each.

 

See also:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/341317-the-perfect-black-ink/ (11 pages, btw)

[amberleadavis]

Also, if you really like that ink, you can get an Indigraph fountain pen and use the ink.  I used mine with the india ink but it works for a lot of obnoxious inks that i like.